Lüderitz to St. Helena - Days 7 & 8
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Day 7
Miles to go:
An absolutely gorgeous night. The sky was clear, the moon nearly full, the stars twinkled like fairy lights on a Christmas tree. What a relief to know they're all still there after so many coal black nights without them. This morning's sunrise, in vivid shades of orange and pink, was stupendous, although I envy David's green flash last night. You snooze...you lose.
In case you're keeping track , we're barely making 100 nm a day. If we could walk on water, perhaps it would be quicker, but when the sun's warming your back, the sea is glistening and you've got a 360-degree ocean view, it ain't half bad, even if it is slow. David is hoping that continental drift is moving St. Helena towards us, so we'll get there this century. Not quite that bad, but we've been at sea a week already and we're looking at an ETA of perhaps 5-6 more days ...beats 40 knot winds and 10m seas all to hell.
David worked on the jib furler for a bit...one of the new bolts is causing chafe on the headsail tack strap and needs addressing. He put a chafe guard on the strap as a jury-rig repair and will fix it properly when we arrive at St. Helena because it will require removing the headsail. The mini-whisker is performing well considering 9 knots was our max gust for the day. I made scones with blueberry preserves which we enjoyed throughout the day. The sun was so very welcome and we were able to shed another layer of clothes. We read and David finished up another article for publication. I'm working on a book, but it's a rough start, my muse is stubbornly resisting the new project.
Day 8
Miles to go: 529
Another beautiful night, though colder with periods of overcast skies. We're still in fleeces and sweatshirts, but moon glow and star gazing helps take our minds off the chilly temps. This morning's sunrise was a bust ...pretty blah with a thick cloak of clouds hanging heavy on the horizon and overhead. I hoped it would clear, but no such luck. The grey has returned.
The constant light winds have made travel slow, but not unpleasant. The forecast is calling for 15-20 knots in a few days from now. The current wind direction has not allowed as much "northing" as we need and jibing points us too far north and not enough west. We'll work it out, but it's a slow process getting from here to there.
We find we eat much less on passage. I cook pretty regular meals and we're not starving by any means, but our appetites seem suppressed. No alcohol and less eating and snacking make for an unbeatable weight reduction program. Hoping to shed a few pounds by the time we get to the other side of the pond. Not as much exercise as we're used to. It comes in spurts. We're looking forward to some good walks when we get to St. Helena. I'm not sure we'll tackle Jacob's Ladder though. More on that later.
We're getting close to the Prime Meridian and should cross it tomorrow.