End of Day 10 - Beaufort NC towards Antigua

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.

2359hrs (AST, 4 hrs behind GMT) 8 Dec 2018

Dear All,

Dawn on the 8^thDecember

Well, last night was a bit more of a bucking bronco ride.  We had some small rain squalls pass over us with associated increases in wind and then the wind just got stronger to be generally in the 18-20 knots band.  The sea and swell were also more dramatic as we got into the thick of the Trade Winds belt.

The detached No1 batten on the left and, on the right, as it should be

Early last night, at one of our watch handovers, Nicky spotted that the tack of the mainsail had come detached. We fixed that pretty quickly but whilst it had been loose one of the batten car attachments had obviously been stressed.  When Nicky reduced sail to 2 reefs in the main at 0205hrs she saw that the No1 batten had become detached from the car/mast.  Fortunately we needed 2 reefs in for the rest of the night and up until 1200hrs when we were both up and could reattach it.  For the rest of the day we sailed with 1 reef in the main and the batten seemed fine but we'll need to check the threads on the fitting carefully when we get to Antigua.

A short film showing progress

The bonus of the extra wind was that we sailed fast achieving 177.5 nautical miles through the water from midday to midday.  Sadly the angle that we are sailing across the current here means that we are losing a little of that in speed over the ground.  We think that the log is pretty accurately calibrated but it could also be that it is over-reading slightly.  However, if we keep going as we are we should just be able to make it to English Harbour before sunset tomorrow.  The seas have calmed down a bit at the moment too, which will also help in our making good speed.  Given that calmer seas make for easier living on board too, long may they last!

Lastly, we may not be able to use the SSB/HF radio in English Harbour tomorrow night; it's normal to get interference in port that stops long range transmissions.  So, just in case, we wanted to say a really big thank you now to Charlotte for once again doing an excellent job of relaying our nightly messages home for us. It's really appreciated.

Love to all

Reg and Nicky

Passage statistics:

Position at midday 8 Dec: N19 59 W61 38
Position at midnight 8 Dec: N18 44 W61 36
Midday to midday distance: 177 nautical miles
Midnight to midnight distance: 178 nautical miles
Total miles covered:  1381 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go (direct line): 112 nautical miles  (101nm to our waypoint east of Antigua plus about 11nm to English Harbour)

End of Day 10 Beaufort in North Carolina to Antigua