First Week

It is getting hot down here, we measure 32 degrees celsius inside the boat. We run under small kite and one reef in 20 knots breeze with speed between ten and
15 knots. The sea state got much better tonight after two days of handsteering in pretty rough seas.
Before we noticed, that we got a bit ahead of you, we pushed quite hard for a while under big kite and full main in 28 knots (32 knots gusts) with nerves under max tension.
We always keep an eye on the VMG to waypoint value coming from the GPS to our instrument system. That helpes us anticipating the shifts and gibing when the vmg gets down. We could barely see the African cost for a moment but noticed less wind close to the shore. Also we passed an obscure fishing vessel and without saying anything we thought it would be better to gibe back offshore away from them.
Here between the Cap Verde islands we got mobile phone connection and had a short chat with parents and friends and Josh. He said that some of you did damage a spinnaker, so we hope you can repair it quickly.
It is relatively grey all the time. I remember this to be the same during my minitransat. We will get clear sky and less humid air, when we get into the South-Esterly trades.
We imagine how nice it would be to just pit stop here in Sal Rei de Boa Vista, to anchor, swim ashore and have a cold beer watching the locals playing Cap Verdian music.
Since the first evening we sailed more than 1.400 Miles under spinnaker now.
This is good style to start into a race. We can gear up and get ready for some more demanding upwind stuff that we expect when we come out of the ITC into the southern trade winds. I know the route until Salvador already. So for me no big surprises so far and no big news to tell. We got some breathtaking impressions of surfing down glittering waves straight into the sunset with masses of flying fish jumping out and crossing the bow.
The moon during the first night has been amazing, like a strong flashlight pointing on us. I just thought about getting the solar panels out in the moonlight as it felt so strong and powerful.
I am really curios what we are going to experience after Recife and on the way to The Royal Cape Town Sailing Club House where I already reserved a reasonable amount of beer for you and us.
Good winds and a safe passage. Watch out for whales. Don’t hit them!

Cheers
Boris and Felix