Current & Bangs 37.08.000N 70.41.000W

Suzie Too - Western Caribbean
David & Suzanne Chappell
Tue 26 Apr 2011 19:19
 
Although it seems we had entered the Gulf Stream at 35.30N the current was only 2kts, but as we went further north the current got stronger at one point 5,25kts and then after building gradually we were suddenly out. Not sure if this data is much help, but at least you can see what we got on the 70.00W longitude where it would appear to have been about 70M wide.
 
We kept our COG about 30Â east of the rum line, around 010M, to minimise the foul tide and tried to have no more than 1,5kts against us, but it was a rolly night, one of the worst we had, because we lost the main which stabilises the boat well in a beam sea, as well as giving us power and drive.
 
Latitude  Heading      SOG      Current    Curr Dir
37Â04N    329 Â Mg    6.24 Kn    1.25 Kn    78 Â Mg
37Â01N    315 Â Mg    6.82 Kn    1.12 Kn    132 Â Mg
36Â58N    311 Â Mg    5.15 Kn    1.60 Kn    73 Â Mg
36Â55N    317 Â Mg    5.21 Kn    1.79 Kn    80 Â Mg
36Â51N    314 Â Mg    6.01 Kn    4.80 Kn    87 Â Mg
36Â47N    319 Â Mg    5.66 Kn    4.24 Kn    90 Â Mg
36Â42N    320 Â Mg    6.55 Kn    5.25 Kn    92 Â Mg
36Â37N    323 Â Mg    6.49 Kn    4.59 Kn    97 Â Mg
36Â31N    324 Â Mg    7.21 Kn    4.87 Kn    94 Â Mg
36Â26N    322 Â Mg    7.29 Kn    3.59 Kn    80 Â Mg
36Â20N    329 Â Mg    6.98 Kn    3.06 Kn    88 Â Mg
36Â14N    325 Â Mg    5.42 Kn    3.16 Kn    76 Â Mg
36Â10N    325 Â Mg    7.52 Kn    2.52 Kn    62 Â Mg
36Â03N    330 Â Mg    6.86 Kn    2.24 Kn    76 Â Mg
35Â57N    332 Â Mg    6.69 Kn    2.05 Kn    61 Â Mg
35Â51N    334 Â Mg    6.57 Kn    1.84 Kn    40 Â Mg
35Â44N    328 Â Mg    7.78 Kn    2.21 Kn    60 Â Mg
35Â37N    324 Â Mg    8.20 Kn    2.03 Kn    37 Â Mg
35Â31N    314 Â Mg    7.93 Kn    1.44 Kn    131 Â Mg
 
In the middle of the night, as we were in the 5kt current the wind got up an extra 5kts to around 22kts and Lisa was on watch. I went up to ask if she wanted to put a reef in, but we had 2 reefs in the main and a full yankee, we were doing about 7kts and the boat was not over pressed. As I left the cockpit to check the nav on MaxSea there was a terrific bang, which can only have come from the rigging. I leaped back into the cockpit and Lisa and I urgently furled away the yankee to reduce the pressure on the rig.
 
Then we switched on the deck light to see what had gone wrong. Suzanne came up on deck and we immediately noticed the main sail had dropped down and was all neatly folded in its sail bag. The main halyard had gone, a 12mm spectra line that we only just ran through in Bermuda before we left â a Â600 line !!
 
Anyway not much we could do on a dark night in a rolly sea, so on with just the yankee, speed reduced and then see what we can do later. The cold light of morning showed a broken shackle on the head car, so at least itâs not as expensive. Of course the line has come out of the mast, so I have to climb the mast and mouse it back in again, no money involved just pain and sheer delight at the top of an 80ft mast in a rolly sea, maybe I can use the topping lift.
 
Now where did I put the telephone number of that nice golf club ?
 
250M to NYC