Antigua Inbound Day 8

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 13 45N 050 34W sailing at 5 knots on a broad reach under single-reefed main and  single-furled yankee.  The wind is NE 11G14.  The seas are 1m with a 2m N swell. The air temperature is 25C, water 28C and above is a clear blue sky. Our noon to noon daily run was 97nm, but see the last paragraph below.  We have 677nm to go - 127nm closer to Antigua today.  One Sydney-Hobart race to go!

Weed - what a drag

Yesterday afternoon I realised our poor boat speed may be due to weed on the keel, skeg and prop.  We used a waterproof cameras on a selfie stick to capture images.  Both the shaft anode and the propellor were encased in weed.  A brief run of the engine, including a short sharp burst astern got rid of the weed.  Our boat speed improved a little - for a while at least.  The AutoProp is a feathering propellor so bound to catch weed - one of its few disadvantages.

The other thing visible in the images was fouling of the hull.  We seem to be paying the price of not re-keying our Coppercoat antifoul.  We've cleaned the bottom regularly (last in Madeira) but not rekeyed it to expose more copper.  Big mistake.  I suspect this is where most of our drag is coming from.  And I reckon the growth originates from bugs in the weed since keel and skeg are free of the fouling.  Rekeying will be a priority task post-arrival.

We had a very pleasant, albeit slow, sail yesterday afternoon.  Winds stayed light at ENE 9G13.  Overnight the wind increased to 12G17 and backed to the NNE.  That put us on a beam reach, and we're likely to be so for most of the rest of the passage.  Our big zig south kept us out of a big windless area but meant we'd be reaching in.

A tiny sliver of moon rose shortly before dawn.  By dawn we had more wind and it had backed to the NNE, putting us on a beam reach.  This lasted for several hours and was faster but uncomfortable.  By mid-morning the wind had veered back to the NE and we are now broad reaching again.

We've now been at sea for three weeks.  So we did our usual supplies check.  The main water tanks were down to about 20 litres and the forward bladder was almost empty.  We transferred two 20 litre jerries of water into the main tanks from on deck.  And we transferred 20 litres from a jerry in the forepeak into the forward bladder using a drill pump.  The drill pump is proving useful for this job since it avoid our having to elevate the jerry when using a jiggler hose.

We now have 90 litres of water remaining of our original 250 litres.  So we've been using about 55 litres per week, a little more than previously estimated.  The additional amount follows from using our pressure water can to rinse off after salt water showers.  That's taking 2.5 litres/person, vice the 1 litre allocated previously.  All this water information may sound arcane, but running out of water would be a very BAD thing!

This morning we also inspected the log - the thru-hull sensor which measures boat speed, water depth and water termperature.  We found two small 'worm' criters in the impeller which I think are smaller versions of the criters attached to the hull.  They weren't stopping the impeller turning but were slowing it down.  So our recent noon-to-noon runs have been under-estimates, and the current's real, but not as strong as thought.  With a clean impeller it seems we have 0.75 knot of current.

Happy New Year!

Antigua Inbound Day 7

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 13 00N 048 33W sailing at 5 knots on a broad reach under single-reefed main and  double-furled yankee.  The wind is ENE 12G16.  The seas are 1m with a long 2m N swell. The air temperature is 25C, water 28C and above is a clear blue sky. Our noon to noon daily run was only 101nm.  We have 804nm to go - 129nm closer to Antigua today.  How so?...

Ground Speed > Boat Speed => Positive Current!

In yesterday's post I described ocean current GRIBs and that it'd be nice to find some positive current.  Well the GRIBs did help us find it.  We've been in 1 knot of current.  28nm for free over the last 24 hours and smooth water too.  The graph above clearly shows the difference between our boat speed and ground speed.  Our daily runs are distance through the water, so reflect our boat speed not our ground speed.

Yesterday afternoon we shook out the second reef in the main as the wind dropped a little.  We went back onto Kami the autopilot for a while.  During the afternoon the clouds cleared and by 2000 we had an almost clear sky.  It was a nice relaxing afternoon but our boat speed was low.

At dinner last night we opened a can of fruit for dessert and it was 'blown'.  We opened another and it was too.  Both got the deep six.  They were purchased at a Carrefour supermarket in Tunisia only three months ago.  Made in China.  Very nasty poisons (botulism) can inhabit blown cans of food.  Happily we have plenty more from various sources.

The SSB sked last night included Lady of Lorien, Tuuletar and Emma.  We decided to slip the sked time from 2100UTC to 2200UTC from tomorrow.  This will keep it in twilight for most of us, hopefully reducing noise on the channel.

The almost clear sky lasted all night giving us a moonless view of the stars.  Spectacular.  After midnight we had enough wind to put Kazi the WindPilot back on.  At 0400 the moon rose.  It's now a thin crescent laying on its back.

This morning we had a deck patrol.  All well on deck and we consigned eight mostly small flying fish to the deep.  Now we're having a great sail under a clear blue sky.  At noon ship's time we'll move our clocks back an hour, putting us only one hour off Antigua time.  It'll keep the SSB sked at the same ship's time too.

Gen the SailingGen hydro generator has been helping our battery state.  Assisted by the crew de-weeding regularly.  We've avoided having to run the engine for the last few days - just!

Trust all's well where you are.

Antigua Inbound Day 6

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 12 10N 046 30W sailing at 4.5 knots on a broad reach under double-reefed main and single-furled yankee.  The wind is ENE 12G16.  The seas are 1m with a long 2.5m NNE swell. The air temperature is 26C, water 28C and above is a hazy sky with scattered cumulus clouds. Our noon to noon daily run was 106nm.  We have 933nm to go.

