tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544949013752489042024-02-26T23:25:23.213-08:00Sailing Zephyros (Ζέφυρος)Two adults, two children and a cat sailing to see the world and learn something together.Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761503889483442785noreply@blogger.comBlogger225125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-82479365653998960722023-08-11T11:49:00.001-07:002023-08-11T11:49:51.437-07:00Day 10, Arrival in Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland! <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css"> <title></title> <meta name="Generator" content="Cocoa HTML Writer"> <style type="text/css"> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px '.AppleSystemUIFont'} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px '.AppleSystemUIFont'; min-height: 22.0px} span.s1 {font-family: 'UICTFontTextStyleBody'; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 17.00px} </style> <p class="p1" dir="auto"><span style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">0930Z 10AUG23, Day 10, Arrival in Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland! We were alongside at 0830Z and consider our passage to be 9 days and 22.5 hour as the last half hour was in the marina getting set up and parked.</span> <br></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1" dir="auto"><span class="s1">Current Position: 51 42N / 008 31W Kinsale Yacht Club Marina</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">22.5 hour progress: 137nm, 6.1kts avg SOG. Our fastest day!</span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Passage Summary</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">1,229 nautical miles sailed</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">9 days 22.5hours (238.5 hours)</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">5.15 knots average speed over ground</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">31 hours of engine time</span></p> <p class="p1" dir="auto"><span class="s1">1 fish, a small Mahi Mahi</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Casualties: none!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Our last day was our quickest sailing of the passage. We were close reaching on a starboard tack and moving along well, pointed directly at Kinsale. By 10am the winds had built enough to put a second reef in the main.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Around lunch time we experimented with sail configurations as we expected the winds to build some more and we were wondering if we could get a better (ie comfortable and fast) setup.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">We ended up with the 2 reefs in the main and 2 in the genoa. We really didn't need to sail as fast as possible as the goal was to arrive after sunrise.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">By mid afternoon we put a 3rd reef in the main. We were starting to see higher gusts and we still expected the winds to build some more. Soon the wind dropped so we rolled out a reef from the genoa. This in turn brought more wind again and we eventually put the second reef back in the genoa. This continued for the late afternoon hours into the evening.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">We settled on a conservative configuration as the boys took their watches. They both did a great job. They adjusted course as needed to keep us pointing directly to Kinsale and watched to see if the winds would build.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">By the overnight watch it seemed the winds really weren't going to build any more and a reef came back out of the genoa. Zephyros was getting pushed around by a bit of current as we made our way along the South Eastern Irish coast.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Just before 6:30UTC (7:30am local) we were rounding the Old Head of Kinsale which was barely visible in the fog! Good thing we waited to make landfall during the day! We were grateful that GPS and electronic charting is so good but also used the radar as we piloted our way in.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1" dir="auto"><span class="s1">We fell off around the corner and had a nice sail up towards the head of the river. We then turned on the engine, rolled in the sails and brought down the main. We then turned up the river and motored in to Kinsale.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">There was quite a bit of current bringing us in and we quickly moved past the two old forts that guarded the town. The fog had lifted, a little. So we could see enough to make it down the river and to the marina. We ended up alongside in a visitor berth and were very happy that the Kinsale Yacht Club was able to find space for us.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">We were warmly greeted and welcomed. Then we set to cleaning and organizing. Soon customs arrived and did their checks and inspections. Then Jon went to check in with the marina and the harbor master.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">We made appointments with the Department of Agricultural to check-in Poseidon and called immigration to see whether they needed to see us. As we are US citizens they did want to see us and stamp us in so an appointment was made to meet them at the police station that evening.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">We then welcomed Saga, catching their lines. They arrived about 2.5 hours after us and were given the berth right in front of us. </span></p><p class="p1" dir="auto"><span class="s1"><br></span></p><p class="p1" dir="auto"><span class="s1"><div></div>After that it was showers and off to a lunch of fish and chips. Then the check-in appointments and a walk around town to pick up dinner and have a pint. Whew! A busy, busy day.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">(And then Friday featured a little sun so we were out exploring and this post is even later. Thanks for following along!)</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><br></span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyyQc6vWfUhjpOV93gMF-YmeZcbDZBM2IvsFvQ5I4NVMhPKzSmVw9Uo00-fxlgAA6_ioomk2MbiGpnFYp_kspr1D2dy_sNvHLGWqA_5mV4OeSKjP3X2KVlamPEzOkMN5qxEVZRj9UlmnEiuEMIWnZ6tUoU3NqMPE-kwYbpDf7WkYO3FJSyJYv4XWGS5Zhm"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyyQc6vWfUhjpOV93gMF-YmeZcbDZBM2IvsFvQ5I4NVMhPKzSmVw9Uo00-fxlgAA6_ioomk2MbiGpnFYp_kspr1D2dy_sNvHLGWqA_5mV4OeSKjP3X2KVlamPEzOkMN5qxEVZRj9UlmnEiuEMIWnZ6tUoU3NqMPE-kwYbpDf7WkYO3FJSyJYv4XWGS5Zhm=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7266138881429440466" /></a></div><br></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br></p> Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-78759910252935657372023-08-09T05:04:00.000-07:002023-08-09T05:05:36.307-07:00Day 9, Azores to Ireland<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqkSo4JP1PKWDWJaxLSMwhZOKJbkMm4_O-23SIrQY5dOWQ7bFjr0zi4rN1IeN6GjJQqZ_tus84AQ4J-lMKfgCr1PGxqGDQnYF8-PYKaiNiUe4xxzDjysKVEPuuqJ74RdeMuENfh_P3-v_MCZd_bfWC1j-bR3EKc_k2xrehXe4WAZ8Ssq9wJ6CfVAnrDhES"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqkSo4JP1PKWDWJaxLSMwhZOKJbkMm4_O-23SIrQY5dOWQ7bFjr0zi4rN1IeN6GjJQqZ_tus84AQ4J-lMKfgCr1PGxqGDQnYF8-PYKaiNiUe4xxzDjysKVEPuuqJ74RdeMuENfh_P3-v_MCZd_bfWC1j-bR3EKc_k2xrehXe4WAZ8Ssq9wJ6CfVAnrDhES=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7265292537218056882" /></a></p>0930Z 09AUG23, Day 9, Azores to Ireland. Another good day of sailing followed by a slow night of sailing. We are in the home stretch and the winds are picking up for Zephyros to kick up her heels and fly in. <p>Current Position: 50 24N / 011 20W<br>24 hour progress: 120nm, 5kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 1092nm, approximately 130nm to Kinsale. <p>We again sailed wing-on-wing throughout the day with the genoa poled out to our starboard side and the full main off to port. We made good speed with a good course. <p>We had a nice, relaxed day. We listened to an audiobook, looked at weather and made pizza. The downwind ride was comfortable and everyone's sea legs were well established. <p>We checked in with Saga a couple of times during the day. We were slowly clawing back the miles that we had given up as we both ran straight to the same point and compared mileage remaining. <p>Our setup was perfect this time with the main on the side it should be for the way the winds would change. As the wind moved towards the south we could keep adjusting our course to stay on rhumb line and the poled out genoa kept working. <p>The weather suggested we would want to bring down the pole around midnight or 1am. On Ronan's watch the wind started moving to the south and he was needing to steer around 135AWA so he woke up Megan (she was on standby watch). She watched it for a bit and decided to get Jon up at midnight. The three of us got the pole down and set up a broad reach on a starboard tack while a few dolphins chased us. Of course the winds moved back towards the west and our broad reach had us pointed a bit more easterly. <p>No matter. The winds were light and we were making around 4kts so it was no problem to give up a few degrees waiting for the winds to actually shift. As expected they did come around in the next hours and we sailed a comfortable broad reach in light winds for a few hours. <p>As the sun rose the wind continued to move around to the south bringing us to a beam reach. The course and sails were adjusted with the wind. The winds were still light but we expected that and were happy to be moving along under sail. <p>The winds began picking up around 7 and by 7:30am we had a reef in the main and Zephyros was gaining her stride on a close reach with fresh winds and a flat sea. <p>Our morning check-in with Saga showed that we had regained the lead. We are 8nm closer to Kinsale and sailing faster now. Apparently we had done well to get a bit more north as we had winds to sail overnight while they struggled to keep moving. <p>Now we both will work to balance our speed for the right arrival times. We are both aiming to be outside Kinsale at first light. The weather looks like we should have gusts up to 25kts and a close reach for the rest of the way. This is weather that Zephyros moves well in. <p>There are lots of dolphins in these waters. Delectable food must be abundant for them. We haven't caught any more fish, but we have enjoyed watching the dolphins play around the boat. Sometimes we see the large pods jumping out of the water as they race towards us from far away. Other times they just suddenly appear alongside. It's thrilling to watch them effortlessly fly through the water. Every so often one jumps out of the water while alongside as if they just want a better look at Zephyros. <p>Less than a day to go. We are finally doing the sailing that Zephyros likes to do. We are ready to end on a good note and excited for landfall. Fish 'n chips or something with fresh greens for lunch tomorrow?Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-15976403320279546252023-08-08T06:49:00.000-07:002023-08-08T06:52:09.234-07:00Day 8, Azores to Ireland<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhndvDJJdM925jWR8H8OtNtSBaE0GCe_kJushK9_5Tkb0Q4z5tpPCzNcl3w33li3VkdduJoYsbPHtk956V15uNJlAEppSFD4zBVsV7oPQh8fnwj3HB6QmbSFq4RMwkD3dqYwYBXIivPKMNB5nQmMWmKjwpvz7jbPpTqZPl_0rcQmka-0zsQM762e0AOC0to"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhndvDJJdM925jWR8H8OtNtSBaE0GCe_kJushK9_5Tkb0Q4z5tpPCzNcl3w33li3VkdduJoYsbPHtk956V15uNJlAEppSFD4zBVsV7oPQh8fnwj3HB6QmbSFq4RMwkD3dqYwYBXIivPKMNB5nQmMWmKjwpvz7jbPpTqZPl_0rcQmka-0zsQM762e0AOC0to=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7264948909954353170" /></a></p>0930Z 08AUG23, Day 8, Azores to Ireland. The best mileage day of the trip and we are down to 250nm to go! Looking good for a morning arrival on Thursday the 10th.
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<br>Current Position: 49 16N / 013 52W
<br>24 hour progress: 136nm, 5.7kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 972nm, approximately 250nm to Kinsale.
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<br>We sailed wing-on-wing throughout the day with the genoa poled out to our starboard side and the main off to port with one reef in. We made good speed with an ok course. However, through the day our course gradually moved more south of rhumb line.
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<br>Saga sailed with a single poled out headsail and made a nice direct course. This kept them and their lead steady.
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<br>We enjoyed a couple of dolphin visits in the afternoon with dolphins leaping out of the water next to the bow. They are always a morale booster and never get old. They stayed with us for a bit playing joyfully in our 6.5-7kt bow wake.
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<br>Around 4pm we gybed the main across and sailed a deep broad reach on port tack with the genoa still poled out which gave us more of a direct course.
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<br>In the early evening, we analyzed weather. The winds were expected to continue to move towards the west before coming back to the SW. There was also supposed to be a bit more wind expected to the north. Therefore we decided to take down the pole and sail a broad reach overnight. We also shook out the reef. This kept our speeds up and kept everything comfortable through the night. As expected our course gradually veered a bit more north of rhumb line.
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<br>On the early morning watch turn over, with a fog bow as the sun tried to burn through the haze and fog, Jon and Megan got the pole back up and set the sails back up wing-on-wing for a direct course again. The pole and genoa are off to starboard and the full main off to port.
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<br>We gained a new sailboat on AIS, SV Swea, that showed up in the early morning hours. We have been slowly opening on them since setting up wing-on-wing and they are headed about 20 degrees further east. There was no way we could even have a chance of seeing them as visibility has been very low since fog rolled in early last night.
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<br>Our morning check-in with Saga showed that we had crossed over to the north while they enjoyed slower but direct sailing on their single poled out sail set up. They were 24nm away but only about 5nm closer to Kinsale. It seems we clawed back a few miles even if our course was less direct.
