A good, rough start

We've been out of Horta Harbor for over 24 hours with early calm seas and light winds. Past the lee, we got quite a surprise. The weather has been consistently sour; winds are gusting to 49knots- strong gale Force 9 with periodic squalls. The waves are rough with torrents of sea-spray. For some of us, this is nothing new. It only evokes memories of passages in the past, i.e. our intense four day stretch between Bermuda and the Azores. For others, however, this is all they know. Our newest crew member has been toughing out with the rest of us, staving off sea sickness. Tom's morale is high; although I’m sure the foul weather hasn’t made for the best first impression of the sea. I am reminded of my first passage, from Lymington, England, to Portugal. Rough weather similar to this instilled a sense of fright, which was combated by my calm and collective crew. However, sailing shorthanded adds fatigue into the mix, so I hope that the weather will ease and warm as we continue our descent to Cape Verde. For now, the next 48 hours look to increase our weather. The latest 48 hour radiofax shows a fairly compact, but strong low developing towards us. Once Sea Dragon clears 27N, about the latitude of the Canary Islands, winds should decrease dramatically. On we go.

Stephen Amato