Thursday 23 June 2016

Azores Outbound - Day 5

Hi everyone,
We are currently in position 45 40N 021 28W, saillng at 6.0 knots on a course of 040M.  The wind is NNW at 15-18 knots with a 1m sea and long 1m swell.  We are sailing under single-reefed main and double-furled yankee.  Broken mid-level cloud with some sun!  Our day's run was 115nm, our DMG was 103nm and we have 720nm to go.

Yesterday afternoon the wind remained very light until 1800 when a 6-8 knot S wind came in.  This was the southerly preceeding a very weak front which went through overnight.  The engine was turned off immediately and the silence after 13.5 hours motoring was a beautiful thing.  We sailed along happily at about 4 knots, heading NE.

Sunset Last Night

By sunset at 2100 the wind had veered to the SW and we had gybed to head N.  At midnight it was steady at 8 knots from the W and we were heading NE, broad reaching under full main and single-furled yankee.  It was a chilly night.  The water temperature is 15 C and any winds with north in them are cold.  Sea boots are on night and day, and clothing layers are increasing steadily!  By 0600 we had a 10 knot NW wind and at 0800 we had to double-reef the main briefly as a 25 knot squall went through.

Since 0900 we've been under single-reefed main and double-furled yankee, beam reaching in a 15-18 knot NNW wind.  The boat is loving it and tramping along at over 6 knots.

We hope we're through the worst of the light patches.  If the weather outlook holds we should have a beam to broad reach for the rest of the passage.  TIme will tell!

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