Day 19
It’s 5.10pm and 3 out of 4 of us are horizontal! It’s been one of those days! Winds up, swell is causing 3-4 metre seas coming from various points behind the beam, so confused seas and the occasional pasting on the hull cresting the coach roof and making us quietly smile in a deja vue sort of way! Takes Malcolm and me straight back to a time we were attempting to go east along the English Channel but being pushed forever deeper and further to the south with waves regularly clearing the spray hood. We tacked.

Now 11pm, the wind has come out to play! After a bit of head scratching we arrived at a rig with the second reef in on the poled out headsail and the storm jib centred to act as a staysail but ready for immediate deployment should the wind rise to the point where it’s the preferable option. Charlie confirmed to anticipate the strongest winds between 6am to 9am so by the time you read this we should be through them, and will be able to tell you what they peaked at! For the time being Sukama feels remarkably balanced and happy given the maelstrom that is whipping up the seas all around us.

Day 19 20:00

We’ve deviated from Charlie’s course by some 25 degrees, not because we felt like it, but because that was the dictate of the wind and the waves which got to a size and strength that we couldn’t ignore if we were going to stay safe. We’ve also decided to double up the watches so each doing 6 hours overlapping with each other and Anthony stepping up on his night off.

Such exhausting work using lots of grey matter, so we felt a mini celebration was in order with hot chocolate in very special mugs for Anthony and Paul, and tea for Malcolm and me, and pudding – the rest of yesterday’s unexpected baking exploit.

Anthony looked after nosh throughout the day in a very accomplished fashion, basic breakfast, creative lunch and well chosen previously prepared beef stew – always our staple when needing an easy and nourishing option.

My watch, 8pm – 2am turned out to be the most exciting after all! With winds 22 – 32 knots but nothing above that it was all good fun. The waves stole the show being invisible to us in the pitch black, rolling in with a gentle roar (nothing too threatening), lifting us up and putting us down in an untidy fashion so you never knew where they’d come from next, and once in a while taking that unwelcome sideways swipe at the hull with a unexpected bang. When you shone a torch all you could really see was the froth and foam close to the hull, which to be fair was quite some swirling mass of a seaway. We screeched along making 8/9 knots. When we were touching 10 we put a further reef in the headsail.

Now here we are. It’s 8.15am Sukama time, which is hopefully UT, and it’s all tame as a lamb! Undulations in the sea, sailing by the lee admittedly just 20 degrees shy of the course needed. The wind is more westerly and billed to come round further so we need to move the pole over onto port tack. And take down the storm jib as we seem unlikely to need it in 17 – 20 knots. Malcolm and Paul are on the case.

So we’ve had tea number 1, will change pole over and celebrate with baked beans on toast. We certainly know how to party on the good ship Sukama.

I did ask Paul how his night was having slept remarkably well myself. He recounted tales of Royal Navy rescue helicopters overhead checking we were alright, passing whales and dolphins, even a sea turtle and mermaid, and most important of all, Sebastian swimming bravely against the tide. And then he woke up 🙂

Onward to Ponto Delgado 152.5 nautical miles to the north east.

Sue