December 10, 2018
Day 67
Noon Position: 44 26S 35 18W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): SE 5
Wind(t/tws): NWxN 12
Sea(t/ft): SW 4
Sky: Dense deck of cloud plus fog
10ths Cloud Cover: 10
Bar(mb): 1014+, steady
Cabin Temp(f): 59
Water Temp(f): 51
Relative Humidity(%): 80
Sail: Twins poled out full since yesterday afternoon.
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 99
Miles since departure: 9025
Avg. Miles/Day: 135
Light winds overnight. The twins banged and rattled but were full just often enough that I didn’t have the heart to douse them.
Today wind has filled in from the NW but not with much conviction. ...
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December 9, 2018
Day 66
Noon Position: 44 32S 37 36W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): ExN 7
Wind(t/tws): W 20 – 257
Sea(t/ft): NW 8 – 10
Sky: Total Cement, rain earlier
10ths Cloud Cover: 10
Bar(mb): 1001, rising
Cabin Temp(f): 61
Water Temp(f): 54
Relative Humidity(%): 82
Sail: Working jib, three reefs (due to much higher winds earlier). Twins poled out full by afternoon.
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 137
Miles since departure: 8926
Avg. Miles/Day: 135
The working jib out all night full in winds of 20. I could have carried more sail after midnight, but again I opt for sleepover ...
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Navionics Boating app chart with ACC waypoints displayed
Back in April Garmin announced that the Navionics apps would be getting ActiveCaptain Community (ACC) support by the end of 2018. With not too many days left in 2018 it appeared time might be running out on that promise. Today, new apps were released to both the iOS App Store and Android’s Play Store supporting ACC.
Version 13.0 of the Navionics Boating app nicely displays all of the ActiveCaptain Community data and the app allows editing of data by taking you to the ACC website. I’ve just cruised through the app pretty ...
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December 8, 2018
Day 65
Noon Position: 44 23S 40 47W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): ExN 6
Wind(t/tws): SSW 25 – 30
Sea(t/ft): SW 10+
Sky: Light Cumulus
10ths Cloud Cover: 6
Bar(mb): 1002, rising
Cabin Temp(f): 59
Water Temp(f): 54
Relative Humidity(%): 71
Sail: Working jib with three reefs, broad reach.
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 132
Miles since departure: 8789
Avg. Miles/Day: 135
Slow bell overnight. Was feeling pretty raw and in need of sleep after the recent low followed by a night of mopping up seawater, so I left two reefs in the working jib and started sleeping at 9pm...
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December 8, 2018
Day 65
Noon Position: 44 23S 40 47W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): ExN 6
Wind(t/tws): SSW 25 – 30
Sea(t/ft): SW 10+
Sky: Light Cumulus
10ths Cloud Cover: 6
Bar(mb): 1002, rising
Cabin Temp(f): 59
Water Temp(f): 54
Relative Humidity(%): 71
Sail: Working jib with three reefs, broad reach.
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 132
Miles since departure: 8789
Avg. Miles/Day: 135
Slow bell overnight. Was feeling pretty raw and in need of sleep after the recent low followed by a night of mopping up seawater, so I left two reefs in the working jib and started sleeping at 9pm...
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December 7, 2018
Day 64
Noon Position: 44 25S 43 51W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): E 4
Wind(t/tws): SWxS 14
Sea(t/ft): SE 10
Sky: Clear here; a front moving in from the S, the next system
10ths Cloud Cover: 5
Bar(mb): 1008+, falling with purpose (1002+ as I type five hours later)
Cabin Temp(f): 59
Water Temp(f): 55 (warm)
Relative Humidity(%): 77
Sail: Working jib full; broad reach
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 109
Miles since departure: 8650
Avg. Miles/Day: 135
My concern about today’s system moving in over yesterday’s sea was ill-founded. There was enough of a gap, and now we ride ...
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Larry Cheek’s essay on not giving up sailing will strike a chord with any of us who are looking back at 60. Like it or not, there comes a time when, as Leonard Cohen put it, you “ache in the places where you used to play.” That’s no reason to quit, though. Sailboats, no matter their size, have never been easier to handle than they are now. Spars are lighter than ever and with modern fibers, so are ropes. Sails roll away in minutes. Sheets can be trimmed at the press of a button. Ground tackle that would give a ...
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| Abilash Tomy’s replica of Suhaili – now sunk |
I have followed the online comments about the rescue of Susie Goodall, some with bemusement and some with disdain. Before I explain let’s recap what happened. Susie Goodall, a 28 year old British sailor was competing in the https://goldengloberace.comGolden Globe Race when her yacht was pitchpoled in the Southern Ocean. The yacht was dismasted and in
...
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#251. Rachel Slade is the acclaimed author of ‘Into the Raging Sea,’ the heartbreaking account of the sinking of the American merchant ship ‘El Faro.’ With a degree in political science from Barnard College and a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, Rachel began her journalism career as the design editor at Boston magazine and moved up the masthead to executive editor. After a decade on staff, she became a full-time freelance writer in 2016. Incredibly, ‘Into the Raging Sea’ is her first book. Rachel & I discussed her background growing up on the water, her interest in ... Read More
Day 63
Time: 1600 local (gmt-3)
Position: 45 52S 44 18W
Only time for a post card tonight. Mo is working through the southerly arm of a low to the N. Forecast of 30 has built to a standing 35 to 45 with winds mostly over 40. SE is becoming slowly S wind and is creating a real witches brew of seas, which Mo handles with aplomb so far. But we don’t have the full S wind yet.
I carried the blow on the beam as log as was practical so as to keep a NE course. But for the ...
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