Waiting for the wind

16:00 UTC 12/11/07 26'50N 017'59W Wind NNE2

The first 24 hours have seen, as forecast, not much wind, but that's been a good thing to allow us to settle into the routine of life on board. As usual, it's taken a while to get our sea-legs, coupled with the general tiredness running up to departure, so a gentle night was just what we needed.

The night watches were very quiet, just a couple of ships as we ghosted along at 2-3 knots. The swell rocked us and gave a noisy night as the sails slatted back and forth, but tonight we will switch to twin jibs which will be much quieter. Although there was little to do or worry about, no-one sleeps well first night, nor do we eat much until our sea-legs have developed. So today has been a day of rest, reading, and eating a little more at each meal as we settle into the rhythm. Just this afternoon I finally got a few hours of deep, dreaming sleep and feel much better.

The wind is forecast to stay very light tonight and tomorrow, so we'll continue running the engine in daylight and slow sailing at night, then the forecast sees a good breeze developing around midnight on Tuesday / Weds morning. That should stay with us for the duration of the forecast (Friday), and hopefully longer.

We've been visited by 3 groups of dolphins during today, more than we saw all the way down to the Canaries, although not in such numbers as our unforgettable sighting of 60 or so back then. Beautiful, playful creatures, as ever, and hopefully we'll see many more.

Cocktail last night was a Gomeran Sunset, just as the island was lit by golden sunlight, we had a dark rum and orange to match.

All's well. Nick.

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