sy Timoneer

Noon Position  20 deg. 35’ N. 049 deg. 48’  W.

Course  –   252 Degrees   Speed –  11.3  Knots        Day’s Run –  224 Miles

Weather –   Warm, sunny, scattered clouds

Wind  –  13.2 knots from    SSE

Yesterday we had the best sailing of the trip so far.  Close 4-sail reaching in flat water, perfect wind angles and speeds up to 14 knots. Usually, in this area of the Atlantic the easterly trades are blowing which means somewhat tedious sailing with the wind astern and not enough pressure to drive the yacht at a decent pace, (combined with a lot of rolling!)   We have been lucky to hook onto the back of a ridge of low pressure which has produced these southerly winds currently giving us the perfect scenario. Hour after hour of glorious fast sailing, on the rhumb line. 76 miles in 6 hours is a nice average speed for a 270 ton Grande Dame!

However, everything in life has a price!  When the wind started dropping at dusk last night and we wanted to use the engine for motor-sailing, we found we were unable to get the propeller out of its ‘feathered’ position. This is the position it goes to which minimises the drag when sailing. It seems it had just gone one degree past the optimum point and it refused to budge. We were unable to use the engine and spent a very frustrating night dealing with the random showers which develop after dark.  Apart from producing rain these mini squalls roam about disturbing the wind force and direction. On minute you can be trying to coax the yacht along in 5 knots of breeze when suddenly you are hit by a 25 knot gust from a wing angle 40 or 50 degrees different to the one you have been sailing in.  Genoa and staysail were furled and unfurled several times during the night as we struggled, especially in the super light conditions to keep some forward progress.  The worst hour was between 2300 and midnight when we did just one mile towards our goal!

The log at 0600 this morning reads, “Becalmed!”  At 0700, “Very frustrating sailing!”  But daylight broke, the sun rose and the showers evaporated, and by 0800 we were doing a steady 11 knots again. By noon everyone had forgotten the trials of the night!

That’s sailing.

Aye aye,

Peter and crew

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