DAY 5 AT SEA

Really exciting 24 hours covered with only 114 nautical miles (average 4.75 knots). First the wind changed directions by 90 degrees in a few seconds with a sudden wind force 5 and rain. Thanks to Tipping Tony (the windvane self-steering system), who turned the boat with the wind on the spot, nothing happened during the manoeuvre. In the afternoon, Papa, Max and I had Christmas chocolate in pouring rain in the cockpit. Then the wind got weaker and weaker and turned in different directions until we had to take the sails down after a lot of trimming and turning so that they wouldn't break when flapping too much. We were then drifting backwards towards Africa because of the waves. And then there was a lot of bobbing around without any sails up and Christmas carols were rewritten as “all I want for Christmas is wind” and “I'm dreaming of a windy Christmas”. In time for Christmas dinner, however, Poseidon heard our wishes and the wind picked up again, so that we could drive south with little speed to have a better chance of constant trade winds towards Martinique soon. However, we haven't really made any progress towards the Caribbean, it's still 2380 nautical miles. But we could enjoy a great sunset together while eating our Currywurst. To all of you who follow our zick-zacking on the tracking link: everything's fine, it's not too much rum, we're still looking for suitable winds! During the night we had stronger SW wind again which tested Porky’s close-hauled properties. We took this wind south because, according to forecasts, we expect a great calm in the next few days. Depending on the wind conditions, we still try to find the right time to cross to the west again. So regularly checking the weather reports, making decisions about route planning and trimming the sails keeps us busy day and night. The mood is good and we are still hoping for the next fish on the line.