Yesterday's promised winds built to around 30 knots overnight and generated
quite large seas. By daybreak these were superimposed on monster sized
ocean swells coming from the NW, so boat movement was quite lively. The
winds backed and dropped to 15 knots by lunchtime, leaving us slopping
around uncomfortably, so the iron topsail had to be started as we are keen
to try and make Horta in daylight Thursday. The distance to run is now 122
miles.
Its been sun and clouds, all or nothing, for the last 24 hours and has just
begun raining. Fascinating to note the sea temperature has steadily fallen
from the heady high of 30 degrees near the US to 22 here.
We overheard another yacht speaking to a ship on VHF during the yacht and
advising the ship that he was showing a strobe light. We could see the ship
ourselves and later picked up the strobe occasionally of the yacht, which
was clearly following us but since daybreak we have seen nothing.
Still no sign of any turtles and just a brief dolphin display just before
lunch. Most days we have seen evidence of man, today's offering being a
large sized plastic flower pot floating by, with a group of small grey fish
nibbling at whatever marine growth had accumulated. The most popular item
so far is party balloons, I think 3 or 4 on the trip to date.
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