Current Position: 12 23.674’S 130 17.851’E; Local Timezone: UTC+9.5 SOG: 1.2; COG: 270; TWS: 6 kt; TWD: 358; Distance to Waypoint (Ashmore Reef, 269): 433; Total Miles Sailed: 9607 nm; Engine Hours: 227; Estimate Fuel: 60+13+50;
Comments: I raised the anchor at 7:00. It took 15m because the chain was wrapped around one of the flukes like at TI. I motored to the pontoon, took on 15 gal of fuel, and waited until 9:15 for ABF to show up. In the meantime, a trimaran showed up that was checking out too. Two officers searched my while I third spoke with me off the boat to do the paperwork. It all took perhaps 15m. While this was going on, a third boat showed up and wanted fuel. When the ABF finished with me, we did a three-way musical chairs, with all thee boats leaving the pontoon, the trimaran pulling up to where I was, the power boat pulling into where the trimaran was, and I left. Once clear of the shoals outside the breakwater, about 10:00, I unfurled the asymmetrical spinnaker with some difficulty. For some reason the sail gets twisted opposite directions on the top and bottom. once deployed it was beautiful. With 7 kt winds at a TWA of 155 (almost causing the sail to luff)), the SOG was 6 kt (although the boat speed was 3 (I was in a 3 kt current). It is 460 nm to Ashmore Reef. There were gusts to 15 kt as I left the bay, but the boat didn’t feel overpowered, largely because of the obtuse TWA. It is almost 11:00. Once I clear the Cox Peninsula in about 5 nm, I can turn from my current heading of 290 to the waypoint at 268 and get a better TWA. There are going to be some gusts to 18 for the next few hours, but then through tomorrow night the wind is supposed to be single digits. So, if I can about changing my sails for the next couple of hours, I should be good for the next 48. At noon I put a reef in the main to try to better balance the sails and avoid shadowing the asymm. The boat seemed to slow down a bit, but the windvane was doing a better job holding the course. Starting about 13:00, I had to hand steer for about an hour in an effort to miss Fish Reef, and while I believe I could have just barely, the wind was continuing to back to the E, so around dusk, and I would almost certainly have to jibe. Unfortunately, the asymm has not been tested on a port tack. The top-down furler lines are on the starboard and there is only one sheet. I decided to furl the asymm, jibe, and deploy the Yankee. This of course slowed me down a lot, 2 kt rather than 4.2, but I felt more comfortable heading away from shore overnight rather than hugging the shore and avoiding reefs. On a course of 290 there were no hazards for 300 nm. It is 15:00. The forecast is completely wrong. Instead of 9 kt wind with 12 kt gusts from 115, it is 3-5 kt winds with no gusts from 45. The boat is doing 1 kt and the tide is beginning to turn soon I will be going backwards at 1-2 kts. I decide I need to get further offshore before dark, so ai motor. Not really motor sailing since there is not enough wind to so that.if I am going to motor, might as will make progress, so I start a course for the waypoint at 270. I am making 5.5 kt with a little help from the current. The forecasts are supposed to be updated about 16:15. I turned the engine off after about 1h. I now have 10 kt of wind, but a 1 kt head current, so I am only making a little over 1 kt progress. It is 17:00 and the delayed forecasts finally came out. I have 8 kt wind from the N and a 1.5 kt current from the W, so I continue to make only a little over 1 kt progress. By midnight the current and the wind is expected to change 180 degrees, but there will be essentially no wind. I am going to motor a bit more offshore so I can essentially heave to for the night. I will simply be driven by the currents. In the early morning hours, perhaps 4:00, there will be enough wind to sail. In fact, I’ll have 15 with gusts of 20 tomorrow, so I want to make good use of it. I will set a wind alarm to wake me up when it arrives. No wind again tomorrow night, but it is going to howl Wednesday, at 20 with gusts of 28. Thursday and Friday may be good days for the asymm. Since I will not use the asymm a fain the next few days and don’t want to leave it up furled in 30 kt winds, I will take it down and store it before it gets dark tonight. The asymm was actually pretty easy to get down. The seas are very calm at 17:30 and although I am only going 1 kt, the sailing is very smooth. I am using the TillerPilot because the winds are so light and the current is strong. Also the wind and current directions are changing. I will set alarms tonight for wind speed and direction do I will be awaken if so go off course or need to jibe. The wind continues to back and at 17:45 is due N.