Ocean Surface Current GRIB

Yesterday afternoon we had a very nice sail in bright sunshine in a ENE 12G17 breeze.  We came upon an abandoned wooden vesssel, about 15m in length.  She looked African in style.  She was rolling heavily in the swell so as we passed we could see deep into her open hull.  There was no sign of anyone or anything aboard.  She had an outboard motor on her stern.  Scary to think about running into a heavy unlit vessel like her at night, and her possible use in people smuggling.

We made a All Ships Securite call on the VHF to report her as a hazard to navigation.  We also sent full details to RCC Australia (the Maritime Regional Coordination Centre in Canberra).  They forwarded our message to the NavAreaIV Coordinator.  Note - the world's oceans are divided into navigation areas, and we're currently in area IV.

We had a good sailing breeze overnight and were averaging well over 5 knots.  We were using the autopilot since the weather helm was making it difficult for the WindPilot.  At 0300 we decided to balance the rig so as to use the WindPilot.  We put a second reef in the main and unrolled a furl in the yankee.  The WindPilot was then comfortable steering, although it cost us a little speed.

Sadly we're back into weed territory.  We both spent a lot of time freeing Gen of weed to keep her Amps flowing to the batteries.  This morning the batteries are in pretty good shape.

The image above shows a GRIB file of the ocean surface currents along our path towards Antigua.  We're currently a little way in from the bottom right.  Even a 0.5 knot current in our favour over a week gives us 84nm for free, or saves us about 17 hours at 5 knots average.  So it's worth getting into positive current and avoiding adverse current.  Avoiding 'wind over tide' or wind against current also keeps us out of nasty sea states which is equally, perhaps even more, important.

For lunch today we celebrated our 1000nm to go milestone with bacon and HP sauce tortillas.  Yum!

Trust all's well where you are.

Antigua Inbound Day 5

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 11 31N 044 30W sailing at 5.5 knots on a broad reach under single-reefed main and single-furled yankee.  The wind is ENE 11G15.  The seas are 1m with a 2m NE swell. The air temperature is 26C, water 28C and above is a clear but hazy sky. Our noon to noon daily run was 112nm.  We have 1057nm to go.

Dawn Astern - Westward Ho!

Yesterday afternoon we had salt water showers despite the lumpy sea conditions.  Care required getting buckets of water aboard at speed.  This time we rinsed off with our manually-pressurised 10 litre spray can.  It lives in a cockpit locker ready for use.  It can be refilled from a 20 litre jerry can nearby.  Given our good water situation we can wash every two days instead of three.  By day three we're getting whiffy in the tropical heat!

By mid-afternoon our batteries were low due to the weed stopping use of Gen the SailingGen.  We ran the engine for a couple of hours.  We checked fuel level in the main tanks and they're over half full, meaning we've used less than a quarter of our total fuel capacity.

Around sunset a pair of tropic birds were circling above us.  They certainly make a noise when in company.  We also see smallish black birds which fly around very close to the water - Petrels perhaps.  In calm conditions we can hear them chatting too.

The SSB sked was run by Lady of Lorien and included Emma, Tuuletar and us.  Lady of Lorien was about 460nm ahead of us, Emma 550nm ahead and Tuuletar 950nm in Barbados.  Meanwhile we track ReVision II on the PredictWind GPS Tracker and they're about 350nm behind us.

At 0400UTC last night (0200 local) we gybed to the WNW.  At last our big zig to the south was over and we could head directly towards Antigua.  Within an hour a rain shower passed overhead with 25 knot winds and then left us becalmed in its wake.  We motored for an hour to find wind.  By dawn this morning we were saiing nicely in a NE 10G15 breeze and the rain clouds were clearing away.

Pizza!

Right now Nicki is baking a new gingerbread cake for New Year.  The previous one was so good a repeat was deemed necessary for crew morale.  And inspired by Lady of Lorien's Christmas Pizza Nicki baked us a pizza for lunch yesterday.  Twas awesome.  Meanwhile stocks of our Christmas Cake dwindle in a strictly controlled manner!

This morning we found half a dozen flying fish on deck and a small shrimp - all were consigned to the deep with appropriate ceremony.  We also found we'd sailed out of the worst of the Sargasso Weed.  So Gen is now back in operation.  With solar panel input too the battery level will probably be topped up by the end of the day.

Good times.  We should reach the 1000nm to go mark later today - another 'milestone'!

Trust all's well where you are.

Antigua Inbound Day 4

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 12 20N 042 54W sailing at 6 knots on a broad reach under single-reefed main and single-furled yankee.  The wind is E 14G18.  The seas are 1m with a short 1.5m E swell. The air temperature is 27C, water 27C and above are scattered mid-size cumulus. Our noon to noon daily run was 106nm.  We have 1131nm to go.

Weed!

Yesterday afternoon was champagne sailing - consistent breeze, slight seas and a sunny sky.  We worked on our tans while Kazi the WindPilot looked after the boat.  The only issue was the weed which prevented us using Gen the SailingGen hydrogenerator.  We're still surrounded by weed this morning.

Later in the afternoon a large band of high stratus cloud came over us from the south.  Happily it disippated after a few hours.  Overnight we enjoyed a moonless half-night with wonderful starscape, then a half-night with bright half-moon illuminating our surroundings.  Winds were lighter overnight with our speed falling below 4 knots at times.  They filled in after dawn.

The SSB sked included Lady of Lorien, Emma and Maya, all of whom are a long way west of us.  We handed over sked leadership to Lady of Lorien since they're in the middle of the group geographically.  Assisting Swedish sv Emma with their Iridium Go! problem has become a comedy of errors.

Today we've heard from sv Tuuletar who arrived in Barbados last week.  They described Bridgetown and the clearing-in process.  We also received informatoin on Martinique and Bonaire from sv Blue Heeler.  Sharing of this information is very helpful, particularly during Covid times when procedures are dynamic.

