31.01.2007
The tradewinds are continuing to falter, bringing about a number of changes of
headsail. Since this morning, the breeze has filled in again, picking up fairly
big seas, which are causing the boat to bury into the waves. The foulie jackets
have had to put in an appearance again as Michèle explained late this morning.
“At the end of the night, the wind has filled in little by little and we have
had between 16 and 20 knots over the past few hours. The seas have picked up and
are coming at us head on. The boat has accelerated and is slamming more
violently into the waves. The deck is wet once again as the result of a little
fluctuation in the tradewinds, which wasn’t forecast on our grib files. We're
likely to hold onto a light wind this morning, the files forecasting that the
wind will strengthen but a little further to the North. It may be this zone,
which has descended on us and if it is, that should last around fifty miles.
Normally it is set to ease a little as it hits Fernando de Noronha, but they are
still established tradewinds. As regards weather strategy, for the time being
you just have to avoid allowing yourself to fall back near the coast again as
there is a large windless zone over Brazil.”
Michèle made the most of the peaceful tradewind atmosphere to sit at her
computer keyboard and share with us a few scenes and worries about daily life
aboard Temenos II. For several days, as the fleet gradually climbs northwards,
both on land and at sea, we cannot help but think of the finish in Barcelona.
Even though it’s quite early to say what the weather will do in the meantime, it
would seem likely that the tail end of the race will be rather slow. This
scenario is something that Michèle and Dominique are expecting too and they’re
beginning to count up their food rations. More than the food boxes though, it is
the deficit of their Spanish pursuer that is constantly being counted aboard
Temenos II.
"Genoa jib genoa jib genoa jib, our hearts swing back and forth between the two…
The hours go by and we unwind the two current most 'fashionable' models up
forward.
Upwind, full and by, in a tradewind that is starting to alter direction
slightly, Temenos II is spending its time changing her attire. There is a weak
tradewind, which has been oscillating between 9 and 14 knots for the past two
days. We're manoeuvring from one sail to the other in order to ensure the
continuity with the range of these two sails.
For now we reindex under full indexsail and doubtless it is mocking our incessant
manoeuvres a little in relation to the ‘forward sail department"!
Each variation in the wind is therefore accompanied by a manœuvre, which we end
up doing with our eyes shut almost. I surprised myself in the middle of the
night, when I forgot my head torch, as I was trying to recognise the relevant
sheets by touch! Less rapid, less efficient, I wouldn’t make it obligatory
aboard, and in fact I'm not sure it would work every time anyway...
The nights are gradually drawing out and as we make northing, they are extremely
dark at the moment. The moon rises increasingly late and is decreasing with each
night that passes. We should finally decide to replace my favourite star with
our head torches; excrescences which really are effective! We spend our nights
with these lamps virtually attached to our heads. We sometimes end up falling
asleep with them on in our bunks. Maybe unconsciously we do it to light our
dreams?
Off the Brazilian coast, we passed the latitude of Rio yesterday, tomorrow
Recife, then the Doldrums. And then it will be time to say goodbye to the
Southern Atlantic, the fourth ocean of our planet upon which Temenos II has
traced her wake.
Even though it’s light sometimes, the tradewind should enable us to escape the
Southern hemisphere without too much hassle as it looks like it's going to be a
real meteorological brain teaser, at least that's the state of play in the
current grib files.
We’re going to try to keep our ‘favourite adversary’, Mutua Madrilena, out of
harm’s way. She is 90 miles astern so we mustn't make any mistakes. It's a close
fought battle and it keeps up a certain tension, which is very motivating
indeed. We’re flat out at 200% and aren’t easing off the pace.
The climb up towards the Med and Barcelona promises to be longer than expected.
The race is extending to my great delight, though I’m also keen to return to
land…
We are doubtless going to have to ration the food so as not to arrive in
Barcelone with empty stomachs. I don’t think we’ll be alone in doing this. A
lack, of food in particular, can very quickly become a disturbing element both
on a physical and a psychological level on a boat (and indeed everywhere) but we
haven’t reached that stage yet!
On this note, I’m going to have my breakfast: a sachet of freeze-dried
"flavoured rice in milk", which I shall share with my co-skipper. One spoonful
for him, one for me, one for him, one for me… oh damn, it’s all gone already!"
|
