Day 13 - Bermuda to Guernsey

Stravaig'n the Blue
Mon 6 Jun 2022 18:04
Position: 39:53.2 N 033:19.3 W
Position timestamp: Monday 6 June 2022 14:00 (UTC-1)
Distance travelled in last 24 hours: 157 NM (average speed 6.5 knots)
Reduction in distance to destination: 112 NM
Shortest distance to destination: 1421 NM (great circle)

Another grey and drizzly day out here in the Atlantic but the wind has held steady in the mid-twenties from the south-west and we are on schedule to round the southern tip of Flores and into the lee of the island at daybreak tomorrow.

The low pressure system that is headed our way isn’t a typical upper North Atlantic system that started south of Greenland. This one looks to have begun in the warm tropical waters of (or near) the Caribbean and was classified by the US National Hurricane Centre as a Tropical Storm (sustained winds 35 to 64 mph) with little prospect of it developing into a hurricane and having to be given a name. Thank goodness for that!

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th so it is no great surprise that we are having to deal with one of these systems. The port of Lajes das Flores on the south-eastern tip of the island was destroyed by hurricane Lorenzo in 2019. Lorenzo, twelve letters into the alphabet, so it must have been a mid to late season hurricane.

Last night’s update from Tim is that forecasts for the maximum wind speeds and wave heights have all reduced slightly.

All is well.

Allan