15:21.5N 59:36.6W

COG 300T

SOG 4.9kts

Motoring

Some may be wondering what happened to Day 16. Others may have noticed we have had two day 12s. The days just run into each other out here.

1930 local and the sun has set. As we watch the afterglow  and contemplate the night ahead the engine whirls away now that we have entered a large area of very light wind. It will take 1 1/2 days of motoring to get to Jolly Harbour, leaving about one day of fuel in hand.

Today we put the cruising chute up but there is now so much Sargasso weed that the Hydrovane rudder becomes caked in it and it cannot steer unaided until cleared. This we had to do at least every half hour. Fortunately by just slowing down to less than a knot the weed will fall away. The same applies when motoring except the weed gets wrapped around the prop and we have to go into reverse to clear it.

The weed means that we cannot use the Duogen in water mode - it would clog up like Annies fishing lures within seconds of entering the water! During the day the solar panels can cope with our power requirements - even using the autopilot with the cruising chute - and at night the Duogen has been keeping the batteries charged in wind mode. Now with the wind very light and from behind the Duogen is not an option so we need to run the engine occasionally if not motoring.

After 18 days we will be glad to put into the Jolly Harbour marina and be back there having come full circle. We are likely to be there at least 10 days getting the boat ready for the final legs, waiting for a weather window and getting Olly out here. We have now completed over 60% of the journey home from Cape Town but are still too focussed on the immediate requirements of sailing to be too excited about our homecoming.

An emphatic win for me at backgammon today but an ignominious defeat at checkers.

EmilyLuna has reached Grenada after what sounds like an uncomfortable passage with grey skies, rain and squalls. They will be relieved to have arrived for some well earned rest.