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<br>While it is fun to be comparing notes and racing, in the end we are both trying for an early morning arrival to Kinsale on Thursday so in all likelihood we will both be adjusting course and speeds to arrive at similar times. Safe arrivals for all are really the goal - though bragging rights at the dock are a fun bonus.
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<br>We are all looking forward to landfall and some Irish food. Kinsale is apparently a bit of a gastronomic destination. Daxton is excited about crossing over the shelf and through the fishing fleet as he thinks our chances to catch a fish will improve. The parents are less excited about all the fishing and shipping traffic that we will soon encounter. Life is quiet and comfortable aboard.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-64156066435204444922023-08-07T06:39:00.000-07:002023-08-07T06:41:57.165-07:00Day 7, Azores to Ireland<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxdaBz1HD4HRSAAp_ZmrzEKUohSpxgmrDjBl7D5u30qQwdMHrIaGzrkbyT1uI6_Kq0kFg9Kq7xCMPzVCt2SJ16Lk9topU68VD91tRQyP_NkzBp8rcmtCxUgz0c-2A0teCKGfi_ZxPDvK1BNBlYG18HcjdKWrNUSFbcUvmUGzbB6wNBmf81EkcfKMrWkmHV"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxdaBz1HD4HRSAAp_ZmrzEKUohSpxgmrDjBl7D5u30qQwdMHrIaGzrkbyT1uI6_Kq0kFg9Kq7xCMPzVCt2SJ16Lk9topU68VD91tRQyP_NkzBp8rcmtCxUgz0c-2A0teCKGfi_ZxPDvK1BNBlYG18HcjdKWrNUSFbcUvmUGzbB6wNBmf81EkcfKMrWkmHV=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7264575195516296610" /></a></p>0930Z 07AUG23, Day 7, Azores to Ireland. A week at sea complete! After a slow first half of the day, Zephyros' speeds are (finally) up. It is feeling like the home stretch but there are still a few days to go. <p>Current Position: 47 37N / 015 59W<br>24 hour progress: 119nm, 5kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 836nm, approximately 380nm to Kinsale. <p>At the start of our day 7, we were in the lead with Saga and Take Five to either side. We were sailing, but the others were motor sailing and quickly gobbled up our small lead, then passed us by. <p>We then started tinkering to figure out how to get some more speed under sail. The winds were light and not expected to build much over the day, and we decided to deploy our asymmetric spinnaker. As the winds moved around and we couldn't really make the rhumb line course anyway, we decided to try wing-on-wing to get the most out of our sails with a course just east of north <p>Saga decided to sail as well and set up their kite too. We had hoped to converge a bit for a photo shoot, but it wasn't meant to be and they pulled ahead in the light winds. Take Five seemingly kept motor-sailing and was off the AIS fairly quickly. <p>It was a very pleasant afternoon that turned quite sunny and warm. Daxton was starting to go stir crazy and making us all crazy as he bounced off of the walls. We baked cookies and played a puzzle / riddle game over the radio with Saga. We could only ask yes or no questions and Daxton ended up especially frustrated (but in good humor) as everyone else slowly figured out the clues. In the end he solved it, everyone had some fun and we passed an hour and a half well entertained. It made the 3.3kt avg over the first 6 hours of the day that much more enjoyable. <p>In the evening we tried reefing down the main and gybing it across in front of the asymmetric to put us back to a rhumb line course. In higher winds we have been able to use this tactic to go deeper down wind without needing to fully drop our main.<p>We checked the weather forecasts and decided to keep the kite up past sunset. The winds were supposed to build, but were expected to still be manageable for the kite. As the winds slowly built, this all worked ok, but was a bit slower than Saga's configuration and they continued to pull ahead. <p>Around 11pm the winds started to build and we decided to bring down the kite. This was easily accomplished. It was Ronan's watch so he helped Jon & Megan with the task. It is really nice to have the extra hands when managing the kite, especially in the dark. <p>Sailing with the genoa and 4 reefs in the main and just 20kts of true wind, we just couldn't go deep downwind. It tends to work better for us in heavier winds and / or with a poled out headsail. Despite our efforts, it wasn't quite enough wind so we brought our heading up into the wind and settled for a broad reach pointed south of rhumb line. This was all a bit slower than we expected (or wanted) to be, and Saga slipped out beyond AIS range. <p>At 1am we shook out a couple of reefs to increase our boat speed on the broad reach. The winds were a bit variable but +/- 20kts. We wanted to go closer to rhumb line, but our night time sail setup didn't really facilitate that and slightly south of a direct course was still in-line with the weather routing. <p>At 8:30am with Jon and Megan turning over watch and the sun up we decided to tinker to see if we could get a better set up and improve our course and speed. We tried a couple of things but settled back into a wing-on-wing configuration. We poled out the genoa to the starboard side and set the main with 1 reef in, out on the port side. This moved our course closer to rhumb line and boosted speeds. <p>Our morning check-in with Saga showed they had enjoyed a great night and really pulled away at the cost of a little comfort. They were around 14nm to the NNE of us. Well done Saga & crew! So we start day 8 with a mission and a lot of work to do to catch up. They can apparently also move well deep downwind in these building winds. <p>The weather has gotten chilly and we are all quite happy. The afternoon yesterday was warm in the sun but overnight it really cooled off. We took advantage of being able to close our pilot house door and stayed warm inside on watches. Today is off to a chilly, gray start. <p>The fishing line is back in with no catches yesterday. There continues to be cargo ship traffic passing us from time to time. This morning 2 energetic dolphins leapt out of the water on their way to play by our bow for a bit.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-47423428207258554982023-08-06T05:21:00.000-07:002023-08-06T05:22:45.806-07:00Day 6, Azores to Ireland<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOAoYD6z8GR8vQM82HyQZdWDIgylqSxJwlpr6Y6Bwdu4xYnEwBv-H-Sd9RCWQEYRcAi-UXHBhJz1J02wBETbhPX52qsLTGOSoIYCmIM4aq0cmgBZRuHOkU6AkvHr16jTOQ0PdU_Ageu9CAGaF_pIkaZn0IFLLF4F1xDxJbCajV9Zo6Ll7VZgVlqDIurjvU"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOAoYD6z8GR8vQM82HyQZdWDIgylqSxJwlpr6Y6Bwdu4xYnEwBv-H-Sd9RCWQEYRcAi-UXHBhJz1J02wBETbhPX52qsLTGOSoIYCmIM4aq0cmgBZRuHOkU6AkvHr16jTOQ0PdU_Ageu9CAGaF_pIkaZn0IFLLF4F1xDxJbCajV9Zo6Ll7VZgVlqDIurjvU=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7264183700991599794" /></a></p>0930Z 06AUG23, Day 6, Azores to Ireland. It was an unexpected day of sailing followed by a very busy night watch followed by some motoring and back to slow sailing. <p>Current Position: 46 29N / 018 12W<br>24 hour progress: 117nm, 4.9kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 717nm, approximately 490nm to Kinsale. On the engine for about 5.5 hours. <p>As we sailed into the start of day 6, we were soon close hauled and headed east. It was a strange sensation to be close hauled in a following sea. We kept with that tack until the winds moved east. Once we started heading ESE we tacked north, which was around 12:30. <p>We tightened up our sheets and went as close to the wind as we could. As the winds were still 10-15kts we found ourselves able to pinch into the wind a little extra. It costs some speed, but with the more-than-expected wind it worked out well enough. Saga tacked north shortly after us for the same reasons. <p>We were back to bouncy, close hauled, heeled over sailing. Soon we found gusty winds pushing our apparent wind over 20kts so we put a reef in the main. We then debated about a second reef and added that as well. Along with being more wind than we expected, the winds were quite variable.<p>The boys were anxiously watching our GPS display, waiting for our "miles to go" indicator to go below 560nm for the official halfway mark. However our northerly course had the miles made good clicking down very, very slowly much to their dismay. <p>In the early afternoon Ronan shook out the second reef. Crew training continues on Zephyros making sure that the boys know how to do more sail related tasks. It is kind of like making sure you know how to change the oil and a tire on a car when you learn to drive. You might never have to do these things yourself but it is good to know how to, if you need to. Plus it is good exercise and Jon certainly doesn't mind the option of being able to send someone else out on the deck. <p>We soon became curious as to what Saga was up to. We had spent the whole day about 5-6nm behind them with each of us going faster or slower from time to time. They were just under 6nm ahead and because the winds were so variable with speed we weren't sure if they were motoring or getting more wind than us. If they had less wind then we wanted to shake out the reef and if they had more we would leave it in. Therefore we made a radio call to gather intelligence from our unwitting scout. As they are our friends, they happily told us they were still sailing and under full sail. They had not reefed at all. <p>So, Daxton went up and shook out the last reef and we were back to full sails. From there we didn't see the apparent wind go under 15kts and it was often up at or close to 20kts. We finally reached the halfway point and had our little party with loud music and treats of M&Ms, hard candy and dried cranberries (Daxton's absolute favorite treat and often difficult to find). We followed up the party with a delicious curry for dinner and put the 1st reef back in the main in a particularly gusty section of ocean.<p>Soon we decided to gather more intel and again called up Saga. They said they had turned on the engine but had decided to go right back to sailing. (The winds were really that variable!) We chatted and they hadn't seen any apparent wind over 15kts the whole day where as we were seeing 20kts quite often. We are bigger and have more sail area, so this wasn't really surprising but you usually only have direct information about your own boat and not about other boats along the same passage. It was an interesting conversation. <p>We decided to shake the reef back out and that we would just manage any gusts by loosening the main sheet to dump air as the weather forecasts suggested the winds should be getting lighter over night. We then stayed on the radio and enjoyed another dice game, before they said goodnight to go have their special "halfway there" dinner. <p>During the night watches the winds became variable in direction as well as speed. We remained close hauled but as the winds were moving around to the south our course improved and varied from north to near rhumb line. On Ronan's watch he saw a new sailboat join our flotilla - Take Five, a Belgian boat that we believe we saw but didn't meet back in Ponta Delgada. We worked to gain on Saga and Take Five worked to gain on us. We wonder what day they left Ponta Delgada. <p>Soon after Megan started her watch things got interesting. Take Five was trying to sail rather close to us. With the variable winds Megan was busy falling off, adjusting sails, trying to keep a rhumb line course while trying not to get too close to anyone. Take Five was presumably still sailing an apparent wind direction and potentially annoyed that we were acting "erratic" while Megan was annoyed they kept closing in. Eventually we came to an unspoken understanding where they veered to the east and we veered north. We also gained some distance with good speeds in the gusts. <p>We found ourselves with 3 sailboats in about 3 or 4nm of each other. Then a new sailing contact appeared! A smaller sailboat, Fettler, joined in on the fun. He was headed east crossing in front of all of us such that there were now 4 sailboats within a 5nm radius in the middle of the northern Atlantic Ocean! Party crashers to the halfway party?<p>After things had all worked themselves out, the winds stopped gusting and started dying. Saga and Take Five seemingly turned on their engines while Fettler continued east bound. We soon followed suit with our engine on just after 3am once the winds dropped below 3kts and boat speeds below 1kt. Zephyros motors well so we moved into the lead with Saga and Take Five falling about 5nm behind as we motored direct to Kinsale. <p>In the morning hours the winds seemed to be becoming steady at 8-10kts and we shifted back to sailing. As it was a broad reach the winds were a bit light to move Zephyros, but we secured the engine and are back to slowly sailing in the right direction. How long will it take for Saga and Take Five to catch us?