Position N56,41 x W006,41 Wind F4 Westerly rather unstable.
Now we are sailing downwind through the Sea of theHebrides with Coll on our starboard bow. We hit some rough seas as the depth dropped from 1000m to about 100m but it is more peaceful now except for the occasional viscous squall which drives through with heavy rain and violent winds. But they are quick to go. Gudrun and Ray have been great crew. Gudrun has only been sailing a few times with Peter Mercer on the East England coast and once with me on the Limfjord in Denmark and up to Skagen.This was her first
offshore passage so it was a pretty tough choice but she has been great, not a moan – even when hurled across the cabin, and no signs of seasickness. Ray has a strange sailing CV. His first long passage was after a handshake with me that we would sail the Atlantic. He did a short course on the Clyde then crossed the Biscay on Sumara and then the Atlantic to Barbados. He sailed back from Spitzbergen to the Faroes, Iceland to Scotland (2006), Scotland to Bergan and England to Denmark. All on Sumara!
Ray is a hugely practical person with great knot skills and can stow things away like no one else.
We are hoping to arrive in Tobermory early this evening for a desperately needed shower and a beer. Opps here comes a squall best get on the helm!
Sent at 11.06GMT 14th August 2001
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