30 24 15 N
48 41 00 W
0724 UTC
05.11.08
s/y flying cloud
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an extra 45 minutes of solo time today was i suppose some sort of occasion. we made the halfway point from A to B ~ or from Antigua to Azores. factoid: 'bad luck' to write the destination on the ship's log before arriving. this i think has the adaptive advantage of making it possible to change one's mind about where to land ~ especially when dealing with hundreds of miles and many days' journey.
stopped again for a recreational swim this afternoon. seems to be a phenomenon when we motor-sail. sometimes there just isn't all that much wind. this afternoon was force 2 or 4-6 knots, ideal for intermediates or counsellors in a boat for the first time. a gentle learning wind; less ideal for kicking ass in a racing yacht. on my watch tonight we made 13.7 knots SOG (speed over ground). much funner and more better-er.
may all your swimming be recreational
ostensibly the swim was so that matthew might persuade the feathering prop on our portside to actually fold up ~ more hydrodynamic if that's a word. this gets us 1/4 of a knot, he claims, and that means we get 'there' sooner. i must say, it's pretty relaxing not knowing a great deal about the destination.
so we had fancy dinner and i opened a bottle of wine (rare at sea) i had been bringing along for a special occasion; this one i picked up in the Canary Islands on the way over. i figure i'll get another wine in acores as they have vineyards there. also i made apple pie and it even worked out not so bad. more like apple pie experiment. i sweetened with cassis nectar (i.e. concentrate) and demerrara and had intended to have half the sugar. it was pretty sweety anyway and i think was well received.
my watch relief slept through the alarm again and today i felt guilty and selfish about enjoying the stars and the extra time so i did wake up call after about 45 minutes. there isn't a great deal of alone time on a tiny boat like this and the first light of day is so beautiful. beautiful enough to share; beautiful enough to selfishly consume without troubling anyone about it.
it sounds like, though it's hard to tell, the next leg will have one less crew ~ so 4 hour watches anyway. nice to get used to it in a preview kinda way. after 3 hours i feel like i am all warmed up.
