Panama Outbound - Day 3

Hi everyone,
At 1200 today we were at 12 27N 077 07W steering 020M, sailng under full main and yankee at 5.5 knots.  Sunny with a few small cumulus.  Wind 9G12 from the ENE.  Our noon to noon daily run was 117nm by the log.

The image below shows predicted ocean surface current flow for today.  Not a pretty sight!  We're steering 020M but making 350M over the ground.  We expected this current and PredictWind's route recommendations take account of it.  We just need the wind to come around to the predicted E so we can use that lift to offset the current.

Today's RTOFS Ocean Surface Current GRIB

Yesterday afternoon we sailed under single-furled main and yankee.  The wind was up to 12G16 and the reduced sail worked nicely.  The further north we go the more E there is in the swell which is improving Zen Again's motion.  We just want the wind to match the swell direction!

Overnight the wind held in so we kept the reef/furl.  It was another nice moonlit night.  Very little traffic.  Found several flying fish aboard, only one of which survived its surprise visit.  Kazi the WindPilot vane gear is doing a great job keeping us on a good close-hauled course.

This morning we shook out the reef and then the furl.  Another nice morning with 3/8 cloud, mostly small cumulus. We're pleased the CAPE numbers are low for this passage - no squalls or thunderstorms (yet!).

Trust all's well where you are.

Panama Outbound - Day 2

Hi everyone,
At 1200 today we were at 10 36N 076 31W steering 330M, sailng under full main and single-furled yankee at 5.5 knots.  Sunny with a few small cumulus.  Wind 10G14 from the NNE.  Our noon to noon daily run was 137nm by the log.

Close-hauled on starboard - heading north!

Yesterday afternoon the wind held in nicely.  During the evening it increased to 12G16 so we put a furl in the yankee.  The seas increased too and the ride became lumpy.  It was a uncomfortable with Zen Again burying her bow into waves frequently.  The swell was coming almost straight at us.

Last night was lovely and clear.  That gave us something to look at while bumping around and copping the occasional jet of spray.  Zen Again loved it and we just had to hang on.

By 0900 this morning we were 50nm W of Cartagena.  We decided it was at last time to tack north.  After tacking the swell was almost on the beam and the ride improved enormously.  And our course was 330T which wasn't bad at all.  Since then we've been gradually lifting as the wind veers towards the E.

Our batteries are doing well on the passage so far.  Haven't fallen below 85% with the SailnSea hydro-generator running at night and the solar during the day.  We've been on the SSB each morning and evening exchangiing positions and weather conditions with other yachts, including some in the Pacific.

Looking forward to the wind veering into the E and easing our sheets!

Panama Outbound - Day 1

Hi everyone,
At 1200 today we were at 10 10N 078 07W steering 100M, sailng under full main and yankee at 4.5 knots.  It is cloudy with occasional sun.  The wind was 7G9 from the ENE.  Our noon to noon daily run was 123nm by the log.

Close-hauled on port - heading east

We've been close hauled on port tack since yesterday afternoon.  Initially the wind was light but it filled in later in the afternoon to about 10 knots from the NNE-NE.  The swell has also decreased from 1.5m to 1.0m as forecast.  We've been using both autopilot and WindPilot vane gear.  The latter (with our smaller than standard air vane) starts to give up at 8 knots apparent wind.

Last night gave us a nearly full moon.  Sadly there was a thin layer of high cloud obscuring the stars but the moonlight shone through.  A very pleasant night at sea.

We've both fallen straight into our passage-making routine.  It often takes us a couple of days to start sleeping well but not this time!  Zen Again is sailing really well in these conditions, even with the wind down to 4G7 she logs 4 knots.

We expect to keep sailing E until tomorrow afternoon or evening.  We then expect to tack north in winds up to 20 knots.  The wind is supposed to veer and decrease, giving us a nice reach N toward Jamaica.