This morning Nic is baking pizza bread and bread rolls.  Smells wonderful.  Outside the wind is holding in.  We're hoping our big zig SW will keep us 'out of the blue' - blue being the colour of no wind on most wind GRIB displays.  We hope to gybe later today to head for our destination.  That'll be a 'milestone'.

Trust all's well where you are!

Antigua Inbound Day 3

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 13 50N 041 36W sailing at 5 knots on a broad reach under single-reefed main and single-furled yankee.  The wind is ESE 11G16.  The seas are 1m with a short 1.5m NE swell. The air temperature is 25C, water 27C and above is a clear blue sky. Our noon to noon daily run was 107nm.  We have 1182nm to go.

HF Propagation Map

Yesterday afternoon we had our Christmas Dinner of corned beef hash with veggies, followed by Christmas Cake.  Twas very nice indeed.  After dinner we watched a movie.  Outside the wind stayed 11G15 from the ESE with no traffic whatsoever.  We continued sailing SW to stay clear of the developing area of no wind to our N.

The evening SSB sked featured Lady of Lorien, Ruffian and Emma.  We and Lady of Lorien are trying to help Emma with their Iridium Go!.  Unfortunately their contract ran out mid-passage so we're relaying information to/from PredictWind.  The screenshot above shows how far our radio may reach from our current position at 2100UTC and 4146kHz.  The inner circle shows a single 'hop' (up to the ionosphere and down to the receiver), the next is two hops etc.  So talking to Ruffian in the Gambier is a two-hop connection.

Overnight we each did a 6 hour watch.  The wind gradually decreased to 8G10 at which point we shook out the second reef in the main.  We had noticed increasing amounts of sea weed in the water during Christmas Day.  Overnight it increased to the point where I was having to free the SailingGen of weed every half hour.  Hydrogenerators don't like weed.

With less than 1200nm to go we only have two Sydney Hobarts to do.  We wish the fleet of 85 yachts which departed Sydney today a great passage south.  Like them we're looking forward to a 'quiet little drink' on arrival!

Trust all's well where you are.

Antigua Inbound Day 2

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 15 23N 040 27W sailing at 5 knots on a broad reach under double-reefed main and single-furled yankee.  The wind is E 11G15.  The seas are 1.5m with a long 2m N swell. The air temperature is 24C, water 26C and above are few small Cu. Our noon to noon daily run was 114nm.  We have 1233nm to go.

Christmas Morn

Yesterday afternoon was fun with our 'holiday' watch regime.  Nic and I both kept watch jointly.  That allowed us to listen to Christmas Carols and watch videos together.  For our 'happy hour' we had another slice of gingerbread, this time with evaporated milk and a tot of rum over the top.  As close as we could get to Christmas Pud with cream and brandy!

During the afternoon and until midnight we had a series of rain showers passing overhead.  Happily the wind didn't exceed 25 knots so we only had to furl the yankee.  Their biggest effect was the light winds in their wake.  Come Christmas Day the showers faded away and the sky cleared.  For the first time I could see the Southern Cross and the 'pointers' Alpha Centauri and Agena in the southern sky.  Familiar stars in the south vice 'a star in the east'.

Christmas Day dawned spectacularly as the photo shows.  Since then we've been busily making calls using the Iridium Go!.  Our plan gives us unlimited data and texts, and 150 minutes of phone calls.  We've rarely use the Go! for phone calls and it is working really well with little delay in the audio.

We continue to head SW to stay in good wind.  Winds are expected to be very nice for the next few days.  And the swell is predicted to decrease substantially over the next 24 hours.  Some champagne sailing to go with our rum-soaked Christmas Cake perhaps.

Merry Christmas!

Antigua Inbound Day 1

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 16 34N 038 50W sailing at 5 knots on a broad reach under double-reefed main and double-furled yankee.  The wind is ESE 13G18.  The seas are 2m with a long 2m N swell. The air temperature is 24C, water 26C and above are passing lines of rainclouds. Our noon to noon daily run was 118nm.  We have 1318nm to go.  We're well past the half-way mark.

Sunset Yesterday

Yesterday afternoon we continued sailing WNW, varying the size of the yankee to suit the conditions.  The sea state varied during the afternoon, sometimes becoming quite confused but at others more regular.

Yesterday afternoon also saw us reach the 1400nm to go 'milestone'.  We'd probably reached the 50% time at ssa mark the day prior, but only time will tell.  We put the 'milestone' in the bank so as to share a small drink on Xmas Eve - later today!

The SSB sked in the evening included Lady of Lorien and a newcomer Emma.  We believe Cerulean and Ruffian are preparing to leave the Gambier so hopefully they'll join in this evening.

During the evening rainclouds approached and the wind became less reliable near them.  We gybed at midnight onto a SW course.  After a couple of hours of intermittent rain the wind settled and our course steadied.  We had a few light rain showers around dawn and it looks like another line of rain clouds is approaching now.

The WindPilot and the SailingGen continue to be the stars of the passage.  Even with our 'cut down' air vane the WindPilot steers well down to 8 knots apparent wind.  The SailingGen is keeping our house batteries above 90% night and day.  That reduces aging of our 10 year old Lifeline AGM batteries, saves engine wear and diesel, and helps fridge and SSB performance.

Today marks two weeks on passage so we checked our water levels again.  We have used another 30 litres from the main tanks, and less than 20 litres from the forward bladder.  We have 60 litres in the main tanks plus four 20 litre jerries remaining.

To celebrate Christmas Eve today we're relaxing the watch system so we can spend more time together.  For morning break we had coffee and a piece of Nic's Christmas Eve gingerbread cake.  Twas superb.  And for lunch we're having a fry-up.  Marvellous!

