Position                    36:14.35 N 027:33.13 W

Date                         2359 (UTC) Friday 17 March 2017

Distance run              in 24hrs 124nm over the ground, 130nm through the water

Passage total            3,583nm over the ground, 3,504nm through the water

Distance to go          128nm    This is our distance from Ponta Delgada

                                190nm    This is the distance that we are likely to have to sail

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

 

Dear diary, today has definitely been easier than yesterday; however everything is relative and today was still not a trip across the Serpentine and even later in the day we managed to ship the odd meant greeny across the deck with spray over the top of the cockpit. 

 

The wind continues to blow from the north  north east to north east with the predominant swell from broadly the same direction.  This means that we can still not lay Ponta Delgada so are sailing around it to the west, getting gradually closer until the time on Saturday when, in theory, the wind drops away to allow us to motor east.  as an illustration, in the last six hours of the day we got closer to our destination by 12nm, covering 33nm in NNW direction in the process.  With the lighter winds, now down to 15 knots true, we could set more sail and go faster but that would be somewhat counter productive as we do not want to peak too early and have a night time arrival.  Wait for tomorrow's gripping episode. I must dash, the fading winds are just producing a 25 knot kick in the tail that requires attention on deck.

 

We will be glad when we have had enough!