16 1600UT Jul 09 Horta 920 miles.
Well finally nature relented and the strong winds eased overnight, the
boisterous seas eventually following. The penalty for this kindness was to
award us 8 hours of near continual heavy rainfall but even this has eased as
I write the diary entry. To compensate, we have found a good favourable
current, occasionally up to 2 knots, so over ground progress today has been
between 7 and 9 knots mainly, and in the right direction! Correction-
Paul just called down a windshift and we are now headed 070 instead of the
095 we have been enjoying all day.
The actual sailing is nearly smooth waters and 16 knots of wind, with all
sail set and the dodgy autopilot working well. Our battery issues are
resolved, having been tracked to a poor earth connection.
I still cannot get a good TV picture on the AIS screen and now wonder if I
have been at sea too long!
Saw a couple of ships overnight, 1 of them thanking us for calling him on
VHF to alert him of our presence in the strong wind/rain and fog section of
yesterday evening, and then kindly advising us to be careful as the weather
was not nice! To give him his due, his course alteration was as rapid as it
was effective and we had a friendly VHF exchange afterwards.
My new grand daughter is called Ellamaie Jean Russell and well at home with
her very proud parents. Congratulations Kyrah and Steve.
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