For ‘Good’ read ‘Lucky’. Just been looking at the weather files – and heading more North on a direct route looks to have paid off, we are now nearly 35 degrees North rather than 32 degrees as we would have been and the latest grib files show the cold front will now pass along 32 and form later so it looks as though we will be above and past it. On our daily Long Range Radio SSB call tonight one of the few yachts we can contact mentioned that they record the sea temperature so they know when they enter the Gulf stream and should expect the northerly Gulf Stream current.
Sounds a good idea and from today we will start recording the sea temperature alongside the barometer readings. The weather front though is likely to bring a lot of rain – which actually could be a blessing as the watermaker is on the blink and I can use the deck collection system to capture it. We do have enough drinking water but we could then lift the ‘shower ban’ on board !
Life on board is now pretty routine. I managed to get some more work done today but don’t want to think about the satellite bill that will follow, although we are careful and avoid WEB sites so just using blogs, and lightweight mail such as Webmail and Windows live mail.
Pat cooked the last of our Roti’s for lunch.
As it looks as though we are positioned well for the weather into the USA the engine is off and the wind has built so we are now sailing at over 8 knots with just the whoosh of the sea on the hull.
This afternoon was spent pouring over the charts into one of the busiest ports in the world, I understand it houses the largest Navy base in the world, has the only ship builders that can build the largest Aircraft carriers in the world. Chesapeake Bay has over 11,000 miles of shoreline (would stretch to Japan) the bay links cities such as Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington. We sort of worked a route around all of the restricted navy areas and shipping lanes but may rework it tomorrow. One thing is for sure - I think it wise to arrive in daylight ! – should be Wednesday early.
Stu