My website (www.svnereida.com) has several tracking/position options - go to the 'Travels' tab for links. Also, the www.QRZ.com page for my ham callsign VE0JS has a Google Earth map showing my track.
Now that we're close to the coast, www.marinetraffic.com will show Nereida's position - very frequently updated - useful once in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and getting close to finishing.
***************************
Tuesday 4pm PDT (Tues 2300 GMT) "Overcast sky and seas well down, with wind very light still" - apart from changing the "winds very light" to "wind almost non-existent", that entry from yesterday can be repeated!
SOG is around 1-1.5kt, sea is becoming glassy smooth and it's becoming very peaceful with no noise from any wind.
Sea temperature has dropped to under 20C - presently 18.0C/64F - but air temperature has held at around 21C - so chance of fog has suddenly increased.
It's quiet enough now to listen for the tuner to make a 'clunking' noise as I turn on the HF/SSB radio - heard that noise clearly, confirming that the tuner is getting power OK - good news!
Spending a lot of time on weather, emails and chatting to friends, discussing possibility/timing of landfall.
So calm now, think I'll try looking at the backstay connection....
8:45pm Almost dark and still no wind - drifting SE at under 1kt. .. sails doing nothing.
Removed the backstay antenna connection and re-made it - but noticed the wire is very dull inside - film of corrosion covering outside of all the fine strands of the wire. Tried cutting it back but the copper strands were still dull and green - likely to be like that all the way down to the other end. Cleaned up the exposed strands, cleaned and sanded the backstay and reconnected it anyway, hoping for the best - but radio still not transmitting. Seems to me that entire wire needs replacing.
Used a sturdy crate to stand on for the extra height I needed - still not quite high enough for easy access but at least I could reach well enough to do the job as a temporary 'fix', holding on to the reefing lines near the boom end and/or to the backstay for support as I worked. In the calm conditions during the early afternoon, that worked fine, although the W swell increased somewhat as the afternoon wore on. Dull day with slight misty rain.
Had a curious visitor at one point - a sea-lion came to see what I was doing - didn't stay long once it was clear there were no fish on offer!
11:45pm Feels cold tonight. Sea temp is down to 17C/63F and cabin now under 20C/68F. Heading is variable in light wind but roughly E at 1-2kt.
11am Bright sunshine and almost no cloud. Vancouver Island and Cape Flattery/Washington in clear view to N and SE - a lovely day but a pity there's so little wind..... Getting close to entrance to Strait of Juan de Fuca. If we're lucky, we might get in tomorrow - certainly no chance today.
Difficult to do anything but keep an eye on the shipping - lots of it around to keep clear of - including an Australian warship (home port Sydney, they said) exiting the Strait! Think they'll get back to Australian waters rather more quickly than it took me to get here!
Looking like fog ahead in the Strait...
Think I'll be lucky to get any sleep from now until landfall - too much to keep an eye on.
ETA: Thursday...? (Maybe Friday...?) Wind is very light so we'll be creeping along towards Victoria Hbr over today and tonight...and tomorrow... (The weather gods seem to have decided to send their usual light winds into the Strait to slow us down...)
DTF: Victoria Hbr (Ogden Pt breakwater): 80 n.ml.; Cape Flattery (~60n.ml. from Victoria Hbr entrance): 20 n.ml to ESE
*****************************************************
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 so, 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.)
***************************************************
1900GMT = midday PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) - end of Day 336. We made 36 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions. Very light wind all day and night... mostly just drifting, becalmed much of the time ...
Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 336 (by daily DMGs): 27,807 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: 2019/09/04 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 48-28.98N LONGITUDE: 125-12.31W
COURSE: 090T SPEED: 2.0kt
WIND_SPEED: 6kt WIND_DIR: WNW SWELL_DIR: W SWELL_HT: 1.5m CLOUDS: 5%
BARO: 1018.2hPa TREND: 0 AIR_TEMP: 20.0C SEA_TEMP: 16.0C
COMMENT: Slow going today in v.light wind. Sunny. Fog ahead.
