MONDAY 20TH APRIL 2009
Noon position 26 degrees 25′.2 N 75 degrees 17′.7 W
Day’s run 168′
Wind SE 10 to 15 knots
Course 280 degrees.
The wind has gone lighter and the sea has eased, so everybody has had a good sleep. We sailed for a while but we are motor-sailing again at the moment.
As the crow flies, we have 421 miles to go to the sea-buoy, which we need to reach at 0630 on Thursday morning. We will in fact sail a little further. We are going to pass close to the north of the Abacos – we are currently 95 miles NE of Great Abaco Island. We will go west along the north of the islands and cross the Gulf Steam. The wind is forecast to blow 20 to 25 knots from the north west, so our intention is to close the mainland shore inside of the Gulf Stream, and then head north. This way we hope to avoid the strongest of the winds and not have to beat directly into the wind when it freshens. We will see if the forecast is correct.
Now we are out of the tropics, it is quite chilly on deck. We seem to be getting to the edge of the Sargasso Sea – there is not much weed about today, so we are hoping for better luck with the fishing.
John
