18th November 2013

The radio schedule I had with Alyson and the Radio club members after tea yesterday wasn’t clear at all. It was very difficult to make each other out. Just as well I said as the wind had picked up and I had to go and take in a reef. I did that and had just got back down to my bunk for a sleep when we lurched on a wave and there was a nasty sounding crack on the deck above me. I pulled on oilskins in a hurry and got on deck to find the roller fairlead for the headsail had pulled itself apart and the sheet was going straight from the winch to the sail. The Jib had been poled out to starboard and the pole always puts more strain on the lead. I quickly dropped the pole and got it stowed on deck. I sat watching conditions for a while and not long after the wind had picked up more. We rounded side on and got hit by two larger waves. I had to drop and stow the mainsail as well. I wondered if it was even too much wind for the Jib alone but we seemed to be ok. However an hour later I did swop the Jib for the Storm Jib. It wasn’t maybe a full gale but there was a lot of motion and I wanted to play safe for the rest of the night.

I’ve rigged a block for the sheet which will do for now. I’ll have to think what to do with the roller lead. It would need welding to repair it properly but maybe I can rig it with a jury rig somehow. These fresh Northerly’s are sending us south fast but we are paying a price for it.

17th November 2013

The wind had died down enough by 0600 for me to drop the Storm Jib and set the Jib, and by 1030 we were sailing with the full main as well. We’re still holding a good course and making about 6kts. The Magnetic variation here is exactly the opposite to the deviation on the compass so the compass course is also the true course as well. It’s one less thing to work out when shaping a course.

The collision warning sounded on the AIS at 0730 this morning. I pulled on oilskins and went on deck to check our course. It was the cargo ship Ouro do Brasil making steady progress north on her way to dock at Ghent in Belgium.

Our track down the Spanish and Portuguese coast this time is very different to 2006. Then we had a lot of light winds and calms (it was July) and it took us a while to get south. Since we left Falmouth we’ve never had a day under 100nm and have been very lucky with the wind. Let’s hope we get a few more days of this yet.

All these reports are being sent back home via the radio. I have a magic box called a Radio Data Interface which goes between the laptop to the radio. It basically converts what I type into data and sends it over the radio in a data stream, via a program called Winlink, to a Winlink volunteer (a middleman), who has a radio and computer set up to receive these reports It then gets sent on to Alyson as a normal email.

The program I use to type up the reports is called RMS Express , it’s a piece of software specially for the purpose. It’s a great way to send info back and fore. Being radio though, it’s not guaranteed to work every time and at any time. It all depends if the propagation is ok or not. Sometimes it works first time. Other times I might have to try a dozen “middlemen” to get the message out. Sometimes it won’t go at all. But it’s a very cost effective way of doing it compared to using the sat phone last time.

16th November 2013

Alyson and I had a contact arranged for 0700 (0800gmt) this morning but I had to postpone it till 9am. The wind had been a F7 all night and just before our schedule it picked up to a full gale. I had to set the Storm Jib and call her back. This is the first gale of the trip and it won’t be the last. I’ve been on deck most of the morning seeing how everything is and we are doing pretty good really.

The wind is from the north so we are able to hold a course south and the Aries is doing a sterling job in keeping us sailing downwind. It isn’t that cold really just very windy. Every now and then a frusssh from astern will signal a bigger than normal breaking wave coming at us. Each time I am sure it will swamp us but each time Elsi will lift her stern and surge forwards and we stay mostly dry. She really is a remarkably good sea-boat and I am immensely proud of her. Occasionally a wave will sneak in from the side and land a dollop of water in the cockpit but mostly we are doing really well. The weather looks to continue for the next couple of days so we’ll just have to get used to it. It’ll pass and be fine again before too long.

Thanks again for all your comments, really good to get them.

15th November 2013

There’s a bit of rock n’ roll going on here just now. The wind has picked up to a F6-7 and the sea is building as well. I’ve just taken another reef in the main so we are going along fairly well with the Jib and two reefs in the mainsail. We’ve covered a lot of miles in the past 24hrs and had a cracking sail all last night. I didn’t get much sleep as I was up frequently to check how we were going as we were on the limit for carrying what sail we had set. But each time we seemed to be holding up ok. From 0600 yesterday to 0600 today on the Walker log we covered about 150nm. I’ve never seen Elsi sail so fast over a 24hr period. I think the best before was 143nm.

