This blog covers two days, Nov/ 20th
& 21st. With light winds and multiple isolated squalls, we vacillate from
all-available canvas deployed, to reefing-in, to motoring(yuck). All of this can
occur inside 45-minutes, and most of the drama seems to be at night. Naturally,
we prepare for the night passage during daylight hours.
,
As the Westerly Trade Winds have yet to
be fully established, weather-wise, we plan for the next three days. We
initially sailed northwest to 17.5-degrees
latitude for stronger wind and avoid two troughs of dead air. This partially
worked, however the trough went further north than predicted, thus the squalls
& intermittent motoring. We are now creeping at 3.5-knots 100nm S.W.,
already passing into 16-degrees latitude to catch to pick-up forecasted stronger
winds after the trough in 36-hours or so. Light wind cruising strategy makes
stealthy submarine warfare relatively similar to an aerial dogfight between 5th
generation tactical fighters! Our 50,000-lb displacement Oyster 49 is not
designed for wispy sailing, however we are in the upper third of both our class,
and the overall fleet. Come ON Trade Winds!...
Yesterday, we replaced our Garmin G2 Vision
West Coast African chart chip that indicated that we reached the edge of its
‘world.’ Nevertheless, 1,500nm of apparently uncharted/unimportant blue water
exists until coverage by Garmin’s SE Caribbean G2 chip picks-up. Again, we have
a paper chart aboard of our crossing, and the chart plotter has a built-in
upper-level chart of these areas not covered by the detailed chips – no
issue.
These have been a good two days with
respect to additional malfunctions/issues. Our aft lazarette-sited freezer is
having difficulty keeping the top layer of food completely frozen. It could be a
seal or the need to allow more surrounding air space in the warm lazarette –
we’ll see. Item #2 is the need to replace one of the support slide for the
forward-facing salon deck windows. I think that Oyster is now employing a gas
strut as the windows are very heavy. Possibly, an upgrade is called
for.
As a U.S. boat, with U.S. citizens
aboard, our plan is to have our own ‘Thanksgiving meal’ on the traditional 4th
Thursday of November. Assuming that conditions allow, we will even have wine
with the meal – a TREAT!
Tom
Hughes