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Canaries Outbound Day 13

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 16 47N 037 02W sailing at 5.5 knots on a broad reach under double-reefed main and triple-furled yankee.  The wind is ENE 17G23.  The seas are 2m with a long 1.5m N swell. The air temperature is 24C, water 26C and above are scattered Cu. Our noon to noon daily run was 124nm.  We have 1420nm to go.  We'll reach our route's half-way mark this afternoon!

The images below show today's weather and Christmas Day's.  The winds are expected to lighten which will be nice.  That'll allow us to have less 'hanging on' and more relaxing.  We're hoping to suspend the watch system on Xmas Day so we can spend more time together.

This morning's weather for noon today

This monrning's weather for noon Christmas Day

We've had consistent winds for the last 24 hours, varying only a little in strength and direction.  Its been a fairly fast ride with occasional surfing on waves.  The WindPilot handles the surfs pretty well.  We've remained on starboard tack heading roughly 280T.  Magnetic variation here is about 14W, so the compass is showing 294M.  

Yesterday afternoon we spoke with Australian yacht Paper Moon.  We heard them talking with another yacht and called them after they finished.  They're a 38' catamaran with crew from NSW.  We exchanged contact details and hope to meet them somewhere in the Caribbean.

Last night's SSB sked included Lady of Lorien and Cerulean.  We tried several different frequencies and reconfirmed 4MHz is still best for us at present.  Lady of Lorien is now 425nm ahead of us, Cerulean and Ruffian are preparing to depart the Gambia, and Tuuletar SMSed us to say they were arriving in Barbados.  FSC yacht ReVision II is now 280nm behind us.

Last night I heard a 'thud' followed by frantic movements.  A flying fish had come aboard.  His frantic movement happily took him back overboard.  Lucky lad!  Wonder what he made of it all.

Trust all's well where you are!

Canaries Outbound Day 12

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 16 17N 034 49W sailing at 5.5 knots on a broad reach under double-reefed main and single-furled yankee.  The wind is E 15G21.  The seas are 2m with a long 2m N swell. The air temperature is 24C, water 26C and above are scattered Cu. Our noon to noon daily run was 123nm.  We have 1550nm to go.

Dawn this morning

Yesterday afternoon we continued SW under sunny skies with only scattered small cumulus clouds.  We enjoyed some more fresh bread.  Our meat, veg and fruit from Mogan is now running low.  It has lasted nearly two weeks as expected.  With it exhausted we'll be starting on the canned food.

The SSB sked included Cerulean, Ruffian, Lady of Lorien and Tuuletar.  Tuuletar is now approaching Barbados.  Cerulean and Ruffian are coming back down the River Gambia.  Amazing that we can all hear each other at such long range.

Overnight the cloud increased to almost overcast.  The moon is now waning and rose several hours after sunset.  The wind held in at 15G20 for most of the night so we sailed under double-reefed main and double-furled yankee.  Our course varied between 210M and 240M.

At 0800 this morning we gybed WNW.  For a couple of hours the wind increased to 18G25 but is gradually settling back down.  We're expecting the wind to decrease, especially to the north.  That's why we spent 24 hours on the other gybe SW.  Looks like there'll be a big wind hole to the north in a few days.  We'll be trying to stay south of that!

Trust all's well where you are.

Canaries Outbound Day 11

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 17 34N 033 23W sailing at 5.5 knots on a broad reach under double-reefed main and single-furled yankee.  The wind is E 11G15.  The seas are 1.5m with a long 2.5m N swell. The air temperature is 24C, water 26C and above are scattered Cu. Our noon to noon daily run was 115nm.  We have 1627nm to go.

SailingGen at work

Yesterday afternoon we continued westward in a 15 knot NE wind under double-reefed main and double-furled yankee.  Nice sailing under broken Cu.  We had one or two light rain showers but they didn't bring much more wind.  Rather they left wind holes in their wake.

The SSB sked went well with Tuuletar, Lady of Lorien and Ruffian taking part.  One thing discussed was areas of disturbed water which have been experienced recently.  I reckon the cause is ocean surface currents and emailed details of how to obtain GRIBs showing these currents.  RTOFS predictions from SailDocs and OSCAR observations from sv Sarana.

Overnight the wind decreased a little and we rolled out one of the furls.  Zen Again is enjoying the conditions.  The crew are too, but the 2.5m N swell produces a roll which prevents us awarding the 'champagne sailing' label.  For the first time we awoke to find flying fish on deck - five of them.

At 0800 this morning we gybed to the SW.  We're taking another dig S to ensure we remain well within the trades.

For most of the passage we've had our SailnSea SailingGen deployed.  It and the solar panels keep our battery practically full day and night.  As the photo shows, the SailingGen produces over 8 Amps (at 6 knots boatspeed).  Even at 4 knots boatspeed it still produces 3-4 Amps.  Very nice.

Late this morning we had our first bucket showers of the passage.  Refreshing!

Trust all's well where you are.

Canaries Outbound Day 10

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 17 43N 031 21W sailing at 6 knots on a broad reach under double-reefed main and single-furled yankee.  The wind is NE 14G19.  The seas are 1.5m with a long 2.5m N swell. The air temperature is 23C, water 25C and above are few small Cu. Our noon to noon daily run was 104nm.  We have 1743nm to go.  A few minutes ago we gybed W after a 10 hour broad reach S.

Tradewind Smile

Yesterday afternoon we continued W with 10-15 knots of wind from the NE.  It was very nice sailing but we knew from the weather GRIB files that we were on the edge of the trade winds.  In the evening the wind held in but larger Cu clouds were becoming more frequent.

Last night's SSB sked included Tuuletar (1300nm W), Lady of Lorien (360nm WSW) and Ruffian (Gamber River).  There was quite a lot of noise on 4146 so we tried 6227 and 8294, both of which were worse.  We managed to exchange positions and news on 4146.  We also managed to make contact with ReVision II via Iridium Go! phone, SMS and email.  They're about 250nm ENE.

