can we help
+44(0)1983 296060
+1 757-788-8872
tell me moreJoin a rally

Menu

Jubilate Mare - Day Three - Tuesday



It's been a challenging day which started slightly ahead of Pete's 08:00 shift. Robert knocked on the door to advise of a call that had been put out, warning of a drifting boat. Four sets of eyes scanned the horizon and kept careful watch. We passed within 10m of the strange, deserted vessel and have pictures. We were grateful for the advanced warning and it would have been impossible to spot had it been dark. The boat was a greeny-black 8m fibreglass open boat, with two outboards. It had a lifejacket attached to the stemhead. About 4 rows of seats but no sign of people.
 
Wind was dropping so the sails were altered to better effect. Then of course the wind picked up and we saw speeds of over 8 knots and were racing through the waves. The words "There is no such thing as too much wind only too much sail!" came to mind and so some hard work to revert back to make things more manageable.
 
Yet another call about a drifting craft and this one was eventually spotted about three hundred yards away. The radio net is a huge advantage in these situations and it's actually quite amazing that, in such a vast ocean, one can come so perilously close to these things, and twice in one day. We were, however in the corridor between West Africa and the Canary Islands, a common migrant route.
 
Wind dropped off again and we were lucky to see 4 knots. However a reassuring check of nearby ARC participants confirmed  that we were all in the same boat - please excuse the pun! As I write this we are now back up to speeds around a desired 6 and we are hopeful for better things to come. I now have my sea legs and can enjoy eating, so life's good again. Bee

Previous | Next