Voyageur - Leg 2 - Log 2 Words of Wisdom
18/19 May
For two days now we have enjoyed near perfect sailing
conditions but for the wind angle, forward of the beam, and for those two days
we have had at least a knot of current against us. It is hard. All those hard
earned miles covered through the water and lost over the ground.
At dawn today
just before the sun came up David took this most amazing picture of a cloud
formation. At first he saw the fluke of a whale but then it gradually changed
shape, and metamorphosed into a dinosaur marching across the sky. I said he must
send it in to enter ARC Europe’s photographic competition but it will be the
first and last for it will take an absolute age to send via the SAT phone.
Weather is at the forefront of everyone’s minds at the moment and the main topic
of conversation on the daily SSB net. Half the fleet have headed up north whilst
the remainder including us have opted for a more southerly course. Each
individual skipper has his own agenda and it depends whether you are looking at
it from a racing standpoint or a ‘staying out of trouble’, as we are.
All we
want to do is get from point A to point B in safety without getting too beaten
up in the process. We thought it time we tuned into Herb’s Southbound 11 SSB
net. Herb is a legendary character. For many years now he has conducted a
personalised weather routeing service for yachtsmen crossing the Atlantic from
his home deep in the heart of Toronto. It makes fascinating listening. Between
19.30 and 20.00 UTC yachts leave their calling card and at 20.00 the formal
proceedings begin. He is a wizard, like a fortune teller telling you your
destiny he advises which path to follow. We heard Asteroid and Luna check in. We
are not too far away from Asteroid so his sound wisdom and advice could be
relevant to us. He confirmed that we should not go above 35 degrees north. It is
all such a balancing act, trying to stay with the wind but at the same time
staying away from the very strong winds. At the end of the day all you can
really do is make your choice and hope for the best.
Susan
Mackay
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