At 0100 the wind died.  After struggling along for a while we started the engine.  A few minutes later a light wind came in from the ESE.  We gybed and motor-sailed SW.  An hour later the ESE wind had strengthened and the engine was turned off.  For an hour or so we had two reefs in the main.

At dawn we were heading S as the wind had slowly backed around to the NE.  We stood on to get deeper into the trades where there are predicted to be stronger winds.  We knew we'd have to duck S later in the week to avoid calms so it was good to make a start now.

The moon was bright again last night.  The highlight however was spotting the Southern Cross constellation in the pre-dawn southern sky.  We've not seen the Southern Cross for 5 years (apart from while on our one holiday home).  Great to see it.

Trust all's well where you are.

Canaries Outbound Day 9

Hi everyone,

Huzzah - we're in the Trades!

At noon today we are at 18 29N 029 58W sailing at 5 knots on a broad reach under single-reefed main and single-furled yankee.  The wind is NE 10G14.  The seas are 1m with a long 2m N swell. The air temperature is 23C, water 25C and above are few small Cu. Our noon to noon daily run was 102nm.  We have 1819nm to go.

Moon risen last night

Yesterday afternoon at 1530 the engine finally was given a rest.  It had been running for 22 hours in mostly windless conditions with the sea 'glassed out'.  At 1530 we set single-furled main and single-furled yankee in an 8G11 NE wind - the trades had arrived!  The spooky thing was a tropic bird circled overhead for 10 minutes before we shutdown the engine.  I think he was saying 'welcome to the tropics - and stop that noise'.

Having finally reached the trades and the 200nm to go mark we declared a 'milestone' and had our first drinks of the passage.  Rum for the skipper, Gin for the Admiral.  We played Handel's 'Hallelujah' which seemed to fit both occasion and time of year.

The sunset and moonrise were spectacular.  As the photo shows we had a 'stairway to the moon'.  The night was a quiet sail with the wind staying light.  But the clouds had moved on leaving only a few small puffy cumulus clouds.  Only bright stars and planets visible in the practically full moon.  Twas a magical night.

This morning we treated ourselves to a Sunday fry-up - bacon and eggs.  Marvellous.  Only freshly baked bread comes close to the smell of frying bacon, and Nic's baking bread rolls right now.

Trust all's well where you are!

Canaries Outbound Day 8

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 18 45N 028 13W motoring at 4.5 knots.  The wind is E 3G5.  The seas are calm with a long 1m swell. The air temperature is 21C, water 25C and the sky is overcast. Our noon to noon daily run was 110nm.  We have 1979nm to go.  Interesting that we're in the North Atlantic's hurricane 'breeding ground'.  Happily it's not breeding season!

Cloudy skies this morning

Yesterday afternoon we had champagne sailing conditions.  Slight sea, sunny sky and a 10 knot breeze on the beam.  We saw a number of flying fish and several sea birds.

By late afternoon the wind was dying rapidly and rain clouds were all around.  Ever since our departure we'd expected Friday/Saturday to bring calms and so it proved.  At 1730 the engine went on and the yankee was furled away.  We've been motoring since then. The wind hasn't exceeded 4 knots and mostly 2-3 knots.  The batteries are well and truly charged.

The SSB sked last night featured Tuuletar (range 1250nm) and Lady of Lorien (range 350nm).  Very happy with the performance we're getting from all three radios.

At midnight we were visited by a pod of dolphins.  Otherwise it was a steady drone SW under an overcast sky.  Even so the nearly full moon gave some light despite being invisible itself.

Yesterday I mentioned how much water we used in week 1.  We have no watermaker so have to be very careful on longer passages.  Fresh water is used for drinking, cooking and washing.  That's washing ourselves - dish washing uses sea water with a fresh water rinse from a spray bottle.  We each get 1 litre every three days for washing.  After three days a wash feels _really_ good!  When we get into consistently warm weather we'll probably start having salt water showers using a bucket.  Once washed we use the litre of fresh water to rinse off.

This morning we had a heavy rain shower.  I should have rigged the empty water jerry can to our water collector.  The water collector is canvas fitted under the goal post (stern arch) with drain fittings.  Hoses take the water down into jerry cans.  We don't need additional water but collecting some at sea would have been a first.

Here's hoping the NE Trades come in soon!

Canaries Outbound Day 7

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 19 55N 026 44W sailing at 5.5 knots on a beam reach under full main and full yankee. The wind is SE 8G12. The seas are slight with a long 1m swell. The air temperature is 23C, water 25C and above are scattered small Cu clouds. Our noon to noon daily run was a slightly improved 104nm. We have 2068nm to go. Very slow going yesterday afternoon with steady improvement since. Drier and warmer too.

Yesterday afternoon the rain showers persisted. We kept a reef in the main just in case but that also kept our speed down. By 1800 (now on UTC-2) the wind had died completely. We'd been under cloud all day and too slow for the SailingGen to produce much current, so the engine went on. After a couple of hours the batteries were in better shape and a little wind had returned. So hte engine was turned off.

The evening SSB sked ran two hours later than previously and worked well. The group were communicating over 1500nm, westward from the Gambia River. We had Cerulean, Lady of Lorien, Ruffian and Tuuletar on channel. Lady of Lorien is about 350nm ahead so hasn't put much more distance between us. Via PredictWind's GPS Tracking we know ReVision II is still about 220nm behind.

During the evening as we ghosted along in very light airs we started hearing bird song. Can't remember having done so at sea before. We think they were petrels.

From the early hours of the morning the rain clouds disappeared and we hoisted full sail. The wind gradually increased to 8-10 knots from the SE which put the wind just forward of the beam. We ended up having a very nice sail during our first night running 4 hour watches.

