A respectable 8 knots
15 January 2019 | Still at Fort Pierce
Gill
Richard returning from a successful rescue mission. A vital piece of foam got blown overboard so we had to drop the dinghy and go after it!
Our first venture out to sea today for what seems like a lifetime. Not great conditions for a crossing but good practice for us considering we’ve been out of the game for a while. Decent winds but lumpy seas, both boat and crew did well. So nice to finally kill the engines and have the peace and quiet of being under sail. We did reach the giddy speeds of 7.5 and 8 knots, fastest we’ve been so far. Couple of tweaks needed but otherwise a successful outing, stomachs held so we may even treat ourselves to some proper food tonight!
Both feeling much better so a weekend crossing is looking possible, had a lot of sleep so feeling more rested. Weather has turned chilly again and tonight plummets back down into the 40's, woolly hats have been reinstated. Today is an important day for us Brits, the vote on Brexit is happening as I write. Result just in is a massive defeat for the government. Sadly this brings us to just turn another page in this direst of dirges. The whole shambolic affair is just an unholy mess.
Enough doom and gloom, time for a cup of tea then some boat chores. As Richard is still smoking our boat is turning into a floating ashtray! It’s a constant battle to keep it clean.
Will start looking more seriously at the weather now but at this time of year the good days to cross are few and far between and the Gulf stream is an unpleasant place to be in contrary conditions