{"id":2100,"date":"2025-10-19T02:24:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T02:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/?p=2100"},"modified":"2025-10-19T02:32:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T02:32:04","slug":"check-in-october-19-2025-230-utc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/19\/check-in-october-19-2025-230-utc\/","title":{"rendered":"Check-in October 19, 2025; 2:30 UTC"},"content":{"rendered":"
Current Position: 23 43.59\u2019S 53 54.620\u2019E; Local Timezone: UTC+4; SOG: 3.4 (against a 1.4 current); COG: 270; TWS: 12 kt; TWD: 148; P (12:00): 1020.4; P (18:00): 1020.0; P (24:00): 1022.2; P (6:00): 1021.0; Distance to Waypoint (26s47s, 271): 400; Total Miles Sailed: 14305 nm; Engine Hours: 271; Estimate Fuel: 48+12+50;
\nComments: It is 6:45 and the wind is blowing from 25. From the look of the clouds ahead, I figure I have a few hours before the wind shifts S. I am spending the time cooking \u2026 hard boiling some eggs and making a pasta dish (something easy to eat cold). It is 7:00 and I see the first rain storm ahead. By 9:00 the wind had dropped to a couple of kt and the boat was practically still. It is 9:00 and the convergence zone had arrived \u2026 a big wall of rain stretch long across the southern horizon. I took the preventer off and sheeted in the main. By 9:10 the wind had shifted to 250, it started to rain, and I tacked to the starboard on a course of 330 if. I saw a dozen sailfish take to the air all at once. By 9:30 the wind was blowing 24 kt from 160 and I was doing 5 kt on a course of 275. By 9:45 the wind was gusting in the low 20s, the boat was nearly in a beam reach, and it felt under control, so I didn\u2019t put the second reef in. I trimmed the sails and was averaging 5.7 in a cross current. The wind is blowing from 175 and the boat was on 290. Expecting the wind to back I left the boat headed 20 degrees N of the rhumb line. At 10:00 two cargo ships passed, one to the N and one to the S, both about 10 nm. A third ship appeared just S of the other one. By 10:30 the wind was blowing consistently 25 from due S and the boat heeled badly, so I put the second reef in, better balancing the sails. The average speed was 6.7 now. I will note the winds arrived about 4h earlier than predicted at 6:00 this morning. The winds should lighten up after dusk. By 13:30 the rain clouds had blown over. The seas were highly confused with no clear direction for the swell \u2026 a real washing machine. By 17:00 the wind had backed to 160 so the boat was not heeled over as much and the waves were no longer on the beam, making the ride more comfortable. Sunset should be about 18:24. It was indeed at 18:24 and I just downloaded fresh AIS data. I will be dealing with a half dozen commercial vessels tonight. The first is the tanker Torm Solutions 16 nm behind me. It looks like it will pass 5 nm S of me in a couple of hours. There is the cargo ship Navios Altair 35 nm in front of me that should pass well S of me about the same time. I am most concerned about the cargo ship Samoa that is 60 nm in front of me and appears to be on a collision course. It is traveling twice the speed I am so we should meet in 3.5h in about 20 nm. After sunset, the wind speed dropped to 16, backed to 140, and the boat speed fell to 5.5. At 19:50 I radioed Navios Altair as it was 12 nm out and on a collision course with me. I confirmed they could see me on AIS. What concerned me was they would have to pass between me and Torm Solutions as the three of us would be passing at the same time. Navios Altair changed its course by 2 degrees thereby opening up the closest contact from a few hundred yards to 1 nm. For a 1000\u2019 cargo ship, that is still only 6 boat lengths. Both boats passed at 20:30. To determine if I could get some sleep, I downloaded fresh AIS data at 20:50. It now appears Samoa will pass N of me in 1h. There are three vessels remaining that are of concern. The tanker Front Maine and the cargo ship Coral Halo are both about 70 nm away (about 3.5h) and cargo ship Astraea SB is about 100 nm away (maybe 6h). Samoa passed 5 nm N at 22:00. Front Maine passed 5 nm S at 1:00. At 2:00 I was only making 3.5 kt on against a current in 14 kt wind. I had a 2.5h window to get some sleep between traffic and woke at 5:00 to find the cargo ship Pacific Harvest about 1h behind me. It should pass a few nm to the N. I am still running against a 1.1 kt current, which is slowing me down to less than 4 kt. Sunrise should be about 5:54. The sky is clear and the sea has settled down. The sea is still complex with large long-period swell from the S and smaller wind-driven waves from the SE, but it is not uncomfortable. The distance sailed towards RBay1 in the last 24h was 508-400=108 nm (more than expected given the confusion of the convergence line and the strong countercurrent all night). I put a fishing line out with a small lure \u2026 don\u2019t want to hook one of those large billfish. Tomorrow night I will be sailing through a fleet of about 50 fishing boats, so I imagine the waters are rich in the current that flows S along Madagascar. The total distance sailed was 14305-14193=112 nm (97\/24=4.04 kt avg.). Looking at the forecast, I am guessing I am 3.5d from RBay1.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Current Position: 23 43.59\u2019S 53 54.620\u2019E; Local Timezone: UTC+4; SOG: 3.4 (against a 1.4 current); COG: 270; TWS: 12 kt; TWD: 148; P (12:00): 1020.4; P (18:00): 1020.0; P (24:00): 1022.2; P (6:00): 1021.0; Distance to Waypoint (26s47s, 271): 400; Total Miles Sailed: 14305 nm; Engine Hours: 271; Estimate Fuel: 48+12+50; Comments: It is 6:45 … <\/p>\n

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