The air has cooled, but with a constant wind progress is being made. Lots of whales and dolphins around. The captain has decided that we have been in cruising mode for too long so everyone on board is now taking turns driving. With the weather improving a lot of footage has been taken for the documentary too .Position at 14:00 Sunday 18th May 34 03 N 35 26 W 424 miles to go..........off to prepare brunch!
Be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16).
This is why , in Medieval and Renaissance imagery Prudence holds a snake in one hand and a mirror in the other to see behind her. This has been our method for the last two days, slipping between one storm front and another, snake-ing along the edges of the 'eye'. We still had strong gusts of wind which tested the crew to the limit but the strategy set out by our tactically wily Captain Valerio appears to be a winner and we are now running along with 25 knots of wind. The genoa is 'butterflied' and the three metre rollers are pushing us towards the Azores. Having come out unscathed by the danger each and every one of us feels strengthened and happy to have been through this experience which really hit us hard and we are now stronger friends for it. The waves are breaking under strong sunshine and the whales are showing their tails in the distance.
Lorenzo
It is so pathetic -I actually dreamt about Facebook, the dream had no sense and was totally insignificant but it is still embarrassing even to write this! I cannot even post it if I wanted to until I arrive anyway. Beside the odd email that we are writing just to let people know we are alive we are totally out of contact. Last night Stefano and I tried to communicate with a passing Korean cargo boat. the reply we got was from an ancient old women who listed a litany of misadventures. So be it. The ocean is truly a weird place. Thirteen days now spent in 13 metres and we have not been driven mad......or maybe we just have not noticed! So I am leaving you with a question: if , in your spare time, if you had no social media, what you you get up to? Please go on the the Save the Nerd website and we will add your comments to our research and documentary.
Filippo
posiTion 32 03 N 39 37 W //detox 35%//- 650 miles to the Azores
Position at 22:45:04 BST 16 May 2014
Harder that I thought
Thursday 16th May
Getting mentally tired now, 12 days at sea 24/7, breathing in the salt air, sleeping quite badly in a confined space with the tension of sqaulls and storms , which with our level of experience is daunting. I am not scared, just tired, worn, thinking and dreaming far more than usual ,something that has not happened to me for a long time but this crossing is startnig to weigh on me On we go! . // posizion 31 14 N 42 19 W // detox 30%
Lorenzo
Fighting of the jellyfish and the jeebees
I've had a thought going through my mind for days now-a swim in the ocean but i knew it was too dangerous and that our captain would never have compromised us.But hey, our fishing line got caught around the propeller and so, who is going to jump in? Obviuos choice -the Nerd. as it would be part of the detox treatment [they say] while watching my teeth chattering just at the thought of the freezing sea.,, full of jellyfish and if you look down -what do you see/ the abyss. Like looking into space but with no sun or stars However I do my job including brush ups with the jellyfish, climb back on board, check the GoPro video i took to show what i had done when -guess what? A large bit of rope, floating in hte ocean has got caught on the propeeler.So back goes yours truly -underwater holding my breath for 30 secs with a shrp but rusty knife to cut away the rope.The jellyfish get me aagain but hey, if I don't get a detox out of these experiences I never will!
Filippo
eery view in the middle of the Atlantic
We are now in the famous Azores' high pressure system.Total calm - flat sea with barely a wave. but we know that the storm is reaching us and than calm creates monsters! This 'oily slick' is making us nervous . At least when there is a storm we all have a job to do, make decisions and fight it. This way it just drains our energies and the deck is so hot that it is really uncomfortable to walk on .We cannot motor or we risk running out of fuel which could be needed once we get closer to land. And we know that a lot of rain and wind will reach us-seems improbable and daunting while we bob around going nowehere.
Lorenzo
Posizion: 30 54 N 47 17 W // Detox rating 23%
too hot to handle
Not always easy............but listen to the nerd!
Finally the Rai crew managed to reach us on the satellite phone
listen to : http://www.radio.rai.it/podcast/A45634835.mp3 in Italian from around 14.20 mins from the start of Caterpillar show!
http://www.radio.rai.it/podcast/A45634835.mp3As the crew is not that expert, especially the Nerd ,we have of course opted for the safest and therefore not the faster route to the Azores..We have reached a point father north than the actual route, so the winds have died somewhat but this should now take us in an easier way down to the Azores.Tuesday evening the low pressure should reach us and then for three days we should be Ok, staying just out of the centre of the storm where the weather is an unknown of strong rusts and hard rain.. One of the crew is not feeling too well right now which is bad luck but we are kepping moral high on a diet of homemade lasagne and meat sauce! Reached half way pos Monday 12th at 1400 utc30 13 n 49 10 w 1130 to go
Updated Tuesday 13th to pos at 0930 utc 30 40n 47 44 w 1050 to go