Surfing Through Line Squalls

April 10, 2019

Day 187

Noon Position: 27 33S  21 23W

Course(t)/Speed(kts): NExE 3.5

Wind(t/tws): WNW 6

Sea(t/ft): NW 1

Sky: Squalls

10ths Cloud Cover: 9

Bar(mb): 1019+, steady

Cabin Temp(f): 79

Water Temp(f): 79

Relative Humidity(%): 81

Sail: Big genoa and main, close reaching on port

Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 77

Miles since departure: 25,626

Avg. Miles/Day: 137

Leg North Days: 21

Leg North Miles: 2,676

Avg. Miles/Day: 127

Slow gets slower as we push deeper into the high. Wind has tailed right off and the sky has gotten intensely cloudy and confused. The breeze outside squalls is 4 – 6 knots and in which we’ve been averaging 3 knots. Monte has steerage but not much else.

It’s evening.

Over the last few hours we’ve ridden through two line squalls. Actually, I don’ think that’s the proper meteorological term for this phenomenon, but I don’t have a better one. Imagine a solid line of cloud, flat on the bottom, connected up like a river, and snaking from one horizon to the next. It flows forward like a wave and is preceded by a phalanx of towering cumulus. Inside could be anything, more squally cumulus or high, indistinct cloud and rain.

The first was rain. The second carried a punch of wind as we came under the wave that required I luff the entire main for twenty minutes. Mo took off close reaching; rail in the water on the big genoa alone. This one we are still in, though the winds has subsided to something like 10 knots. The leading edge of this giant is a great U-shape of cloud, the bottom of which is traveling east. We entered through one arms of the “U” and will exit the other by dark.

Past the the edge of this one are two massive squall clouds pouring rain in a vertical column.

So, it’s back on deck for me. Looks to be an active night.