Greetings Triple Lindy family and friends. The Middle Sea race is certainly living up to its reputation as an event with beautiful surroundings (and no we don’t mean Giancarlo) and a variety of conditions to test even the most experienced sailors. The crew has enjoyed the atmosphere around Malta, and the sailing has been superb. On Saturday, our start took place in the Great Harbor of Malta. We were able to get good position on the 24 boats in our class (IRC 5). The winds were perfect to sweep us out of the harbor and up the track line to the SE tip of Sicily. By late Saturday afternoon and into Sunday the winds had died out as high pressure dominated the race course. For most of Saturday night we and the rest of the fleet drifted from one zephyr to the next, hoping for just enough wind to keep our momentum. Sunday we started moving and were able to make good progress up the east side of Sicily and headed for the SW tip of Italy. The coast of both Sicily and Calabria were gorgeous. We tacked very close to the beach in Calabria, avoiding the current running against from the Strait of Messina. We used Giancarlo’s local knowledge to great advantage, staying clear of adverse current flow until it was time to exit the Strait. The sun was setting as we pushed through some patches of light air north of the Strait en route to the island of Stromboli. While in the Strait, Joe, Johnny and Kent practiced their sailmaking while applying a patch to the bottom of the heavy #1 jib.
Sunday evening the forecast winds associated with a front coming across the course pushed us along to our mark at Stromboli. Even in darkness, some steam rising from the volcano was evident.
Saturday evening meal: Beef Stew Sunday evening meal: Lamb Stew.
Thanks to all the Triple Lindy gals for the superb provisioning.
Love to all, Triple Lindy Crew