Charm - To Grenada 9

Grenada is in sight!The wind died earlier this afternoon and we have been motoring ever since.I think it’s fair to say that this time, there really is no wind.I even captured it on camera. We had lovely overcast weather all day which led to some strange lighting as the sun went down.After their cleaning jobs, Cobin and the girls made lists of things they want in their rooms at home.Tully insisted she only wanted a box, “to hide in when Mama wants me to go to school.”Cobin talked both girls into adding numerous electronic upgrades to their lists, including egg projectors, Alexa for kids, and some kind of devices to plug into lamps so you can program them.He even got Tully to agree to a box with a smart lock on it so she can lock herself in with her Ipad.It’s fun to dream. We finally. read more...

Charm - To Grenada 8

It has been a taster plate of sailing on this leg.First, motoring in light winds. Then upwind sailing with unpleasant seas, followed by upwind sailing with pleasant seas.After that, we had extremely fast sailing with wind on the beam, a strong current and delightful seas.This morning, the wind shifted to be on our rear quarter with a gentle current pushing us along. About an hour ago, we brushed up against a squall and had to drop our spinnaker in the dark in light rain and we are now motor-sailing with just the jib since we dropped our main earlier.Joe predicted squalls tonight and so far, he is correct.We both hoped for some rain to wash off all the salt and I think we will get our hearts’ desire, at least as far as precipitation goes. It’s pitch-black tonight with no moon out and. read more...

Charm - To Grenada 7: Devil’s Island

After an enjoyable 34 hours in the Devil’s Island group, we are back at sea.The wind is on the beam at about 15 knots and we have been zipping along between 10 and 12 knots for the past 24 hours.We obviously have a strong current with us because, although Charm is fast, this speed is exceptional for the conditions.That, and our instruments show that we have a 1-2 knot current with us.The seas are ideal – we have waves but they are farther apart and have settled into a consistent pattern so we aren’t getting those surprise waves into the hatches.Charm really does sail beautifully – we are enjoying our last few months on her and really appreciating what a great boat she is. Although I’ve been calling our stop Devil’s Island for some time, I have now learned that there are three islands in. read more...

Charm - To Grenada 6

ITCZ?Doldrums?What are those?Definitely in our past – we have had nothing but consistent winds for the past two days.Tonight, we have calmer (but by no means calm) seas and the wind is down slightly.I took the reef out of the jib late this afternoon and Joe shook out the second reef on the main this evening.We are now speeding along in the 10 – 12 knot range with one reef in the main and 15 - 18 knots of true wind. I’m fairly certain we have found “the current” (one of many in the area) because we are regularly hitting 13 knots.Also, our current indicator shows 2.5 knots in a favorable direction.But I’m not sure it actually works. I was optimistic enough with the improving conditions this afternoon to open up some hatches and spray the cockpit with fresh water.So many waves had crashed. read more...

Charm - To Grenada 3 - corrected

I’ve mentioned that we’ve had “no wind.” This is a relative term that basically means we don’t have enough wind to sail at the speed at which we would like to sail. Charm can sail in light winds but we’re spoiled with having a fast boat so our expectations for speed are high. We often turn on our engines unless there’s enough wind for us to go 6 knots or if we’re racing and don’t want to incur motoring penalties. Usually “no wind” means less than 8 knots of true wind. If we “really have no wind,” that might be 5 knots. But tonight, I’ve seen 2.5 knots, which, to borrow an overused term of the kids, is, “literally no wind.” We are about 50 miles south of the equator, probably in what’s known as the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone). It’s my understanding that two equatorial currents. read more...