Wed 5pm A very relaxed day - no major projects underway! Mostly overcast, but thin cloud layer and with increasing breaks. Fairly settled conditions after last night's rain and strong wind followed by a lack of wind. The sun tried often to get out but never managed it for long - but it has been fairly bright despite that.
The weather files I've looked at indicate mainly light winds ~10kt for the next 2-3 days, increasingly from the N as we get closer to the High pressure area centred to our SE. We're under full canvas now, having earlier released the first reef I tied in overnight. Winds could become strong and/or variable on Sunday/Monday as we get close to a small Low (or trough) with associated rain. It's even possible that winds could become SE, and so head us for a time, unless we can keep well to the E as we head roughly SE now.
One of my minor projects dealt with today was rigging up a line to hold down the chopping board from flying around should we be so unlucky as to broach or turn turtle... I use the board often so the system had to be quick and easy to undo but holding it down firmly otherwise...
My other mini-project is to support the big JSD (Jordan Series Drogue) bag on the pushpit - it's looking rather droopy and I'd hate it to fall down while underway because the straps holding it in place have given way. I've found a good sturdy strap with a strong but easy-to-use closure - tomorrow's job.
6.45pm PST Getting dark - time to prepare for the Pacific Seafarers Net at 0300GMT.
Thurs 9.30am Ambling along under full sail at 5.5-6kt in ENE 10kt wind under a mainly overcast sky - rather grey to the W, with some tiny bits of blue elsewhere. Sun trying to get out. Seas relatively calm - still the usual E-ENE 2.5m/8ft swell but fairly gentle - well separated.
About to have my morning coffee and soon it's time to prepare my daily report. Running the small generator for a time - not much power coming in to batteries just now - from neither wind nor sun.
10.50am Well, we WERE ambling - but then I felt the boat heeling a lot as the wind suddenly increased - rain..! Reduced the genoa a touch to bring us more upright - the boat's getting a good washdown just now. Of course, soon afterwards the wind died right down for a time... At least I got to that coffee...
11.30am Wind keeps gusting up to 19kt or so as we come under another raincloud - speed up to 7.5kt or more... Mixed bag of speed and course just now... all depending whether we're under, or close to, a cloud or not. Sun trying to shine from patches of blue sky in between the showers. Definitely not a time to relax over my coffee!! I'm a little bit wet from several trips topside!
1900 GMT (=1100PST) - end of Day 43. We made 128 n.ml.(DMG) over the 24 hr period since yesterday's 1900 GMT position
Position & weather report posted to Winlink.org and Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign of kc2iov) not long after 1900 GMT:
TIME: 2018/11/15 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 23-31.44S LONGITUDE: 125-40.65W COURSE: 175T SPEED: 7.1kt
WIND_SPEED: 18kt WIND_DIR: ENE SWELL_DIR: E SWELL_HT: 2.5m
BARO: 1019.3hPa TREND: 0 AIR_TEMP: 25.0C SEA_TEMP: 30.0C
COMMENT: Lots of rain squalls around - SOG and COG highly variable!