Tuesday 2:30pm PDT (Tues 2130 GMT) Sun is struggling, and mostly failing, to get out from behind the cloud layer but at least the fog lifted earlier. Sails are totally slack - moving back and forth with the swell and not of much use in the present almost non-existent light wind. Wind generator blades have been still for a long time... We're drifting ENE - that's good since I don't want to lose any Northing if I can help it... but we're only making ~1kt and rocking gently at times in the slight swell - sea is becoming very calm.
Time for lunch - and will mix up some pancake mix to have with a mug of tea later.
5:30pm Just still managing to keep heading E, but at ~0.6kt or less... Not breaking any speed records, except maybe for disabled snails...
6:30pm Gybed the sails - now on port tack in a very light NNE wind which had veered a lot more after dying away to almost nothing - still very slow but managing our preferred due E course - heading for the barn door!
Found some Santa Cruz Mountains honey for my pancakes - choice was that or from New Zealand and I came across that one first... With some lemon juice .... tasty and goes down well!
It's so very quiet and peaceful when the wind is down as much as it is now. Still a totally overcast sky - edge of cloud layer is visible on W horizon as a thin line of golden light. 2m W swell is very pronounced again - slow and well-spaced with very smooth surface. Surprisingly, sea temperature is up to 23.8C.
8pm Daylight still but getting duller.. Difficult to know what to do when wind is very light and goes dead ahead... Heaving to in very little wind, to 'hold station', doesn't work too well, since drift tends to be downwind, so only option is to head ESE, as close to the wind as is consistent with keeping going while trying to reduce Southing. Result... COG: 105T, SOG: ~1kt.
Weatherfaxes are coming in well now from Pt Reyes on 8MHz.
9:45pm Sails backed with windshift - came back on course but need to change on to starboard ready for wind from E, so as to head more N than S.
10:30pm A lot of playing with the sails needed to keep heading N or E or somewhere in between... Preferred course is ENE. Just gybed around and changed sails over again so we're back on starboard tack with wind from NE-ENE, presently making a course just W of N but hoping to make due N or, if possible, NNE. Expecting wind to veer more to E which will allow a better course to be made.
1am Making 010T in ENE wind of around 8-10kt - keeps varying so speed is 2.5-3kt, occasionally 4kt. To my bunk now but will set alarm to check on wind direction in case possible to head more E.
4:30am Daylight - mostly cloudy sky with a few pink-edged clouds. Tacked around onto port tack - light wind still, so speed only ~3kt but better Easting - making a course of 145T
11:30am Came off the wind a bit more for better speed but only managing 3-4kt in SE direction - Cape Flattery is E from here but headwind from that direction makes it impossible to head that way directly. Will tack around again quite soon, depending on wind - likely to change over the day.
ETA: Mon/Tues?? (Ask the weather gods...)
DTF: Victoria Hbr (Ogden Pt breakwater): 492 n.ml.; Cape Flattery (~60n.ml. from Victoria Hbr entrance): 432 n.ml to E
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While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.
It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so9hr, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!
(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless
they are notified in advance.)
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1900GMT = midday PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) - end of Day 329. We made 27 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions. Actually sailed over 54 n.ml. in light wind but tacking against a headwind makes for a lot less distance gained.
Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 329 (by daily DMGs): 27,373 n.ml.
Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (go to either of those websites with my US radio callsign, KC2IOV, to see my track over this entire voyage):
TIME: 2019/08/28 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 48-44.67N LONGITUDE: 135-37.66W
COURSE: 153T SPEED: 3.1kt
WIND_SPEED: 8kt WIND_DIR: ENE SWELL_DIR: W SWELL_HT: 2.0m CLOUDS: 100%
BARO: 1018hPa TREND: 0 AIR_TEMP: 22.0C SEA_TEMP: 22.0C
COMMENT: ENE headwind not helping finish..... About to tack around.