second week

Catmojo
Matt
Mon 30 Nov 2020 11:46
19:32N 39:35W
sog 7ish, wind around 15 from ese, still with Ahab the pirate Parasailor celebrating
The team have become skilled in playing with the sail angles, and can maximise apparent wind (and hence speed) sailing the boat on windvane mode, steering using autopilot to keep the wind at 154 degrees - coming in from the rear corners of the boat, either side the same. Jess managed a whole watch at 8 knots and staying within 0.03nm or under 50 yards of the direct track towards the waypoint.
But Simon Says the wind is going lighter soon with rain and lightning later in the week, so it's gonna be time for Mr and Mrs Yanmar to take over from Ahab, darnit.
In the mornings when it's a bit grey like today, I charge batteries with both engines to mimimise the amount of time spent with droning in the cockpit. The watermaker is working fine and I've run it a few hours most days. I think I might let the tanks run lower today, and make water as we need it. It's also time to start throwing some of the standby/emergency water in bottles into the tank - we need less as land draws closer.
Thoughts move to what plans we each have on arrival in Martinique. Chipi says she has a tent and might hitchhike around the island. Aixa has found a "workaway.info" place on the east of the island for a week and then onwards to family in Argentina. The cheapest flight she found goes via er, Paris. Ruth wants to try see friends in Barbados just a short flight from Martinique, before meeting another boat heading north with dive gear. Jess has a flight on to the US a week or so after we arrive Martinique now 1250nm away, ETA around a week from today.