can we help
+44(0)1983 296060
+1 757-788-8872
tell me moreJoin a rally

Menu

Starblazer - Starblazer 9 December So Slow



Happy 21st Birthday Zack.

Family matters out of the way, back to sailing. Have I mentioned there is
very little wind? We spent Saturday night sailing slowly south west, to try
to get below a weak ridge of high pressure and little wind. Before
breakfast Sunday morning John downloaded a GRIB file, basically a wind map
of an area he defined. This suggested the area of almost no wind coming
from every direction was north of us and it was reasonable to alter course
for St Lucia. This change brought the wind closer behind and the genoa was
doing very little so time for a sail change. As good cruisers do, to the
chagrin of racers, we had breakfast first. We rolled away the genoa and
hauled up the cruising chute; big, colourful, light weight, exactly what is
needed in these light airs. We then dropped the main and continued slowly
for a couple of hours. We managed to sail at 2.5 knots in 5.2 knots of
breeze.

Sadly we didn’t manage a week of no engine, by 30 minutes! The boat needs
to make at least 2 knots to maintain steerage, difficult in only 3 knots of
breeze. Looking back through the log book, we have had no wind higher than
11 knots since midday Sunday 1st December and frequently they have been less
than 8 knots. It amazes me that we have got as far as we have.

It has been very hot and sunny all day so I suppose it is no surprise that
the radar screen is a pretty spotty picture, mainly little green dots with
the odd cluster of red. It’s raining! Green is good, light rain; red is
not so good, heavier rain. The red appears to be behind us. The wind has
also picked up, to 9 knots from 5 before the rain; it has also backed, from
ENE to NNE. I don’t want to pull out the genoa on my own so I’ll wait an
hour until 0200 watch change. By then there might be no wind again!

As it was Sunday, I cooked a roast gammon joint, roast potatoes, carrots and
French beans followed by lemon meringue pots. Think pie without the pastry!

Joyce


Previous | Next