Womble's Gulf Stream Log - Summer 2001

Day 7 : Tuesday 3rd July 2001

Log Summary

  Time Lat.(N) Long.(W)
First 0012 38°03' 073°11'
Last 2254 39°03' 072°41'


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Log Detail

  Boat   Wind   Position  
Time Hdng Spd Helm Sky Dir. Spd Baro. Lat.(N) Long.(W) Remarks
0012 090° 2.8 Tony Clear NNE 5-7 30.30 38°03' 073°11'  
0025 350° 1 Tony Clear Var NE-E 5 30.28 38°03' 073°11' Change tack to 350°
0203 1.0 Neil " NE/v 5 30.24 38°03' 073°14'  
0555 040° 3.5 Stef Clear Var. 0-4 30.33 38°06' 073°18' Motoring @ 1400 - no wind, need elec.
0800                   Motoring off; flapping on; whales sighted
0925     Tony             Main reef shaken out; fresh water in use for personal hygiene
0951 050° 4.5 Tony Cirrus (light) ESE 5-6       Sailing beautifully on beam reach - delta +0.5 kt
1745 080° 4.323 Stef Clear SW 4-7 30.30 38°43' 072°43' Before jibe
" 020° 5.4 " " WSW 4-7 " " " After jibe - GSdelta = -1.5
2049 000° 4.0 Stef Full moon SSW 4-8 30.28 38°57' 072°47'  
2140 070° 5.6 Stef Full moon SW 8 30.28 39°01' 072°46' Gybe to stbd tack
2210                   Engine running @ 900 rpm
2254 070° 5.5 Neil " cl SSW 5   39°03' 072°41'  


Daily Synopsis

Ironically, the early part of the day starts with the wind disappearing again, leaving Womble to mooch along in light air until dawn, when we start the engine to recharge the batteries.

Another small pod of whales visit, again unidentified. A large turtle is also sighted on the surface, probably a leatherback.

Water consumption has been well within budget, so the captain relents and allows fresh water for personal hygiene - that is, one cup each for teeth-cleaning. We have become accustomed to salt water with toothpaste, and the return to fresh feels like sheer decadence; crew morale is high.

The wind picks up; we had left the main reefed overnight, so shake the reef out and enjoy some beautiful sailing, with 5 kts. apparent coming over the starboard beam. Unfortunately, the counter-current persists, as much as -1.5 knots at some points.

Later in the day, Stef executes a manoeuvre he terms a "reverse gybe"; details of this are still unclear, but we are all suitably impressed by his burgeoning skills at the helm.

We run the engine for several hours overnight to re-charge the batteries. Charging only requires running at low revs. (900 r.p.m.) and we have decided that it is best to run in forward gear, although the effective load on the engine is minimal given the speed of the boat. The noise of the engine is a real intrusion, but inescapable if we are to maintain proper navigational lights and use of the radar; other electrical consumption is minimal.



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