52’47.3N 010’56.5W course 188′ speed 5,9kn
Today we have been making our way South under engine, with only 3 hours of sailing in between. Making our way out of Donogal Bay was not the easiest. Progress was slow as the waves rolling in from the North Atlantic were high and confused. The waves were coming from the West and the South West which made choosing the best course out of the bay, pretty hard. As we set off from our anchorage the wind was South South West, by the time we got to the exit the wind started to turn and decrease, coming from the West North West with 15 to 18 knots. We could then tack and head South West, passing the Stags and Erris Head at a few miles.
In the morning the wind had turned enough to set jib and mainsail as well. We were doing 7,5 knots with the support and so we turned of the engine for a while, sailing with a speed between 4 and 6,5 knots. But, as predicted, the wind kept on decreasing and so our sailing lasted but short.
The wind is now nearly gone and the sea state is flattening out as well, with the occasional shaker in between.
Hopefully over the next few days, life on board will become a little more routine, with chores, maintenance and just steering the ship. So far, we have been in a blender, or rollercoaster, or cocktail shaker, with the waves coming from all sides. A little stability will do us good. And we will get it. First off no wind, turning against us with a light breeze, then no wind again until we make enough South and find the wind of a high pressure area, sitting there, waiting for us!
I have predicted we will be wearing flip flops in about 6 days.. Lets hope I am right. Not just for the feeling of wearing them, but also because the crew may not like me so much any more if I am wrong.
Picture of the day was won by Soete, she was the one smart enough to catch the few moments of steel blue sky we had! To be honest, most of the day its been sort of greyish, with lots of spells of drizzle.. persistent drizzle. But we wont let that bother us, we had sunshine and we will just turn up the volume of our music to get the summer vibe.
All is well on board
Jet