Alyson gave me an up to date forecast for here at 0800 and at 0830 the wind had picked up so I had to change down to the Jib. It has slowed us up a bit but we are safer and it has eased the strain on everything including me.  So our days run is 140nm which is still one of our best ever.

There is a lot less shipping here as we are further off the coast.

I’d just finished writing the above when the wind picked up another notch and I have ended up dropping the main altogether and we are sailing now with Jib only and still sailing fast. The wind must be over 30kts now. The Aries self steering gear copes with it all amazingly well and I cannot praise it enough.

We had our first flying fish onboard this morning. He was a little fellow only 2 inches long. Not enough for breakfast.

Madeira is about 700nm away so if we can make 100 miles a day we will be there this time next week.

14th November 2013

Yesterday it looked like we wouldn’t be having a good days run as the wind was very light and we were only making 2kts at most. But by early evening the wind had freshened to a NW F5 and we have been really bowling along since then averaging six knots.

So, our days run is a very respectable 116nm. By noon today we were about 100nm north of La Coruna on the NW corner of Spain. If this wind keeps up we will be clear of the Bay of Biscay by tomorrow (Friday) evening and heading down the west coasts of Spain and Portugal. Biscay is a notorious place for bad weather and we have been lucky to have a fair wind to cross it. We should also benefit from a favourable current once we are on the west coast of Spain, which could add ten to twelve miles a day onto our days run.

The wind generator works less well when we are sailing downwind but the shaft alternator is keeping the batteries topped up not too bad.

We are in one of the main shipping lanes and there’s quite a bit of shipping about. The AIS is a great aid is alerting me to any possible collisions. I wouldn’t want to hit any of those big container ships and damage them.

We are in a new time zone now. I moved the cabin clock back this morning and so we are now one hour behind you. The watch I use for navigation will stay on GMT all the way round.

Many thanks again to everyone who has passed on good wishes. Alyson sends me on any emails that come in so your best wishes do come through to me.

13th November 2013

We had a good days run yesterday of 129nm. The wind was fresh from astern and we were making good speed. The next day’s run won’t be as far though. We’ve had light NE’lys all day and are only making 1-2kts.

If the water was flat we would be going along not too bad but the motion here keeps knocking the wind out of the sails and slowing us up. I had the full main set and the genoa poled out on the opposite side, goose winged. But the main was backing and filling continually and slapping and rattling so I have dropped it and we are sailing with a poled out genoa only.  There has been little loss in speed but it is a lot quieter with the main down.

We’re still heading in the right direction though albeit more slowly. We are nearer again to the main shipping lanes and we’ve seen a few big merchant ships today.

I had a nasty surprise earlier. I noticed the base of the mainsheet horse (the framework that holds the mainsheet) has cracked. I’m not sure how long it’s been like that but the crack is almost halfway round. I have lashed it up with twine but am not sure if it will hold in the long term or not. If it breaks completely I’ll have to find another way to sheet in the mainsail.

12th November 2013

Well, I managed to get away again from Falmouth on Monday 11th, Armistice Day. By coincidence I am reading a great book by Christopher Clark called The Sleepwalkers. It’s about the political build up to the First World War and how the statesmen of the time made the, often completely irresponsible, decisions, which led to the slaughter of millions.

There was a NW’ly wind forecast to come in the early hours of Tuesday morning and I left a bit early to get a head start on it. I think Sue Jackson, a local journalist Alyson and I had spoken to a couple of weeks ago, was the only person to see me leave.  As I pulled up the anchor I heard someone shout, “Andrew!” and looked up to see her waving and taking photos from near the Greenbank Hotel.

The ebb tide carried Elsi out and we passed Black Rock at about 1420 with a light W’ly. I was busy throwing bucket loads of water on to the anchor to clean off the Falmouth mud so I could get it stowed below.

The wind picked up to a good sailing breeze and we were abeam The Manacles bouy about an hour later. The bell rang, “Ding! Ding! Ding!” as we passed and I waved it a fond farewell; “See you in a years time!” I said.

As we passed The Lizard and headed out into the Channel making good speed it was hard not to feel a bit like Bilbo Baggins as he closed the round door of his hole in the ground behind him and ran off down the hill shouting, “I’m off on an adventure!”.

11th November 2013

Andrew and Elsi left Falmouth at 5 to 2 this afternoon and are making good speed South.  The winds hopefully look favourable for him for the next few days.

Elsi leaving Falmouth 11.11.12