35:35.3 N 56:46.3 W

Sula Sula III
Mark
Wed 21 Jun 2023 14:56
Day 13 was our most frustrating yet....The weather routing algorithms suggested we tack and head North West....just didn't feel right having finally got a little East of where we started from. Also Junior was already starting to feel the cold, and his idea of "heavy weather foulies" is not quite the same as mine! I should have checked his kit before we left, but took his word for it which might prove an issue later on.
Anyway, I decided to stick to our 50° true and stay a bit closer to the Rhum Line. All the models have a hole opening up to the north of us over the next few days and I guess we will just have to suck it up? The question remains how long will it last, and which way will it grow and or travel? Perhaps this tech just causes anxiety.... Perhaps I shouldn't even look at the models? I mean if we didn't have it I would be quite pleased that we were making four and a half knots in 8 or 9 apparent. Anyway... This morning, with some trepidation I updated our position and downloaded the weather routing; surprise surprise, the models now suggest that I should continue the way I am going for the next 24hrs. Sometimes we are better than the tech!!
Yesterday we sailed through a carpet or Portuguese Men O'War....I say carpet, but they were a little more dispersed than that.....they all had their sails up, but somehow they managed a pretty even distribution on the surface.
Going to send Junior up the mast later to check for wear on the haliards etc..... He is desperate to get up there. All the other routine jobs are getting done, and the replaced lip seals on the rudder stock have reduced the frequency of greasing required.
I am still amazed at how benign the ocean has been (so far!) Couldn't have asked for better conditions for Junior to learn to sail in!