Position                04:01.91 N 025:32.18 W

Date                     2359 (UTC) Sunday 26 February 2017

Distance run          in 24hrs 119nm over the ground, 117nm through the water

Passage total        1,006nm over the ground, 942nm through the water

Distance to go      2,613nm

Planned distance   Ascension to the Azores west around the high 3,666nm

(Yesterday's entry should have read Day 7 not a repeat of Day 6 - comes of writing at 0300 and not proof reading properly)

 

The daily run may not be brilliant but it was all done under sail, bar the first 15 minutes, as we broke free of the ITCZ just after midnight.  With sea building slightly and the wind having rather more north in it than ideal the boat is comfortable steering, albeit slowly, to the wind at 45 degrees apparent on a starboard tack.  On this we are dropping off to the west of our rhumb line but we hope that we will be able to make that up, when and if the wind veers further to the east.  For the time being, however, it is just great to be sailing ratter than using our finite stock of diesel.  A feature of the day has been the large patches of floating weed through which we are sailing.  It is mainly broken into small pieces but some are as large as 5 metres square and there is a lot of it.  The Watt and Sea generator has ceased to function and I am hoping that it is due to the weed.  I will examine it in daylight tomorrow when it will be necessary to stop the boat completely in order to lift it off its mounting.  Dinner was a creation based on ostrich fillet in a rogan josh sauce.  Elizabeth is saving her prepared meals for what could be more robust conditions further down the line.