Kim’s blog 11/3/13:

We are enroute to the Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.  The weather predictions indicated a calm seas and light winds, so we topped up our fuel before leaving Rabat.  However, for the first two nights we had winds of 25-35 knots with steep swells of 5-9 feet.  Unfortunately, our course was directly downwind.  Since we can’t sail directly down wind, we had two options- either sail way off our course or motor.  The first night we sailed and ended up 55 miles off course.  The motion of the boat was miserable as the swells knocked our stern side to side every few seconds.   The second night we used a little sail and a little motor to reduce the motion and keep us closer to the course line.

Other than the motion discomfort, the trip has gone well.  There were a number of Anglo-Saxon boats in Rabat who left the same day as us.  We have a radio net twice per day to report positions and complain about the rough seas.  Sadly, we heard that a French boat entered Rabat Harbor the day after we left and hit a rock so hard as to bring down the mast.  Apparently, they were unaware that the harbor was closed due to big swells and did not request a pilot boat to bring them across the bar.  Although no one was injured, someone’s cruising dreams are likely destroyed.

On a positive note, a small butterfly just landed on Georgia J.  I can’t imagine how he managed to fly 115 miles off the African coast and find us. 

s/v Georgia J

Enroute to Lanzarote

Position 31 20.33 N, 012 10.34 ; speed 6.6 knots, course 210 M, time 12:08 pm UTC on 11/3/13.