Azores to Ireland - Day 5

Position 071200Z JUL 12
N 40 57
W 017 54
597 NM traveled
5.1 Knts Average speed
143 NM Last 24 Hours
751 NM to Kinsale
61 NM on track

1. It should be obvious from the above that the plan to go to Kinsale is suffering from the wind direction. The normal wisdom is to head due North from the Azores until one gets into the established westerly flow. Well, I could not sail north to get to the westerly flow and I have not been able to make much North since. The closer one gets to Europe the less likely the flow is westerly and more likely it is northerly. I am just sailing on East. Don't be surprised if I make my first landfall in Portugal.

2. The sun is out today and the winds have moderated. I was in a terrible mood yesterday. I was just being tossed around inside Reboot, it was cold and wet, and the rig was making noises. Well, it always makes noises. But since I was cold and wet and really didn't like these noises at all. Today it is making noises, just different noises. Today with the sun out and not trying to fight my way upwind I am in a much better mood.

3. I do have charts and a NGA guide for the West coast of Europe. The guide is really much more attuned to commercial and military shipping. But I am sure that I can find somewhere to check in. At the moment I have been reading the guide for Lisbon. The problem is that it is too big - kind of like Cork in Ireland. There are private marinas in Lisbon, I just have no data on any of them. So I will pick one at random and go from there. Or harbor control will help me find a spot - not to mention customs and immigration.

Fair winds and Following Seas