End of Day 24 Beaufort NC USA towards Guernsey

This Blog entry is an edited version of the message we intended to send back whilst we were on the passage.  Unfortunately the laptop we use to work with the modem connected to the HF/SSB radio failed on 13 June so we had no way of sending it at the time it was written.

2359hrs (Z, GMT) Sun 21 Jun 2020

Dear All,

Clear skies at dawn

After spending yesterday in grey, overcast and drizzly weather, at dawn it was nice to see that the sky was clear again with very little cloud.  Nice too for the solar panels which would have a chance to fully recharge our domestic battery bank; with a clear sky they were able to do that by early afternoon.

All a bit damp and salty and in need of a freshwater wash

The working area of BV around the companionway steps, galley and chart table also had a chance to dry out.  The combination of the damp drizzly air and our moving about in wet oilskins tends to get the cabin sole and steps area of this bit of the boat covered in saltwater and condensation.  And the latter, certainly, is not something that we have had to worry about too much whilst we’ve been cruising around the Caribbean.

A good drying day

In a similar vein, with the sun shining gloriously, the cockpit became a drying area for clothes, oilskins, lifejackets and all the other various bits and pieces that had got wet over the past 2 days.

Light winds…..

….. and swell result in slatting, banging sails

It was a big relief to get past the depression largely unscathed and having experienced much better conditions having sailed southeast.  However, despite the clear blue skies and seemingly idyllic conditions today, the effects of the depression were still much in evidence.  We were sailing relatively slowly at between 3 and 5 knots in 10 knots of wind or less but BV was rolling about significantly because that little wind doesn’t really provide enough pressure on the sails to keep everything steady when there is significant swell.  And the depression had certainly created significant swell.  As the day progressed, the long wavelength swell from the west increased significantly from around 3m in the morning to about 5m by early evening.  When BV was on the top of the swell the view down in to the ‘valley’ of the trough was impressively long and deep, much like being on rolling parkland.  And whilst the wavelength was long so BV could keep sailing despite the height of the waves, the result was both the rolling and also lots of banging and shaking of the rig as the sails filled and then emptied with the rolling effect.  It could get quite unsettling, especially as we had already had a rigging failure on the staysail’s inner forestay.  Ironically, if we still had the staysail available to use, we would have sheeted it hard in down the centreline which helps to reduce the rolling effect quite considerably as well as helping to keep a steady track downwind.

Calmer seas so baking ops are back on.  Probably the last loaf baked on the passage

Just before midnight we passed a significant milestone: that of having sailed BV 50,000nm.  We couldn’t really do anything at the time but decided that was worthy of a celebration later in the day.  So we treated ourselves some white wine at sundowners and with our homemade pizza dinner.

A good sunset on the longest day of the year but no green flash

The sunset at 2034hrs looked very promising but sadly we can report that there was no green flash.  On the plus side, the wind got up to 15 knots which was enough to get rid of the rolling, banging and shaking of the rig that had frustrated us during the day.  It also boosted our speed so there is a chance that we might get to Ushant before the wind dies.

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky

Passage statistics:

Position at midday 21 Jun: N45 51 W010 32

Position at midnight 21 Jun: N46 29 W009 26

Midday to midday distance through water: 155 nautical miles (average 6.5 knots).

Midday to midday GPS distance towards destination: 155 nautical miles

Midnight to midnight distance through water: 135 nautical miles (average 5.6 knots)

Midnight to midnight GPS distance towards destination: 132 nautical miles

Total miles covered through water:  3708 nautical miles

Approximate distance to go (GPS route to Guernsey): 329 nautical miles

End of Day 24 Beaufort, North Carolina, USA towards Guernsey