Separate Wakes as Sylph Sets New Daily Record

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Wed 16 Feb 2022 16:14
Noon Position: 48 29.3 S 045 24.6 W
Course: E Speed: 7 knots
Wind: NNW, F6 Sea: moderate
Swell: NW 3 meters
Weather: overcast, cool
Day's Run: 191 nm

As mentioned yesterday, Sylph and Coconut have now parted ways, as Coconut heads north to France to complete her GGR2018 race and prepare for the 2022 race, while Sylph and I continue east in our attempt to complete a non-stop solo circumnavigation - two months down, about six to go if all goes according to plan.
Over the last 24 hours we have had fresh to strong N'ly winds with Sylph mostly reduced down to staysail and triple reefed mainsail. Despite the small sail area Sylph has still made excellent progress, with the GPS showing a steady nine knots at times. This is actually faster than Sylph's maximum hull speed and checking the log (which shows speed through the water as opposed to the GPS showing speed over the ground), it would seem we have been enjoying a favourable current of one to one and a half knots. It all helps. (Just worked out our daily run and it comes to 191 miles by GPS, a new record for Sylph with an average of speed of eight knots. However, the log only shows 152 miles, so that means she actually did her more usual 6.3 knots through the water with the other 1.7 knots due to current, which is quite a bit of current.)
At dawn the wind eased noticeably. I could feel Sylph rolling more without the press of wind in her sails and could hear the occasional bang of the slack mainsheet. I lay in my bunk for a while wondering whether the decrease was just a short lull or whether I should shake the fog of sleep from my mind and limbs, get out of my bunk and shake a reef out of the mainsail. Eventually I managed to persuade myself to do the latter and we now have a mere two reefs in the main and 60% jib set (though we had a couple of hours of full jib which I have since reduced).
We have a SW'ly change coming this evening with increased winds, up to 45 knots. So I expect we will be back to heavy weather canvas later this afternoon. At least the SW'ly winds will allow us to get a bit further north to, I am hoping, slightly fairer weather, at least for a bit.
Bon voyage Mark and Coconut. I shall miss our daily radio chats.
All is well.