A Fair Wind (16 Sep 10)

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Sat 18 Sep 2010 00:22

Position: 37 43.0 S 073 50.0 W
Course North Speed 6 knots
Wind: South sou’ west , F4, moderate breeze
Weather: Mostly sunny, mild
Day’s Run: 104 miles

The last 24 hours we have been making slow but steady progress. The wind, while on the light side, has been behind us since early this morning and we have been running square wing on wing since shorlty after daylight.

This afternoon we passed inside Isla Mocha which made for an interesting distraction. It sits 20 miles off the Chilean coast, is about five miles long by three miles wide, has a steep sided table topped mountain in its centre and its eastern side consists of flat grassy green meadows. The sandy dunes rolling up from the beach and merging with the meadows made me think it would make it ideal for an exclusive golf course with ready made sand traps.  A number of light planes landed and took off as we passed so maybe it already is. Passing the inside of the island also helped to reduce the swell for a while, as the wind was very light and the swell high Sylph was rolling quite a bit which in turn meant the sails were slatting heavily again, not good for the rig. Now that we have passed Isla Mocha the wind has freshened which, while we are still rolling a little, is keeping the sails full and firm - no more slatting - and we are making good a steady six knots.  We’ve cracked the hundred mile day again at long last.

All is well.

 

Bob Cat:

A much better day today thank goodness, a little sunshine on the patio, caught up on some much overdue sunshine zees. No tuna last night, maybe tonight, meantime you know where I’ll be … zzzzzzzzzzzzzz