Simon and I departed Gibraltar on Monday afternoon. There was a big depression in the northern Altantic and this was upsetting the normal NE wind pattern that blows yachts down to the Canaries. There was a small weather window allowing us to head out in moderating winds but the downside was the remaining swells that could be around 3 meters. We cleared the Straits of Gibraltar and sailed into the sunset with the spinnaker set.

It is now day 3 on the passage and we have experienced a range of conditions but mostly off the wind sailing. The seas were big and we both ate sparingly for the first two days, but last night we tucked into a satay chicken dish that we prepared before departing. Early this morning our course took us close to the coast around Casa blanca, we kept offshore so as not to get caught up with fishing boats, but still managed to pick up some fishing buoys on our keel. Fortunately we were able to cut them clear.

Right now we are barrelling along with the spinnaker set and touching speeds in the low teens. We are using Predict wind, an application that provides routing information specific to your boat and passage. We can request and receive updates via Sailmail on the HF radio.. So far it has provided valuable information on the best course to sail.

Till tomorrow Bernie