To Bermuda 4: 3.5 wheels on my wagon.....

That's to say we've been sailing once again, since about 1800 yesterday (11/5) evening when a light breeze filled in from the East and I finally released the cruising chute from its sock, switched off the engine and slid along gently at 2.5 - 3 knots during the night. 

I slept in the cockpit once again which once again was most pleasant. The only disappointment being I didn't see the northern lights that apparently had been seen as far south as the Behalmas! The fact that I was facing south except for my hourly checks on the course and for shipping may have had something to do with it!

Talking of shipping, I completely forgot to mention my close encounter with another yacht yesterday morning when I was in the middle of changing the sails. I had noticed her on the AIS for the previous 24 hours slowly gaining on us from the south, and by about 0900 yesterday, Panacea, a French boat was almost within shouting distance. Once I had finished  faffing about with miles of bits of string, I called her up on the VHF and we had a quick chat. Not surprisingly, they too were bound for Bermuda. They had also just run out of wind and were now motoring until they found some. At that stage, with the exception of an exceptionally bright yellow land bird the size of a sparrow, I had encountered any other living things.

The bird lingered for a while and then flew off, too quickly for me to get a photo. I rather fear he or she was very lost and most probably destined for a watery end. The nearest land is the Behalmas, a couple of hundred miles to our West!

At some point during the early hours of this morning (12/5) the wind did finally move towards the south, which meant that in order to stay on course we brought the wind further aft, allowing the genoa to be polled out to windward with the cruising chute (no pole) to leeward like so ....

...except that is, at that time, the sails were the other way round with the genoa to starboard rather than port.

My hourly sleeps must have worked pretty well because I was always asleep when the alarm went off. At around 0530 the dawn woke me and I moved my bed back down below. 

When I checked on things at about 0730, it was clear that the wind had moved further south which meant that to maintain our course I would have to gybe the boat so that the wind came from the port quarter rather than the starboard. 

This was quite a time consuming business.....

1) Run the pole guys for the second pole from the bow to the stern through their various  blocks on the port side

2) Douse the cruising chute and lower it in its sock onto the deck

3) Attach the guys and set up the second pole to port where the cruising chute had previously been.

4) Furl the Genoa

5) Unfurl the Genoa onto the port pole

6) Un-rig and stow the 1st pole in its foredeck hand hold position.

7) Remove the port masthead halyard from the cruising chute's head and make it up on the mast, attach the starboard side masthead halyard to the cruising chute's head and re-run the clew line from the port side cockpit block and winch, down to the block and winch on the starboard side of the cockpit.

8) Hoist the cruising chute up the mast in its sock.

9) Pull the sock up to the top of the mast and make the hoist line fast so that the sock stays up there

10) Get back down to the cockpit and haul in on the clue line to set the sail before it wraps itself round the forestay!

Two hours later, hot, sweaty and tired, but with the boat sliding along northwards nicely, at 3.5 to 4 knots, it was time for breakfast! Museali with yogurt, juice and coffee; again!

Then I wrote the above. Next, time for a nap in the forpeak where the down draft from the cruising chute keeps the temperature deliciously cool...

It's a tough life! 

Then I cooked for the first time - a veggie curry for later.

We're currently (1530 ish on 12/5) slipping along nicely under cruising chute and poled out genoa on port tack and a beam reach. Now we're flying - 4+ knots with 483 miles to go.

This evening before dark, I'll probably have to douse the cruising chute and replace it with the mainsail, given that slightly stronger winds are forecast.

Hmmm, the engine...!