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American Spirit II - Day 374; A Great Day of Sailing in the South Atlantic & Saphir Almost Collides with a Whale; Tuesday, January 13, 2015



Up at 7:00 AM. At 7:10 AM we jibed from port to starboard tack as wind has gone to southeast at 164 degrees. The wind is 13/14 knots and we're moving at 4.4 knots thru the water and 4.7 knots over the land. The sky is a solid overcast and our COG (Course Over Ground) is 008 degrees, just east of north. Even at this slow rate of sail I'm OK with it. As long as we're going 4 knots, its OK.

At 8:39 AM the clouds are clearing from the east. Its sunny now. I've taken off my pants and long sleeved shirt and put on shorts and a short sleeved shirt. The days continue to be warm and the nights cold.

At 9:30 AM the wind is 11 knots and we're moving at 4.6 knots thru the water and 4.3 knots over the land; with a COG of 025.

Tim from Ghost hosts the 10:00 AM net.

At 10:20 AM Joel and I have breakfast: scrambled eggs; cut up potato; pear slices; and brown bread. Jeanine ate during her 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM watch earlier; a tuna fish sandwich, so she skips breakfast and sleeps in.

At 10:55 AM we jibe from starboard to port.

At 11:00 AM the auto pilot cuts off again. I see it happen and 'catch' the wheel before the boat rounds up. At 11:10 AM we put out the whisker pole on the port side. The wind is now 14/15 knots and we're moving at 5.8 knots thru the water and 6.7 knots over the land. Jeanine is up now.

Our noon position is 28 degrees, 25 minutes South; 12 degrees, 33 minutes East; and we're 1,255 miles from St. Helena.

From 12:30 PM to 2:15 PM I type a log and a bunch of emails.

I take a nap from 2:20 PM to 3:30 PM; and Joel naps from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM.

Dinner at 6:00 PM is blackened Amberjack cooked on the grill by chef Joel; corn on the cob; and 5 bean vegetable. Our best dinner so far on this trip.

At 6:26 PM the wind is 17/21 knots and we're moving at 6.5 knots thru the water and 7.0 knots over the land.

The 7:00 PM net is hosted by Tim from Ghost. 16 of 21 boats check in. During the net I find out: Polaris saw some whales today; Ghost caught a 30 pound Abalone fish; and Saphir had to change course to avoid a collision with a blue or fin whale laying or sleeping on the surface; and missed it by only a boat length or 40 feet.

At 5:40 PM we run the water maker for 3 hours, making 20.1 gallons of water (6.7 gallons per hour).

Sunset is at 8:16 PM and there is no green flash as a think layer of clouds is laying just on the horizon. Too bad because there was a big green hue on the clouds around the setting sun; a good indication that we would have seen a green flash except for the obstructing clouds.

I took a nap at 8:15 PM and Joel tries to wake me at 8:50 PM but can't. He leaves my cabin door open and I wake up on my own at 9:15 PM. I guess I was tired.

At 9:30 PM the wind is 14/17 knots and we're moving at 6.2 knots thru the water and 6.7 knots over the land.

At 11:45 PM the wind is 14/15 and we're moving at 5.7 knots thru the water and 6.3 knots over the land. The stars are out, and the water is lit up with phosphorescence.

At 11:55 PM I try to send and receive emails via the SSB radio, but without success. I try Africa, the Red Sea and Chile. I finally did connect to Chile, over 4,123 nautical miles away; but the byte transfer rate is too slow at 200 bytes per minute so I disconnect and go to bed at 12:45 AM. Tomorrow we will try sending and receiving emails using the satellite phone as the SSB radio is too slow and not connecting.

Brian Fox

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