Yacht Aditi

Biscay Badness Day 1

Nobody wanted to leave La Coruna and we had to force ourselves to let go the lines; what an amazing city in August. And I can vouch for the medical facilities and staff as well. Up until about 40nm offshore everyone wanted to U-turn but there is a point far enough from the shoreline that breaks the tie. We held onto our Caribbean experience and put a reef in the main as we left the marina. Within 500 yards the wind dropped from 15 knots to not much. As everyone else raced around under full sail we found it hard to stay as we were but we wanted to wait to see what the point would deliver. The speed crept up. the wind filled in and suddenly we were having to reef in 25kn of wind. That then became 35kn and we are now deeper reefed in the main than we have ever been. The sea was running large when out came Finisterre traffic with the news that Gale Force 8 and rough seas were expected for the next nine hours. We thought about hiding in a Ria but we have been in heavy weather before so headed for deep water. So far it’s been a rough night, we have had some lightning, and the wind has been mainly in the 18 to 28kn band. We are holding our course for Brest and expecting things to ease a bit around noon tomorrow. Sleep has not been possible due to sail changes but there’s always a chance of a nap in the morning…

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