Regardless of my attempts to avoid fuel filter issues by running only the generator or the main engine they have started. With all this motion from these seas, my fuel is sufficiently mixed I think. The weather forecast was a little disturbing this morning, rather than the nice trades we were hoping for we are running into gale force winds and 10-12 ft seas. Looks like we will have about a day to get ready for it. I put up the mizzen and then double reefed it, and then dropped it again.
My plan in gale force winds is double reefed mizzen and staysail. We ran with a double reefed main only the first night after crossing the Gulf Stream in what turned out to be gale force and it was pushing it. With our broken bow sprit, we won’t be pushing it. If I didn’t think my engine will just shut down every couple of hours with filter issues, I would probably would take everything down and power. But I think we will have to sail through it and mizzen and staysail will probably put the least strain on the rig.
Fortunately the winds have been steady 20 -25kts NE’ly today and we’ve been making a pretty steady 6-7kts with double reefed main and staysail, so we haven’t had to use the main engine. Anne must have been getting jealous of all Debbie bruises because she went and got herself a beauty on her hip and it looks like a weather map. In fact I think it’s showing us the way to Tortola around these gales. It’s been fun getting the fleet report every day and plotting everyone’s positions.
I feel bad for Resolution though, she had that steering failure which put her a half day behind. So instead of hitting the Gulf Stream just as the wind died, I believe she hit it just as the wind picked up from Southwest at gale force. It just looks like she has been slugging into it the whole way, where we’ve been mostly on reaches.