End of Day 4 - Caribbean towards Chesapeake

These Blog entries are edited versions of the messages we sent back as we completed the passage. They were sent by radio using a laptop that controls a modem and the HF/SSB radio, using the SailMail system. We sent the messages daily to Charlotte and she then forwarded them on to a list of family members.

2359 (AST, GMT-4) 10 May 2018

Dear All,

Well, the big news today is that we have turned to head directly for the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. Overnight last night we both had a look at the computer generated wind forecast and agreed that continuing north on our old track would initially be faster but that it would then put us in a position where we would have a much longer track through the light or no wind high pressure area. So at 0300am, with just over 810 nautical miles to go, we put BV on the new direct course.  Almost immediately the wind became lighter and changed slightly to make the direct course exactly downwind.  Doh! This was by no means ideal as it's a slower point of sail than being a little off the wind and, because there were still sizeable waves as well as relatively little wind, the sails slatted noisily and, potentially, hard enough to damage them.  At breakfast we gybed to put the wind on our port quarter and to head a little more west of the perfect northwest course but the wind was still light, the waves still surprisingly large and progress frustratingly slow. Even so, we have still managed 129 miles since midnight last night so it's not all bad, and certainly faster than quite a lot of boats.  It's just that it feels slow to us and wasn't quite in the direction we had hoped!

Still, with Georgina now happily steering BV, it has given us the opportunity to start to make inroads into the backlog of blog entries.  Clearly, none of them will be posted until we reach dry land again but at least when we do get ashore there should be a reasonable number to post.  I can't believe that the backlog goes back as far as our visit to Dominica in early March.  Clearly we have been having far too much fun in the interim!

Popcorn and Gin & Tonics as a moral boost at sunset

And I'm afraid that's it for news from BV for today.  Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to pass on exciting tales of fast downwind sailing and huge fish on the line.  Or, more likely, they will be just that - tales!

Reg and Nicky 

Passage statistics:
Position at midday 10 May: N26 03 W067 27
Position at 2359 10 May: N26 38 W068 14
Midday to midday distance: 144 nautical miles
Midnight to Midnight distance: 129 nautical miles
Total miles covered:  552 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go: 721 nautical miles

End of Day 4 - Caribbean towards Chesapeake