Sunday, 3 July 2011

500 Miles To Horta

Well, we are surely learning to be patient. The winds have been light and have mostly been sailing with the gennaker up for the better part of a week. Our progress has been slow and we hope to arrive in Horta by the weekend. There are a couple of highs looming ahead which means more light winds. Thankfully we have the gennaker so that we can make some progress and the Cape Horn wind pilot so that we do not have to hand steer.

Along the way we have been visited by several pods(?) of dolphins, turtles...News Break!! Anne just sighted another Sperm whale about 50m off our port beam - fantastic!

Fishing has been a disaster. I caught a beautiful Dorado (a.k.a. Mahi Mahi, dolphin fish) but the knot let go as I got him near the boat and I lost my lure. Shortly after something big and strong snapped my second lure off with a sharp tug and that was lost. It is pathetic to think that we will have been living on the boat for close to a month while crossing the ocean and not once had a fresh fish meal.

We are out of fresh fruit, so we will be ravenous for some when we get to Horta. Everything else has been working out well, and we are having fun.

Branko

3 comments:

david said...

Sorry we missed meeting you three. Just arrived back on terceira at 4am(monday) after taking the ferry back. Hoping the wind gods would be alittle kind and get you moving to faial to meet up with you.

David & Memory

Anonymous said...

Hi Branko, Maggie;

Sounds like you are having a grand time out there in the ocean. M and I just got back from Killarney for the long weekend. Met a bear and her two cubs. Nothing as exciting as your 40 knot winds. Just started a blog a my book - you remember - my book - that helped put you to sleep on those sleepless nights? Wish you wind speed on the rest of your journey.

Edward.

John Rudyk said...

No fish....no fruit.....KEEP YOUR EYES OFF SOPHIE!!!! LOL Godspeed my friends - I'm sitting in Croatia as I type, waiting for you (well, Vienna actually, should have been Croatia). Cheers, Johnny