Thursday 14th March 2013
1:30am .... Wind disappeared almost - struggling to keep on course at 2.3 kt... Foggy still...
Midday Bright sunshine, after early morning overcast sky, calm sea with long, slow swell from W - two Wandering albatross joined some white-chinned petrels resting on water nearby... Adjusted Fred for a close reach - but almost no wind and it keeps swinging about, so difficult to keep a good course and for sails to be trimmed correctly - often flapping, doing nothing.... but we're generally managing to keep heading roughly E - so that's good - the bad news is our SOG of only 1-2 knots and tendency to drift SE, rather than E! Not getting very far again.
1pm Wind suddenly came up a little - just enough to get us moving a bit better - now making over 4 kt in NNW wind with maximum canvas.. Hazy sunshine - lurking low layer of fog-in-waiting...!
Group of white-chinned petrels chattering to each other on the water, not far away. Wandering albatross still not too far away - always come very close when my camera is out of reach!
It's so quiet - no noise of wind in the rigging - we're gliding along gently at ~3.5kt... sound of rippling water & of sails moving in swell with such little wind.
Last of washing has been rinsed through & is hanging out in cockpit to drip... - thought warm sunshine would help dry it but that didn't last long- fog in distance now... grey sky with sun still trying to get through thin layer.
4pm Fog has dropped down - a boat's length away.....grey and chilly - back on with two fleeces I'd removed! Beam reach in NNW wind, making just over 4kt which is an improvement over the 2-3 knots that we'd dropped down to for a time...
6pm Seems I can expect zero wind, possibly, at end of afternoon tomorrow (Friday) - I hope the forecast is wrong and I can keep moving - even slowly is better than drifting in circles or backwards...!! What a slow passage this is....
Just brought my washing down below - no longer dripping and air's getting damp on deck, with fog around... Have lines rigged up in main cabin for hanging wet gear.
10:30pm Have had to adjust Fred several times, with wind veering more to N from NNW, so our course changes accordingly. A few stars overhead, so maybe less fog now. Still only making around 4 knots with maximum canvas in light wind...Finished chatting a short while ago to HF radio contacts in USA/Australia/S.Africa - many have become familiar voices with familiar callsigns now - all very friendly and supportive!
Just finished O'Brien's "The Far Side of the World" - what a great story - and ending!!
DMG AT 1100GMT: 55 n.ml. - no surprise that it's so low, with speed of only 1-3 kt overnight and this morning! ! C. Agulhas: 2966 n.ml.; WP due S of C. Leeuwin : 1309 n.ml. Ile Kerguelen: 644 n.ml. (237T) Ile St Paul: 451 n.ml. (313T)
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For my positions, see:
www.svnereida.com - 'Travels' - "Where is 'Nereida'?"
and/or:
http://www.exactearth.com/media-centre/recent-ship-tracks/tracking-nereida/