Atlantic Crossing Day 7

Sunday is the day of rest after all, so that’s what today was all about. Slowed things down, got some peaceful sleep, not too much crashing over waves. Oh did I say waves? 15+ footers were everywhere all day long with about 30kn of wind. Just trying to hold our course till better sailing conditions arrive. We are running one motor and a small jib out front. Not winning any races this way but has a slow comfortable feel in the boat.

The sounds of a catamaran are so much different than the somewhat soothing sounds of a mono hull. Working toward the wind you always have quartering waves, the small ones do nothing but the larger ones sometimes smack the side of the vertical hull with a loud bang, we haven’t had much bridge deck slamming – when the waves hit under salon between the hulls. The monohulls ride lower in the water and the sides are curved when they are healed over, the vertical side of the catamaran sometimes makes you think you are hitting things, but if you watch it out the excape hatch you can just see the wave slap the side of the hull. One of the things that makes getting a good night sleep a challenge out here.

My bruises from the Cirque du Soliel try out are coming in quite nicely, Christine said I need to be quiet or she’ll batter me some more.

Chicken alfredo for dinner, pretty yummy stuff, surely hit the spot. Slept well almost too well, now I want to go back to bed, but its my 1-4am shift. Still cool at night, long pants, long sleeve water proof tops for the spray on Mr Toad’s Wet Ride. Washed the boat in a 2 thunderstorms too, course the spray came right back and salted it up again.

Crew is all feeling good, no one really tried to get extra rest but everyone looked less frazzled then the day before. Today when the sun comes up, we’ll untie the main and start to get some more speed out of the boat and tack to weather as it seems the wind will only come from the due west. The waves have settled down a bit by now, the wind is down in the mind 20s so its time to heat it up, but with all the jury rigging of the sail bag, its probably best to wait till light to undo that mess so no more lines chafe through.

Course over ground: 222 Speed over ground: 2.6kn Total miles through water: 912 Miles to destination: 2131 kn if we were a bird.

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