Light Winds
December 10, 2018
Day 67
Noon Position: 44 26S 35 18W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): SE 5
Wind(t/tws): NWxN 12
Sea(t/ft): SW 4
Sky: Dense deck of cloud plus fog
10ths Cloud Cover: 10
Bar(mb): 1014+, steady
Cabin Temp(f): 59
Water Temp(f): 51
Relative Humidity(%): 80
Sail: Twins poled out full since yesterday afternoon.
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 99
Miles since departure: 9025
Avg. Miles/Day: 135
Light winds overnight. The twins banged and rattled but were full just often enough that I didn’t have the heart to douse them.
Today wind has filled in from the NW but not with much conviction. The high has been 14 knots. The usual is more like 9 or 10 knots. Mo is unimpressed and makes sluggish way forward when she’s not busy rolling in the left-over swell.
I’ve changed my mind regarding strategy for the next two Rio Lows, this based on the morning’s forecast. I’ve decided to go under both and am now trending down to 47S and may go as low as 49S.
To go over the top, the forecast suggested I’d need to go all the way up to 40 and 39S to get reasonable wind. Both lows are (or were forecast to be) more powerful and durable in their NE, N and NW quadrants.
I’m not excited by this decision.* At a minimum, it’ll mean contrary, set-back wind at the height of things (southeasterly during the first blow on Thursday night and stronger northeasterly during the second, due on Sunday), and at moment the second low looks to be riding right over us. The only bright side is that both appear to be fast moving.
Rio is kicking out a low every few days this year; these will be our second and third gales since the Horn. My hope is that by the time the next reaches us, it’s diagonal course to the S will put it under our own course without us having to play tactics.
*The afternoon forecast does not so profoundly support my decision.
Reading this at 0400z 12/15 . Mo appears hove to! Hope you are OK, and not beat up by Low#2. We are feeling some anxiety!
Howard & Steph
Oh dear, yes, he does look hove-to. I hope JoAnn will tell us something.
Hiya, down here in New Zealand we call those quick sharp dangerous storms, weather bombs, although we’re talking 80 knots for a brief time. Flash storm seems to suit just as well. Cheers Chris
So pleased to see your weather display in the photos – I’ve been trying to imagine what you see that tells you so much about the weather. Back in the 70s & 80s, very few boats had weather fax and they didn’t give nearly the info you are seeing. Most of us just sailed blind save for the possibility of a weather report on a ham radio if you had one. All this info certainly changes the way you sail as you can anticipate what you are going to get!