Current Position: 22 48.383’S 57 28.640’E; Local Timezone: UTC+4; SOG: 5.1 kt (against 1.3 kt current); COG: 280; TWS: 20 kt; TWD: 81; P (12:00): 1018.9; P (18:00): 1017.7; P (24:00): 1019.3; P (6:00 ): 1019.4; Distance to Waypoint (26s47s, 271): 602; Total Miles Sailed: 14096 nm; Engine Hours: 270; Estimate Fuel: 48+13+50;
Comments: It is 6:30, the wind is blowing pretty steady in the low-mid 20s, and I am about to be hit by the second rainstorm since daybreak. The shower produced the first sail-through rainbow in a while. A third wave of rain hit at 8:30 … all low-energy showers with no increase in wind. It seems that this will be the pattern for a while … showers every hour or so. At 11:00, the tanker Princess Vanya passed 19 nm N of me. At 13:00 the wind had backed to 100 (forcing me into a deep broad reach) and dropped to 12 kt, so I shook out the second reef (to go with was now a flat storm staysail and 80% of the Yankee) to make 5 kt with a cross current. PW has me loosing 1 degree S (65 nm). The skies started to clear up a bit about 15:00. The cargo ship Mol Experience passed 3 nm S of me at 16:30. Sunrise is at 5:14 at the Rodrigues (63.5e), at my expected location (57.25e) it should be about 25m later, 5:39. It is midnight and the wind is blowing 18 from 92. I downloaded GRIB/AIS data. There are no more threatening vessels tonight as I remain on a port tack until dawn, when I will tack starboard. The wind will continue to back as the high passes S of me until I am nearly becalmed in 24h for a period of 12h until Saturday afternoon. This has been expected for several days. Sailing southward has prevented what might have been a longer period without wind. At this point Saturday afternoon I will be about 500 nm from RBay1, which I expect to reach Thursday without further interruption. Note that I am currently about 100 nm due S of Mauritius (as if I were one day out from sailing from there to RBay1). By 4:00, the wind had backed to 80 as predicted. It was expected to continue to back until blowing due N. I tacked at 5:30. Sunrise was at 5:37. The distance sailed towards RBay1 in the last 24h was 719-602=117 nm. The total distance sailed was 14096-13958=138 nm (138/24=5.75 kt avg.).
Comments: It is 6:30, the wind is blowing pretty steady in the low-mid 20s, and I am about to be hit by the second rainstorm since daybreak. The shower produced the first sail-through rainbow in a while. A third wave of rain hit at 8:30 … all low-energy showers with no increase in wind. It seems that this will be the pattern for a while … showers every hour or so. At 11:00, the tanker Princess Vanya passed 19 nm N of me. At 13:00 the wind had backed to 100 (forcing me into a deep broad reach) and dropped to 12 kt, so I shook out the second reef (to go with was now a flat storm staysail and 80% of the Yankee) to make 5 kt with a cross current. PW has me loosing 1 degree S (65 nm). The skies started to clear up a bit about 15:00. The cargo ship Mol Experience passed 3 nm S of me at 16:30. Sunrise is at 5:14 at the Rodrigues (63.5e), at my expected location (57.25e) it should be about 25m later, 5:39. It is midnight and the wind is blowing 18 from 92. I downloaded GRIB/AIS data. There are no more threatening vessels tonight as I remain on a port tack until dawn, when I will tack starboard. The wind will continue to back as the high passes S of me until I am nearly becalmed in 24h for a period of 12h until Saturday afternoon. This has been expected for several days. Sailing southward has prevented what might have been a longer period without wind. At this point Saturday afternoon I will be about 500 nm from RBay1, which I expect to reach Thursday without further interruption. Note that I am currently about 100 nm due S of Mauritius (as if I were one day out from sailing from there to RBay1). By 4:00, the wind had backed to 80 as predicted. It was expected to continue to back until blowing due N. I tacked at 5:30. Sunrise was at 5:37. The distance sailed towards RBay1 in the last 24h was 719-602=117 nm. The total distance sailed was 14096-13958=138 nm (138/24=5.75 kt avg.).