<p>Yesterday was mostly gray with the sun only coming out occasionally for short spells. Today is off to a similar start. The weather has cooled off. We find it quite pleasant and are in long sleeves and pants with slippers or shoes and often an extra layer at night. <p>The fishing line has been in but there have been no new catches. There continue to be birds—mostly sheer waters. This morning a cargo ship passed between us and Take Five, right through our 3 sailboat flotilla, passing us at about 2nm. We have visual contact with both Take Five and Saga so it doesn't currently feel very lonely on the great big ocean.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-28071759721073110152023-08-05T04:20:00.000-07:002023-08-05T04:23:25.830-07:00Day 5, Azores to Ireland<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgg45A6XsfnknaDHygTn--S9IKpTt6sFkbEjHreFDVH1kd5cayKcsygnGtM1BdAcXrhKWHxJwnJeOPywn31phv6Im-fYRn4yxjHtPnSBUEUU58y6JTwxaSP25_Gu2P-8VRgA7ALMvoEKN5-z-emPx_FxAgYMwi-pM5oOHA257YOKWksJYfHpl77fqEaooPF"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgg45A6XsfnknaDHygTn--S9IKpTt6sFkbEjHreFDVH1kd5cayKcsygnGtM1BdAcXrhKWHxJwnJeOPywn31phv6Im-fYRn4yxjHtPnSBUEUU58y6JTwxaSP25_Gu2P-8VRgA7ALMvoEKN5-z-emPx_FxAgYMwi-pM5oOHA257YOKWksJYfHpl77fqEaooPF=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7263797327768079858" /></a></p>0930Z 05AUG23, Day 5, Azores to Ireland. We are just about halfway there! It was a slow progress day, under cloudy but sometimes sunny skies with drizzling rain overnight. <p>Current Position: 44 56N / 019 21W<br>24 hour progress: 113nm, 4.7kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 600nm, approximately 590nm to Kinsale. <p>We sailed wing-on-wing for a good bit of the day. Saga appeared on the AIS shortly after the log entry around 11nm behind. The winds were mostly 15kts and we did ok with the wing-on-wing setup. They only gained a few miles on us. <p>Just before dinner we gybed the genoa across and were sailing a broad reach on a port tack. At this point Saga was about 8nm back. They were still too far back for a radio game so we tried over text on the iridium after dinner. It mostly worked but the radio was definitely easier and more fun. <p>The winds kept shifting north and we found ourselves tightening the sails up and on a beam reach. Saga was starting to gain ground in lighter winds. <p>Then around 9:30 the winds picked up to about 20kts and Jon woke up to put in a reef. The sky was pretty dark and we suspected some rain clouds were moving in, potentially with gusty winds so we decided a night reef was a good plan. A couple hours later the winds were back to a steady 10kts but we kept the reef in. The fog and rain did show up, and the light winds became rather shifty and variable. <p>Our reduced sail was an opening that Saga deftly exploited. They started clicking away on the gap. By 03:30 they were passing us about 1.6nm to starboard. We then decided to shake out the night reef on our watch turnover. This allowed us to keep up when the winds picked up, but when they were lighter Saga kept expanding their lead. They are now 5.5nm ahead of us. Well done Lianne & Bernhard and well done Saga!<p>After a night of shifting winds and sail adjustments, the wind has continued to move around and we are working towards being close hauled. We expect the wind to die off again some time today and to be back on the engine again. This should allow us to catch back up to Saga. It's quite amazing that we have stayed so close over the first half of the passage! <p>We are all doing well. It was taco night last night which is always a hit. Poseidon continues to be out and about with us often stealing the watch seat in the pilot house, but failing to actually stand watch over anything other than attempted incursions onto his seat. It's an ongoing battle as he doesn't really like to share the space. <p>We will celebrate half way today! There will be a little party with music and treats. We are hoping for an arrival late on the 9th but if not we should (hopefully) arrive sometime on the 10th. The forecasts look like some better sailing, but only time will tell how we get on for the second half.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-48943123022382816522023-08-04T04:34:00.000-07:002023-08-04T04:37:44.916-07:00Day 4, Azores to Ireland<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhG2o__gcpZV8U0061NbJldIoKTu_01SN1njRlzQT2hkX2eW-7mHL4B959ak8b0NXDkjOTqHvomP___igmiFNjcTfl2ofAD3PD-JktudDfKsty2OX86K6mdI5VizdFe7WZIUeiMBRWer2VCvtbMljjFTIqZ1qET2WiUqtd1sx5r2U9dhqnEhrtjob5ydtX2"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhG2o__gcpZV8U0061NbJldIoKTu_01SN1njRlzQT2hkX2eW-7mHL4B959ak8b0NXDkjOTqHvomP___igmiFNjcTfl2ofAD3PD-JktudDfKsty2OX86K6mdI5VizdFe7WZIUeiMBRWer2VCvtbMljjFTIqZ1qET2WiUqtd1sx5r2U9dhqnEhrtjob5ydtX2=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7263429931521539154" /></a></p>0930Z 04AUG23, Day 4, Azores to Ireland. We had some lovely weather and a good bit of motoring. Now we are back to downwind sailing under cloudy skies. <p>Current Position: 43 39N / 021 13W<br>24 hour progress: 122nm, 5.1kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 487nm, approximately 700nm to Kinsale, about 14.5 hours of engine time. <p>We continued sailing close hauled after yesterday's log entry. Around midday we shook out the reef that we had left in the main. Around 2pm the winds were dropping off and the engine came on. We furled the genoa and motor sailed with the full main in light winds. <p>In the afternoon, Saga reappeared on our AIS, with our paths set to cross around 2nm apart. We were heading along rhumb line and they were pushing more directly north to catch the next wind system. Just before dinner time we had a nice radio chat and agreed to play a dice game after dinner over the radio. We reconnected and ended up playing 2 games prior to sunset. It definitely broke up the monotony of the day of motoring! Daxton was quite happy as he won the first game and he was on watch so it made his watch go faster with something different to occupy the evening. <p>They continued north and we continued NE with us losing each other off the AIS again in a few hours.<p>It was a beautiful clear night with the waning full moon and stars. Around 4am Megan decided there was enough wind to sail and we all had, had enough of the engine. So Megan set up on a broad reach, sailing north in light winds. As the winds filled in the clouds also started filling in.<p>From our morning check in with Saga, they were about 11nm to the south. They were also back to sailing with a more or less direct course to Kinsale with a straight downwind 2 headsail configuration. Megan decided to change from our broad reach to direct downwind with a wing-on-wing (main sail to one side and genoa to the other) setup so that we could also point NE rather than N. <p>We motor faster and regained our lead overnight, but Saga has a speed advantage in the lighter winds; so maybe we will see them on AIS again sometime today. We seem to start to see them around 8-9nm away on the AIS but need to be around 5nm or less away to talk clearly on the radio. <p>We are all doing well. Everyone is feeling better. We all enjoyed the poke bowl that the sea provided. Even Poseidon had a little nibble - he usually shows no interest in fish when we catch it so that was a surprise. The fishing line stayed aboard all day after the catch, but is back in today. <p>We are still seeing birds, distant cargo ships and tankers as well as the occasional SV Saga. Otherwise it is lots of ocean and sky.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-85735632212547730052023-08-03T06:09:00.000-07:002023-08-03T06:11:55.117-07:00Day 3, Azores to Ireland<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkXnpiIhR1JPBS2kDbvZwhOdvow8khRrEBq3pcpoZR4uExR7OO6jnDaI3hobVZB-Y-9i0TYbRQtus1mHsrlIIgg6bl37HwKN_y5W60Ms_rrG9mD354jo3jL9yfwYBRT-2BYVwxYW1zRiAM_lRcqysZFypSj_9VURTZHUYdl00-5rNILPdZDlY2d5un_P-I"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkXnpiIhR1JPBS2kDbvZwhOdvow8khRrEBq3pcpoZR4uExR7OO6jnDaI3hobVZB-Y-9i0TYbRQtus1mHsrlIIgg6bl37HwKN_y5W60Ms_rrG9mD354jo3jL9yfwYBRT-2BYVwxYW1zRiAM_lRcqysZFypSj_9VURTZHUYdl00-5rNILPdZDlY2d5un_P-I=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7263083115344531746" /></a></p>0930Z 03AUG23, Day 3, Azores to Ireland. Day 3 was an uncomfortable day of close hauled sailing in gray, cool weather. <p>Current Position: 41 58N / 022 23W<br>24 hour progress: 123nm, 5.1kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 365nm, approximately 810nm to Kinsale. 70nm made good down the rhumb line - only about half of the miles sailed made for progress towards Kinsale, but at least we were sailing. <p>About an hour into day 3 we had a major wind shift. It was expected from the weather forecasts, but it is still quite surprising when the wind shifts almost 180 degrees without much change in wind speed or other signs that it is coming. <p>We had expected the wind to shift to the north or northeast so had planned to sail east if we could. However, after setting up close hauled on a port tack, we were heading southeast. We soon abandoned that plan as the wind moved further and further towards the east which had us sailing more and more south. We then tacked north and tightened our sails to as close hauled as we can go. <p>Zephyros heeled over and the boat movement changed as we bounced into the waves and swell. This had some of the crew feeling quite queasy and feeding the fish. Megan's iron stomach was fine and Poseidon surprisingly hasn't drooled or gotten sick.<p>We continued on close hauled, pointed N to NNW. In the evening hours the winds picked up (they often seem to pick up when it's time to cook!) and we added a second reef to the main while Megan worked to feed the crew. <p>The winds were up and down but before sunset we shook out one of the reefs, bringing us back to 1 reef in the main. There were enough clouds and shifting winds that we left the reef in the main to simplify overnight watches. When the winds picked up we put a reef in the genoa and then shook it out when they calmed again. <p>Around midnight Saga tacked east and we lost them off the AIS. We hung on to our NW tack until just after 3am when the winds moved more northerly. Then we tacked and headed east for about 5.5 hours until our course was too southerly again. We are back to a N-NW heading, close hauled and expect the winds to die off sometime today. <p>Morning updates around our group show Saga about 13nm east of us and Puff about 50nm south. Everyone seems to be doing well - though mal de mar has made its rounds. We are all expecting the wind to go away as we cross through a light wind area before picking up the next system. Until then, we will sail the best we can. <p>The weather is nicer - sunnier but cooler - again this morning. Hopefully everyone will start feeling better soon. The seas haven't been too large so everyone just needs some time to find their sea legs. There have been lots of birds and even one foolishly determined one that we had to chase away from the fishing line yesterday. <p>Just this morning (at 0920 and right before the 24 hour end to day 3) Daxton (finally) caught a fish! A small Mahi Mahi. He is so happy that his prized lure finally caught something. We are all looking forward to a nice poke bowl lunch.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-81218599299771966942023-08-02T03:22:00.000-07:002023-08-02T03:23:59.521-07:00Day 2, Azores to Ireland<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_XNMc2kurEg0TfUXekpZoGkQxNXdNa93ml07EggoVgMv2RiJMJjVDxB1G6wpQIlxr-ynLnOGQjs-GQp9WSGCJh4a_4h5d-kVwC053t4QsPKi2qwV7IiQjdRwat7lv79SL-5yiDBt48icV1T0t8wdb5KISDe0C5wD8E_hJ-rQ3WrOyxZfnjQlrFz2Sf2Em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_XNMc2kurEg0TfUXekpZoGkQxNXdNa93ml07EggoVgMv2RiJMJjVDxB1G6wpQIlxr-ynLnOGQjs-GQp9WSGCJh4a_4h5d-kVwC053t4QsPKi2qwV7IiQjdRwat7lv79SL-5yiDBt48icV1T0t8wdb5KISDe0C5wD8E_hJ-rQ3WrOyxZfnjQlrFz2Sf2Em=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7262668751413249058" /></a></p>0930Z 02AUG23, Day 2, Azores to Ireland. We had a lovely day of sailing in warm weather and blue skies. Overnight the clouds rolled in and this morning is off to a gray start. <p>Current Position: 40 34N / 022 27W<br>24 hour progress: 139nm, 5.8kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 242nm, approximately 880nm to Kinsale.<p>We have been sailing a reach for the past 24 hours with Zephyros moving well. Yesterday in the late morning we turned the engine on for less than 30min when the winds dipped below 5kts. Soon we were back in light but sailable wind and the engine was back off. Perhaps we were a bit too impatient or perhaps the little bit of motoring helped to get us quickly out of the wind hole. <p>The winds and seas built gradually over the past 24 hours. We adjusted sails and course to stay pointed towards Kinsale. Around midnight the winds built to 20+ kts so we added a reef to the main on watch turnover. This kept everything comfortable. <p>The overnight watch had the supermoon as company. The skies were cloudy but the moon still kept the night decently bright. <p>We have been able to see Saga on the AIS pretty much the whole day. They were gaining on us in the lower winds of yesterday morning and afternoon. However, once Zephyros found 15kts of apparent wind she has been doing better. They gain some ground and lose some ground. We seem fairly evenly matched overall. <p>We have email contact with both Saga and Puff as we all move through these waters. It's nice to know there are fellow sailors just over the horizon even if all you can see on the horizon is blue or gray. <p>The boys are standing their watches and we are all adjusting. Poseidon has adjusted really smoothly with the calmer start to this passage. He has been taking over the pilot house seat for hours each morning and doesn't like to share. <p>The fishing line is out - Daxton's lure still isn't catching anything to his dismay. Lots of boats on the AIS early this morning with a cargo ship passing about 1.5nm away in the early morning hours.