Just as the forecast suggested, our second day was a repeat of the first – some good sailing in light wind and mostly smooth seas with too much motoring thrown in when the puffs of wind evaporated.
On a typical longer passage, we like to think we’re fairly patient with the wind. We don’t mind sailing slowly, as long as the sails are not slatting back and forth – we far prefer sailing slowly and smoothly in the right direction as opposed to listening to the sound of the diesel thrum.
In this case, however, the end of the forecast period shows building wind off Cape Finisterre at the NW tip of Spain. Like with many other large capes and headlands, it’s an area that’s known for really blowing hard in the right conditions. So, we are trying to keep our speed up in order to arrive there before the wind really has a chance to wind itself up. That unfortunately means that we have to run the engine so that we can keep moving in exactly the right direction at 7 knots instead of sailing in what might be the wrong direction at 3 knots or so.
But as of the end of day two, the wind has filled in. And we’re looking forward to a forecast that shows steady winds for the next several days.
All’s well onboard.
Day Two
163nm
40 13.4N 21 06.2W
Wind W15-18 Seas 3-5’
