Bass Strait

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Sat 26 May 2018 15:22

Noon Position: 38 21.7 S  148 33.3 E
Course: SW  Speed: 4 knots
Wind: WNW – F4 moderate breeze
Sea: slight  Swell: SE 1 meter
Weather: sunny, cool
Day’s run: 107 nm

By mid-afternoon sufficient wind had filled in to fill Sylph’s sails with enough pressure to overcome the rolling motion of the swell, so we shut down the engine, set the jib and handed over steering to the Hydrovane.  By 16.00 the wind had veered into the north-east - we poled out the jib and ran wing-on-wing for the first part of the night.   A little after 01.00 the wind started to back around into the west again, though relatively light, and since sunrise we have had to tack a couple of times to maintain a heading roughly in the right direction.  Nonetheless, we are getting there and thus far conditions have been, dare I say it (looks over shoulder, touches wood, throws salt over shoulder, says three shaloms, mutters any other superstitous nonsense so as to avoid … The Curse of Bass Strait) quite nice.

All is well.