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-37456409259857816612023-08-01T06:02:00.000-07:002023-08-01T06:04:29.363-07:00Day 1, Azores to Ireland<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinfmJl6Dn-H1He6ubNCclSEDY5jEOVdQTtembKnqTHpzSE0duGPODk0LMwzoYhneZhHo0dOxrWGBaDJNYL0ap8NbxIkuFIwDR57zNMlbIQKPF9IbCodQ_6eU6w1IJyFvFStXbOsWddP854CsoTBmlEeHADliowL9TqIkUS3ssnw4lLP2DheNW72NopQIYY"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinfmJl6Dn-H1He6ubNCclSEDY5jEOVdQTtembKnqTHpzSE0duGPODk0LMwzoYhneZhHo0dOxrWGBaDJNYL0ap8NbxIkuFIwDR57zNMlbIQKPF9IbCodQ_6eU6w1IJyFvFStXbOsWddP854CsoTBmlEeHADliowL9TqIkUS3ssnw4lLP2DheNW72NopQIYY=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7262339028211491122" /></a></p>0930Z 01AUG23, Day 1, Azores to Ireland. It was a great month and a half in the Azores, and now it is time to sail on. The see-you-later's were tough, but the excitement for new adventures in Ireland is high. Both are definitely a part of the highs and lows of this journey. <p>Current Position: 38 42N / 024 11W<br>24 hour progress: 103nm, 4.3kts avg SOG, approximately 1020nm to Kinsale. We had about 15 hours of engine time in the first 24 hours. <p>We got underway at 09:30 in the morning from Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores. There was very little wind so we motored out of the harbor towards the whale watching boats. We figured if we were going to use diesel anyway, might as well join the whale watching groups. We were rewarded with dolphins and Sei whales!<p>We hung out near the tour boats for a little while and then turned east to start down around São Miguel. We motored east looking for more feeding birds in hopes of more dolphins and whales - we were not disappointed. We found another group and then put up our main and contemplated sailing as our friends on SV Saga and SV Puff were both underway now, also leaving the Azores (and sailing). <p>We were able to launch the asymmetric spinnaker and were pleasantly surprised with some easy downwind sailing around the island. The weather forecasts suggested we would be motoring a good bit for the first day or so of the passage so we were happy to get beautiful, sunny, calm, pleasant sailing to start off the trip. <p>As we reached the SE corner of the island we brought down the kite as rain clouds were looming and we figured we would try to keep the kite dry. We ended up on the motor in the lee of the island and saw more dolphins and more whales. <p>As we cleared the island, we shut the engine off for awhile, sailing a close reach on port tack with full sails and pointed to Ireland! As the internet communications dropped off, we were able to have a radio chat with Saga and they could talk to Puff. It's always interesting to be close enough to other friends to see them on AIS and occasionally have radio chats. <p>After a lovely sunset the winds died and the engine was back on until around 3 am. The nearly full moon was great company while it was up. The morning winds have been light and we are making slow progress, but it is progress and in the right direction. <p>We have seen some fishing boats, a couple of tankers and our fishing line is in the water. Now we work on settling into the rhythm of passage making.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-73509023339960876472023-06-15T04:50:00.001-07:002023-06-15T04:50:31.369-07:00Day 18, arrival in Horta, Faial, Azores!<p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal" dir="auto"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"><div style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLZO0-815YEWfOVf3ANT0S3pyh7x_Uno_A0G4QN2Zd4rlMgN7wTnAiLZbxw6eHIJWweqqwTNMcbxG5izK24DFBUXWOxwBn-eSXI9DqFvpfnKChp88SQJoFUwXo_Pytzuv6KpXwLp_ArUPB2He3Hwktphj7gXxW54LaUjp1IBZUgBFaGBax5E6MMJPz6g"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLZO0-815YEWfOVf3ANT0S3pyh7x_Uno_A0G4QN2Zd4rlMgN7wTnAiLZbxw6eHIJWweqqwTNMcbxG5izK24DFBUXWOxwBn-eSXI9DqFvpfnKChp88SQJoFUwXo_Pytzuv6KpXwLp_ArUPB2He3Hwktphj7gXxW54LaUjp1IBZUgBFaGBax5E6MMJPz6g=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7244878962612936258" /></a></div>1500Z 14JUN23, Day 18, arrival in Horta, Faial, Azores! We were anchor down at 1500Z which is also 1500 local, just shy of a full 18 day passage. We inflated the dinghy, got checked in and re-anchored a bit forward in the port. Then we enjoyed taco night, a bottle of cava </span><span class="s2">🥂</span><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">and collapsed into bed. </span></p><p class="p2" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal;min-height:22px"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">Current Position: 38 32N / 028 37W anchored in Horta, Faial, Azores</span></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">22.5 hour progress: 148nm, 6.6kts avg SOG. Our fastest day!</span></p><p class="p2" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal;min-height:22px"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">Passage Summary</span></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">2,334 nautical miles sailed</span></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">17 days 23 hours (431 hours)</span></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">5.42 knots average speed over ground</span></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">41 hours of engine time</span></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">0 fish </span></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">Casualties: sail bag lazy jack haul line (port side), batten issues, blinking AIS display</span></p><p class="p2" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal;min-height:22px"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">The winds had filled in to the expected 20-25kts and Zephyros galloped to the port in Horta with our best average speed of the passage but not quite a 24 hour run. </span></p><p class="p2" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal;min-height:22px"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">We sailed a broad reach on starboard tack for the remaining 145nm almost entirely on rhumb line. We were gradually able to turn into the wind giving us a cleaner broad reach and better and better speeds. </span></p><p class="p2" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal;min-height:22px"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">In the morning we added a reef to the main as our speeds were up and the seas were also coming up as the ocean floor became shallower. It was hazy and rainy as we approached Horta. </span></p><p class="p2" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal;min-height:22px"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">The rain didn't last - thankfully. It did look like we might have pouring rain from the forecasts for our arrival. The haze did last. We couldn't see land until about 5 or so miles away! It made landfall and landfall pictures a bit mysterious. </span></p><p class="p2" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal;min-height:22px"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">We sailed most of the way into the harbor. As we turned the SE corner of the island, we first furled in the genoa and sailed the main deep downwind. Then we gybed the main across. Finally we turned on the engine to drop the main, pass through the harbor entrance and find a place to anchor. We made it!</span></p><p class="p2" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal;min-height:22px"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">Astreos went to Flores. Emily Morgan beat us in and is anchored in Horta. We arrived before Saba—who was our only declared on passage challenger.</span></p><p class="p2" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal;min-height:22px"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">Paikea is due in tomorrow but is likely to run out of wind today or tomorrow. Apparently our rather generous full week handicap was more than sufficient to get us the earlier arrival. We are excited to welcome them to Horta and look forward to exploring with them!</span></p><p class="p2" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal;min-height:22px"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">We are also looking forward to seeing our friends on Puff who should be heading back to Horta (they are on Sao Jorge currently) this weekend. A new place, with great friends to hang out and explore with—we are happy to be here!</span></p><p class="p2" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal;min-height:22px"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">We will move posts back to Facebook and Instagram for our time in the Azores. We will be back with log posts for our onward passage to northern high latitudes. </span></p><p class="p2" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal;min-height:22px"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"><span class="s1" style="font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody">Thank you for following along!</span></p> Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-64062542009758438752023-06-13T09:23:00.000-07:002023-06-13T09:25:50.291-07:00Day 17, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUEsrupbY57w_RNr_owwfN2BJW0aBw_APHX6n-thQhRzX6I7DIaJ63GLb3OTII7LNNgtCLw4dBo12yLi3GcB6yiXp76Lopq4RYhl-33n8oEJDs8tzCOKqAH1apmY7Fmrd31aISYzhOROYitzbf5ExkU8JVAOwhSpLHKZADNpNYOwk8VkxV0pxpD7BzmQ"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUEsrupbY57w_RNr_owwfN2BJW0aBw_APHX6n-thQhRzX6I7DIaJ63GLb3OTII7LNNgtCLw4dBo12yLi3GcB6yiXp76Lopq4RYhl-33n8oEJDs8tzCOKqAH1apmY7Fmrd31aISYzhOROYitzbf5ExkU8JVAOwhSpLHKZADNpNYOwk8VkxV0pxpD7BzmQ=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7244207741085293026" /></a></p>1600Z 13JUN23, Day 17, St Martin to the Azores. We are getting close now! We are hoping for an arrival before sunset tomorrow. The winds have come back but our 24 hour progress was up and down. In the end, we salvaged an average mileage day out of the conditions. <p>Current Position: 37 57N / 031 35W<br>24 hour progress: 128nm, 5.3kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 2,186nm, approximately 145nm to Horta.<p>Yesterday the weather remained beautiful. The night was star-filled and chilly. Today has been a bit hazy at times, but sunny and very pleasant. We have had some really nice weather for the trip with not a lot rain—of course that means the boat will need a good wash down at some point to remove all the accumulated salt. <p>The winds yesterday were a bit disappointing. We weren't sailing very well and the winds were less than we expected based on the forecasts. This means the estimated arrival time was creeping later and later. The excitement and anticipation of making landfall was being pushed back with this delay. It is a bit of a let down and morale crusher if you fixate on it; but that's how it goes with sailing. You do what you can with what you get. <p>We continued sailing with the poled out genoa and wing on wing configuration. It was doing ok for us in the lighter than forecasted winds. <p>Before the overnight watch cycle began, we discussed that Flores no longer seemed possible, at least not with an arrival before sunset. With the forecasted wind direction it seemed to make the most sense to continue on the wing on wing set up and see how we did overnight while continuing to hedge our bets between the two options. <p>However, our course got worse and worse. We decided to gybe the main across. We sailed a starboard tack with full main and the poled out genoa. This was a bit slow but allowed us a direct to Horta course and to stay deep downwind. <p>While gybing the main across, Ronan spotted a sailboat on AIS. They were more or less on our course about 8nm behind us. They were going a bit faster than us and we expected them to pass us eventually. Around 0330 UTC they passed about 1nm to our starboard. They are a 55ft sailboat (according to AIS) and were clearly faster than us. (It is always a bit sad to be passed—another morale hit.) We did our best to keep up with them, but they are no longer on our AIS. <p>We continued to be frustrated by the slower than expected winds and boat speeds. Daylight would mean time to tweak sail configurations and see if we could improve speeds and our corresponding ETA. <p>After sunrise the winds built up to what we had expected them to be the whole rest of our trip - 15-25kts, rather than the 12-15kts of yesterday. So we kept sailing what we had up as a little more morning sleep was logged. <p>Once the crew was up we were pretty close to a broad reach. We secured the pole and have been sailing full sails, on a deep broad reach with a good course to Horta. We are hoping the wind will turn a bit to the south to give us a cleaner (better wind through the sails) broad reach. That should increase our speed a little as well. <p>We decided to keep heading for Horta. It just never looked like we could make Flores before sunset today and we want to be in Horta when Paikea arrives. They are putting impressive miles under their keels and should arrive on Friday—a 13 day passage from St Martin!