14 January 2023 | 38 45.642'N:0 15.249'E, Passing Denia
02 June 2022 | 38 20.362'N:0 29.043'W, Real Club de Regatas, Alicante,Spain
01 June 2022 | 36 34'N:2 37'W, 70 miles N of Melilla, Algeria
31 May 2022 | 36 14'N:4 41'W, 35 miles W of Gibraltar
30 May 2022 | 35 28'N:09 12'W, 170 miles W of Tangiers, Morocco
29 May 2022 | 34 48'N:12 14'W, 220 miles SW of Cape St Vincent, Portugal
28 May 2022 | 33 43.9'N:14 36'W, 115 nm NE of Madeira
27 May 2022 | 32 47'N:16 30'W, 15nm SE of Porto Santo
27 May 2022 | 32 44.478'N:16 42.722'W, Quinta do Lorde marina
25 May 2022 | 34 04'N:18 41'W, 106nm NW of Madeira
24 May 2022 | 35 30'N:22 29'W, 340 miles WNW of Madeira
23 May 2022 | 36 22'N:25 01'W, 33 miles S of Ilha de Santa Maria, Azores
22 May 2022 | 36 14'N:29 09'W, 90 miles WSW of Ilha de Santa Maria, Azores
21 May 2022 | 36 21'N:30 30'W, 720nm ENE of Madeira
20 May 2022 | 36 19'N:34 51'W, 300nm SW of the Azores
19 May 2022 | 36 08'N:36 47'W, 450nm SW of the Azores
18 May 2022 | 34 48'N:39 45'W, A week from Madeira
17 May 2022 | 32 54'N:45 07'W, Still in the middle of the Atlantic
17 May 2022 | 32 54'N:45 07'W, In the middle of the Atlantic
16 May 2022 | 32 14'N:45 49'W, 1450 miles west of Madeira
A sleigh ride to Lanzarote
18 September 2021 | 28 55.014'N:13 42.020'W, Puerto Calero
CC
Pic of Zephyr in full flight under an almost full moon.
We are now safely tucked up in Puerto Calero after an overnight sail gybing down the rhumb line which eventually took us hugging the coastline of Lanzarote along its eastern seaboard. A simple end to a most magnificent sleigh ride down the huge rollers of the Northern Atlantic Ocean. Surely no ocean in the northern hemisphere is able to satisfy the mighty Zephyr. She seemed to come alive as she stormed down the waves, totally under control and leaving the helmsman convinced that he alone was in control and nobody could do it as well. Of course he was wrong as only Zephyr knows. What a yacht, what fun and such a memorable 48 hours.
It was the skipper's turn in the galley and we were treated to rigatoni veal ragu cooked with the normal Sharples finesse which we come to expect. And as a treat, Pedro was bought into play in very ample quanties but with the minimal amount of ice cream.
So we tied up at Puerto Calero just after 7.30 am and the day since has been taken up with the usual business of topping up with fuel and cleaning ship. The hapless spinnaker has been squeezed into a suitcase for its journey back to UK and repair. Sadly it seems a design fault may have been the cause of a "rapid unscheduled disassembly event" which was unfortunate, but its repair is not in doubt. The big Z will fly again!
Tomorrow we are brought back to reality with a Covid test in the morning and after the flight home a PCR test at the arrival airport. Never mind, it has all been well worth it - Zephyr at her very best.
Thank you Micky, thank you Michael. You have both been hugely generous.