{"id":2198,"date":"2025-12-20T17:24:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T17:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/?p=2198"},"modified":"2025-12-20T17:41:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T17:41:29","slug":"check-in-december-20-2025-1630-utc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/20\/check-in-december-20-2025-1630-utc\/","title":{"rendered":"Check-in December 20, 2025; 16:30 UTC"},"content":{"rendered":"
Current Position: 32 28.167\u2019S 17 12.991\u2019\u2019E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 7.5 kt; COG: 348; TWS: 27; TWD: 217; Current Speed: 2.1 kt; Current Direction: 340; Distance to Waypoint (BAR1, 346): 700 nm; Distance to Endpoint (Bridgetown): 5208 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 16600 nm; Engine Hours: 409; Estimate Fuel: 60+12+50;
\nComments: I woke up at 4:00, at the end of the first quarter of the OU\/Alabama game. OU was up 10:0 and seemed to be in control. I couldn\u2019t get back to sleep. By the end of the half, the game was tied 17:17 after an interception by Alabama that was run back for a TD. The game is almost over and it looks like Alabama will win. Since I cannot download weather maps for the entire South Atlantic while offshore, I have been studying the wind patterns over a 4w period. In general, I will want to stay N of the rhumb line to the Brazilian coast, then use the coastal winds to get past the ITCZ. How far N is a gamble since there are periodic highs in the middle of the SA. If there isn\u2019t one, heading for St. Helena and then W works. If there is one, it will be necessary to head much further N. My plan is to take advantage of the high winds and favorable current along the African coast to about Walvis Bay, then make a decision (since there is no way to predict the weather that far out). I started the engine to leave and there is a problem. The first injector is leaking (I can see bubbles in fuel that pooled). I cannot tighten it with disassembling everything. One of the advantages of having had it apart so many times is it only took me 20m to disassemble, tighten the injectors, reassemble, and put the tools away. The injector is not leaking now. I threw off the lines at 9:00, as planned, and was underway. Once I was in the main channel, it was obvious I was going to be motoring directly against the wind (and swell). The swell was short and steep, causing the bow to plow. It was going to be slow going to get far enough off shore to get an angle to use the wind, at least 2h. It\u2019s 750 nm to my first waypoint (BAR1), off the coast of Namibia. The seas were very confused and the boat corkscrewed violently as I approached the entrance to the bay. Within 1 nm of the entrance, the wind shifted and I could finally make use of the storm staysail, which not only gave me a kt of speed in the 15 kt wind, but stabilized the boat overall so the prop spent more time in the water. The net result was an increase in SOG for 3 to 5 kt at 2000 rpm. I reached the entrance of the bay about 10:45. The seas were becoming less confused. I figured I needed to head about 6 nm W offshore before I could safely head N towards the waypoint, but I could probably start curving in that direction sooner to make for a more comfortable ride. I checked the AIS as I left the bay, and there did not appear to be any commercial traffics in the area (except that anchored in the bay). I turned the engine off about 11:00. It was as blowing in the 20s and I just had the storm staysail and perhaps 20% of the Yankee unfurled. I was averaging 4.6 kt. I decided to wait before showing more sail until I was further offshore and had a better angle to the wind and swells. I figured that about 12 nm, so in 12\/4.6=2.6h, or about 14:00. I should pick up the Benguela current, about 1 kn, about there. Since I am using the TillerPilot right now and there is no commercial traffic, I decided to go below to warm up a bit. As I expected, the boat sped up as I moved offshore, primarily because the seas became less confused (the boat was sailing more efficiently) and I started to pick up some current. I switched over from the TillerPilot to the windvane about 12:30, about the time the seas settled down. I was hungry and chilled and although I had plenty of cold food in the fridge I made some Raman noodles to warm me up. At 13:00, about 8 nm offshore, I unfurled about 80% of the Yankee, which with the storm sail gave me 6.8 kt. I expect close to 7 kt when I get the full effect of the current. By 14:00 I was doing 7.1 kt. I am almost 12 nm offshore and about to loose Starlink. Not sure I will be close enough to land to use it again until I am in Barbados. It is 14:20 and I just lost SL, as soon as I hit 13 nm offshore. Jordan texted me a few minutes before I lost the signal and sent 62 photos of the grandkids. It is 15:00 and the wind is blowing consistently 28 kt. The boat is averaging 7.5 kt with 80% Yankee + staysail. The waves are big and steep. It is clear the boat is surfing. The ride is not particularly uncomfortable. Since there are zero boats around me and I will be entering the shipping channel tonight, I am going to try to get some sleep. It is 16:00. I slept for about 45m. Still no boats on the AIS. The boat is averaging 7.5 kt and I am seeing surfing speeds of over 10 kt. The windvane is performing well. The sea is big and the cockpit is wet, with waves periodically breaking over the port quarter. It is 17:30. I have tried for 90m to connect to the Iridium system and have failed. The network seems to be unstable. I observed this once before. I will just have to wait until I am in a different satellite pattern. Some e-mails downloaded and a noticed the tracking data is up-to-date (meaning the DataHub is connecting). The last position was reported at 16:10 and SL went down at 14:20, so the data were transmitted over Iridium. At 18:00 I started to see commercial vessels appear on the AIS. At 18:30 a huge cargo ship passed a couple of hundred yards off my port on the opposite course and it was not running AIS. Even though the Iridium and Offshore apps say they cannot connect to the Iridium GO, the DataHub through 10.10.10.1 says that it is, so I am going to try to send this log post via PredictMail. That did not work. I will try a Gmail account.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Current Position: 32 28.167\u2019S 17 12.991\u2019\u2019E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 7.5 kt; COG: 348; TWS: 27; TWD: 217; Current Speed: 2.1 kt; Current Direction: 340; Distance to Waypoint (BAR1, 346): 700 nm; Distance to Endpoint (Bridgetown): 5208 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 16600 nm; Engine Hours: 409; Estimate Fuel: 60+12+50; Comments: I woke up at 4:00, at … <\/p>\n

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