2002
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Ocean Planet Report
Ocean Planet Around Alone Log
Sunday, October 27, 2002
1130gmt Pos: 34 56N, 10 13W
At last, some nice easy downwind sailing! This may not hold till past the Canaries (the islands), but I’ll take it as long as I can get it. Then it may fill in again for a while until we reach the doldrums. I have up the big genniker and full main, moving nicely in 12-15kts of wind.
Last night it piped up to a little over 20, which had me thinking of a reef, but the sea was fairly smooth and it was nice to cover some ground (well, water). I jibed several times on some shifts, until the wind settled down and we stayed on port jibe. The course is a little east of what I think is ideal, but we’ll sort that out once I get closer to Africa. Might get a little headed (a windshift) down to course later today anyway.
I’m passing Alan, Koji, and Derrick on the 40’s, with Tim and Brad on the 50’s still ahead. Tim made a good move to the east yesterday to get in this wind first, and Brad is just plain fast, so at least there is some challenge for me to catch them. Looks like poor John on Asencia got stuck in the light air behind us and is falling further behind. In a way I have the best spectator position in the world to watch class two of the Around Alone! I may try to go see one in person as I go by if the opportunity arises….we’ll see.
Turns out that I have now caught a cold. It must be the same one that Brad and Derrick have reported after leaving Bayonna. Strange that I got it so much later then them. Perhaps taking my Mariner’s Vitamins by Intensive Nutrition helped hold it off and are keeping it from amounting to much. I don’t remember anyone sick in Bayonna, must be a “Spanish Virus” that we all got….or maybe it was something in the Paella…
It’s going to be tricky getting past the Canaries, as the weather looks like it will be doing a transition about the time we get there. But hopefully we can at least avoid another intense low pressure system, we are all pretty tired of those!
Here is a pic of what sailing is supposed to be like…
Bruce