This morning the wind has hung-in and the sky has cleared to a few small Cu clouds. And the temperature is now very pleasant indeed. In the cabin it's 27C so our fleeces are no longer required. The sun's heat seems to have stepped up a notch. I spent much of my morning watch airing the cockpit lockers and hanging damp towels and cloths in the sun to dry.

Today marking one week at sea led us to check our water supplies. So far we've used only 30 litres from the main tanks and 20 litres from the forward bladder. That's 20% of our capacity so all's well there. And we've motored for 6 hours overall, burning only around 5% of our capacity.

We expect the wind to die again tonight for 12-18 hours. When it returns it should be the NE Trades filling back in. They should then propel us westward towards the Caribbean.

Trust all's well where you are!

Canaries Outbound Day 6

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 21 19N 25 28W sailing at 4.5 knots on a broad reach under single-reefed main and single-furled yankee.  The wind is E 9G12.  The seas are slight with a long 1m swell. The air temperature is 20C, water 24C and we are surrounded by rainclouds.  Our noon to noon daily run was a paltry 98nm.  We have 2178nm to go.  Slow going again today.  Wet too.

Early Morning - Sunshine and Rain

Yesterday afternoon the wind held obstinately in the NNE, keeping us going WSW longer than expected.  Mid afternoon a single sea bird visited us - the first I'd seen for days.  Then a large pod of small dolphins arrived and stayed with us for several hours.  They'd occasionally leap vertically from the water, belly-flopping back in.  Always fun to have a playful escort.

In the late afternoon we knew the wind change was coming.  A line of rain clouds was approaching.  Unusually we could see three partial rainbows, each one under a rain cloud.  Very spectacular.  Rain showers started early evening and by 2100UTC the wind change to ENE was in.  We gybed to the SSW.

We had showers all through the night, with mostly light winds.  At times we barely had steerage way.  We kept the first reef in the main just in case, sailing mostly on the yankee.  Some of the showers were fairly heavy and the deck is now cleaned of salt!

The 1900UTC sked included Lady of Lorien and Ruffian.  Tuuletar was out of range, partly due to their being in daytime.  We're moving the sked to 2100UTC from this evening.  We'll also be moving ship's time to UTC-2 to realign sunrise with breakfast.  And we're going to 4 hour watches from lunchtime today.

It looks like we'll remain in light winds until Saturday when we'll reach our waypoint WNW of the Cape Verdes at 18N 28W.  By the time we get there the trades are predicted to have filled in nicely and if so we'll be on our way westward towards Antigua!

Canaries Outbound Day 5

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 22 32N 024 22W sailing at 4 knots on a broad reach under full main and single-furled yankee.  The wind is NNE 8G12.  The seas are slight with a long 1m swell. The air temperature is 21C, water 24C and we have a few Cu clouds above.  Our noon to noon daily run was 103nm.  We have 2273nm to go.  Slow going again today.

Mid-afternoon yesterday a new NNE wind came in and piped up enough for us to put the first reef in the main.  It eventually settled to 12G16 and we left the reef in overnight as bands of cloud came over at intervals.  By dawn we even had a few drops of rain but no more wind.

PredictWind routes from current position to NW of the Cape Verdes

(showing current wind prediction)

This morning the clouds have broken up and we have a nice sunny sky.  The full main is back up.  We expect the wind to veer around towards the ENE later today, when we'll gybe south.  The hope is that we'll have the apparent wind on the beam as we head SSW in light winds.  The light winds are expected to last until Saturday when we should reach the trades.

We had another good SSB sked last night with Lady of Lorien and Tuuletar taking part.  Lady of Lorien is still about 330nm ahead of us, so we seem to be keeping up at present.  Tuuletar is about 820nm ahead and may arrive in Barbados in time for Christmas.  From PredictWind GPS Tracking we know FSC yacht ReVision II is about 230nm behind us, slowly dropping back in the light airs.

We've been running 3 hour watches so far.  We're talking about extending to 4 hours soon as we're now well 'into the groove'.  And we might throw in a couple of 2 hour dog watches to alternate our watches each day.

I spent a while this morning sorting out our accumulated rubbish.  Anything organic goes over the side.  Everything else gets crushed or cut up to compact it.  When crossing oceans previously we've had empty 3 litre plastic milk containers into which we'd stow rubbish.  Amazing how much can be jammed in once cut up.  Sadly we don't have them this time so the rubbish is less compacted in rubbish bags.  Crushing and cutting up certainly makes a difference.

During this benign weather we're also airing out the cockpit lockers.  They not perfectly sealed and our exciting escape from the Canaries let a little water in.

The benign weather also allows a more thorough on deck inspection of the mast, boom, rig, deck fittings and running rigging.  All in good shape and no flying fish or squid on the foredeck!  The entire deck is well coated in salt of course.

Trust all's well where you are.

Canaries Outbound Day 4

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 23 05N 022 29W sailing at 3 to 4 knots on a broad reach under full main and single-furled yankee. The wind is NE 6G10. The seas are slight with a long 1m swell. The air temperature is 21C, water 23C and we have broken Cu clouds above with a slight haze. Our noon to noon daily run was 109nm. We have 2369nm to go. Slow going today with less wind than predicted.

Yesterday afternoon the wind gradually decreased, reaching about 10 knots by 0300 this morning. We shook out the last reef in the main at that point to keep our speed over 5 knots. Zen Again doesn't need much wind to keep here moving, but a broad reach isn't ideal. By dawn our speed was down to about 4 knots in 8 knots of wind.

Until last night the WindPilot had been steering the boat. With the lighter winds we switched to the autopilot in Wind mode (which keeps the apparent wind constant). As the winds lightened further we changed to Compass mode (which simply steers a course).

