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logbooks of the week
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2003-11-13
Hi there,
Yesterday afternoon, I caught sight of the island of Porto Santo, which reaches a maxim...
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2003-11-12
Hi there,
During the last 24 hours, the wind has still remained just as weak. The anemometer ha...
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2003-11-11
Hi there,
I haven’t yet reached the trade winds, but they’re not far off...
Yesterday evening...
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2003-11-10
Hi there,
Well that’s it. I’m back into the stride of things and my daily routine. I must say ...
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2003-11-9
Hi there,
Yesterday’s little gale will have been quite useful: I managed to get used to the sort ...
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2003-11-8
Hi there,
While yesterday the weather was very pleasant to be starting off in, today, it’s a very...
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Logbook of 2003-11-13 |
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Hi there,
Yesterday afternoon, I caught sight of the island of Porto Santo, which reaches a maximum height of 546 m. Then, when night fell, I saw the lights of Madeira, which reaches 1861m high.
Unfortunately, at that moment the trade winds dropped off for me. I had however, of course, chosen to pass these islands on the windward side, because on the leeward side the landmass stops the trade winds from blowing. With no wind, being close to land is always a problem, when you have no other means of propulsion... and I saw the rock of Bugio (348m.) well lit by the moon and indicated by its lighthouse, growing gradually closer. I could always drop anchor, if I had to as a last resort.
Fortunately , that wasn’t necessary, as just before 3 a.m. I felt Adrien begin to sway, as the trade winds picked up again. Oh ! They’re not blowing a lot, but enough to carry me on towards the Canary Islands, which I’ll leave to my other side, in other words to my port side, but I’ll be far enough off not to lose the wind again!
Until tomorrow,
JL VDH
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Logbook of 2003-11-12 |
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Hi there,
During the last 24 hours, the wind has still remained just as weak. The anemometer has hardly gone above 10 knots. So, of course, in spite of my big 450 m² "Pechiney Marine" spinnaker, the average speed hasn’t been that great. But the wind has gone around gradually since yesterday, and now, after my nighttime gybe, it appears that I have moved away from the high-pressure front.
I’ve almost certainly already picked up the mild NE trade winds. Obviously Pierre Lasnier of Météomer has been helping me out, as in the past with his precious, and as always, accurate, daily weather advice.
Apart from that, time is slipping slowly by without any problems. Given these quiet conditions, I’ve even made a start on my first book: "Quo Vadis" a classic from the early 1900’s that I had never read or seen before (I believe they made a film of it...).
Until tomorrow
JL VDH
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Logbook of 2003-11-11 |
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Hi there,
I haven’t yet reached the trade winds, but they’re not far off...
Yesterday evening, I was becalmed for the first time for 3 hours. With the genoese unfurled and the mainsail halyard shaken out, I let Adrien drift in the swell, without doing any harm.
The wind picked up again as night fell, first of all head on before coming around slowly to the west. It’s still a little weak (only 10 knots), but when you’ve been completely becalmed, you’re quite happy even with 10 knots... and each mile further south is bringing me closer to the trade winds, that I’ve been looking forward to.
I’ve got into the swing of things now, with a break for meals and sleeping. At lunchtime, I’ll be having my last meal before I make do with the canned food, as I’ve still got a little fresh food left. But this evening, it will be back to the can-opener!
See you tomorrow
JL VDH
A day for Clara’s cuddly toy from Port Louis.
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Logbook of 2003-11-10 |
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Hi there,
Well that’s it. I’m back into the stride of things and my daily routine. I must say the conditions are quite perfect: a nice wind pushed me along all night at 13 knots, the sun isn’t yet too strong, Adrien is in fine fettle and sailing along without suffering too much, and to crown it all I’m ahead of Monnet and where I was on my previous three attempts, in spite of the poor average speed yesterday.
Heading down through the Atlantic is really the pleasant part of my adventure and I’m trying to make the most of it. The fears I had during my first gale have been forgotten now, even if I’m still keeping an eye out.
Yesterday evening, I found a small dead bird inside Adrien. It came aboard exhausted during the first evening and was sheltering in the cabin. In spite of that, it didn’t survive.
See you tomorrow,
JL VDH
A day for Clara’s cuddly toy, which comes from Port Louis, a pleasant little town, of which I have fond memories...
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Logbook of 2003-11-9 |
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Hi there,
Yesterday’s little gale will have been quite useful: I managed to get used to the sort of conditions I’ll be facing in the south, and that eased my fears somewhat about how to handle Adrien with all the changes that have been made. Everything held out perfectly and I even managed to get all the sail back out.
The weather conditions have once again become much more pleasant, especially as the wind is no longer coming straight at the bow like last night.
My sleeping quarters are now tidied up and I managed to get a good sleep after a first night spent at the winches hauling in the sails.
In short, I’m back in fine form and am continuing to head down towards Cape Horn.
See you tomorrow.
JL VDH
A day spent with cuddly Bengy, Emmanuel’s little mouse, who is staying on my chart table throughout the weekend !
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Logbook of 2003-11-8 |
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Hi there,
While yesterday the weather was very pleasant to be starting off in, today, it’s a very different matter, as I spent my first night alone bringing in the sails to be in the smallest configuration possible with a staysail with three reefs in.
The wind turning around from the NE to the SW (soon) and strengthening has made the sea very unpleasant, and I haven’t dared think about my next tack to head down south with the waves hitting me head on.
I would have preferred a more relaxing start to things!
I’m starting out in very different conditions from my previous attempts, as I can’t stop thinking about the any damage that may occur, which would throw my adventure into question... And this is the first time I’ve experienced such stress. I hope that this feeling will soon disappear, as it makes the sailing less enjoyable.
In any case, I’m taking the utmost care of Adrien.
See you tomorrow, JL VDH
A day with cuddly BENGY, Emmanuel’s little mouse, who is staying on my chart table throughout the weekend !
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