Kinsale to Porto Santo Madeira Archipelago - Day 5

Overnight the wind picked up again, as expected, so we reverted to three reefs in the main. The seas remained rough and confused, with swells coming in from at least 2 directions. But, appropriately, the sun came out on Sunday morning and the ocean was a beautiful deep ultramarine. The chaotic surface was going in all different directions, pressing up here, sliding up, over and down there. It was nothing like the sea in the aftermath of most storms when the wind has melded the waves into serried, organised ranks, all marching downwind remorselessly. Despite the chaotic seas, it was a beautiful day and it began to feel as if we were getting south. Mid-afternoon there was a surprising amount of shipping too, perhaps bound to/from Bordeaux.

By sunset the sea had setttled down considerably and we were in excellent cruising conditions. We'd got into the weather area that we wanted to with a nice northwesterly wind and were making good progress. Setting off when we did and accepting we'd get hit by the storm has paid off and we are now hoping that this northwesterly wind will stay steady for long enough to get past the Iberian peninsula. In the early evening we ran the generator to make hot water and took advantage of the relative calm to have well-deserved, and much-needed, showers.

Passage Statistics
Position at midday 7 Sep: N44 56.45 W013 06.15
Position at midnight (0001hrs) 8 Sep: N43 43.22 W013 27.49
Midday to midday distance through water: 115 nautical miles (average 4.8 knots)
Midday to midday GPS distance towards destination: 100 nautical miles
Midnight to midnight distance through water: 150 nautical miles (average 6.3 knots)
Midnight to midnight GPS distance towards destination: 140 nautical miles
Total miles covered through water: 591 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go (GPS route to Porto Santo): 653 nautical miles (1170nm passage)

Kinsale to Porto Santo - Day 5