Roller-coaster

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Position: 28,48.85S , 9,11.77E
Speed: 7 knots, Course: 1 deg.
UTC Time: 11. July 2006 10:29

I hardly know what day it is. I know that it is 2 days since Italy won the
world cup so it must be Tuesday. Days of the week doesn't have any relevance
out here on the ocean. It's just a question of are we sailing in the right
direction and getting closer to our destination. At the moment that destination
is the island of St Helena, 1100 miles north west of where we are now.
Typically there is a huge low somewhere in the southern Atlantic which means
since they are clockwise here we are getting winds of 20 knots from the north
west. Exactly where we want to get to. Since yachts can't sail directly into
the wind we have to tack our way towards St Helena. Well we have been for
the past 18 hours and will continue for another 5. This makes for uncomfortable
sailing. Heading into the wind makes the boat bounce up and down, side to
side and the bow crashes down after a wave passes underneath. Lots of smashing
and banging and water coming over the decks making us very wet when we sit
in the cockpit on look out for other ships.
There are some sailors who call this sailing the wrong way and after a while
I can understand why they say it. If the wind were behind us we would be
enjoying the sunshine, eating lunches on deck without having to brace ones
leg against something hard whilst sitting on the floor trying to keep the
food in the dog bowl we are using as crockery. It's not easy sleeping either.
It's like going over a hill when you're in the back seat of a car and you
loose your stomach, twice a minute all night. When your lying flat you get
to feel the wave lift the boat, pass underneath and leave the boat hanging
in mid air until the boat falls back down the hill with a crash. You practically
leave the bunk every couple of minutes. Not surprising we are a bit tired
too.
Anyway enough of all this..
Curt thanks for the message. Hi to all. When's Alabama 3 playing?
BFN.

end#

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