Goood Mooorning Vietnam!

Let's say conditions are marginally different from yesterday and let's
also say the forecast, both American and French models, are not exactly
accurate in their prediction of wind strength... the instrument have
oscillated between 28 and 32 knots for a while now (force 7)... i'm
meant to have 15 knots of wind building to be 25 later today, so let's
hope they didnt get the afternoon forcast wrong by the same factor...

I sailed 54 miles in the last 5 hours, under double reefed main and
solent alone, the cockpit is constantly washed over by the enourmous
spray UniCredit throws everywhere, max speed today 18.96 knots but we
typically go along at anything between 10 and 14 with the occasional
surf into 16-18 territory. This is all under autopilot.

After i turned around yesterday i spent considerable time playing with
the autopilot settings and i'm just about starting to get the hang of
how they work and interact... you have Gain, Counter Rudder, Speed
coefficient, Wind Damping and Rudder Offset. The instructions are very
clear. For example the most criptic is Speed Coefficient but luckily a
quick read through the manual eloquently explains 'Choose a number
between 1 and 53'. Thanks all clear now. And why is 53 is the max?

But i shouldnt complain too much, should I? Writing emails as the boats
surfs at 15-16 knots down the face of an atlantic roller.

Only other interesting fact of the day was the usual encounter with the
Atlantic fishing boats that fish on the edge of the continental shelf, i
suspect in fact they are not fishing at all but are secretly employed by
the UK border agency. I bet you there is no boat that makes it into uk
waters without a near collision with one of these menacing steel beasts,
I had a pair in front of me, I was surfing at 12-14 knots at the time
when the AIS goes off to warn me, 6 minutes to impact! I hardened up to
the wind, which of course UniCredit didn't like with all the sail I had
up, I carried on screeming along toerail in the water solent on the
verge of flogging wild... The boat was a mile ahead of me, but the
visibility so poor i didnt get to see it, i trusted the instruments,
passed behind the boat and set course again...

If the wind stays like this i could be in Portsmouth tomorrow in time
for a steak! But is suspect the sea state will build steadily and I'll
have to slow down...

I'm at 48 35N 009 14W, approximately 350 miles from home.

You can send me messages at www.marconannini.com/sms thanks for all
those that dropped a line.

Ciao,
Marco.