Day 22: STT -> Azores - Birthday at sea

Blue Note
Marco M.
Sun 19 May 2013 12:10
Date: Sunday May 19 2013 - Time: 12:00 Blue Note Time - 09:00 EDT - 13:00 UTC
Position 39:53.605N  32:04.703W
COG 50T SOG 4.8kt, Wind 122T 11.5  kt, Barometer 1023.7 stable
Temperatures: Air 17.7C, Sea 9.1C
Last 24h Sailed Distance: 105 NM
Last 24h Decrease Distance on rhumb line: 82 NM
Sailed distance since departure: 2571 NM
Time since departure: 22d 0h 00m                          
Average Speed since departure: 4.87  kt
Average VMG since departure:   3.98 kt
Average VMG last 24 hours: 3.40 kt
Intention: sail to Flores
Distance to End on rhumb line: 52NM
ETA: Monday May 20, 2013
Diesel consumption:
        - 30 gallon left
        - 74% diesel burned with 97% of passage done, ratio = 1.32
        - 40 Usable hours left motoring
        - 160 NM usable range left on motoring
        - Ratio of: Distance_to_End/Range_on_Engine = 0.33

Today is Lisa birthday and we have celebrated with more rice pudding and by just having spot land, 52 NM out.

Yesterday post was indicating a landfall within about 24 hours, a bit of a wishful thinking.
We probably could have make it by continuing motoring but the ETA would have been at sunset of today and there were just two many factors near the edge: the diesel left and the landfall with daylight.
Moreover some workable wind had come and we decided to use it and stopping the engine and we have not used the engine within the past 24 hours.
We are now aiming at a landfall for early morning of tomorrow.

The current plan is:
- make landfall at sunrise on Monday May 20,
- get some diesel and clear customs.
- As soon as that is done, hopefully around noon, leave for Horta.
- Arrive in Horta before sunset of Tuesday May 21
- Paint Blue Note mural on the walls of Horta and have a beer at Peter's sport cafe'.
- Thursday May 23 leave at sunrise for Ponte Delgada leaving Damien and Lisa on Horta
- Lisa and Damien will fly at 19:15 to Ponte Delgada where on Friday at 8:05 they have their fly to Paris
- Friday May 24, arrive in Ponte Delgada around noon.
- Make arrangements for Jib re-stitching and re-provision of Blue Note to be ready for the next leg
- Sunday May 26 at 8:25 leave for Lisbon and from there connect to a flight for Boston
- Sunday May 26 arrive in Boston at 16:45 EDT
- Sunday May 26 rent a car and drive to New Jersey
- Monday May 27 go to work