The winds died completely about 9:30pm last night. After Sam's valiant effort at harnessing every last bit of the dwindling breeze, We furled the head sail and everyone got some much needed rest. We all arose for the sunrise, and didn't find the rising breeze we'd been hoping for; 180 miles from land the ocean was as smooth as glass, aside from the perpetual ocean swell rocking us to and fro.
One of the projects we decided to tackle today was assembling the dinghy. This cleared out some of the v-berth, allowing me to dip the forward fuel tank again and take some measurements. In the end, I determined we have about 25 gallons of fuel left, and we have resumed motoring toward Tortola -- this should be enough fuel to get us all the way into the islands, at which time we'll use up the final 5 gallon jerry jug for maneuvering into the harbor. (The extra fuel is mostly due to the fact that for three years I've operated under the belief we had a 70 gallon forward tank, and today learned we in fact have a 90 gallon forward tank; a welcome surprise. Over the years we've rarely run our tanks all the way down, or filled them all the way up -- it's a sailboat!)
Projects done, we sat down to a Thanksgiving feast in the cockpit. Jamie dug through the cupboards, and put together a tasty spread including stuffing, rice pilaf, jellied cranberries, 3-bean salad, a fresh loaf of bread, and a from-scratch sweet potato pie. A very tasty meal.
Today's & tomorrow's weather forecast: more calm. We'd much rather sail in, but at least if we have to motor it will be a smooth ride.
We've received a lot of kind well-wishes and encouragement while underway; thanks everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! :)
Jeremy, Captain, S/V Miramar