Good night for us and good morning for you!
At 4:25 AM our position is 34o33'124W011o30'817N, Cog = 280o, true boat speed = 6.5 kts, wind from 140o , with speed of 14kts and 430NM to the first intermediate finish near Canary Islands. The last weather forecast predicts that we are expecting silence the next day. That is why it was decided at 1:30 to make a tack and go further into the ocean to catch some wind.
According to race control our position was 5th in class and 7th overall. Class D boats using spinnakers are flying in front and using their favorable wind. Since May 1st we have had only backstay wind.
This week started, as we will say for most of this summer, as usual: we left port of Sines at 15:30 (UTC+1) on May 1st and started the parade of sails with a wind up to 20 kts from behind. At 19:30 (UTC+1) was given the start of class B, C, and D ships, however 5 minutes before the start the genoa1 sail was broken. Sintija now has some 1.5 meters of sewing to do (around 2/3 of the job is already done). From the start we switched to UTC/GMT and time in all the upcoming reports will reported in UTC time zone.
First day came with the first "slightly fallen" ones. Some three of us were watching the mirror of the boat, however the adaptation was not very long and just few hours later everybody was busy with inspection of freshly received weekly "snack packs". Biggest compliments to Andris and his family for our food program. Some of us admit that food offer is much better than at home.
Watch system and daily routine is quite unusual, but the crew likes it.
Watch A - Muris, Nils, Sintija,
Watch B (Baywatch) - Liga, Andris, Aldis,
Watch C - Reinis, Libcha, Ilona.
Daily rhythm is like this: breakfast (mostly prepared individually) is followed by 4 hour long watch (7:00-11:00), then comes a 2 hour short watch (11:00-13:00) that also prepares light lunch. Yesterday we had excellent zucchinis with cheese prepared by Reinisfrom watch C. Then comes the 4hour watch (13:00-17:00) which is followed by cleaning of the boat (A watch). A short two hour watch (17:00-19:00) is followed by the "Big lunch" or dinner. Liga and Andris prepared marvelous beefsteaks.
The time from 19:00 till 7:00 is divided in three hour watches when the new circle will start. Until now it looks that this watch system works pretty well.
Otherwise everything is quite and easy. Special greetings to Ojars from his "never met friends" - dolphins, who came to visit us exactly on sunset. Channel 16 is busy with "Filipino monkeys" followed by sounds from some kind of horror movies. Stars are falling, plankton is shining and now we are already watching the sunrise. Our paradise!
