May 8th Day 19

Trip metre 5629

Distance to Horta 1194

Distance in 24 hrs 83nm

Distance Made Good 72nm

1300UTC

Yesterday was very nice calm sailing and I had a long saltwater shower.  I also made a new friend, a little pilot fish riding the bow wave.  The night was clear and calm and I had the hatches open to cool things down.  I was rudely awakened by lots of flapping from the mainsail only to discover the shackle holding the main sheet to the strop on the boom was gone.  I got that sorted with a spare shackle and had to reef a bit later as it started blowing over 15 knots.   Been slamming and bouncing since then.  Making okay speed though,  Very hot and humid today.  Heard some thunder and saw some very threatening clouds but not too close.

 

 May 7 

Trip metre 5546

Distance to Horta 1266

Distance in 24 hrs 72

DMG 61

1300UTC

I had some good wind yesterday and made reasonable speed.

But the wind was light all through the night. Still light this morning but it has gone more to the SE so I have eased sheets and heading straight to Horta.  I have decided not to go too far north as there is a nasty depression forming.  Still many days away and the forecast keeps changing.  I expect rain and maybe thunderstorms tomorrow as a front goes through.

 May 6th

Trip metre 5474 nm

Distance to Horta 1327 nm

Distance in 24 hrs 88 nm

DMG  75 nm

1300 UTC

Nice sailing yesterday in 5 to 10 knot breeze, between E and SE.  Speed from 2 to 4 knots all day and night.  Still beating and can sometimes head straight towards Horta.  Trying to see if can rendezvous with "Bad Company" a 53m expedition motor yacht, which is en route from Bermuda to Mindelo, Cabo Verde, to spend some time sport fishing alongside my buddies there.  The captain, Graeme, is a good friend who lives in Horta when not at sea.

The wind picked up again this morning and Nuts started pounding pretty hard with the speed close to 5 knots, so I put in a reef to slow down a bit. Heading straight to Horta at the moment with sheets cracked off a bit.

 May 5th Day 16

Trip metre 5386

Distance to Horta 1402

Ditance in 24 hrs 46nm

DMG 25nm

1300 UTC

Extremely slow sailing yesterday and last night.  Only excitement was the trigger fish eating my barnacles.   We did many 360 degree turns and in the end I lashed the tiller and went to sleep.  It was so calm even the sails were not flopping from side to side.  As has happened quite often the wind picked up at sunrise and we are moving again.  Speed between 2.5 and 4 knots.  Still beating, and pounding again in the building chop.

 Ian has a friend. 

 Sian's comment:  in 14 days Ian has sailed 1045 miles but made good only 720 towards Horta.  That is roughly one third of the total distance.  He hoped the trip home would take about 30 days, but it is going to be quite a lot longer than that.  Yesterday he took stock of the cans of food he has on board.

He also has quite a lot of dehydrated meals ( probably about 30 but he is taking stock today) which are balanced meat/veg mixtures (|I hope, seeing I created them) and multi vitamin tablets.  And plenty of water.