BVIs towards the Cayman Islands End of Day 3

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 my daughter Charlotte and she then forwarded them on to a list of family members.

2359hrs (AST, GMT-4) 17 Jan 2020

Dear All,

Rain squalls behind us

Many of the rain squalls passed off to our
port side without affecting us

Overnight the wind dropped off to 15-18 knots so we shook out the reefs to keep us going but by 0400hrs it was starting to build again and we were followed by a series of line squalls which brought with them strong gusts and heavy rain showers.  The wind also come around more to the northeast and so we have mostly been sailing on a broad reach today.  That has kept our speed up and has also tracked us away from the worst of the line of squalls.  With the stronger winds the reefs all had to be put back in but even with the smaller sails we are sailing faster than we did overnight.

Fast progress on a broad reach with nice smooth seas during the day

The strong northerly winds forecast at Cayman Brac at our expected arrival time continue to be a concern because the arrivals anchorage there is so exposed from that wind direction.  Little Cayman does have a potential sheltered anchorage but you can't check in from international locations on Little Cayman.  So, if the forecast continues as it is then we will probably have to change our destination to Grand Cayaman, which is a shame because Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are much less busy and have some great diving sites that we wanted to visit.  But if we go past them, with the prevailing wind, we are unlikely to sail back to them (90nm directly into the prevailing wind - not our idea of fun!).

Initially we left the spinnaker pole up but once we had decided that the wind was going to keep us on a broad reach overnight we stowed it, particularly as the seas had started to build by then

Throughout the afternoon the wind continued to build so by dusk we had 25-30 knots of wind.  We put a 3rd reef in the main to try to keep things less lively overnight and fired up the generator to heat the hot water tank and then to make some more fresh water.  We got the hot water but after 45 minutes the generator faltered and ran down when we had just started to use the watermaker.  The generator really is my least favourite bit of gear on the boat!

Despite the 3rd reef in the main we were still surfing down waves at 10-12 knots and the GPS says that at some stage we hit 14 knots.  All a bit too much for sailing in pitch black before the moon is up, so at 1930hrs we rolled way the genoa completely.  With 3 reefs in the main and just the staysail flying forward, BV is still sailing at over 7 knots and she feels much more comfortable in the 30-35 knot gusts.

We have also had a think about the weather and are now seriously considering stopping off in Jamaica for a short while to see if we can arrive at the Cayman Islands in more settled conditions.

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky 

Passage statistics:

Position at midday 17 Jan: N17 08 W69 35

Position at midnight 17 Jan: N17 16 W71 11

Midday to midday distance: 161 nautical miles (Average 6.7 knots)

Midnight to midnight distance: 183 nautical miles (Average 7.6 knots!!)

Total miles covered:  418 nautical miles

Approximate distance to go (direct line to Cayman Brac): 509 nautical miles

BVIs towards the Cayman Islands, End of Day 3