Saturday 4am LT (2000GMT Friday) The High pressure cell seems to be moving E of us for next few days, while we stay in strong winds which should give good progress.
Hoping to pass S of Cape Leeuwin sometime today.
Wind is now from NNW, ahead of a Front forecast to pass overnight on Sunday-Monday with strong winds through to Tuesday. Wind likely to be around 20kt today and expected to increase to 25kt Sat-Sun overnight when rain is expected - but might only be light.
Now making 4-5 kt, despite this not being a very good point of sail for us without mains'l, and a bit bumpy, with beam seas - not too comfortable!
Updated reports now posted - time to get back to my bunk...
8am Just finished sched on 7160 (moved forward to 2330Z) - quite a few US and Aussie stations calling in - thanks to all!
Still making 4-5kt in N wind - probably up to 20kt now, with apparent wind just forward of the beam.
Grey skies - looking like rain sometime, although the sun did manage to show its presence hazily through a slight thinning of the clouds just now - probably the only sign of the sun today. Pressure down at 1011.5hPa
8:45am Just furled in a touch more genoa to reduce our heeling. We're often being tossed around quite a bit in the 4m/13ft seas coming on to our beam. Still making 4-5kt or more...
Time for breakfast ...
10:40am Just unfurled a fair amount of genoa to speed us up - now making 5.5kt instead of the 4kt, sometimes less, I'd been seeing. Boisterous sailing! Heeling a bit more, and still the occasional bigger beam sea heeling us further and tossing us around, but I'll get to my bunk... Winds forecast to be around 20kt over today, until after nightfall, so pity not to make use of them. Will probably furl genoa in at sunset, ready for the increased wind expected overnight.
2pm Better speed didn't last long - wind has clearly died down for time being - we're only making 4kt and just under - but wind will surely be up again soon enough. Getting some lunch after a couple of radio scheds on 20m - with S. Africa and Australia.
2:30pm Wind is back - making 5.5-6kt...!
3:45pm That was a gust under a cloud! Wind has been right down since then - we've been lucky to make over 4kt. Frustrating, since I was expecting to pass Cape Leeuwin and have my celebration party in daylight...!
6:15pm A thin red line of lingering sunset colour over the W horizon, below the otherwise dull grey cloud layer, as daylight fades.
I'm feeling so very frustrated! Cape Leeuwin should have been passed hours ago but we've been crawling so much in a really light wind, barely making 3kt now, as rain starts up. The WP due S of the Cape, at the SW extremity of Western Australia, is just under 10 miles away now - but at 3kt, it will take well over another three hours to get past it - unless the wind gets up.
Looks as though the 20-24kt winds forecast for here now have moved further S and the band of light wind just off the coast has extended to here - although I'll keep an ear out - winds could suddenly appear with a vengeance and I'd then need to furl in the genoa in a hurry!
6:40pm We're down to 2.4kt...! Pressure is 1001.4hPa. Finishing my stew - must make that again soon - it was very good!
7:30pm Finished sched on 40m with USA and Australia - not so many tonight-early morning in USA. Cape Leeuwin WP just 6.4 n.ml. away..... At 3.1kt, that's two hours... should be one hour!
Seas are a lot less than earlier but it's dark now, so no mainsai repair possible.
I keep seeing our speed get up to 3.6kt and hope it's on the increase - but it drops back down again every time. Raining again...
Problem is - I want to get to sleep but I'm worried the wind will suddenly pick up and the genoa will need to be furled in hurriedly. I'll set an alarm and check at hourly intervals - if the wind picks up a lot in between, I'm sure I'll be woken in no time!
Have been having a major problem with downloading weather files and some emails today - Aurora wifi signal keeps disappearing. Was fine overnight but not since early morning. Has kept me very preoccupied, trying to figure out what the problem is and if there's anything I could do about it or simply keeping an eye on it and trying to nudge it along. Only just now realised where the problem lies.
8:45m Wind up around 4.5kt - definitely increasing, but very slowly so far.
Have been unable to sleep - we're so close to passing Cape Leeuwin I can't relax until we've done so! I'll take a photo of the moment... Longitude of the Cape light house is 115*08.191E
9:30pm We've passed Cape Leeuwin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Time, from photo, was 13:29:07 GMT - just before 9:30pm (LT W.Australia)... party time! Enjoying singing and dancing to Abba and Acker Bilk (jazz) as I enjoy some cashews, hummus on crackers and veggie straws (thanks, Leslie!) .....and a tiny 'Dark 'n' Stormy' la Nereida (actually green ginger wine and rum - pretty potent, so not having more than a few occasional sips). Went on deck and was pleased to see some stars and a bright half-moon - the rain clouds have mainly cleared away, leaving a thin, broken cloud layer overhead.
I'm putting a tiny sip of my 'Dark 'n' Stormy' aside for tomorrow when I'll be on the phone (if it works!) toasting the 'Third Great Cape' with friends at the Royal Victoria Y.C., who should be having an enjoyable evening after the day's racing... Cheers!
10:45pm Wind might finally be increasing - seeing mainly 4.5-5kt, often more, now. Pressure is down to 997.0hPa so Low mst be fairly close with its Front coming soon - expecting strong winds by tomorrow evening, continuing into Monday and Tuesday with strong gusts likely.
9pm Wind is up - with rain... Making good speed now - finally!
1900GMT (= 3 a.m. LT) - end of Day 192. We made 102 n.ml. DMG, over the 24 hr period, measured in a straight line between the two 1900 GMT positions. Good ovenight speed ... dropped over the day.
Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 192 (by daily DMGs):16,957 n.ml.
Distances (at 1900GMT): Cape Leeuwin LH (SW Australia): 373 n.ml. to NNE (72 n.ml. to WP due S); Melbourne (VIC, Aus): 1439 n.ml. to ENE; SE Cape,Tasmania,LH: 1487 n.ml. to ESE; SW Cape, NZ: 2321 n.ml ESE; Cape Agulhas LH (S.Africa): 4322 n.ml. to WNW.
Position & weather report for 1900 GMT posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):
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At 13/04/2019 19:59 (utc) our position was 4028.37'S 11551.98'E
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