Cape Verdes Outbound Day 2

Hi everyone,
At noon today we were at 15 17N 029 04W steering 230M, sailing under 2 reefs and no furls at 5 knots.  The wind was 12G17 from the ENE.  Our noon to noon run by the log (now cleared of weed) was 127nm.

Into the Haze

Since yesterday afternoon we've been sailing in a heavy haze of Saharan dust.  Our sheets and rig all have a coppery tinge.  Visibility has reduced to 1-2nm, almost like a light fog.  At sunset yesterday we could look directly at the sun as it set through the dust.  And last night the 3/4 moon was dim, and so were the stars.

Our new 6 hour watches at night are working out well.  The last hour's hard yakka but we're getting used to it.  We have Starlink on for 30 minutes morning and evening to download the latest weather.  We also check our emails, social media, news etc.  We can't leave it on continuously since it draws too much power.

With the comfortable sailing conditions we have plenty of time on our hands.  That's allowed me to get Winlink Express running on my 'work' computer, a Mini PC.  Winlink Express allows for email over HF/SSB which used to be our primary means of receiving weather GRIB files.  Around 2015 we added an Iridium Go which provided email/GRIB via satellite but no internet.  We kept Winlink going as a backup, running on our Macbooks in a Parallels Windows VM.  That stopped when Apple computers changed from Intel to ARM CPUs - I never got the device drivers to work.  So I've finally capitulated and use my work computer to run the HF/SSB.  And with Starlink we have broadband internet - awesome!

The Mini PC also runs JS8call software for digital keyboard to keyboard 'chatting' with other cruisers over HF/SSB.  I'm hoping to try this out with other equally-geeky cruisers!  In the mean time our daily Impromptu HF/SSB voice net continues, currently only with OCC sv Metzi.  They are a Moody 44 and striding away from us at 20-30 miles per day (as they should!).

On a less geeky note we started sea-water bucket showering today.  That's always a milestone in a passage.  The water is 27C so just a little refreshing.  Our procedure is one bucket to wet down, then lather up, then another bucket to rinse, finishing with a little fresh water to wash off the salt.  Marvellous!