Current Position: 24 30.877’S 50 29.640’E; Local Timezone: UTC+4; SOG: 4.8; COG: 295; TWS: 16 kt; TWD: 80; P (12:00): 1017.4; P (18:00): 1014.9; P (24:00): 1016.4; P (6:00): 1014.7; Distance to Waypoint (26s47s, 268): 208; Total Miles Sailed: 14497 nm; Engine Hours: 271; Estimate Fuel: 45+15+50;
Comments: It is 7:00 and I am only making 3.6 kt in 11 kt wind in a deep broad reach. Hoping for a bit more wind when the air warms up. Also, I really need the wind to back some more so I can get a better angle. WhatsApp is no longer working. It needs an update, but that will have to wait until I get to South Africa. At 8:00 the wind had veered to 110 and I had sailed far enough N that RBay1 was at 270, so I tacked to port and was able to make 270 in a deep broad reach. I decided not to wait because I had four vessels about to pass me from the Starboard side (I had been crossing their paths) and wanted to give them time to reach. 15 nm behind me and closing, I radioed the tanker New Pearl and confirmed he had me on AIS. I also confirmed I had tacked in front of him and it was my intention to maintain a course of 250. The wind shifted again just before 9:00. I could not maintain a course to the starboard side of New Pearl so had to tack to the starboard. New Pearl radioed and asked my intention. I explained the wind shifted again and I would maintain my present course until he had passed me, which he did about 9:20. The wind continued to shift between 90 and 120, making it difficult to maintain a course. I started to see some 16 kt gusts. The gusts were backed more than the breeze. I currently have 10 commercial vessels on the AIS. At 9:45 I shook out the first reef. I noted the second reefing line is now a few inches too short (after I was forced to shorten it due to chaffing). I will need to replace it at my first opportunity. As expected, in a deep broad reach, it did not add much to the boat speed. I tried to ease the main sheet, but ran I to the usual problem of the Yankee slatting as it fell in the shadow of the main … actually making the boat go slower. About the best I can do in the 12 kt winds falling exactly on the rhumb line is 4.7 kt. I could increase the TWA, but that would either drive me to the dead air S of me or too far up the Madagascar coastline. I compromised, heading a bit N on a starboard tack with the expectation I would have to tack a couple of times. Finally, by early afternoon the wind had backed like the forecast said it would do more than 24h ago. By 14:00 it was 50, allowing me to steer towards the waypoint at 269 with a decent TWA that built some boat speed (5.8 kt in 11 kt wind). Unfortunately, by 15:00 the wind had dropped to single digits (7-8 kt). At 18:00 I downloaded new GRIB/AIS data. The good news is I have mostly cleared the fishing vessels. The bad news is I have a huge number of cargo ships to deal with. Also, there is a large amount of dead air between here and RBay1 as a result of a low that has moved into the SE corner of Madagascar. I have been observing the barometer drop the last 12h. While I finally have a good TWA, there is little wind … it has blown 8 kt all afternoon. The skies are clear and sunset was at 18:40 at 51 26’e. I have made 55 nm on since the check-in 12h ago and I had to fight for every one of them. The cargo ship Minoan Glory passed 2 nm N of me a little after 19:00. A half dozen cargo ships passed during the night. I was awaken at 3:30 because the boat had rounded up in some 17 kt wind. There are a string of three ships spaced 30 nm apart to my port. The first is 20 nm away (1.5h). Sunrise was at 5:59 (at 50 30’e). It is cloudy … evidence of the passing low. The distance sailed towards RBay1 in the last 24h was 313-208=105 nm. The total distance sailed was 14497-14399=98 nm (98/24=4.08 kt avg.). The discrepancy is due to a current. I have averaged 800/7=114 nm/d so far on this passage … slow going. I expected it to take 8d to RBay1 and it will take 8.5. I still need to cross some dead air tomorrow, but I expect to react RBay1 later tomorrow night (Thursday morning).
Comments: It is 7:00 and I am only making 3.6 kt in 11 kt wind in a deep broad reach. Hoping for a bit more wind when the air warms up. Also, I really need the wind to back some more so I can get a better angle. WhatsApp is no longer working. It needs an update, but that will have to wait until I get to South Africa. At 8:00 the wind had veered to 110 and I had sailed far enough N that RBay1 was at 270, so I tacked to port and was able to make 270 in a deep broad reach. I decided not to wait because I had four vessels about to pass me from the Starboard side (I had been crossing their paths) and wanted to give them time to reach. 15 nm behind me and closing, I radioed the tanker New Pearl and confirmed he had me on AIS. I also confirmed I had tacked in front of him and it was my intention to maintain a course of 250. The wind shifted again just before 9:00. I could not maintain a course to the starboard side of New Pearl so had to tack to the starboard. New Pearl radioed and asked my intention. I explained the wind shifted again and I would maintain my present course until he had passed me, which he did about 9:20. The wind continued to shift between 90 and 120, making it difficult to maintain a course. I started to see some 16 kt gusts. The gusts were backed more than the breeze. I currently have 10 commercial vessels on the AIS. At 9:45 I shook out the first reef. I noted the second reefing line is now a few inches too short (after I was forced to shorten it due to chaffing). I will need to replace it at my first opportunity. As expected, in a deep broad reach, it did not add much to the boat speed. I tried to ease the main sheet, but ran I to the usual problem of the Yankee slatting as it fell in the shadow of the main … actually making the boat go slower. About the best I can do in the 12 kt winds falling exactly on the rhumb line is 4.7 kt. I could increase the TWA, but that would either drive me to the dead air S of me or too far up the Madagascar coastline. I compromised, heading a bit N on a starboard tack with the expectation I would have to tack a couple of times. Finally, by early afternoon the wind had backed like the forecast said it would do more than 24h ago. By 14:00 it was 50, allowing me to steer towards the waypoint at 269 with a decent TWA that built some boat speed (5.8 kt in 11 kt wind). Unfortunately, by 15:00 the wind had dropped to single digits (7-8 kt). At 18:00 I downloaded new GRIB/AIS data. The good news is I have mostly cleared the fishing vessels. The bad news is I have a huge number of cargo ships to deal with. Also, there is a large amount of dead air between here and RBay1 as a result of a low that has moved into the SE corner of Madagascar. I have been observing the barometer drop the last 12h. While I finally have a good TWA, there is little wind … it has blown 8 kt all afternoon. The skies are clear and sunset was at 18:40 at 51 26’e. I have made 55 nm on since the check-in 12h ago and I had to fight for every one of them. The cargo ship Minoan Glory passed 2 nm N of me a little after 19:00. A half dozen cargo ships passed during the night. I was awaken at 3:30 because the boat had rounded up in some 17 kt wind. There are a string of three ships spaced 30 nm apart to my port. The first is 20 nm away (1.5h). Sunrise was at 5:59 (at 50 30’e). It is cloudy … evidence of the passing low. The distance sailed towards RBay1 in the last 24h was 313-208=105 nm. The total distance sailed was 14497-14399=98 nm (98/24=4.08 kt avg.). The discrepancy is due to a current. I have averaged 800/7=114 nm/d so far on this passage … slow going. I expected it to take 8d to RBay1 and it will take 8.5. I still need to cross some dead air tomorrow, but I expect to react RBay1 later tomorrow night (Thursday morning).