Edging North

January 15, 2019

Day 103

Noon Position: 46 30S  82 58E

Course(t)/Speed(kts): NxE 6+

Wind(t/tws): W 15 – 20

Sea(t/ft): W 4

Sky: Overcast. Rain squalls before noon.

10ths Cloud Cover: 10

Bar(mb): 1009, steady

Cabin Temp(f): 59

Water Temp(f): 47

Relative Humidity(%): 81

Sail: Twins pole out full.

Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 148

Miles since departure: 14,309

Avg. Miles/Day: 139

Days since Cape Horn: 46

Miles since Cape Horn: 6,665

Avg. Miles/Day: 145

Longitude Degrees Made Good (degrees minutes): 3 35

Total Longitude Made Good Since Cape Horn (degrees minutes): 150 15

Avg. Long./Day: 3.27

Fog all night. Early in the evening, I could see a half moon to the NW, hazy, pale, cold, and a star here and there, but without context, they went unnamed. The reefs stayed in though the wind faded as the night matured; we still made our six knots. Enough till morning.

I woke to rain but just quick squalls. By ten o’clock the sky had dried without clearing, its shade of gray had brightened without becoming bright. And I made a course change.

Mo and I are easing N now. The forecast calls for a heavy low to move through here on Thursday, and I want to be a bit more on top of it–46S is the goal, or a touch more, depending on the wind. Almost as important as northing is continuing to run E. Between here and Wednesday noon‘s projected position will see 50 knots on Thursday, but if we can get another good day’s run in, we’ll be in the 30 – 35 wind range. That’s the target: 30 – 35.

Much of the afternoon was spent on deck at various “marline spike” jobs. One that pleased me is pictured, the swapping of the lovely, large snatch blocks for the genoa pole after guys for lashed-on low friction rings. That after guy is rarely under load and the heavy block knocks back and forth as we roll if the line isn’t perfectly tensioned by the crew.

It’s a thing barely noticeable on deck, but the inside of a boat resonates like an acoustic guitar, and for thousands of miles, that knock, knock, knock has been like a burr under my saddle.

But the low friction ring will re-establish quiet and a sense of order.

Slate gray, steel blue, ice blue, clay green. Then, rarely now, a brown bird; rarely because most have fallen back, not wanting to leave the rich environs of Kerguelen. Then gray again; white gray; charcoal gray; burgoo gray. Ice blue; slate blue. Gray.