<p>In other news, dolphins came to visit. They surfed around the boat for about 5 minutes. Went away for 10-15 minutes and came back for another 5 minutes. They always brighten the mood. Watching them play never gets old. <p>The fishing line is back in, but still no fish for us. Probably too many dolphins around. The occasional bird is seen, but we haven't seen the numbers build yet as one usually does during the approach to land.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-78173667902334914322023-06-12T09:47:00.000-07:002023-06-12T09:49:29.457-07:00Day 16, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyj9CfO9djmvufrXIpZhKRgQd-j9j2NUgXzsgy5uXh_4sOothbZ8Z_dFjY7JcdRF8Nh8IXkzfUqNdz2wF8IcDL3eJJgplv8iF1DzZtqnqi4UaQs-SIX6NeABkWhi0RXaTloKE-h1Kdco21v52h5E-1abHH8oWCFh_AnlpzgqdQtD9EPZAOUqY89_IuvA"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyj9CfO9djmvufrXIpZhKRgQd-j9j2NUgXzsgy5uXh_4sOothbZ8Z_dFjY7JcdRF8Nh8IXkzfUqNdz2wF8IcDL3eJJgplv8iF1DzZtqnqi4UaQs-SIX6NeABkWhi0RXaTloKE-h1Kdco21v52h5E-1abHH8oWCFh_AnlpzgqdQtD9EPZAOUqY89_IuvA=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7243842751550230258" /></a></p>1600Z 12JUN23, Day 16, St Martin to the Azores. We are back to sunny skies. Our winds are now less than expected and our course and speed are suffering. But the sailing is easy and the temperatures are pleasant. <p>Current Position: 37 27N / 034 10W<br>24 hour progress: 139nm, 5.8kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 2,058nm, approximately 270nm to Horta or 180nm to Flores.<br> <br>Yesterday remained dreary, overcast and gray. We played with the radar as we had such limited visibility and good amounts of power. <p>Our AIS transmitter display started blinking which gave us a good bit of concern. This is how we see other boats and they see us from distances beyond visual range. We have a secondary receiver, but that doesn't let others see us. A reboot was tried. A rest period was tried. Neither of those worked. Then the line to the GPS antenna and the antenna connections were checked. A loose connection was found and tightened. So far, so good. <p>We continued sailing yesterday with strong winds. To stay on rhumb line we turned deeper down wind, which meant putting a 4th reef in the main for clear air in the headsail. That worked well with the 25+kt winds. <p>By midnight the winds were dropping (earlier than expected) and our course was moving south of direct. We gybed the boat and sailed a deep broad reach as a course north of rhumb line was preferable. Our course was no longer a nice direct line unfortunately. <p>By the early morning (3am) watch turnover we were ready to shake out two reefs from the main. Things were slow and a bit rolly. Things were more comfortable with more sail up and more speed on the broad reach. <p>In the dark, early morning hours a small vessel passed just over 1nm away. They were not broadcasting on AIS and seemed to be going south / southwest. Their radar return was quite weak, but they were lit. We passed quietly in the night. Seemed a bit strange to see someone sailing that direction at this time of year. <p>After sunrise we slowly shook out the last two reefs as the winds settled at around 17kts. This is too light for us to go deep downwind with a heavily reefed main. So it became time to tinker to see what configuration we could do to make a better course for the Azores. <p>We settled on a wing on wing setup. The genoa is poled out to the port side and the full main is set with a preventer on the starboard side. The centerboard is up and both dagger boards are down. This is giving us a good course to Flores and we are now debating if we want to make landfall in Flores rather than Horta. <p>The fishing line is back in. The weather is beautiful and we are dreaming of shore things - walks, fresh salads, food at a restaurant and a full night of uninterrupted sleep.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-44988953921329247712023-06-11T09:53:00.000-07:002023-06-11T09:55:23.039-07:00Day 15, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6zYLX1kVi_-8Zvh8fsKQy965tGfLHOD3byFlywUSs8D1XGYaiG-INRZqxrVrTRTOdAwIe47qLCjeYiDGumA3NbFlQ5J_wbahc_9tjZe2YYHCySk1c6EziCZ1-URKKmT08Ic9nnOnfEkszsAo-ULXtfi6qr9QxXftEmWjW33omPkBqHnVRDE-kYNpfYQ"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6zYLX1kVi_-8Zvh8fsKQy965tGfLHOD3byFlywUSs8D1XGYaiG-INRZqxrVrTRTOdAwIe47qLCjeYiDGumA3NbFlQ5J_wbahc_9tjZe2YYHCySk1c6EziCZ1-URKKmT08Ic9nnOnfEkszsAo-ULXtfi6qr9QxXftEmWjW33omPkBqHnVRDE-kYNpfYQ=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7243473188538959842" /></a></p>1600Z 11JUN23, Day 15, St Martin to the Azores. Today is dreary, rainy and chilly. We are back in the winds now and making great progress in the right direction. <p>Current Position: 36 02N / 036 16W<br>24 hour progress: 151nm, 6.3kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 1,919nm, approximately 395nm to the Azores.<p>Soon after yesterday's log entry the winds filled in a little and they have gradually picked up from there. We started off sailing a reach under full sail in about 10kts of breeze. By Daxton's watch the winds were around 15kts and we were still on a beam reach (starboard tack). <p>At Ronan's watch turnover winds were gusting to 20kts and it was time for a reef in the main. Jon went up to the mast to reef and the port side lazy jacks gave out dropping the sail bag on top of him. <p>These things nearly always happen at night! It wasn't a huge deal as this has happened before. The one bit of line that isn't dyneema in the system suffers from both UV damage and chaffe from the sail. They just fail every so often. They aren't critical, but they make handling the sail when reefed much easier. The quick fix is to use the topping lift line to lift the dyneema lower pieces of the lazy jack until we can go up the mast and retrieve the broken line. <p>It was all sorted fairly easily. It just took a little bit of time in the dark and slowed the setting of the reef. The line that broke will need to be retrieved and reset; however, it has wrapped itself out of the way at the mast below the first spreader so it will probably wait until Horta to be corrected unless there is a calm opportunity before then. We will keep an eye on it and can deal with it, if it decides to get in the way or be a problem.<p>The clouds that had started to cover the sky yesterday afternoon continued to roll in. The night was cloudy, chilly and dark with 15-20kts of wind. We were able to move the apparent wind aft of the beam giving us a deeper beam reach while continuing to point directly to Horta. <p>As the winds were expected to build before sunrise, during the early morning watch turnover we put a second reef in the main. The winds really didn't build until after sunrise so it was probably added a bit early. No matter, we kept a good speed and direct course. <p>The sun rose, but the day is gray, dreary, rainy and cool. The winds built to the 20-25kts range and we continued sailing a deep reach. Speedily and on rhumb line. <p>As the morning rolled on, we began surfing a bit sideways and turning into the wind. As we seemed over powered a third reef went into the main. Winds were now a steady 25kts gusting to 30 with the seas building. <p>We are now on a broad reach to make rhumb line which is more comfortable. The waves are more following now. We are occasionally getting speeds of 8-9kts surfing the waves. It's a sporty afternoon and Zephyros is happily plowing away. <p>We expect the winds to stay up until the early morning hours. Then we should have a comfortable 20kts more or less the rest of the way in. At least that's what the weather forecasts suggest. Actual results may vary. <p>We are excited to be closing in on landfall. As the sailing is sporty today the fishing line is not out. We are still seeing shearwaters and expect that we might start to see other birds as we are getting close to the Azores.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-69238141363139789182023-06-10T09:50:00.000-07:002023-06-10T09:52:21.169-07:00Day 14, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5JFLTGhaA4ZmTDYM6NZwWY0Gc_7XF_grgh6tYXrc5ZCTTQ9K8Ll3oQmpDiJmOLAe3p5UeFk_qPth8hhAbccvwFSub8VbFPXYwoRzhzOdIZyjLat_uknoJYycMuRRVPaK6oCG1Wg-kCTC8mKweMvw8YhAIDzd89VaR2i96A6p2Z_S0VHCYcqPL8mIyXQ"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5JFLTGhaA4ZmTDYM6NZwWY0Gc_7XF_grgh6tYXrc5ZCTTQ9K8Ll3oQmpDiJmOLAe3p5UeFk_qPth8hhAbccvwFSub8VbFPXYwoRzhzOdIZyjLat_uknoJYycMuRRVPaK6oCG1Wg-kCTC8mKweMvw8YhAIDzd89VaR2i96A6p2Z_S0VHCYcqPL8mIyXQ=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7243101322092340866" /></a></p>1600Z 10JUN23, Day 14, St Martin to the Azores. Two weeks at sea complete! We were on the engine to cross a dead air zone, but are back to sailing under sunny skies and high clouds.<p>Current Position: 34 51N / 038 59W<br>24 hour progress: 138nm, 5.75kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 1,768nm, approximately 545nm to the Azores. 14 hours of engine time. <p>We continued sailing well yesterday afternoon. After sunset we had some rain cells and put 2 reefs in the main. Those reefs were soon shaken back out as the wind began to disappear, as the forecasts suggested they would. <p>As the wind died our course went a bit wonky. As we knew the engine was going to come on anyway, we gave up and just after midnight UTC, on went the engine. We could see occasional AIS hits on Saba and Astreos. They seemed to stick with it a bit longer. But then it looked like Saba gave up and turned their engine on as well. We lost AIS contact with Astreos while they were still pointed southeast and hanging with it. However satellite derived AIS data shows them both a bit behind us, on parallel courses to either side making 4.5kts where there was not even 4.5kts of wind. They both seem to be on their engines. Undoubtedly they too will be back to sailing soon, if not already, and the race will again be on. <p>With the engine on we made lots of water and used lots of hot water. We cleaned ourselves, the dishes, the boat. We've been busy with chores in the sailing down time. We also advanced the ship's clock by an hour. 1 more hour to go as the Azores is on UTC this time of year. <p>With as much chores done as we felt like doing and 8kts of wind we decided to see if we could sail. It is slow but we are moving along and we don't miss the engine noise. We are hopeful that the steady wind will return soon as the low catches us up. We may just have to be a little patient. <p>The glassy seas with no winds this morning were very interesting. While the surface looked smooth as an oil slick, there was still a significant swell running. Also notably, there were so many Portuguese Man o' War (they are in today's photo, but likely hard to impossible to see with the iridium low resolution photo)! It certainly didn't make a swim appealing to anyone despite the promise of a warm shower after. <p>We have had two visits from dolphins in the last day. They don't stay long but they certainly brighten the mood. Still seeing birds. Still haven't caught a fish.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-38890594444571136062023-06-09T09:32:00.000-07:002023-06-09T09:34:30.010-07:00Day 13, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsWSyT5C6yhqmaHHDWMsSpoDRAUNGY6cAkd7cX-LcMWfRBYvu5eq6tyEVInLG3svKP33pJjosuxAmXhzp-7ljuCaztOQG_gXdD9OrbK3TR3rGEiI_ftBpoO8cAYptfddTY1Jjg0OUU_SqJDAZzhNkMgu8s8rXeBKlkxCYeq9fsOaf-3W1i7Akpz1PVUA"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsWSyT5C6yhqmaHHDWMsSpoDRAUNGY6cAkd7cX-LcMWfRBYvu5eq6tyEVInLG3svKP33pJjosuxAmXhzp-7ljuCaztOQG_gXdD9OrbK3TR3rGEiI_ftBpoO8cAYptfddTY1Jjg0OUU_SqJDAZzhNkMgu8s8rXeBKlkxCYeq9fsOaf-3W1i7Akpz1PVUA=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7242725630119421330" /></a></p>1600Z 09JUN23, Day 13, St Martin to the Azores. Another sunny day in cool weather with good speed in the right direction. A second day over 150nm and our best mileage day of the passage. <p>Current Position: 33 49N / 041 25W<br>24 hour progress: 153nm, 6.4kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 1,630nm, approximately 685nm to the Azores.