Sunday, May 18, 2014

May 18 Morning Position Report

5/18/14 Wandering Dolphin POS
GMT 1200
11 51.82N.  107 24.58W
COG 300T
SOG 3 kt
NTN 144 nautical miles
DTG 3039 nautical miles
Wind: SW 8-10
Current: Sky: overcast, squalls
Seas: 4ft
Temp: 86f
Pressure: 29.55

Yesterday we had great wind and we sailed all day.  The seas were rolling behind us pretty good and we all felt like we were leaving the doldrums/ITCZ crap behind us... But alas it was not to be.  The squalls began to hit us just after dark so we were reefed pretty heavily and then, what I assume must be the remains of the Low that had been forming behind us caught up to us and the wind, which had been behind us out of the east all day began to clock and blow harder.  By now it was pitch dark, dumping rain, the wind was blowing 25 gusting to 30 or higher, the seas were large and confused (so were we by the way!). The wind, as it clocked from the east to the southeast, forced us to move more and more to the north to keep from gybing.  In order to do a controlled gybe in that higher wind and seas someone would have to go up on deck to handle the preventer.  I decided to just wait it out, assuming it would pass and the wind would fill back in from the east.

By 4:00am the wind had come all the way around to the SW and we were forced to gybe to get back on course.  The rain had died down to a drizzle but the sea was still rolling pretty big and it was still pitch dark.  I went up on deck and handled the preventer while Emily took care of the main sheet and Beck tried to keep us in light with the super flashlight.  We managed to get the sail moved around and now we are headed on 300 again but the wind is now so light I have to run the engine to keep moving.  In these swells heaving/to would not be a fun thing at all.  The boat would roll heavily and the sails would flog and possibly break something.  I have not tried to measure the current but I'm pretty sure it is against us now.  We are very tired now having had almost no sleep last night.

Yesterday we had Cheerios with blackberry yogurt on them for breakfast, fruit cocktail and granola bars for lunch and fried bean and cheese quesadillas for supper.

Looking forward to... favorable wind and seas, sunshine, no squalls...
Captain Tofer and the crew

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