Atlantic Crossing 2008 - 2008-11-01
Sailing South |
Two weeks of flat out re-fit see Chao Lay ready for the Atlantic trip, Almost a sell out crossing, with great destinations to enjoy. Ayamonte to San Sebastian Gomera, 5 days 4 hours, Chao Lay is back in Ocean mode with 150 miles a day 3 sail running. Gomera has again been fantastic with some great hiking, excellent food, and the perfect place to provision for the Atlantic voyage. We leave for Sal on the 17 November and plan to arrive next weekend, looking forward to these African islands in the sun. We arrived in Sal late on Saturday evening, the 5 and a half day passage, with 10 to 15 knot winds was a relaxing downwind trip, some great catering and interest books made for a relaxing passage. Porto Palmeira is very low key and this internet connection has been an interesting job to Arrange! Looking forward to exploring the Cape Verde islands in the coming week. 280 miles exploring these lovely islands Boa Vista with its of the beaten track charm, Sao Nicalo with its rugged mountains and busy agricuture in contrast to the arid scene. We are now in Mindelo and doing final provisioning for the Atlantic trip to Barbados, hoping to arrive between the 16 and 20 December. The Atlantic crossing was a light wind experience, with nothing more than force 5 for the 15 day passage, we struggled to average 150 miles per day. There was a compensation, it turned into the best fishing trip ever, with numerous fish eventually filling the freezer. Alan and Nick made for the perfect crew with easy watches and Sextant tuition to fill the midday session we all arrived relaxed and in excellent spirits. We are heading off to St Vincent and the Grenadines early in 2009 to continue with the RYA tuition. We look forward to seeing you!!
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