<p>The past 24 hours have been hard sailing in 15- 20kt winds. Yesterday we continued sailing a close reach with one reef in the main until dinner time. Then we put a second reef in the main to ease the heel for Megan to cook. <p>Just after sunset we had some rain cells and added the 3rd reef to the main and one to the genoa. This slows us down a bit for night, makes any gusts manageable and generally makes everything a bit more comfortable for everyone. <p>The winds stayed pretty constant and there were only a few night time rain cells. We went back to a full genoa to keep our speed up. The stars were beautiful, the bio-luminescence continued to impress and the moon shown brightly, once it rose. <p>We had another sailboat on the AIS, Astreos. They only ever got as close as 5 miles so we never saw them and didn't talk to them. They were sailing a bit faster and a little less direct. Even so they passed 6 miles in front of us. <p>On the early morning watch turnover we shook out a reef and would occasionally still see hits on Astreos. Their transmissions seem to disappear from our AIS around the 6-7nm mark. <p>After sunrise we shook out the rest of the main and have been hauling along on a close reach under full sails. The winds have been a little shifty and we have found ourselves constantly adjusting to maintain our rhumb line course. We again started seeing Astreos on the AIS in the morning, but we expect they also took out night reefs and got back to being faster than us. We still receive the occasional AIS hit on them as we try to keep pace. <p>The temperature has definitely dropped. It is now quite pleasant, even a little chilly at night in the breeze. It continues to stay warm inside Zephyros. We are still just sleeping under sheets. Megan tried a blanket last night but it was a bit too warm still. <p>We expect the wind to run out in the next 24 hours. The bottom of the low we are currently sailing will outrun us. We will then need to wait for the next low to catch us. We expect that will entail motoring once the wind dies until it picks back up again. But we will see what we get. We then expect to ride the bottom of that new system all the way to Horta. <p>The fishing line is back in; again. Daxton insists on keeping the same lure and refuses to try a different one. This lure did get a strike back near Anguilla so he believes it should work if there are any fish. Oh well, it gives him something to do anyway. We continue to see birds - shearwaters and a tern over the last day.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-31435439295394142722023-06-08T09:27:00.000-07:002023-06-08T09:29:25.660-07:00Day 12, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAmRDSsWicq9-AH6WMsgjLagkRzxZeGYYmGDJgRWoP9A7O3nCSvOtK7bvvJYUlkTgfb_0TeX5D6TYetuFkkyZc7QrhBUH-322IfgVbda4fBMYVIVCJP_Azv7ksOxfNiA4M2W_P24ThGOsFkeOmIW9X6Ddw6qcdN-DDzcblSjJ06id51BWaPTKWprQqoA"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAmRDSsWicq9-AH6WMsgjLagkRzxZeGYYmGDJgRWoP9A7O3nCSvOtK7bvvJYUlkTgfb_0TeX5D6TYetuFkkyZc7QrhBUH-322IfgVbda4fBMYVIVCJP_Azv7ksOxfNiA4M2W_P24ThGOsFkeOmIW9X6Ddw6qcdN-DDzcblSjJ06id51BWaPTKWprQqoA=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7242353243217964930" /></a></p>1600Z 08JUN23, Day 12, St Martin to the Azores. We are ticking away the miles and moving well. Each of the crew is starting to make projections on when we might reach the Azores, but there is still a bit of sailing left to do!<p>Current Position: 32 33N / 044 03W<br>24 hour progress: 145nm, 6kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 1,477nm, approximately 835nm to the Azores. <p>The past 24 hours have been busy with sail configuration changes and decent winds. At the end of the last log we were wing on wing using both headsails. The wind continued to turn north so we pulled in the staysail and sailed deep downwind on the port tack. <p>Soon we were close enough to a broad reach that we shook out 2 reefs from the main and sailed that configuration for awhile in 15-20kt winds. As winds were expected to lighten over night we moved to one reef in the main as we continued to gradually move towards a reach. <p>The winds did not lighten and they kept moving north which meant forward of the beam for us to keep a rhumb line course. At first, the thought was that it was just storm cells so the genoa got a reef. But when the winds were actually building and now 20-25 kts, the 2nd reef went back into the main. <p>We kept turning higher and higher. Another reef went into the main, then another in the genoa. It was a busy night. <p>Saba appeared on our AIS again. About 8nm ahead of us and crossing our track. They are definitely sailing harder but not necessarily smarter (at least that is the story we are telling ourselves). We are quite sure they will beat us to Horta, but we get the satisfaction of having a better course while they fly along with more sail up and crisscrossing rhumb line.<p>The moon rose late and hid behind clouds. It was a dark night with good bio-luminescence. Rain cells passed and the winds gusted. With 3 reefs in the main, the gusts were easily handled with reefs in and out of the genoa as we continued sailing with the wind shifting further forward to a close reach. <p>Around sunrise, the winds actually began to lighten back to the 15-20kt range. We gradually came back to full genoa and as the crew on the boat awakened, we shook reefs out of the main as well<p>We are punching along on a close reach with 1 reef left in the main. We have been able to keep a pretty direct course to Horta. The ship's clock was rolled forward another hour yesterday. Two more time changes to go. <p>The fishing line is back in; again. Still no fish though today there is less sargassum to clear from the line. We had dolphin visitors this morning and a bunch of birds. We had been calling them petrels but we now think they are greater shearwaters—at least the ones we are seeing now. Further research and looking at birds in the Merlin Bird ID app have made us reconsider our initial call.<p>This morning there was a flock of shearwaters that took interest in us. Daxton was bargaining with them not to take the fishing lure. There were around 10 or so that would come by, land next to the boat and look underwater checking for fish under Zephyros. They would also stop near the fishing lure and put their heads in. Thankfully they have good eyesight and aren't easily fooled by fishing lures! They were quite comical. A bird would land and immediately look in the water. The lure would be pulled away by the boat. The shearwater would paddle/fly forward and get another look then decide it wasn't worth further pursuing. Then a new bird would land and go through the same process. After a little while they deemed us boring and continued on. <p>Other updates from onboard: Megan's basil has all died. Passages are always hard on Basil. The aloe plant has taken 2 tumbles but seems to be coping alright so far. Sourdough bread is back to working well again, with nearly daily loaves provided to the hungry crew.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-58609007127579145112023-06-07T10:10:00.000-07:002023-06-07T10:12:15.423-07:00Day 11, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWhBqI3mgEmeSfHXthOmqZqSWFy9y0Y_i3-c906rErczMEERVTg5xdbr5hbynyKIJiGpSn8MjzaaMbqKjRXX_rsLCI17tawLXJTa6yeB96p7cL8LITkUvEoz1GSYQ6qGSA2xYgqBQqYXuGGh5d3pNFOAhazWlqWAcpRAgUDzD3ixSeFsacy2Ma-vYUtg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWhBqI3mgEmeSfHXthOmqZqSWFy9y0Y_i3-c906rErczMEERVTg5xdbr5hbynyKIJiGpSn8MjzaaMbqKjRXX_rsLCI17tawLXJTa6yeB96p7cL8LITkUvEoz1GSYQ6qGSA2xYgqBQqYXuGGh5d3pNFOAhazWlqWAcpRAgUDzD3ixSeFsacy2Ma-vYUtg=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7241993196957563410" /></a></p>1600Z 07JUN23, Day 11, St Martin to the Azores. Yesterday afternoon was sunny with some high cloud cover. Over night was mostly the same then some rain in the early morning hours. This morning is hazy but sunny. <p>Current Position: 31 29N / 046 34W<br>24 hour progress: 106nm, 4.4kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 1,332nm, approximately 980nm to the Azores. <p>The light winds continued yesterday and we did easy, slow miles on the asymmetric spinnaker. We enjoyed a sunny and calm afternoon. Everyone got to rest a bit and did their own thing - napping, reading and listening to music. Megan made a favorite meal for dinner. <p>At sunset we pulled in the asymmetric as the winds could build overnight according to the forecasts. We crept along and turned into the wind a bit to keep sailing. This pushed us a bit south of rhumb line. <p>In the early morning watch turnover we shook out reefs, leaving one reef in the main and went for a broad reach and a course south of rhumb line. While the course wasn't great, the speeds were better. <p>A few storm cells passed over and we had some rain and gusty weather. Then they moved on again. We adjusted the genoa for the gusts - reefing in and then going back to full genoa after the cells passed. <p>The wind angle is a bit too far behind us to get the most out of the sails and make a good course to Horta. That means tinkering with points of sail. For most of the night we hadn't really had enough wind to sail efficiently deep downwind, but with the morning came just a little more wind. After Megan had a morning nap, we started tinkering. <p>Our broad reach was now taking us due east so we dropped the main to the 4th reef so that we could go deeper downwind. That still didn't get us to rhumb line course so we decided to gybe. We gybed but that had us going further north than desired. More tinkering needed. We rolled out the staysail to the upwind side, held it out to port and turned deeper downwind with the headsails flying wing-on-wing. Ahhh, now we have ok speed and a great course! <p>In all the tinkering a sailboat showed up on our AIS about 8nm away. SV Saba was closing in on us. They are going faster; we have a better heading. They look like they are working harder for the miles made good at the moment. Just after we passed (inside of 1nm. Can you see them under the twin headsails in the low resolution photo?), we chatted briefly learning they were French and sailing from Marie Galante island in Guadeloupe. They are a crew of four adults and a 15 year old teenage boy. Hopefully we will get to say hello to them in Horta. If there is more than one boat, it is a race. <p>We expect the wind to keep moving north today and to be in the 20-25kt range. We are hoping for a better mileage day with a direct course. <p>The fishing line is back in; still no fish. The occasional petrel still flies by. The days pass and we get closer.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-29606998661240084862023-06-06T11:12:00.000-07:002023-06-06T11:17:51.108-07:00Day 10, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAkCL0Swpnvq8-OFelUK3P6sEVtQRqX7JebiC1kqAL8Zl2iEzHFuMXKvC85Fvp-xCyLajoNAwlpUszOe_FRpLOvtMZwjncj0gscywpw-7rZltrYr459jONsBomG7WBhIgkrIPMWI9llzlnj-_t6ccs8mU8ZW4Uul_rXDrrO-yqo66DqEH_8OPaYGqARQ"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAkCL0Swpnvq8-OFelUK3P6sEVtQRqX7JebiC1kqAL8Zl2iEzHFuMXKvC85Fvp-xCyLajoNAwlpUszOe_FRpLOvtMZwjncj0gscywpw-7rZltrYr459jONsBomG7WBhIgkrIPMWI9llzlnj-_t6ccs8mU8ZW4Uul_rXDrrO-yqo66DqEH_8OPaYGqARQ=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7241639013089789250" /></a></p>1600Z 06JUN23, Day 10, St Martin to the Azores. About three hours ago we hit the halfway mark on the rhumb line path. Yay halfway! We are creeping along, flying the kite in 10kts of wind, making 3-4kts straight to the Azores. It's not fast but it is in the right direction. <p>Current Position: 30 57N / 048 29W<br>24 hour progress: 109nm, 4.5kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 1,226nm, approximately 1080nm to the Azores. <br>At the halfway point we had sailed 1,215nm in just under 10 days (9.875 days, 5.1kts avg SOG). Let's see if we do the second half more direct and faster!<p>Yesterday was a pleasant day as the sun was out, the seas calmed and we had enough wind to move well. This all added up to a chance to do boat projects. <p>We reefed the main and Jon started working on a batten issue that we noticed on this passage. The main sail has 5 battens to help give the sail a good camber and shape. Each batten has a receptacle that goes on the track for the sail to raise up the mast. Well 3 of our 5 battens are getting worn, splintering and now have a strange alignment with their receptacles and the mast. <p>After an email consult with our friends on Paikea (also on this passage and racing us down after our week head start) to discuss thoughts and possible solutions, Jon began work to MacGuyver up a repair. This consisted of pulling out random bits of stuff that we collect for these impromptu repairs at sea. Jon and Daxton had found a piece of pvc pipe / conduit that was a small size out on a walk one day that they decided might someday be useful. So when digging in our trunk to see what options we had, Jon pulled out wood dowels that are around the size of the fiberglass battens (rod shaped in our sail) and also saw this conduit and pulled that out as well. Today was the day these bits would be useful!