1st June 2005 - Plymouth to Bayona - Day 4
Posted at 6:23 AM, Wednesday, June 1, 2005
Swagman Log –
As the sun came up we were into real Biscay sailing, reaching along before a fresh E / NE’ly wind and making 8 knots towards Finisterre.
We’d had Dolphins for company since we picked up speed in the early hours - and they stayed with us. At times so many one could not count them. As the seas began to build we began to play with them and catch them in the surfing waves. They were clearly more experienced at this that we were – but it was good fun trying.
We enjoyed a late breakfast together as our averaged speed increased to 8.5 knots before the F4/5 wind. X11 Bar Blues had overtaken us during the night when it was lighter, apparently running off to our west and possibly 6 miles in front. She was in our sights.
A frantic period of sail trimming and hand steering saw us slowly reel her back in, and by
We were feeling good. Our total distance
The full main and jib on the Hanse 461 is not the most efficient set up for this broad reach – but hey – who cares - we were storming along.
Who knows.
Despite the past soft condition and the fact many had motored onward faster than we had sailed – just maybe we could pick up a placing in the results.
Maybe.
We’d resolved to close the cape inside both traffic separation zones despite the strong breeze. The wind had built to F6 and was only 10 degree off our port stern. It did mean we had to be careful on the helm not to go into any unintended gybe, and our small headsail flapped uselessly blanked by the full main. Still, the main is huge and we even found after a couple of gusts topped 30 knots forcing us to round up, we used the electric winches to wind in one reef of the mainsail.
That then allowed the jib to do some work, and made helming much easier.
All the crew was up for trying to earn the honour of fasted recorded speed when on the helm, so we rotated people as we picked up speed on the face of some waves. Angie got 10.5 first. Sue then devastated her by getting 10.3. Then Gerry got 10.5. Then Marcus got 11.00. I’m pleased to report I was lucky enough to top 11.9.
The cliffs of
Compared with same position and conditions experienced last year I could not help feel this was champagne sailing. But due to the wind angle – champagne sailing with a very clenched bottom!
The cape was rounded without an incident and as we angled further south on a course of 190 degrees for Bayona, the seas gradually flattened out and we gybed onto port board. It seemed time for us to try out our big new spinnaker for the first time in anger.
So up she went. I’d like to report things went smoothly – but not.
With our keenness to beat X11 Bar Blues to the finish line we’d hoisted it in 20 knots of breeze, and totally confused ourselves with both halyard and pole up-haul of same colour rope.
Add in pole down-haul not led to the correct deck fitting.
And sheets and braces eased too far to try and re-set the block locations……
We ended up with a kite flying way up in the sky and almost totally out of control!
The crew were super apart from a few new words shared twix foredeck and cockpit. We were still storming along at over 8 knots – no issues.
Then we all realised the wind had gone further east and our new course, needed to keep it all flying OK - would have seen us eventually in the
So down came the kite, around we gybed, and from there we two sail reached in a falling breeze down towards Bayona.
A couple of beers and a bottle of red wine were opened for our evening meal of chilli in the cockpit as we celebrated our imminent arrival into Bayona – and the lack of any trace of X11 Bar Blues on the horizon.
We’d be in soon.
Wrong again.
By the time we were 20 miles out night had fallen – but so had the breeze.
By