Hi
The wind speed never reached 4 knots during the day and was from the NE. Quite different to the forecast of 0-10 knots ESE. For 12 hours we chased what wind there was making a little more than steerage way. We spotted a large vessel heading in a north easterly direction on Sunday lunchtime. With our new AIS system we identified the ship as a cargo vessel bound for Portsmouth due to arrive next Saturday. We were v happy to use the new system for the 1st time at sea and found the info it provided us v useful!
The vessel (Timor Star (?)) crossed our path 8 Nm to the North and was soon over the horizon maintaining a speed of 20 knots. The Setantii book club got into full swing in the afternoon as did light airs sailing practise! In the evening the VHF crackled into life a call from The Cid II, Raymond the
skipper had decided to motor as the wind hole was too big according to the GRIB files he had recently received (wind weather maps). Fortunately we were able to retrieve an up to date file from our email (Robert Thomson emails an edited version to us daily). It was clear that there would be no wind for over 150Nm or wait until late Tuesday until the hole filled and the wind returned. We decided reluctantly to motor across the Horse Latitudes. We have had a light wind since dawn and are back chasing Zephyrs, but expect to be under engine before too long.
Sargasso Sea weed can be seen frequent on the surface of the water, and often forms huge swathes of carpet, collecting an assortment of debris in these mini-islands. The skipper cooked up a tasty sausage cassoulet for dinner, able assisted by Tom (chopping chef) & John (dish washer, and watch keeper while dinner was being prepared). The sunset was again stunning, leading to another clear night and some stargazing. Tom reported siting of a meteor, breaking in to 2 halved before fizzing out in the atmosphere. A number of stars were identified including Capella and Betelgeuse. Lightning was also observed through the night to the north & west.
Monday morning saw a wonderful visit from a school of Dolphins (15-20). They stayed with us for a good 10 minutes before taking a left (port) turn and heading west into the distance. The wind remains light (F1-2).
Tom, John and Bill