Current Position: 12 38.763’S 123 16.524’E; Local Timezone: UTC+8 SOG: 4.8; COG: 280; TWS: 18 kt; TWD: 125; Distance to Waypoint (Ashmore Reef, 321): 34; Total Miles Sailed: 9950 nm; Engine Hours: 232; Estimate Fuel: 55+14+50;
Comments: It is 14:00 and I am about 30 nm from the southern no-sail boundary of the oil platform Montara Venture. I imagine I will reach it around midnight. The disadvantage of doing it before is I would need to stay awake until I was well-clear of the rig (3-4h). The downside of after is I have a fleet of trawlers just S of the platform. I just download fresh long-range AIS and the fishing fleet has moved fur to er away from the platform, so I am opting for after. The other advantage of after is the wind angle is usually more acute later at night, making it more ideal for a starboard tack. The latest forecast has strong wind them for the rest of the passage. With the tacks, I probably have 150 nm to go. I’d want to reach the entrance of the channel into the reef’s lagoon no later than noon, so I need to average 159/46=3.5 kt. To put that in perspective, I believe yesterday was my best day, and I only made 74 nm on. The point is I am going to have to push hard to make it by even Monday. It is 15:00 and during the past 7h I have averaged over 5 kt, which is the best I’ve seen the past 5d. I passed the closest point to the platform about 20:30, about 3 nm S of the platform. I waited another 2 nm, then I jibed N (starboard tack) and set a course of 295. The wind was still blowing 22 from due E, having backed like it has been in the evening. I am about 55 nm from Cartier Island and about 100 nm to the waypoint. I am going to have to jibe either before or after the island. There are shoals N of the island, which are not dangerous, but are likely to lead to more turbulent water. Overnight, the winds are going to continue to back, eventually reaching 70 around midnight, then will start to veer, reaching 90 just after sunrise. It is 21:00 and sunrise will be about 6:00, 9h from now. The winds are going to lighten after midnight, so it is unlikely I will average more than 5 kt, so I may go 5×9=45 nm before sunrise. It seems jibing around dawn may be appropriate. At 23:00 the wind direction was 72, making it possible to head S of the waypoint, even on the starboard tack. At 1:00, the wind speed is down to 18 from 75, making it more difficult to head E. At 4:30 the wind was down to 14 and gusting to 18 from 75. Cartier is 24 nm away and Ash01 is 68 nm. I have done 35 nm on since 21:00, when I jibed around the platform (35/7.5=4.7 nm/g), which is not too bad considering I have been in a bear run). There is no way I will make Ash01 in time to moor before dark, especially as I must sail around the reef to the NW side to access the passage. My plan is still to push hard, past Cartier to the S and position myself to enter the reef tomorrow morning. Somehow I have managed to stay the course directly at Cartier all night, so I won’t have to deviate very far S to miss it. Going to wait until the wind veers this morning. Sunrise was about 6:00 … another cloudless day. The wind is blowing from 80. Except for the front that blew through a few days ago, have not had any clouds. AIS shows a passenger vessel (Seabourn Pursuit) about 40 nm ahead of me and headed for Ashborn Reef. At 7:00, 14 nm ENE of Cartier, I tacked to a new heading of 236 in 15 kt of wind from 85. This course should bring me to within a couple of nm of the island. It is 55 nm to Ash01. I put a fishing line out after trimming the sails. There was a clanging noise last night that seemed to be outside and near the head when I was sleeping. I got up twice with the headlamp to try to figure out what it was, but no luck. While moving the preventer, I saw the pelican clamp on the lifeline across the dive platform had come undone and the metal clamp was dangling overboard and banging against the hull. It has happened before. The sheet for the jib sometimes slaps the lifeline releasing the clamp. However, I apparently only hear it banging on a starboard tack, which is relativelyrare in the Southern Hemisphere. I reconnected it, but it got slapped right back off, so I lashed it. It’s 7:30 and the wind is 90 … I timed the tack well. After I clear Cartier, I will tack again, probably the last time before reaching Ashmore, which is now at 289 degrees, a course that should be easy to keep with the projected wind direction. At 10:30, I finally saw Cartier Island when I was 3.5 nm due S of it. At 11:00 I was clear of the reef. Ash01 is at 302 and the wind is at 112. About the best I can do is 260 on the port tack. I could jibe, but the TWA would be about the same and I would need to tack again as I wouldn’t clear the S side of Ashmore. I have a good current on the present port tack, so will stick with it. The distance sailed towards Ashmore Reef in the last 25h was 127-34=93 nm. The total distance sailed was 9959-9848=111 nm (111/25=4.4 kt avg.). This is by far the most distance I have covered on this passage, because for the first time I was not bewinded in the early morning hours. Because I need to sail deep W before I can tack towards the SW side of Ashmore, because I need to give the eeef a wide berth, and because I need to sail about 5 nm offshore W of Ashmore to heave to, my best guess is I have about 50 nm to go. It is 15:00. If I average 4 kt, it will take me 12th, which means I will need to heave to 3:30-5:00, when it will be light enough to begins to approach the channel. I am thinking now that Seabourn Pursuit may be the ABF vessel that is normally on site.