Comments: I raised the anchor at 7:00. It took 15m because the chain was wrapped around one of the flukes like at TI. I motored to the pontoon, took on 15 gal of fuel, and waited until 9:15 for ABF to show up. In the meantime, a trimaran showed up that was checking out too. Two officers searched my while I third spoke with me off the boat to do the paperwork. It all took perhaps 15m. While this was going on, a third boat showed up and wanted fuel. When the ABF finished with me, we did a three-way musical chairs, with all thee boats leaving the pontoon, the trimaran pulling up to where I was, the power boat pulling into where the trimaran was, and I left. Once clear of the shoals outside the breakwater, about 10:00, I unfurled the asymmetrical spinnaker with some difficulty. For some reason the sail gets twisted opposite directions on the top and bottom. once deployed it was beautiful. With 7 kt winds at a TWA of 155 (almost causing the sail to luff)), the SOG was 6 kt (although the boat speed was 3 (I was in a 3 kt current). It is 460 nm to Ashmore Reef. There were gusts to 15 kt as I left the bay, but the boat didn’t feel overpowered, largely because of the obtuse TWA. It is almost 11:00. Once I clear the Cox Peninsula in about 5 nm, I can turn from my current heading of 290 to the waypoint at 268 and get a better TWA. There are going to be some gusts to 18 for the next few hours, but then through tomorrow night the wind is supposed to be single digits. So, if I can about changing my sails for the next couple of hours, I should be good for the next 48. At noon I put a reef in the main to try to better balance the sails and avoid shadowing the asymm. The boat seemed to slow down a bit, but the windvane was doing a better job holding the course. Starting about 13:00, I had to hand steer for about an hour in an effort to miss Fish Reef, and while I believe I could have just barely, the wind was continuing to back to the E, so around dusk, and I would almost certainly have to jibe. Unfortunately, the asymm has not been tested on a port tack. The top-down furler lines are on the starboard and there is only one sheet. I decided to furl the asymm, jibe, and deploy the Yankee. This of course slowed me down a lot, 2 kt rather than 4.2, but I felt more comfortable heading away from shore overnight rather than hugging the shore and avoiding reefs. On a course of 290 there were no hazards for 300 nm. It is 15:00. The forecast is completely wrong. Instead of 9 kt wind with 12 kt gusts from 115, it is 3-5 kt winds with no gusts from 45. The boat is doing 1 kt and the tide is beginning to turn soon I will be going backwards at 1-2 kts. I decide I need to get further offshore before dark, so ai motor. Not really motor sailing since there is not enough wind to so that.if I am going to motor, might as will make progress, so I start a course for the waypoint at 270. I am making 5.5 kt with a little help from the current. The forecasts are supposed to be updated about 16:15. I turned the engine off after about 1h. I now have 10 kt of wind, but a 1 kt head current, so I am only making a little over 1 kt progress. It is 17:00 and the delayed forecasts finally came out. I have 8 kt wind from the N and a 1.5 kt current from the W, so I continue to make only a little over 1 kt progress. By midnight the current and the wind is expected to change 180 degrees, but there will be essentially no wind. I am going to motor a bit more offshore so I can essentially heave to for the night. I will simply be driven by the currents. In the early morning hours, perhaps 4:00, there will be enough wind to sail. In fact, I’ll have 15 with gusts of 20 tomorrow, so I want to make good use of it. I will set a wind alarm to wake me up when it arrives. No wind again tomorrow night, but it is going to howl Wednesday, at 20 with gusts of 28. Thursday and Friday may be good days for the asymm. Since I will not use the asymm a fain the next few days and don’t want to leave it up furled in 30 kt winds, I will take it down and store it before it gets dark tonight. The asymm was actually pretty easy to get down. The seas are very calm at 17:30 and although I am only going 1 kt, the sailing is very smooth. I am using the TillerPilot because the winds are so light and the current is strong. Also the wind and current directions are changing. I will set alarms tonight for wind speed and direction do I will be awaken if so go off course or need to jibe. The wind continues to back and at 17:45 is due N.