<p>The bottom 2 battens are now too short - likely they always were a bit short and their pockets have probably also stretched. So the repair process ended up being building a lengthening piece out of the conduit and a plug with the dowel. The conduit was used as a joint to join the batten and the plug. All of that was shrink wrapped and then heavily taped together. When that was added Jon swapped the batten end for end and used the undamaged end of the batten in the receptacle at the mast. <p>The first batten took quite awhile to figure out what the best band-aid fix would be and work out the assembly sizing. There was a lengthy batten protruding across the cockpit and over the water at varying angles with the project end in the cockpit or pulled into the pilot house. There were also occasional rain showers to avoid and that impacted the work. Once we had a fix for the first batten we reefed down to get to the next problem batten and implemented the same fix. That one went fast. We then put the main back up to the 1st reef and it was dinner time—duck breasts and green beans all around. <p>Daxton reefed the main to the 2nd reef on his watch as there were some very dark storm clouds before sunset. The reef slowed us down enough for the cell to pass ahead and then he shook it back out. We left 1 reef in for the night. <p>Winds were light over night and the moon was bright. We saw some great bioluminescence in the water before the moonrise. The winds and seas calmed and our speeds began to slow as the night went on. We sailed a reach and adjusted course closer to the wind to keep Nike (our autopilot) happy and sailing without needing to hand steer. <p>After sunrise the main was hoisted back to full and Jon discovered an issue with the genoa furler. The three pin screws that secure the drum to the foil had fallen out and the foil had slid a few inches down the forestay. Lucky for us 2 of the rather unique screws were recovered from the bow spirit and we had bought extras when this problem occurred early on with the furler. So the morning project was getting the furler fixed. We got that sorted and then decided to put up the asymmetric spinnaker as winds were 8-10kts and sailing is better than motoring—plus sailing under the colorful kite always feels cheerful. <p>After launching the chute, adjusting point of sail and looking at our course, we decided maybe we launched the kite on the wrong side. We reviewed the weather and decided a starboard tack was probably better for the day. So we gybed Zephyros and dropped the main to the 4th reef so that we could go deep downwind with the kite in clear air. Initially we were heading east but the winds moved as Megan predicted to get us back to rhumb line. <p>By this point we had some breakfast and watched the miles slowly click down to our halfway point. We blasted music and enjoyed some treats that were stashed away for the occasion. A little halfway there party was enjoyed by all!<p>After that, the calm conditions and the mainsail being lowered to the 4th reef gave Jon the chance to further drop the main to look at the rest of the battens. The upper wearing batten had less issues than the lower two, so he worked on taping and building the batten back up at the receptacle. He didn't need to build a lengthening piece for that one or swap it end for end. <p>Boat repairs and chores have kept the crew busy for day 10. Maybe there will be some extra rest on day 11. We shall see. <p>There have been a few more ships on the AIS and one that passed us over night around 7nm away. It was a clear night and easy to see his lights.<p>The fishing line is back in; still no fish. We just don't seem to be lucky this passage much to Daxton's dismay. While the days are still quite warm and the winds are light the number of Portuguese Man o' War are increasing and the water temperature is dropping so no one is begging to stop for a swim. The occasional petrel still flies by. There has been more random flotsam and jetsam - a bucket, a hard hat, a cup, a bottle. There is also still some sargassum around.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-63521031772593695652023-06-05T10:57:00.000-07:002023-06-05T10:59:14.602-07:00Day 9, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-2i_51gZ3nn2oIbtTcNktxq0QXSWRy17uQVH3KRMx2bVKK_AsBdGOHW2ho8AjDN_gpDyKP-be5_Xaxy_nm-kqO3T4oLJbgOmp5kM3Gc4o-ujKoJIFtGavjh8yQT9Y9eCx7akBa805eG4LfLKElLxBoQ4sJfVPnNz6uwOprJAJAeNQBI0XWwzqvj4lPQ"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-2i_51gZ3nn2oIbtTcNktxq0QXSWRy17uQVH3KRMx2bVKK_AsBdGOHW2ho8AjDN_gpDyKP-be5_Xaxy_nm-kqO3T4oLJbgOmp5kM3Gc4o-ujKoJIFtGavjh8yQT9Y9eCx7akBa805eG4LfLKElLxBoQ4sJfVPnNz6uwOprJAJAeNQBI0XWwzqvj4lPQ=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7241263130392929394" /></a></p>1600Z 05JUN23, Day 9, St Martin to the Azores. It is a sunny day. We are closing in on the halfway point (We are calling halfway 1090nm to go to Horta as when we left SXM it was 2180nm away). We made it through the depression and put up our best mileage day this passage. The winds have set up around 20kts, aft of the beam and the seas are reasonable. Life is good aboard Zephyros. <p>Current Position: 30 00N / 050 11W<br>24 hour progress: 152nm, 6.3kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 1,117nm, approximately 1185nm to the Azores.<p>The first 18 hours of day 9 had us sailing hard in big seas with a 7kt avg SOG. Then we were again disappointingly slowed by yet another morning of hand steering, low winds, confused seas and us chasing the wind around. It was the third morning of this if you weren't already counting along at home.<p>In the early afternoon we reefed down to the 4th reef and turned deep downwind (150AWA on a starboard tack). We sailed in 30+kts of wind in 2-3 meter seas that were pretty close together and grew to 4 meters. Zephyros was happily sailing away and surfing waves. <p>As night was approaching we saw some blue sky and even the sun before sunset. We reefed the genoa to slow down just a little and in case any rain clouds that we were watching delivered extra gusts. Just before twilight was wrapping up the winds started to move just a bit north (as expected in the forecast) so we decided we should gybe while there was still a little light left. There was no lull in the 30+kt winds and we executed a well coordinated gybe to a port tack. We were thankful that all went smoothly in the big seas and we were back to screaming along pointed straight to the Azores. <p>In the early morning hours the winds began to let up and the seas settled to a longer period but remained around 3m. We gradually turned into the wind giving us a reach to remain on rhumb line. After sunrise the winds kept dropping off, we shook out reefs and kept turning towards the wind until we were down to 5kts of wind again, back to chasing the wind and hand steering. This was quite demoralizing as we had been on a great pace to have one of Zephyros' best mileage days ever. As usual, the wind disappeared just as Megan was about to head below to prepare her breakfast. <p>We studied the weather and wrung our hands. The wind wasn't forecast to be much and could take a few hours to come back, if it did. However, within about 2 hours the winds were back, arriving just as Megan began to dig down into the refrigerator to reorganize in the calm. <p>The winds have built to 15-20kts and we are sailing a broad reach on rhumb line. Well, that is better than expected from the forecast! We do seem to have a bit of current slowing us down some, but it is easy sailing in the right direction. So we are happily taking it! Plus we did break the 150nm day barrier that is so elusive for us. <p>We saw another couple of ships on the AIS this morning and a cargo ship passed about 4nm away. He was visible in the morning haze. AIS is a beautiful thing as he seemed to maneuver to ensure he would pass no closer than a 4nm CPA no matter how the wind shifted our course and speed around. All without any discussion on the radio. <p>We have continued to see random bits of flotsam and jetsam. Yesterday we ran over a fishing buoy that thankfully didn't catch on to us. Today we caught an old plastic bucket between Watt&Sea and the boat. Thankfully it didn't do any damage and is really brittle anyway. It was retrieved from the ocean and is one less piece of plastic in the sea. <p>The fishing line is back in. Today is a good fishing day. But will we get lucky? A bucket apparently doesn't count as a successful catch. Nor do the couple of random flying fish that we find occasionally on deck. <p>There have still been a few birds around. They definitely seem to be sea birds gliding around on the winds and riding off the waves. Probably petrels. We also just passed our first Portuguese Man o' War—the water is definitely cooling off now.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-52123707637649468582023-06-04T10:38:00.000-07:002023-06-04T10:40:37.898-07:00Day 8, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjND0WZQfpg1VgJXuuWuFrYeWsBBcONIHhd9xIuG7_tHCNE47kXPIZlomTjU3UFRpIQwCXqPpomjdkxNsACkhpXWCoIAi-aNU8RFW_dW6eTgroVdimRcOKoNWtKs-9qtY53jGF_EyOQVp14t9p-FtbYl_IE0rdaI6LRQg_xRyA7x6E_Yx4CORAH6INwuQ"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjND0WZQfpg1VgJXuuWuFrYeWsBBcONIHhd9xIuG7_tHCNE47kXPIZlomTjU3UFRpIQwCXqPpomjdkxNsACkhpXWCoIAi-aNU8RFW_dW6eTgroVdimRcOKoNWtKs-9qtY53jGF_EyOQVp14t9p-FtbYl_IE0rdaI6LRQg_xRyA7x6E_Yx4CORAH6INwuQ=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7240887245571338674" /></a></p>1600Z 04JUN23, Day 8, St Martin to the Azores. A fast start to yesterday's run with excellent average speeds was disappointingly slowed by light winds over night and another morning of hand steering, low winds, confused seas and us chasing the wind around. We are back in the winds and off again. <p>Current Position: 29 03N / 052 50W<br>24 hour progress: 117nm, 4.9kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 965nm, approximately 1335nm to the Azores. No engine cheating even though we really considered turning it on. <p>After yesterday's log post we had a little "one week complete party" with gummy bears and some chocolates. The sunny morning turned to hazy gray as we clipped along with 42nm covered in the first 6 hours—a 7kt average. <p>In the early afternoon the winds shifted north and we got pressed south with large seas on the beam. It seemed like a good time to gybe. We found a bit of a lull in the winds, gybed and continued on eastward. <p>The afternoon was overcast and sometimes rainy as the depression passed overhead. We were hit with a significant cell, 45+kt gusts and lots of rain. We reefed the genoa, went deep down wind and closed the door. Zephyros took it in stride and we had a smooth 10kt surf down a wave. <p>After the cell passed we were back to fast sailing in 20-25kt winds. As the barometer started climbing back up a bit we were back to a broad reach and a course just south of rhumb line. <p>Overnight the winds began falling. We shook reefs out of the main and did what we could to stay on course. By the early morning we were back to chasing the wind and hand steering in rolling seas coming from 2 different directions (90° apart). <p>We harnessed occasional bits of wind and gybed back to a starboard tack in anticipation of today's forecasted winds as a different part of the depression is due to catch back up with us. <p>There was more hand steering and some more adjustments on the main. We put 2 reefs in the main for the weather and waited to get caught up. A few early bands of rain had us thinking we might be off, but they quickly faded away. About 1.5 hours before the log day ended the winds filled in and we were off. We are deep broad reaching along the rhumb line with 2 reefs in the main a definite sweet spot for Zephyros, but a bit rolly to her crew. <p>The ship's clock has advanced an hour. So we are now UTC - 3. We have 3 more time changes to make before landfall. <p>The fishing line is back in because Daxton is desperate to catch a fish. But the parents would prefer not to fish, as it is another sporty day. Tough to be a trolling fisherman when you are either going too slow or your parents say too fast. <p>There have still been a few birds around and we had a dragonfly hitchhiker for a little while. He allowed us to get close for a photo while he rested. He flew away before the winds picked back up. We hope he is ok! Do they migrate across the ocean or is he lost? Things to look up when we have internet again…Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-17076533969452242132023-06-03T09:32:00.000-07:002023-06-03T09:35:39.717-07:00Day 7, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyN_-BYa0FtkJVgonwT1le7gQC4x70Sor90roJrrkXawr5mynd2PgEyXpcRAuQ3u91YV3uEwMJ0miTaGnPIx7I0Rj2L64IqZ2oIwNURB2doVodcETkNzMIRebkAXogA2RZ-7f4o369Cr4BuoBeyP-lThQpgMXZfPvvRAWbkPnzHd0V98FgoW9lEEg_Sw"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyN_-BYa0FtkJVgonwT1le7gQC4x70Sor90roJrrkXawr5mynd2PgEyXpcRAuQ3u91YV3uEwMJ0miTaGnPIx7I0Rj2L64IqZ2oIwNURB2doVodcETkNzMIRebkAXogA2RZ-7f4o369Cr4BuoBeyP-lThQpgMXZfPvvRAWbkPnzHd0V98FgoW9lEEg_Sw=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7240499421210072722" /></a></p>1600Z 03JUN23, Day 7, St Martin to the Azores. A week at sea! To wrap up the week, we had an eventful morning with hand steering, low winds, confused seas and us chasing the wind around. Now things have filled in and Zephyros is cruising along in her element. <p>Current Position: 28 34N / 054 46W<br>24 hour progress: 119nm, 5.0kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 848nm, approximately 1435nm to the Azores.