Position 37°06’561N 008°40’483W
Marina De Lagos, Portugal, Atlantic Ocean.
Hi dear friends, thank you for following my journey. Here is this week’s update.
Atlantic Ocean revisited
Life Onboard:
Monday I went out for a test sail to see how the new mainsail sets then ashore for a few drinks with friends. Another few runs ashore during the week socialising it was time to leave the ‘rock’.
Thursday afternoon departed Gib and back into the Atlantic Ocean once more, a head wind and current meant using the ‘iron sail’ (engine) for the first part of the passage through the Straits of Gibraltar. The same conditions met me as I left the straits, punching the current and a head wind. For the next three days I spent beating to windward in 3 -5 kn of wind.
Late Saturday after the winds and seas started building as a gale became friendly with PINTA. Although as gales go this was a tame one, the only difficultly was the wind. A constant 26kn then a sudden burst of 35kn. In those conditions all you can do is set your sails for the 35kn bursts and suffer poor boat handling when the wind drops back to 27kn.
With breaking seas and Pinta going know where fast I decided at 21:26hrs (GMT) I decided to ‘heave too’, I was getting know where punching in this weather. Pinta’s downfall being once reefed she makes a lot of leeway being so beamy, or her ‘child bearing’ hips as I call it. At least ‘heave too’ Pinta made 12Nm in the right direction.
The Boat:
New mainsail was bent on.
Fair winds, calm seas.
David.