Tuesday 22 December 2015

Racing ahead thanks to acceleration zone


Hi all




If you have ever played a game of snakes and ladder, you know that if you land on snake, you have to slide back down the board. That's what its like when you are heading into a storm.


But sometimes you land on a ladder and shot up the board. That's what its like when you encounter an acceleration zone. This is where the northerly winds are squeezed into the limited space between the high islands increasing the speed  of the wind.
We encountered such a zone between the Canary Island of La Palma and La Gomera. We rode a good strong wind in the acceleration zones around the islands, up to 38 knots and Ed the human said we reached our new top speed of 9.1 Knots.
Wow an amazing ride, but a bit scary too. I found a safe place to sit where I could hold on and made sure my life jacket was tied tight.