<p>Yesterday continued as a haze gray and underway day with the layer of overcast blanketing the whole day. We went from slow close reach sailing in light winds to downwind sailing in a fresh breeze. In the early afternoon we put 2 reefs in the main as we thought maybe the winds had shifted and were starting to build. Not so fast! We ended up back to close reach sailing north of rhumb line over the kids watches. We left the reefs in as we still expected the winds to build quickly overnight. <p>For Jon's watch there were indeed some winds and rain cells but the wind was back to being from the south rather than the west as forecast. This meant reefs in and out of the genoa and more progress to the north of rhumb line. For Megan's early morning watch the wind continued to be finicky and there was a good bit of rain. The wind would start to turn and then drop away. So Megan found herself out hand steering in a warm rain to bring us back to close reaching north of rhumb line sailing while chasing the wind in confused seas. <p>About an hour later the winds died again. Back to hand steering and more chasing the wind. This time it was sunny and everyone was awake so there were other hands available. Slowly the winds filled in and we were on a broad reach with the wind from the west, making a course south of east. The seas were quite confused, lumpy and uncomfortable (ie "bouncy"). <p>Now the winds have filled in to 25kts +/- 5kts and the seas have settled to mostly from the aft quarter at 2-3 meters. Zephyros is comfortably moving along headed east—she really loves 20-30kts of wind aft of the beam. We reefed the main down to the 4th reef so that we can head a bit deeper downwind with the genoa in clear air. We plan to gybe, probably late this afternoon, though the weather forecasts continue to be inconsistent. The one thing the models all agree on is warm temperatures. It is nice to be sailing in a little weather while still wearing shorts and not worrying about getting wet. <p>In the large wind and seas we had three ships all at once on the AIS. Only one was any factor and he just passed in front of us, close enough to see at 4nm. <p>The fishing line didn't yield anything yesterday and the parents deemed the confused seas too sporty to deal with a fish today. Apparently this is acceptable. <p>We have seen a new type of bird. There were quite a few of them around when we were chasing the wind. They would float on the sea nearby as well as soar around us. Our best guess is that they are some kind of petrel. Maybe the Bermuda Petrel?Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-37564517216180064932023-06-02T09:57:00.000-07:002023-06-02T09:58:59.548-07:00Day 6, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq7TVP5aaepadbz_i5Fx4G7rF4giN75SvNvhNaEtBYaifJawwBMe-znj81MwFwgna9kt6W3xtU6XBxPcjyL_8QxgOH5gnTxme8X3GJFE1KNATPN--FgJVXts2Tup3U1E1waPe6iJ-Inf-0tNxGtpBr-a8SN_S-cBXMljkkQZ1nKAPNgqGmpa4oBk8tCQ"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq7TVP5aaepadbz_i5Fx4G7rF4giN75SvNvhNaEtBYaifJawwBMe-znj81MwFwgna9kt6W3xtU6XBxPcjyL_8QxgOH5gnTxme8X3GJFE1KNATPN--FgJVXts2Tup3U1E1waPe6iJ-Inf-0tNxGtpBr-a8SN_S-cBXMljkkQZ1nKAPNgqGmpa4oBk8tCQ=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7240134349662723282" /></a></p>1600Z 02JUN23, Day 6, St Martin to the Azores. The motor is back off after just over 27 hours of it droning on. We are back to sailing a close reach in light winds and slowly falling off as the wind moves around to the west from the east south east. <p>Current Position: 27 54N / 056 40W<br>24 hour progress: 132nm, 5.5kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 729nm, approximately 1540nm to the Azores. Just under 19 hours of the past 24 were on the engine. <p>In the afternoon heat, we took an hour break from the engine and had a lovely ocean swim in glassy calm waters. The sea had a surface layer that was surprisingly warm. There were cold spots and warm spots. You could keep your arms close to the surface and be very warm or churn the water a little and pull up the cooler water. The boys enjoyed jumping and diving in as the water was cold and then as you came back to the surface you felt it change to warmer again. The boat temperature sensor said the water was around 83°F (28°C). The surface temperature was even warmer - it all seems quite warm for the ocean. <p>After our swim break we showered and got underway. We did some work on the main to tune the battens and re-raised the sail. We also spotted a white thing floating in the distance. We motored over to it and practiced a man overboard to retrieve a drifting fishing marker buoy. One less piece of flotsam in the ocean. <p>Today is overcast as we wait for a depression to catch up with us and deliver some heavier winds. The overcast is welcome as it is cutting the overall heat. It was finally down to around 80°F (27°C) in the boat this morning. It has been up over 90°F (30°C) during the days and only sort of cools off at night. We know we will eventually miss the heat (particularly the warm water for our swims) but it has still been quite warm and we are looking forward to cooler temperatures. <p>This morning the winds picked up to over 5kts and the direction became more consistent. So out went the genoa and off went the iron sail. We have been slowly sailing down the rhumb line and expect the wind to strengthen and change direction to be from aft of the beam. <p>Last night, we enjoyed the rest of our family movie and a taco dinner without much left over. We worked on boat chores and small projects through the day that were easy to do in the calm. We continue to be frustrated by the ever changing weather forecasts. We are prepared for whatever we actually get and trust that Zephyros will take good care of us. <p>The fishing line is still out; still no takers. We have seen a few more tropic birds and more small flights of flying fish.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-45467949274135635732023-06-01T09:48:00.000-07:002023-06-01T09:50:18.681-07:00Day 5, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjw-w0bjWXwOPKa4ViZryLNY-G8ot96xO0yr6OLfAt5O3btLNVo1vWpnOH3F9WkG7HYeHFlGbbh_4XRUi_Mt5QcAs3AjiYF2mvr_CuUE_PMUQ6wcQS4LQx0uxbYCdtUy8OWb0s5iirErcJhI8uSPg_SZs5zk4QuEku8UudoG71woU2rR75QhFH_2EtGAQ"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjw-w0bjWXwOPKa4ViZryLNY-G8ot96xO0yr6OLfAt5O3btLNVo1vWpnOH3F9WkG7HYeHFlGbbh_4XRUi_Mt5QcAs3AjiYF2mvr_CuUE_PMUQ6wcQS4LQx0uxbYCdtUy8OWb0s5iirErcJhI8uSPg_SZs5zk4QuEku8UudoG71woU2rR75QhFH_2EtGAQ=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7239761028228178610" /></a></p>1600Z 01JUN23, Day 5, St Martin to the Azores. The wind completely went away. We sailed for as long as we could but once we started losing steerage and going many directions the engine came on. <p>Current Position: 26 35N / 058 36W<br>24 hour progress: 92nm, 3.8kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 597nm, approximately 1670nm to the Azores. 8.5 hours on the engine and still motoring with no sign of much wind to come. <p>We continued gliding along yesterday making slow speeds in light winds. We did boat chores and took outside showers. We lazed around and read books. Daxton is working through a Harry Potter movie marathon. <p>As the day went on, we spied a sail far off in the distance. We expected it was the sailboat we passed the previous night as this sailboat also didn't have AIS. In the afternoon he gradually got closer and passed to the stern of us. He called us on the radio and asked about weather. He was headed for the Azores and left St Martin on Friday (we left Saturday). He seemed unaware that we passed him the night before - so he could be a different sailboat or he could be the same, our guess is the same. He was motoring and curious as to how long these light airs would remain. We told him another day or two. <p>We continued sailing and he apparently turned off his engine around sunset as we began over taking him again. This time he had running lights on and not an anchor light. The kids kept an eye on him for their watches but he fell behind and wasn't a factor for us. We have lost sight of him again. <p>We had a relaxed chicken curry dinner and started a movie. It was a nice family evening. Then we paused the movie and fell into our watch schedule. We continued being able to sail through the kids watches with only occasional banging of the sails. <p>By Jon's watch the winds were really getting light and he did his best to keep us sailing. He hand steered and changed the point of sail to try to keep us somewhat pointed at the Azores. By the time Megan was up for turnover it really was no longer working. We pulled weather again and re-studied our options. The challenge is that a bunch of lows will be coming over so we aren't sure which direction to motor towards. We would like to get sail-able winds that aren't too strong but every forecast is different than the last and none of the models agree! In the end, we are hedging our bets and headed just a little north of rhumb line. We expect to start sailing again sometime overnight and then have some strong winds in a couple of days. The question is will we continue to have wind after that or will we find another wind hole. Time will tell. <p>The fishing line is still out; still no takers. We have seen a few tropic birds and more flights of flying fish. The water is completely glassy, occasionally with very light wind ripples and then back to glassy like an oil slick. It's beautiful and strange. <p>The afternoon agenda is a swim call, more little chores, the rest of the movie and taco night. Hopefully we will find some wind as well before morning.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854494901375248904.post-24523398109263215382023-05-31T09:38:00.000-07:002023-05-31T09:42:04.303-07:00Day 4, St Martin to the Azores<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDb4ktL9fsA9SxixFxqYNWBdzG1IkVy5uUw2tO2cNf6FW-vufi3Jj_4nNg6wmCyg3iM8lEOM8iUOk8fkvJ-OCmeM5jVv26N81HUoBEtZbWtOFwoA7Gj1KA4PkmA0XwlHabDuPYVIgayJeuU3HhrLNsO0K-Xk1mHVvWY87hF0fehoHIq3Y0joiCyOQ1Cw"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDb4ktL9fsA9SxixFxqYNWBdzG1IkVy5uUw2tO2cNf6FW-vufi3Jj_4nNg6wmCyg3iM8lEOM8iUOk8fkvJ-OCmeM5jVv26N81HUoBEtZbWtOFwoA7Gj1KA4PkmA0XwlHabDuPYVIgayJeuU3HhrLNsO0K-Xk1mHVvWY87hF0fehoHIq3Y0joiCyOQ1Cw=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7239387822858465218" /></a></p>1600Z 31MAY23, Day 4, St Martin to the Azores. More of the same with the days starting to blend together. <p>Current Position: 25 36N / 059 51W<br>24 hour progress: 120nm, 5.0kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 505nm, approximately 1760nm to the Azores.<p>We have been gliding along under full sails. We only made minor adjustments to course and point of sail over the past 24hours. We are still sailing a close reach on a starboard tack making a course just north of rhumb line. The winds remain light and the seas flat. We are happy that we continue to make decent speed (for us) in these light winds. <p>We spotted a light on the horizon to our starboard during the evening watch. It was a sailboat that we quickly passed during Megan's watch. There was no AIS broadcasting from the sailboat and it was sailing with an anchor light on. We could still see his sails at daybreak, though he quickly became a small speck on the horizon. We tried to call him around 7am but there was no answer on the radio. He's just recently fully disappeared behind us so maybe he had a bit more sail up during the daytime. We easily passed him over the night. <p>All is well on board. No rain at all yesterday and no cells to avoid. The night sky was beautiful with good light from the moon. Then amazing stars that filled in after the moon set. It's so peaceful to sail in these smooth conditions. We are enjoying the relaxed pace and calm ocean. It isn't expected to last, so best to enjoy it while we have it. In between watching movies, listening to music, reading, and playing games, we have been taking on small maintenance tasks. <p>Sargassum continues to decrease. The fishing line is still out; still no takers. The birds seem to be less and the flying fish a bit more plentiful. One flying fish hit the boat on Megan's night watch, startling her as it banged against the roof. She shined a light on him and saw him flop around a couple of times on deck before re-entering the ocean.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17753599270832089818noreply@blogger.com0