At 5 knots boatspeed the SailnSea SailingGen hydrogenerator keeps up with our power usage. At lower boatspeed we need the solar power to keep the batteries full. It's been a real bonus to keepi our batteries full without running the engine. Won't last in these light winds.

Last night we had a good SSB sked. We spoke with Rambler, Lady of Lorien and Tuuletar. The boats spanned a range of 1400nm from the Gambia River to 38 degrees W.

Last night we saw a few shooting stars despite a very bright waxing gibbous moon. And there were a few big clumps of bioluminescence flaring up in our wake. This morning we were visited by a family group of porpoises or possibly pilot whales. The adults were pretty big, appearing especially so when they leapt clear of the water close by.

Trust all's well where you are!

Canaries Outbound Day 3

Hi everyone,
At noon today we are at 23 20N 020 19W sailing at 5.5 knots on a broad reach under single-reefed main and double-furled yankee. The wind is NE 13G18. The seas are 1m with a 1.5m swell. The air temperature is 20C, water 22C and we have scattered Cu clouds above. Our noon to noon daily run was 120nm. We have 2469nm to go.

Yesterday afternoon the winds continued to decrease. We increased sail to double-reefed main and single-furled yankee. We were waiting for the wind to back from ENE to NE, at which point we'd gybe onto starboard tack and head WSW.

By midnight the ENE wind had died to 10G14 and we shook out a reef in the main. Of course within a couple of hours the wind changed to the NE and strengthened to 16G21. So at 0200 this morning we gybed, hanging on to the single-reefed main and triple-furled yankee. The new breeze was also a cool change which wasn't welcome!

We've seen little traffic since clearing the Canaries. Two ships passed yesterday and we saw another two AIS-less vessels last night in the distance. That's been about it so far.

Likewise we've seen little wildlife since our dolphin send-off. No birds at all. No flying fish. A single solitary small squid consigned to the deep from the side deck yesterday afternoon.

We spoike with Ruffian and Lady of Lorien on last night's SSB sked. Lady of Lorien continues to ease away from us, now about 400nm ahead. ReVisionII is still about 170nm behind us.

Our batteries are full, the sun's shining and we have a nice sailing breeze. Another good day at the office!

Trust all's well where you are.

Canaries Outbound Day 2

Hi everyone,

At noon today we are at 24 42N 018 48W sailing at 5.5 knots on a broad reach under double-reefed main and single-furled yankee.  The wind is ENE 13G18.  The seas are 1m with a 2m swell. The air temperature is 21C, water 23C and we have scattered Cu clouds above.  Our noon to noon daily run was 130nm.  We have 2585nm to go.

PredictWind Offshore GPS Tracks

The wind and seas slowly abated yesterday afternoon and overnight.  By mid-afternoon we had replaced the storm staysail with triple-furled yankee with the wind well down at 18G23.  By midnight we had unfurled the yankee to double-furled in 15G21.  These are very conservative sail sizes since we've got a long way to go.  We're keeping the boat and crew comfortable.

At 1900UTC each evening we're taking part in a SSB sked.  We're talking with Cerulean and Ruffian, who are both on the River Gambia at present.  Also talking with Lady of Lorien who departed the Canaries 3 days before us.  They're a Pacific Seacraft 40 and are currently about 350 miles WSW of us.  They'll slowly march away from us.

Also at sea is FSC yacht ReVision II.  They left Santa Cruz on Tenerife yesterday.  They are a Tayana 37 and are currently about 165nm NNE of us.  They may slowly catch us.

We're following Lady of Lorien, ReVision II and other yachts using PredictWind's GPS Tracking.  Just as you can see our track online (link at top-right of the blog page), we can see the tracks of nominated boats who also have PredictWind tracking pages.  We download the tracks along with our weather data.

We expect the wind to continue slowly decreasing over the next few days.  In the mean time we should have some very nice sailing under clear skies and a waxing moon.

Trust all's well where you are.

Canaries Outbound Day 1

Hi everyone,
We departed Puerto de Mogan on Gran Canaria island at 1115 yesterday (Friday 10th) towards Antigua in the Caribbean. Adios Spain. Adios Europe!

At noon today we are at 26 29N 017 39W sailing at 6 knots on a broad reach under double-reefed main and storm staysail. The wind is ENE 20G26. The seas are 3m. The air temperature is 19C, water 22C and we have scattered Cu clouds above. Our first noon to noon daily run was 128nm. We have 2702nm to go on our 2829nm route.

We were seen off by Kim and Ann of sv Ilanda. We met them in Mogan and spent several pleasant evenings with them. Ilanda is a very nice Lavranos 50. We hope our paths will cross in future.

We spent the first 4 hours motoring out of the lee of Gran Canaria. The last two hours were unpleasant with the seas and swell wrapping around the island and producing a nasty patch of water. Zen Again rolled violently enough for a tiny amount of diesel to pump itself up the breather valve onto the side deck. That was a new trick.

Once we found the wind we set the double-reefed main and single-furled yankee and we off. The seaway was still nasty but the sails help stabilise the boat. As we sailed WSW into the night the wind gradually increased and we furled the yankee in stages. Eventually we furled it entirely and unfurled the storm staysail. Then after a couple of round-ups we handed the main entirely.

One of the round-ups led to us catching a breaking sea on our beam. That sent green water over the boat from stem to stern. A lillte water made it down the companionway and onto the cooker. Luckily the cooker was covered so no damage done.

We spent most of the night under storm staysail only with winds gusting over 30 knots and large seas. During the night we gybed to get further away from the Canaries and to position ourselves for a wind change towards the NNE. By dawn the wind was doen to 20G27 and we set the double-reefed main.

This morning the wind has been slowly moderating. I expect we'll change up to the triple-furled yankee soon.

