Hi everyone,
We are currently in position 48 01N 013 18W, saillng at 6 knots on a course of 075M. The wind is NW at 14-18 knots with a 1m sea and long 1m swell. We are sailing under single-reefed main and double-furled yankee. Low-level overcast. Our day's run was 144nm, our DMG was 134nm and we have 356nm to go.
The wind held for the last 24 hours and we have been sailing throughout. It has been cloudy, often drizzling and occasionally foggy but at least it has been quiet! The wind has been between N and NW, from 8 to 18 knots.
Yesterday afternoon we saw several whales and a couple of pods of dolphins. Always a pleasure to see the latter. The former are nice to see too but they're bigger than us and a bit of a worry.
The sea has been gradually changing colour over the last few days. Where it was blue it is now green. I suspect the bioluminescence we've been seeing every night started when the colour change happened. The water temperature is 15C.
Unsurprisingly we're seeing an increasing number of ships. There are currently 8 visible on AIS and one passed a mile away 30 minutes ago. We're watching AIS closely and also looking out of course. So far all the ships we've seen are cargo vessels. I expect we'll see fishing vessels at some stage.
Most of the yachts we've been in contact with daily via HF/SSB have now made port. We're staying in contact with one which is still at sea and another in Falmouth.
Keeping occupied on long passages is a challenge. I've been listening to the brilliant podcast "SpaceTime" by Stuart Gary. It summarises all the latest developments in astronomy, astrophysics and space exploration. The podcast started life as "StarStuff" with the Australian ABC and had a bit of a cult following. The ABC cut its funding late last year. It is now sponsored by Australian Sky and Telescope magazine and syndicated worldwide, including being broadcast on radio across the US. Stuart Gary really knows his stuff, frequently surprising the experts he interviews. Well worth a listen if you're interested in these topics.
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