Fri May 23 17.21 GMT 14.21 Ship's Time 3638N 4844W Wind S 16 COG 080 7.5kts Sunny
Even casual readers will recall (well, it was written only this very morning!) that the water is cool - 66F. And so it is doubtful there will be anyone answering the swim call - not at least among Dave, Bob and me. Might Nancy? No way! Even though she was belowdecks just now when Dave, Bob and I spotted a shark fin just eight feet off our port side! Not that a shark sighting would be a problem for Nancy: it's just that the water is too cold. Right? Anyhow, in hundreds of days at sea, that was a first for us. If the shark had been just a dozen yards further away, then we would not have seen the fin amongst the waves.
Why is an offshore passage like a camel? It has a hump. Halfway is 'Hump Day' and in an hour's time we will be at our declared halfway point of 48 degrees 35 minutes West of Greenwich, London (sorry Froggies, but London IS the centre of the world!). Hump Day is a tradition with us, brought aboard 'Larking About' by John Parker: and so we will have a single drink aboard this otherwise dry offshore boat this afternoon, and toast 'Adventuress', 'Larking About', John Parker, and all the brave ocean swimmers among us who have scoffed at the notion of sharks!
John and Nancy, with Bob and Dave
In 2014 Adventuress sailed to Europe. She made landfall in Muxia Spain; then England. After cruising the English South Coast, and the Channel Islands, she wintered at Woodbridge, England. The next three summers we cruised England, Holland, Norway, Denmark, France, Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar. For the foreseeable future Adventuress will sail in Europe. UPDATE: it's October 2021 and we are sailing her back to the USA: Transat passage will be Nov/Dec: expect to be in Florida end of January.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Humpback Shark?
Fri May 23 17.21 GMT 14.21 Ship's Time 3638N 4844W Wind S 16 COG 080 7.5kts Sunny
Even casual readers will recall (well, it was written only this very morning!) that the water is cool - 66F. And so it is doubtful there will be anyone answering the swim call - not at least among Dave, Bob and me. Might Nancy? No way! Even though she was belowdecks just now when Dave, Bob and I spotted a shark fin just eight feet off our port side! Not that a shark sighting would be a problem for Nancy: it's just that the water is too cold. Right? Anyhow, in hundreds of days at sea, that was a first for us. If the shark had been just a dozen yards further away, then we would not have seen the fin amongst the waves.
Why is an offshore passage like a camel? It has a hump. Halfway is 'Hump Day' and in an hour's time we will be at our declared halfway point of 48 degrees 35 minutes West of Greenwich, London (sorry Froggies, but London IS the centre of the world!). Hump Day is a tradition with us, brought aboard 'Larking About' by John Parker: and so we will have a single drink aboard this otherwise dry offshore boat this afternoon, and toast 'Adventuress', 'Larking About', John Parker, and all the brave ocean swimmers among us who have scoffed at the notion of sharks!
John and Nancy, with Bob and Dave
Even casual readers will recall (well, it was written only this very morning!) that the water is cool - 66F. And so it is doubtful there will be anyone answering the swim call - not at least among Dave, Bob and me. Might Nancy? No way! Even though she was belowdecks just now when Dave, Bob and I spotted a shark fin just eight feet off our port side! Not that a shark sighting would be a problem for Nancy: it's just that the water is too cold. Right? Anyhow, in hundreds of days at sea, that was a first for us. If the shark had been just a dozen yards further away, then we would not have seen the fin amongst the waves.
Why is an offshore passage like a camel? It has a hump. Halfway is 'Hump Day' and in an hour's time we will be at our declared halfway point of 48 degrees 35 minutes West of Greenwich, London (sorry Froggies, but London IS the centre of the world!). Hump Day is a tradition with us, brought aboard 'Larking About' by John Parker: and so we will have a single drink aboard this otherwise dry offshore boat this afternoon, and toast 'Adventuress', 'Larking About', John Parker, and all the brave ocean swimmers among us who have scoffed at the notion of sharks!
John and Nancy, with Bob and Dave
Swim anyone?
Fri May 23 1025 GMT Winds SSW 16 Sunny Seas 3ft COG 080 7.2kts Full Jib and Main Wind just aft the beam
Here we are Mid Atlantic with Newfoundland about 607nm to port. At 1800 GMT we will be half way to the Azores, some 900nm away. We are looking at a dream forecast of south winds for the next four days, and if that happens then we will be in Flores drinking Vinho Verde by middle of next week.
The boat is going well and the crew are fit, well fed and, by dinner tonight, will be freshly showered and shaved. Will Nancy be ready to heave-to this afternoon and go for a celebration half-way swim? Hmmm...with the ocean at 66F I somehow doubt it.
John and Nancy, with Bob and Dave
Here we are Mid Atlantic with Newfoundland about 607nm to port. At 1800 GMT we will be half way to the Azores, some 900nm away. We are looking at a dream forecast of south winds for the next four days, and if that happens then we will be in Flores drinking Vinho Verde by middle of next week.
The boat is going well and the crew are fit, well fed and, by dinner tonight, will be freshly showered and shaved. Will Nancy be ready to heave-to this afternoon and go for a celebration half-way swim? Hmmm...with the ocean at 66F I somehow doubt it.
John and Nancy, with Bob and Dave
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