After a breakfast in a local cafe, we set off from Santurtzi at about 11:40 and motored out of the port until to the north of the outer breakwater where we set sail with 2 reefs in SSE 24 kt wind (gusting 30 kt) at 12:22. The weather was clear with slight seas. 

We made slow progress tacking into wind eastwards until the wind moderated and backed to ESE 15 kt towards evening. We ran one motor for 3 hours to recharge batteries. 

Around 4am the wind dropped below 8 kts and we started a motor to maintain boat speed above 3.5 kts. The wind picked up from SE 1.5 hrs later so we stopped the motor. We put in a reef after dawn in ESE 15 kt and shook it out after another 1.5 hrs. We called the range officer and received permission to cross the firing range off Mimizan. By 11:50 the wind dropped below 9 kts and we started a motor. Wind dropped further and was dead calm by 16:00. 

Around sunset the wind picked up again ESE 15 kts and we continued under sail. The night was clear and sea calm though we could see thunderstorms to west in the early hours of 1 May. At around 04:00 the wind veered to SSE 12 kt and we motor sailed for the remainder of the trip unti we anchored off St Martin de Re. 

We did 4 hour overlapping shifts: ON CALL, ON WATCH, OFF WATCH which worked fine. We logged around 266 nmi in just over 50 hours and used about 40 l of fuel. 





Santurtzi - La Rochelle

Crew: 3

Crew Logs

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