37°30.2’N 34°43.8’W
SOG (Speed over Ground): 6.9 knots (motoring)
Heading: 080
Distance from Bermuda: 1,502nm
Distance to Horta: 296nm
ETA (Horta): Saturday (evening) May 31
The weather started of great today. The sun was out and so were we. For a few hours, we were accompanied by some fish, about a foot long, swimming ahead of us at the bows of the boat. We tried to catch them using spear and net but to no avail. At one point Bob caught them jumping out of the water with smaller fish in their mouths as if to say our lures were no good. We caught sight of dolphin in the distance but no playful antics around the boat today. During dinner we rushed off to steer the boat towards a drifting float with a radar reflector on it. Bob managed to lift it out of the water and I spotted a crab. I flicked it off and it landed on Bob’s foot. We made a pigs ear of letting it go as it tangled with the fishing line. We had to stop the boat and haul it towards us and untangle the line lest we lose another lure. I guess you can tell, the fish have chalked down another day against the crew of Windancer IV.
After dinner we watched a little Monty Python.
Crew are beginning to shows of fatigue. Earlier today we passed near another sailing boat called Solaris. Jim hailed them on the radio to find they were 22 days out from Antigua on their way to the Azores. Hopefully we can meet up their and learn more of their travels. There must be quite a few boats out her for us to run into one out in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, Horta is the fourth most frequented marina in the world ? I guess it’s all the Atlantic crossers making their stop.
John changed the dinner schedule today so we are eating closer to Azores timing. Until now we have been keeping closer to ship time, set in Bermuda. Another sign we are two days from land. Thoughts of land begin to influence us more and more. It’s looking more and more certain we’ll be arriving on Saturday early evening in time to catch customs open. That will mean we can all go ashore. I wonder how that will feel.
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