Freedom - Blog 15 Sunday 3rd December 2023

Editor: IRWW

Greetings Freedom Followers

Saturday was a day for Big Red to stay in bed and rest after her extremely hard shift trying to edge Freedom to the land of Rum and Sun. She deserves a lie in and to be honest I think most of the crew are enjoying her rest as much as she is.
Big Red is no fool and has called it correctly. The variable winds today range from 6 knots to 26 knots making sail choice and sail planning tricky.
The day is spent in our established routine that you are now familiar with , only interrupted by our weather eye looking out for squalls that can creep up from behind.
We have left our reasonably established weather pattern of clear skies, sun shine and fairly consistent winds for grey skies patched with blue that are frequently interrupted with menacing dark clouds that appear on the horizon to our stern. If we are lucky , they skip to our Port or Starboard beam (impressive nautical expression) but if the wind gods are not looking on us kindly they bear down on our chuff and release their gifts of wind and rain in what ever portions they consider appropriate . Whilst these gifts are not always wanted they are usually not problematic , however they do mean one may have to interrupt one’s current activity (sleeping) and assist if necessary.
To my mind Freedom is coping with this range of conditions admirably. She absorbs the gusts with comfort , rounds up into the breeze if necessary and then ploughs on into the breech.
Last night was a classic example. I joined Simon on deck to relieve his watch at 1 am and the winds were comfortable. Freedom was taking it easy cruising along nicely at 6 knots. The sky was black as our beautiful moon has been obscured by cloud. Despite the black sky, you can still make out blacker skies which signal squalls . One such squall hovered on our starboard beam and then decided to make a move. I wrestled to erect the cockpit canopy that can provide shelter but when the breeze is on your srern there’s little shelter afforded. It’s quite something to bowl along at 8 knots in 20 knots plus of breeze when there’s no moon and no stars just blackness. You rely totally on the 3 illuminated dials that sit above the cabin hatch to provide information regarding wind strength and direction, boat speed and direction of travel. It’s literally a voyage into the unknown. However, unlike our intrepid forefathers who sailed these seas without our dials, we are in little danger of bumping into anything unannounced as we have a magical AIS which is like a ‘radar’ warning us of any boats, islands, land or even mermaids that may lie in our path.
CJ joins me on deck at 3 am and despite the downpour he is in good spirits. There is a direct correlation between CJ s demeanour and boat speed , something I imagine that has developed over decades of getting all he can out of his dinghy’s. This morning Freedom is flying and CJ is the cat that has the cream.
After a few hours sleep I join the boys on deck and have a morning brew. Nigel has just made a magnificent breakie of scrambled eggs , mushrooms and baked beans and alls well. Oooohhh , I can hear Big Red stirring , I think she maybe being called upon ….
and before you know it, just as our feast is about to be served she’s out of the cabin , onto the deck and is flying off our bow. Breakfast is then served, Stu has spotted one of the aforementioned menacing clouds and wisely stays in the cabin to eat his. I’ve learnt that Stu does things for a reason, he’s no fool. Within 2 mins of the eggs being served the gods strike with a 27 knot puff. All Stu and I can hear is “we’re going to broach“ as we sit at the salon table. Shortly afterwards my plate scoots across the table and I look up to see Eggs and beans flying across the cockpit .
Time for Bed Big Red.
CJ shouts , she’s coming down and before you know it she’s back in bed along with a few beans for nourishment.
I’m not sure if a spinnaker and breakfast combo has ever been so entwined and short lived and in retrospect it was quite amusing .

Love and best wishes from your Friends & Family onboard Freedom xx