A bit closer to Menorca

The night passed quietly with little traffic ahead of us and the following day began cloudy and overcast with light winds.
After the lovely weather so far it came as a disappointment to feel as if we were sailing back in Ireland

By 09.00 this morning we were one hundred and seventeen miles from Mahon which meant we were now half way.
The fuel gauge was lower than we’d have liked so we hoisted the sails even though the winds were still fairly light.
We later found that the fuel gauge is pessimistic and that when we later filled up, we still had enough fuel to have motored the whole way if needed.

We had to add on the layers to keep warm and the wind increased and decreased at intervals throughout the cloudy chilly day until in the evening we were hit by squalls.
Mick and I were on deck when they hit and we quickly put two reefs in the main and furled part of the genny as the forecast told us the wind in our area was to continue Force 3 to 5, maybe even a 6. Basically anything from a gentle to a strong breeze.

I kept the sails reefed throughout the night as I always prefer to shorten sail before dark to avoid being over pressed and the need to have someone going on deck. Also it makes it more comfortable for those below to sleepRead more