Positon 24, 24.12 N 022, 38.523W
Wind E 14 Seas 2-3' Temp 70
Last night was close to a full moon. My 2100-2400 watch was under a bright orb casting the best moonglow on the waves. It was a quiet and peaceful time to just enjoy the sounds of the foam, the gentle breeze, and the motion of the boat.
The winds began to quiet down yesterday evening and along with it the seas. The problem with that is our speed decreases in lock step. We are now averaging about 5.5kts where as yesterday we were averaging closer to 7.5. While 2 kts might not seem alot - it is an almost 50% decrease in speed. I did download some grib files (graphic weather files that I can use on my Mac's navigation software) yesterday and this calm period was forecast for about 24hrs or so and by tomorrow this time the winds should fill back in the 20-25kt range from the East and propel us towards Grenada in fine style.
Today is my turn as galley slave. Yesterday was Jens turn and she is a hard act to follow. For dinner we had roast chicken, sautéed potatoes and gravy. For Breakfast this morning I made French Toast with a hint of cinnamon and some almond extract, and sausage links. I think for lunch I will take the left over chicken and potatoes and make open face chicken salad sandwiches on a slice of bread and tomato slices. For dinner perhaps lemon chicken with capers and corn and rice. After that I will be totally exhausted. Cooking at sea is not an easy task for an experienced galley slave. Take a rookie like me and it's an exercise in yoga. Reaching this way to stop the eggs from rolling, then the other way to catch the silverware that's headed for the deck... oh crap there go the eggs again... Meanwhile the stove is gimballed - that is it rocks with the motion of the boat so that the pans don't slide off or spill. But something as simple as pouring a cup of coffee into a mug takes time, skill, and patience. So does drinking from a cup. If you start to sip as the boat rolls, it's all over your face! That's a taste of what it's like to cook and eat underway.
Our distance to go meter now reads 2,344 miles. We have close to 500 under the keel so far this leg and about 1,250 since leaving Gibraltar.
Today is cloudy - not looking like rain - just your garden variety cloudy day in the middle of the Atlantic.
Oh well - I need to go and start getting lunch ready. It will be time to eat in a couple of hours and it might take me that long to slice a tomato.
At 12/8/2011 03:09 UTC saling vessel JAY SEA DEE was at 24°36.12'N 021°42.27'W sailing at 6.1 knots on a course of 262T
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Greg, these are great reports, i really like your info and reflections. Great job galley slave!
ReplyDeleteHayden