The winds continue to blow out of the South and we are facing the dilemma that we might need to beat into the weather if the winds don’t reverse.
I must admit, it was a bit frustrating to be in the trade winds and have them blowing the opposite direction! We simply make our miles towards our destination. Our goal at this point is to sail further East before we sail South towards Portugal, so the South wind merely means that we are on the opposite tack from what is expected.
The passage in a straight line is only 800 nautical miles from the Azores to Portugal, and most people motor across the windless high pressure area with ease. This means that most people complete this passage in under a week since their diesels can push their boat along at hull speed with out any resistance from waves, allowing them to regularly complete 100+ mile days everyday on their way East.
By normal standards, we are now on Day 16 and nowhere near being finished with our 7 day passage!
