Current Position: 10 57.291’S 138 25.371’E; Local Timezone: UTC+20 SOG: 3.7 kt COG: 245; TWS: 10 kt; TWD: 123; Distance to Waypoint (Darwin, 252): 367; Total Miles Sailed: 9154 nm; Engine Hours: 205; Estimate Fuel: 57+14+50;
Comments: At 16:30 I jibed. I had traveled N to 10 55’S. I heard a large fish leap on the deck and flop around at 19:15. I went on the deck and found a 1.5’ fish, a species I had never seen before flopping around and threw it over. The boat traveled pretty much due E all night at 4-4.5 kt, sometimes a little N and sometimes a little S, depending on the currents. It is 5:00 and I am 50 nm from Cape Wessel. The latest PW shows the wind backing to the E this morning. Combining with currents from the N will make it more difficult to clear the cape without jibing N. I may try to go wing on wing. Sunrise should be about 7:15 and sunset about 6:40. I should reach Cape Wessel in about 11h, 16:30. I woke up at 6:30. The boat was doing 5.7 kt in 15 kt of wind with a favorable 1.1 kt current and I was actually make way N with 40 nm to the cape, so I didn’t change the sail configuration. I will wait until the current changes. I will note the PW Mercator current model, which is usually pretty accurate, is predicting a current from the N rather than the E. It is 8:00 and some storm clouds have moved in, but nothing threatening. At 11:20, 18 nm from the cape, I jibed on a heading of 325, because the current was no longer productive and was pushing me further S (I was at 11 2’S). At 13:49 I jibbed again and made about 252. The current was still against me, but was net pushing me N now, so at 10 53’ S, I should clear the cape. I am 17 nm away. Looks like sunset will be about 18:20, and I am about 8 nm away from clearing the cape (but I still do not see any land), so I should be clear about the time it gets dark. The distance sailed towards Darwin in the last 24h was 455-367=88 nm. The total distance sailed was 9154-9059=95 nm (95/24=4.0 kt avg.).
Comments: At 16:30 I jibed. I had traveled N to 10 55’S. I heard a large fish leap on the deck and flop around at 19:15. I went on the deck and found a 1.5’ fish, a species I had never seen before flopping around and threw it over. The boat traveled pretty much due E all night at 4-4.5 kt, sometimes a little N and sometimes a little S, depending on the currents. It is 5:00 and I am 50 nm from Cape Wessel. The latest PW shows the wind backing to the E this morning. Combining with currents from the N will make it more difficult to clear the cape without jibing N. I may try to go wing on wing. Sunrise should be about 7:15 and sunset about 6:40. I should reach Cape Wessel in about 11h, 16:30. I woke up at 6:30. The boat was doing 5.7 kt in 15 kt of wind with a favorable 1.1 kt current and I was actually make way N with 40 nm to the cape, so I didn’t change the sail configuration. I will wait until the current changes. I will note the PW Mercator current model, which is usually pretty accurate, is predicting a current from the N rather than the E. It is 8:00 and some storm clouds have moved in, but nothing threatening. At 11:20, 18 nm from the cape, I jibed on a heading of 325, because the current was no longer productive and was pushing me further S (I was at 11 2’S). At 13:49 I jibbed again and made about 252. The current was still against me, but was net pushing me N now, so at 10 53’ S, I should clear the cape. I am 17 nm away. Looks like sunset will be about 18:20, and I am about 8 nm away from clearing the cape (but I still do not see any land), so I should be clear about the time it gets dark. The distance sailed towards Darwin in the last 24h was 455-367=88 nm. The total distance sailed was 9154-9059=95 nm (95/24=4.0 kt avg.).