| Time | Lat.(N) | Long.(W) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | 0001 | 35°04' | 074°40' |
| Last | 2140 | 37°25' | 074°14' |
| Boat | Wind | Position | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Hdng | Spd | Helm | Sky | Dir. | Spd | Baro. | Lat.(N) | Long.(W) | Remarks |
| 0001 | 030° | 6-7 | Stef | Few clouds | SW | 7-10 | 30.28 | 35°04' | 074°40' | Surfing waves |
| 0030 | Stef | Chart change - #13003 pg. 1 (Reg 00 chart 13) | ||||||||
| 0115 | Stef | New target waypoint - JC4 | ||||||||
| 0145 | Stef | Set jib part furled + ¾ kt. | ||||||||
| 0230 | Batt. #2 dead; engine running 800 rpm. | |||||||||
| 0305 | 010° | 7-8 | Tony | Clear | W | 12-14 | 30.25 | 35°29' | 074°30' | |
| 0500 | Tony | Storm cloud astern | Reefed main - 2 reefs | |||||||
| 0600 | 010° | 7.0 | Neil | " | W | 11 | 30.20 | 35°52' | 074°27' | Surfing + humming. |
| 0705 | 015° | 6.5 | Gregg | Clear | SW | 10 | 30.19 | 35°59' | 074°27' | Jib fully deployed. No GS assist |
| 0950 | 025° | 6.2 | Stef | Clear | WSW | 10 | 30.19 | 36°16' | 074°22' | |
| 1201 | 030° | 6.6 | Stef | " | WSW | 12 | 30.18 | 36°28' | 074°20' | "GS"delta = -1 knt. |
| 1426 | 015° | 6-7 | Tony | Clear | WSW | 12 | 30.15 | 36°41' | 074°16' | GS delta = 0 - 0.5 knts (neg) |
| 2140 | 000° | 6 | Stef | High clouds | WSW | 15 | 30.08 | 37°25' | 074°14' | |
During the night, the wind picks up, and our first heavy wind day proves a challenge to the crew; as the waves build, our general course puts us between a broad reach and a run, and we occasionally fall afoul of an accidental gybe. The preventer is rigged only to the leeward rail, and, with hindsight, we have to expend too much energy alternating the rig when we gybe to try to avoid sailing dead downwind.
We move to a new chart (#13003) and a new target waypoint (JC4); effort expended on relatively trivial activities is significantly increased with the more violent movement of the boat in the building seas. In addition, sleep is interrupted more than once when an accidental gybe throws Gregg out of the main berth; no injuries, but effort and sleep are lost repairing the lee board torn out in the incident.
The house battery dies, evidenced by the failure of the radar. We switch to the alternate battery and start the engine to charge both; another eminder to get that solar panel installation sorted out. We run at minimum charging RPM, about 800-900; not good for the engine as a rule, but we need to conserve diesel.
As the real wind increase above 20 knots, we begin to feel overpowered; we partially furl the jib, and actually gain about ½ knot.
Later, with the real wind above 30 knots, we put two reefs in the main; working from the mast is relatively straightforward, but it is a bonus to have the sail ties already in the reefing cringles to tie up the loose main - another minor foresight that makes life easier when it is important.
With the sails set, we are sailing and surfing consistently above 7 knots; as Womble rides off the wave crests, she gives out that wonderful resonant music that makes every sailor sure that his vessel is a living, breathing creature of wind and sea.
We detect a loss of Gulf Stream assistance, and then a persistent counter-current of 0.5 to 1 kt. It transpires that we are in the wrong area of the eddies that we were advised to head for, and the counter currents will persist until we near the coast of New England. Given that my original inclination had been to stay in the Stream until about W071° and then turn North, it is particularly galling to find that professional advice has almost certainly put us in a worse position. I would note that playing the eddies is a tricky game, and probably not worth consideration for the typical passage.
The various incidents, including sail changes and the general increased motion of Womble,
are having a noticeable affect on the alertness and physical state of the crew; we might
regret not taking advantage of the slack time earlier...
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