Day 6 - 1550 miles to go

June 9, 2008 - Monday 2am 35d33'N 63d20'W
Last night we motored North to find wind and after 8 hours motoring we never found any wind that could be considered impressive, but fuel is fuel and at some point it is necessary to conserve it. So when we got up to 35 degrees north, we started sailing again. There wasn't much wind and unfortunately it was behind us. Non-sailors think that wind behind you is where you want it, but that is only true if there is plenty of it. When winds are light, you want them sort of in front of you or alongside you. Think of riding your bicycle 5MPH directly into a headwind of 5MPH. You will feel a wind of 10MPH on your face, right? Now turn the bike around and go directly downwind. When you are going downwind 5MPH in a 5MPH wind, you feel zero wind! It is calm until you stop the bike. That is what we had in those light conditions. It was blowing 6K, and we were going forward (downwind)at 2.5K and so the boat only felt 3.5K blowing over it. That wasn't enough to move it very well. If we had turned around and headed upwind, we would have felt the full 6K of wind and would have started moving forward and the faster we went, the more wind we would feel. So in that initial 6K wind, we would have been going 4K forward and would have felt 10K over the boat.
Oh well, let's not belabor this. I don't have anything better to do, but you probably do!
So all day we sailed downwind in light winds and averaged about 3.2 knots, but at least in the right direction. We took on all kinds of projects. I serviced the engines, Andi cleaned and cooked, and Merritt cleaned out the junk drawer and fixed the clamps that hold pots on the stove. Very pleasant and we felt most virtuous.
Dinner featured a stew that Andi learned how to make in Costa Rica, washed down with a most excellent Jumilla wine from Spain brought by Merritt.
After dinner, the wind increased and shifted a bit. We set the spinnaker pole and started running directly downwind with the jib on one side of the boat and the mainsail on the other. The autopilot can steer directly downwind flawlessly. Pretty soon we were making more than 6 knots right on course for the Azores. Yes!!! This is wonderful sailing. The boat is level and not rolling too much; the wind isn't so strong that we are afraid of breaking anything; and it is quiet enough to sleep well (which my colleagues are doing).
The scenery remains about the same - water all around and not much else, but we are warm and dry and well-fed. Things could be worse. Oh, and the bugs are dying off. North Carolina is not exactly bugless and when we left, we had quite a collection of critters with us. The flies got swatted or died of old age. The mosquitos were hiding in the curtains and came out the first night and ate us. Then they died. Today, Merritt found an ant in his bed, but little by little they are all dying off and we are enjoying their absence. I don't think anything itches anymore. Another blessing duly counted.
When we get to the internet, I'll go back and put some pictures in the blog, but I can't send them over Sailmail.
Have a great day.