Comments: It is 14:00 and I am about 30 nm from the southern no-sail boundary of the oil platform Montara Venture. I imagine I will reach it around midnight. The disadvantage of doing it before is I would need to stay awake until I was well-clear of the rig (3-4h). The downside of after is I have a fleet of trawlers just S of the platform. I just download fresh long-range AIS and the fishing fleet has moved fur to er away from the platform, so I am opting for after. The other advantage of after is the wind angle is usually more acute later at night, making it more ideal for a starboard tack. The latest forecast has strong wind them for the rest of the passage. With the tacks, I probably have 150 nm to go. I’d want to reach the entrance of the channel into the reef’s lagoon no later than noon, so I need to average 159/46=3.5 kt. To put that in perspective, I believe yesterday was my best day, and I only made 74 nm on. The point is I am going to have to push hard to make it by even Monday. It is 15:00 and during the past 7h I have averaged over 5 kt, which is the best I’ve seen the past 5d. I passed the closest point to the platform about 20:30, about 3 nm S of the platform. I waited another 2 nm, then I jibed N (starboard tack) and set a course of 295. The wind was still blowing 22 from due E, having backed like it has been in the evening. I am about 55 nm from Cartier Island and about 100 nm to the waypoint. I am going to have to jibe either before or after the island. There are shoals N of the island, which are not dangerous, but are likely to lead to more turbulent water. Overnight, the winds are going to continue to back, eventually reaching 70 around midnight, then will start to veer, reaching 90 just after sunrise. It is 21:00 and sunrise will be about 6:00, 9h from now. The winds are going to lighten after midnight, so it is unlikely I will average more than 5 kt, so I may go 5×9=45 nm before sunrise. It seems jibing around dawn may be appropriate. At 23:00 the wind direction was 72, making it possible to head S of the waypoint, even on the starboard tack. At 1:00, the wind speed is down to 18 from 75, making it more difficult to head E. At 4:30 the wind was down to 14 and gusting to 18 from 75. Cartier is 24 nm away and Ash01 is 68 nm. I have done 35 nm on since 21:00, when I jibed around the platform (35/7.5=4.7 nm/g), which is not too bad considering I have been in a bear run). There is no way I will make Ash01 in time to moor before dark, especially as I must sail around the reef to the NW side to access the passage. My plan is still to push hard, past Cartier to the S and position myself to enter the reef tomorrow morning. Somehow I have managed to stay the course directly at Cartier all night, so I won’t have to deviate very far S to miss it. Going to wait until the wind veers this morning. Sunrise was about 6:00 … another cloudless day. The wind is blowing from 80. Except for the front that blew through a few days ago, have not had any clouds. AIS shows a passenger vessel (Seabourn Pursuit) about 40 nm ahead of me and headed for Ashborn Reef. At 7:00, 14 nm ENE of Cartier, I tacked to a new heading of 236 in 15 kt of wind from 85. This course should bring me to within a couple of nm of the island. It is 55 nm to Ash01. I put a fishing line out after trimming the sails. There was a clanging noise last night that seemed to be outside and near the head when I was sleeping. I got up twice with the headlamp to try to figure out what it was, but no luck. While moving the preventer, I saw the pelican clamp on the lifeline across the dive platform had come undone and the metal clamp was dangling overboard and banging against the hull. It has happened before. The sheet for the jib sometimes slaps the lifeline releasing the clamp. However, I apparently only hear it banging on a starboard tack, which is relativelyrare in the Southern Hemisphere. I reconnected it, but it got slapped right back off, so I lashed it. It’s 7:30 and the wind is 90 … I timed the tack well. After I clear Cartier, I will tack again, probably the last time before reaching Ashmore, which is now at 289 degrees, a course that should be easy to keep with the projected wind direction. At 10:30, I finally saw Cartier Island when I was 3.5 nm due S of it. At 11:00 I was clear of the reef. Ash01 is at 302 and the wind is at 112. About the best I can do is 260 on the port tack. I could jibe, but the TWA would be about the same and I would need to tack again as I wouldn’t clear the S side of Ashmore. I have a good current on the present port tack, so will stick with it. The distance sailed towards Ashmore Reef in the last 25h was 127-34=93 nm. The total distance sailed was 9959-9848=111 nm (111/25=4.4 kt avg.). This is by far the most distance I have covered on this passage, because for the first time I was not bewinded in the early morning hours. Because I need to sail deep W before I can tack towards the SW side of Ashmore, because I need to give the eeef a wide berth, and because I need to sail about 5 nm offshore W of Ashmore to heave to, my best guess is I have about 50 nm to go. It is 15:00. If I average 4 kt, it will take me 12th, which means I will need to heave to 3:30-5:00, when it will be light enough to begins to approach the channel. I am thinking now that Seabourn Pursuit may be the ABF vessel that is normally on site.