Monday 3am Finally heading almost due E at around 4kt - speed should increase a bit more as wind backs more and increases slowly.
Just finished with posting reports and checking emails and weather update - back to my bunk - sleep sounds good!
10:30am Feeling frustrated again - wind was forecast to be stronger than it is. We're only making 3kt and wind can't be more than 12kt or so - certainly not the 17kt forecast. Have been doing other small jobs and had held off dealing with mainsail, expecting the stronger wind, but I could have been sewing now.
Have got out the repair tape and cut two patches for the hole I've seen near the leech. I'll sew them over the hole - it's a good 1cm/1/2" diameter and there's damage to one side where it's nearly cut, as well, so I'll cover that whole area on both sides and stitch the patches in place. Going up now to see just how easy it would be to deal with just that small area without releasing too many sail ties.
Midday Feeling a bit better - and the sun is getting out nicely just to help things along. the hole repair is going well! Access was very easy and, amazingly, the sticky repair tape I cut to cover the damaged area is sticking well to the sail on both sides. I'm wondering whether I should stitch it - might be better left as is.
I'm also looking at the 2nd batten pocket end & trying to figure out how to deal with the torn sail material close by there - many thicknesses of material make for a problem area for sewing - need to decide best way to tackle it to avoid the problem...various ideas, but will have to wait for time being - next few days won't see any chance to deal with it.
4pm Cooking potatoes, dried peas and onions ready for another big soup/stew. Pressure cooker is so useful when cooking on board - minimum time taken and minimum use of propane.
A small flock of prions is back again - such lovely birds. Flap their wings so much more than the big petrels that glide so much.
Wind is picking up - speed now 4.5-5kt... Sunshine has gone, grey clouds everywhere - Cold Front ahead getting closer... Swell is picking up again with the wind - knocking us around at times.
Time for a quick rest before sunset and a couple of radio scheds.
Air is cooling down - night time air temperature not too bad compared with snowy/icy places but down to 14C regularly - with no heater used on board, that feels chilly!
7:20pm Had a good lot of contacts on 7163 with US and Australian stations just after sunset and a couple of nice long chats at the end - beautiful signals from the Perth area, so easy conversation.
Lovely to see us making over 5kt now - wind clearly getting up slowly. Expecting rain at some point tonight, with wind gusting up to 30kt possibly, so likely to have to reduce the genoa later. But getting to my bunk now - time to start my sleep routine... Making 5.4-5.8kt now - great!
Tuesday 1:45am LT (GMT:Mon 1845) Wind well up now - we're making 5.7-6.0 kt and it has got a bit rough - heeling and pounding into increased seas quite a lot now, with wind just for'd of the beam.. A good time to be in my bunk! Could get some more rain soon.
1900GMT (= 2 a.m.LT) - end of Day 187. We made 103 n.ml. DMG, over the 24 hr period, measured in a straight line between the two 1900 GMT positions.
Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 187 (by daily DMGs):16,399 n.ml.
Distances (at 1900GMT): Cape Leeuwin LH (SW Australia): 660 n.ml. to ENE (531 n.ml. to WP due S); Melbourne (VIC, Aus): 1886 n.ml. to E; SE Cape,Tasmania,LH: 1911 n.ml. to ESE; SW Cape, NZ: 2709 n.ml to ESE; Cape Agulhas LH (S.Africa): 3832 n.ml. to WNW.
Position & weather report for 1900 GMT, adapted from 1826 GMT report posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):
TIME: 2019/04/08 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 40-34.65S LONGITUDE: 103-39.20E
COURSE: 080T SPEED: 5.8kt
WIND_SPEED: 25kt WIND_DIR: NNW SWELL_DIR: NNW SWELL_HT: 3.5m CLOUDS: 100%
BARO: 1008.3hPa TREND: -2 SEA_TEMP: 15.0C
COMMENT: Rough going - bumpy ride! Wind and seas up...