Current Position: 11 01.307’S 21 27.935’W; Timezone: UTC+0; SOG: 4.3 kt; COG: 314; TWS: 13; TWD: 122; Current Speed (includes effect of surfing): 2.1 kt; Current Direction: 308; Distance to Waypoint (IFN, 300): 773 nm; Distance to Endpoint (Bridgetown): 2697 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 20,380 nm; Engine Hours: 414; Estimate Fuel: 60+8+50;
Comments: Sunset is at 19:01 at 5.75W. At 20.30W it should be at 20:00. It looks like I will encounter a tanker just after sunset. With a TWD of 130, I tacked to port at 17:30. At 18:00, 2h before sunset, it became very dark with heavy overcast. At 18:30 I downloaded new data. It looks like the wind will remain light for the next 24h. The tanker is 20 nm away, but has not showed up on AIS yet. But, since I tacked port, I should be moving away from its course. I do not see any other threats overnight. The tanker showed up on AIS at 20:15 and will pass within 2 nm at 20:20, 20m after sunset. I spotted the tanker at 19:50 I spotted the tanker. I went to sleep at 20:00 with a timer of 2h. At 20:45 I woke up because the boat had rounded up. I put more weather helm in the windvane. At 21:30 I woke because the boat had rounded up again. This time the problem was the wind had backed to 105. Although likely to be due to local weather, I had no choice but to tack starboard to avoid sailing S. The wind was blowing harder, 17, so for the first time in 24h the SOG was over 5. I set the timer for 1h, expecting to have to tack again. By midnight I had to tack back to port. At 2:30 I started seeing 20 kt gusts and had to adjust the windvane. I woke at 6:20 and tacked to starboard. Sunrise is at 6:03 at 5.75W. At 21.0W it should be at 7:04. Looks like there are two vessels headed my way, one about 8h and the other about 11h away. The wind is supposed to pick up slowly during the day and then tonight and the next 4d blow pretty strong. The sun came up behind clouds, but right now they do not look as thick as yesterday. I am probably in UTC-2 now (same time zone as IFN). Barbados and the coast of Brazil are in UTC-3. Since my sunrises are after 7 and sunsets after 8, I will probably switch to UTC-3 tomorrow. By 9:00 the sun started to break through the clouds, the wind picked up a bit and veered. At 9:30 I could see what appears to be a front upwind. When the wind hits 14-15, I can ease out the main sheet for a deeper board reach and pick up a little speed without the sails slatting. This is why I move so much faster in 14 than 12 kt wind. I tried to recalibrate the paddle wheel speed sensor. I emptied the locker of cans, but could not connect via Bluetooth. I tried rebooting the NEMA2000 system, but no luck. I saw fish under the boat, 6-10” long, and with alternating vertical dark/light stripes. They were swimming as fast as they could to keep up with the boat, suggesting to me they were feeding in something growing on the boat. The overcast was back by 13:30, and so was the wind, with gusts of 18 and SOG of 5 in a deep broad reach. I used up the second (of three) packages of marlin today in a miso soup with shiitake mushrooms and glass noodles. This is the seventh meal. I am hoping to get 3-4 more before the fish goes. I have had 4-5 ships pass so far today, all some distance. The only one I was worried about will pass in an hour (15:00) perhaps 3 nm to my stern. The Fabia Schulte passed 3 nm to my port quarter at 14:45. The batteries were charged and I could make water at 15:15. The distance sailed towards IFN in the last 24h was 856-773=83 nm. The total distance sailed was 20378-20252=126 nm (126/24=5.3 kt avg).
Comments: Sunset is at 19:01 at 5.75W. At 20.30W it should be at 20:00. It looks like I will encounter a tanker just after sunset. With a TWD of 130, I tacked to port at 17:30. At 18:00, 2h before sunset, it became very dark with heavy overcast. At 18:30 I downloaded new data. It looks like the wind will remain light for the next 24h. The tanker is 20 nm away, but has not showed up on AIS yet. But, since I tacked port, I should be moving away from its course. I do not see any other threats overnight. The tanker showed up on AIS at 20:15 and will pass within 2 nm at 20:20, 20m after sunset. I spotted the tanker at 19:50 I spotted the tanker. I went to sleep at 20:00 with a timer of 2h. At 20:45 I woke up because the boat had rounded up. I put more weather helm in the windvane. At 21:30 I woke because the boat had rounded up again. This time the problem was the wind had backed to 105. Although likely to be due to local weather, I had no choice but to tack starboard to avoid sailing S. The wind was blowing harder, 17, so for the first time in 24h the SOG was over 5. I set the timer for 1h, expecting to have to tack again. By midnight I had to tack back to port. At 2:30 I started seeing 20 kt gusts and had to adjust the windvane. I woke at 6:20 and tacked to starboard. Sunrise is at 6:03 at 5.75W. At 21.0W it should be at 7:04. Looks like there are two vessels headed my way, one about 8h and the other about 11h away. The wind is supposed to pick up slowly during the day and then tonight and the next 4d blow pretty strong. The sun came up behind clouds, but right now they do not look as thick as yesterday. I am probably in UTC-2 now (same time zone as IFN). Barbados and the coast of Brazil are in UTC-3. Since my sunrises are after 7 and sunsets after 8, I will probably switch to UTC-3 tomorrow. By 9:00 the sun started to break through the clouds, the wind picked up a bit and veered. At 9:30 I could see what appears to be a front upwind. When the wind hits 14-15, I can ease out the main sheet for a deeper board reach and pick up a little speed without the sails slatting. This is why I move so much faster in 14 than 12 kt wind. I tried to recalibrate the paddle wheel speed sensor. I emptied the locker of cans, but could not connect via Bluetooth. I tried rebooting the NEMA2000 system, but no luck. I saw fish under the boat, 6-10” long, and with alternating vertical dark/light stripes. They were swimming as fast as they could to keep up with the boat, suggesting to me they were feeding in something growing on the boat. The overcast was back by 13:30, and so was the wind, with gusts of 18 and SOG of 5 in a deep broad reach. I used up the second (of three) packages of marlin today in a miso soup with shiitake mushrooms and glass noodles. This is the seventh meal. I am hoping to get 3-4 more before the fish goes. I have had 4-5 ships pass so far today, all some distance. The only one I was worried about will pass in an hour (15:00) perhaps 3 nm to my stern. The Fabia Schulte passed 3 nm to my port quarter at 14:45. The batteries were charged and I could make water at 15:15. The distance sailed towards IFN in the last 24h was 856-773=83 nm. The total distance sailed was 20378-20252=126 nm (126/24=5.3 kt avg).