We have for the last few days been making a southerly heading towards the Cape Verde Islands. The old sailing captains used to "Head South until the butter melts" and then turn right towards the Caribbean. Last time we did this passage we took the 'Rhumb line', which is direct from the Canary Islands to St Lucia in a straight line. Sometimes this works, but there has been very little wind with a high pressure area sat lower. The recommended route from the meteorologists was the Butter melting one. Most boats have followed this going to 20N 25W.
We have followed this 'ish' but staying as little further west. There has been so little wind as watchers of the YB will have seen. A lot of boats including ourselves have had to motor at times when the wind died away completely. We have been looking at downloaded weather grib files showing the wind still light but filling in to the west. We had been sailing with twin headsails poled out on both sides with the wind that there was behind us.
Last night Ann & Emily noticed a wind shift to the North, flipped the headsails to one side and pulled up the main. We ran lovely all night at about 4.5 knots. When I woke up and took my turn at 3.00am, the wind had died off a bit and to get any use from it, I had to change course to 270 degrees. It was only when I went down below to look at the plotter, that I realised that this is the course directly to St Lucia. We have been sat in this grove sailing at between 5 & 6 knots ever since.
We emailed a weather router friend who said we would all experience light winds this week but stronger next.
Here is our dilemma. Have we turned too soon? Should we have gone further south before turning?
On the upside, it looks like we have run out of spinach.
On the downside, we lost our first fish today.
Jim Ann & Emily MacDonald
on Summerwinds of Cuan