Day 65
Scoresby Sund Expedition Position N 60.52.7 x W7.38.04 Just SW of the Faroe Islands
Weather: Light southerly, calm sea
It’s getting warmer – at last!
Although we are only making slow progress south, averaging about 4 knots, each day brings a little more warmth. This watch is the first watch without needing to wear my massive sea boots and oilskins. We do a three-hour watch system, often interrupted by a sail change or such like. With two of us onboard that is three hours on and three hours off. You get used to it. I actually took off my socks before getting into my sleeping bag last night. It is also the first day I have been able to stand up without needing to grab a handrail to prevent me from being thrown across the cabin. Being thrown about on a small boat poses perhaps the greatest danger when out at sea. A broken arm or serious cut would probably need to wait for days to get medical help unless some kind of helicopter lift could be provided with all the dangers associated with that tricky manoeuvre. We are motoring through a calm patch which means I can use this little very old laptop with no battery life. I need the engine to run the inverter to feed the power. You might ask why I am using such an old laptop which operates on Windows XP. it is because Microsoft in all their wisdom provide automatic updates to Windows 10 etc and they will block the sat phone when I try to transmit this email. There are ways around it but that needs more hardware and more wires and I really don’t want any more wires! Our latest tasty treat for lunch is a cheese and onion sandwich with avjar, served on a plate with half a tomato and a handful of crisps. Just like you get in garden centres for about £6.00 (but with added avjar – our go to relish). We will have a big hot meal this evening followed by our last bar of liquorice chocolate. The latest grib files show the light wind going northerly or northeasterly and getting stronger tomorrow. That’s good news for us, as we are heading south. We are still deliberating about Stornoway or Ullapool but Stornoway might be better for Ray’s escape as there is an airport there and a train strike on the mainland. Our eta is still Tuesday. If you own a pub in Stornoway or Ullapool, it be a good night’s takings!
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