54 miles to go to Arrecife
23 October 2017 | A bit north east of Lanzarote
Yesterday felt like we were in an offshore sailing groove. We ran downwind with a reefed / poled out genoa - pulling it in and letting it out as the wind allowed. It is a very safe and stable rig for running with, provided there is enough wind, so in fact this pattern continued all day and night. The large swell eased a bit and became more regular making for a more comfortable motion (nb: 'more comfortable' is not the same as 'comfortable').
Otherwise a general day of eat, sail and sleep, and then the cycle repeats itself. The boys also did some push-ups on deck while the girls kept count. And there was some maintenance on the hoof as well. The WindPilot self steering needed some TLC which we did and it is feeling (and sounding) a lot happier. We are seeing a few more ships now as we are nearing the Canary Islands. That is - we are seeing them on AIS, if not in person, especially as a big swell makes it hard to see lights on the horizon. AIS is a technology that helps us see other boats around us and if they might come too close to us you can decide early on whether evasive action is needed. We often end up calling a ship on the radio to confirm who will pass in front of who. However, size does matter and they are usually bigger and faster than us. K got quite anxious about a light that looked like the masthead light of a sailing yacht, getting closer and closer. Turned out it was a planet rising.
We are starting to get tantalisingly close to the Canaries but it doesn't look as though we will arrive in time for tea. At the time of writing Kate is making fresh bread in preparation for some long awaited bacon butties (the first for K&G in 2 months) (they were delicious! - Ed) before we make the last push to Arrecife. The winds have eased and we are now broad reaching on under full mail and genoa.
At the time of this blog, 520 miles behind us and about 54 to go.