Because we were reversed in, getting out of the Marina was a breeze and off we went. The wind and the sea state that first day was windier and rougher than forecast - local conditions due to the acceleration zones caused by the islands. We were determined to have our mainsail up this time to help control the rocking on the boat and we did. Artemis has a fractional rig with a very large mainsail for the size of the boat. With 2 reefs in (we haven't got a third) the sail still looked big. We would have liked to have some jib out as well, to balance the boat however our sailing companions only had their reefed jib out, so we got our mainsail nice and tight and swung the boom out to reduce the power which the auto pilot seemed to like - moving very little. We sailed most of the way across the Atlantic with this arrangement.
Our new auto pilot functioned very quietly and the effort further reduced by selecting the leisure setting. On our amps gauge, with everything else switched off, it was consuming 1 amp per hour - Great!
Alison had christened our 3rd crew member (the auto pilot), Dr. Ray Marlin. The reason is that he is a Raymarine Linear Drive. Doc for short...a bit contrived...' The auto pilot is good for our health'...I agree.
After the first day the weather matched the forecast with light/medium wind and a low sea height..nice.
On day 2 I started feeling sea sick with a bad headache and blocked sinus'. I took sudafed, sea leg tablets and when my headache didn't go away, a migraine tablet (thanks Melodie). After most of the day in bed...thanks Alison & sorry!....I was feeling much better.
We lost our sailing companion Pilhaouer after the 3rd night. When night came they really slowed their boat down, maybe to a couple of knots. We slowed down also, however we thought 4 knots was slow enough for us and with a big main it was impossible for us to slow down anymore and keep our comfort. After coasting at about 3 knots on the 4th day to see if Pilhaouer would catch up, there was still no sign of them so we got our jib out and carried on. We thought this might happen and had agreed to try and stay with each other knowing that it might not be possible. Every other day we put the engine on to help our solar panel charge the batteries. By day 5 we were both feeling good. We cleaned our bilge and adjusted and greased the stern gland. Day 6 we spotted Pilot Whales and had a shower in the cockpit.
Day 9 we changed course from downwind (almost) to a beam reach. This was 1 knot faster but uncomfortable so by evening we changed back. Day10 we have rain in the form of a very wet and windy squall. Artemis got a good rinse and we used the conditions for another shower. By the end of the day the wind was gone - doldrums? We checked our grib files (weather) and this confirmed that we were just on the edge of them. Engine on all night.
Day 11 we tried to sail in the light winds with great difficulty, only managing 2-3 knots. Engine on. The days were very hot now as can be expected. In the morning we syphoned 60 liters of diesel into our tank to keep it topped up. The ocean was like a lake.....very surreal!
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