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Starblazer - 25/03/2014 – Sailing or drifting?



The good news from yesterday is that we stopped the engine at 0915 and sailed or drifted at between 2.5 and 4 knots in the right direction using the cruising chute. During the day we averaged 3.3 knots, not scintillating
sailing but certainly worry free use of a chute! The winds were so gentle, the seas so flat and the sky so cloudless that we left the chute up all night, though our average speed dropped to about 2.8 and we meandered about
2 miles north of our rhum line every 3 hours. The plan had been to maintain the 3.5 knots, to reduce our distance to go to 50 nM by 0900, then we would motorsail and pray that the diesel lasts. We didn’t quite achieve the
Distance To Waypoint (DTW) so we are left with 59 nM. Now motorsailing with twin headsails at 5 knots. We hope that the diesel lasts for 12 hours, wish the fuel gauge was better calibrated.

Not a lot happened on board but John cooked dinner. I think that should be written in block capitals, it is something to shout about! He made a pasta Bolognese using chunks of the Argentinian sausages instead of mince and it tasted all the better for not having had to make it myself. I have threatened to plan a BBQ meal every evening at anchor, to get my own back, but I guess I’ll still have to cook the vegetables.

The day’s run to noon, 21 hours on engine but using reduced revs, was 111 nM. This is what we have become used to on this leg, oh for some wind, some boat speed, potentially some more rock and roll, more uncomfortable sleeping etc. I know we moan when the going gets tough but when you can see the DTW
reducing rapidly in front of your eyes you tend to be thankful for the progress, or at least you do in hindsight.

The dining room curtains are finished, all I have left to do is find some suitable material to construct two pelmet boxes that will survive posting back to the U.K. I just hope Chloe likes them. With luck we should make
landfall at dusk which will make anchoring interesting, but not nearly as bad as after dark because there is very little moon and it doesn’t rise until about 0500. The next log should come from our anchored position after
a long night of uninterrupted sleep.

Joyce


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