The WindPilot has been steering since the wind settled in. It's doing a brilliant job.

Trust all's well where you are.

Gran Canaria

Hi everyone,

We've been in Gran Canaria for a week now.  We spent day one trying to get into the marina at Las Palmas.  The weather there was windy, overcast and dreary.  So we sailed south to Puerto de Mogan, and what a difference that 50nm made!  Mogan is calm, sunny and fun.

On 'safari' in Gran Canaria

On Monday we did a 4WD day tour of inland southern Gran Canaria.  We were in 1 of 5 LandRover Defenders which toured in convoy.  The landscapes were spectacular so I'll let the photos do the talking...

Heading for the hills

Grand Canyon-like geography

Hardy plants only

Another canyon view

Canaries Pines on the upper slopes

View of Tenerife's Teide volcano in the distance

Gran Canaria's peaks in the distance

Rocky outcrops

Spectacular hills and canyons

Aloe Vera farm in a beautiful valley

Mountains surrounding the farm

View from a peak used for amateur astronomy

Another view from the same peak

Where's Polaris?

We really enjoyed our week in Mogan.  It has a very relaxed vibe, many nice cafes and restaurants and no loud party music.

The current weather window for the Caribbean is starting to close so we're off tomorrow.  Today we cleared out from the Canaries, Schengen and the EU.  To do so we had to take the #91 bus from Mogan to Las Palmas and visit the main Port Authority office (search for "Autoridad Portuaria de Las Palmas" for the exact location).  At this one office we had our passports stamped and received a stamped Departure Clearance.  We're good to go!

Autoridad Portuaria de Las Palmas entrance

Autoridad Portuaria de Las Palmas clearance office

Trust all's well where you are!

Las Palmas to Mogan

Hi everyone,

Yesterday we blasted south from Las Palmas to Mogan.  The two are at opposite ends of Gran Canaria.  Blasted because we rode the 'acceleration zone' around much of the island.  The forecasts said 18G27 at most, while we experienced up to 28G37.  When we rounded the southern tip of the island the wind died completely and we motored the last leg to Mogan.

Awesome sky (with Spanish patrol vessel on horizon)

The tracks and graphs below tell the story.  The heaviest seas were east of the island before we gybed.  The strongest winds were south of the island after we gybed to head west.

Track

Arrival Track

Graphs

Here are the vital stats for the passage…

    • Distances/Speeds

        • Route Distance = 46nm

        • Logged Distance = 53nm

        • GPS Distance = 52nm

        • Duration = 9h30m

        • Average boat speed = 5.6 kt  (7.5 kt until the wind died)

        • Average speed over ground = 5.5 kt  (7.4 kt ditto)

        • Minimum boat speed = 3 kt

        • Maximum boat speed = 11 kt (surf's up)

    • Weather

        • Minimum wind speed = 2 kt

        • Average wind speed = 20 kt

        • Maximum wind speed = gusts over 38 kt (since even the gusts graph is averaged)

        • Apparent wind angle range = 120 to 150

        • Seas up to 3m

        • Swell up to 1.5m

        • Sunny intervals with scattered to broken cumulus cloud

    • Engine

        • Total = 2 hours (motoring 20% of passage)

Leaving Las Palmas at sunrise

We broad reached down the east coast in 20G30 knots of true wind under double-reefed main (= trisail size) and triple furled yankee.  The seas gradually built and we had some good surfs under full control by the WindPilot.  There was a cross sea which occasionally side-swiped us, sending cascades of white water across the boat.  A bit like the trades in the Southern Indian Ocean - for hours not days.

Big seas on the east coast of Gran Canaria

After gybing to broad reach towards the southern cape of Gran Canaria we really got into the acceleration zone.  At about 30 knots steady wind we furled the yankee and unfurled the storm jib / staysail.  It's a similar area to the triple-furled yankee but moves the power down, reducing healing.

Double-reefed main with storm jib / staysail

When the gusts reached the high 30s the WindPilot was starting to lose control.  We were rounded up several times by gusts and seas but but the WindPilot recovered every time.  Nevertheless it indicates it's time to reduce power and move it forward, so we handed the main, leaving just the staysail.  That was much more comfortable and we were still doing 7 knots.  When the true wind exceeds 40 knots we usually broad reach under bare poles at 4-5 knots.  Beyond that it's drogue time.

Storm Jib / Staysail only

Throughout the passage we were taking turns off-watch below.  It's amazing how steady the boat feels below in conditions like this.  Surfing does tend to get one's attention though.

Once past Point Maspaiomas the wind rapidly decreased as we reached the lee of the island.  The NE wind curved around the SE coast for quite a way.  And once past the massive cement works at Point Taozo the wind died completely.  There's a sharp dip in our speeds at that point on the graphs.  We motored for the remaining two hours in  light airs.

Approaching Puerto de Mogan

We called the marina on approach on VHF ch 12.  They asked us to hold outside while the marinaros chose a berth for us.  Communication on the VHF was difficult due to language problems.  Eventually we deciphered that our berth was on the third jetty and proceeded into the marina.  We didn't know which side was ours and waited for 5 minutes while the marinaro had a nice chat with another berth holder.  Eventually he realised we were waiting and we got our instructions.

The marina offers only Med-style slime-line moorings which puts some folk off.  We don't mind them after using them in the Med.  There was very little wind in the marina so backing in to moor stern-to the jetty was fine.

With the boat secured and the light fading we had a quick look around the marina and the adjacent town.  It is plain to see why it is known as 'little Venice' with its waterway through the town.  The lanes are covered with climbing plants in colourful flower including bouganvilla.  And the Christmas lights are out.  Photos in due course!

The passage was a great shakedown for us and Zen Again.  We handled the challenging conditions pretty well and Zen Again was superb as ever.

Trust all's well where you are!