Day 119 – No Wind

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Mon 11 Apr 2022 09:02
Noon Position: 22 50.3 S 072 57.4 E
Course: Drifting Speed: 1 knots
Wind: E F1 Sea: slight
Swell: ESE 2m
Weather: sunny, warm, humid
Day’s Run: 145nm

We have close reached to a moderate NE’ly breeze overnight, making good time and averaging seven knots for most of it, but come this morning the wind has eased and by late forenoon had faded to nothing, leaving Sylph rolling on the E’ly swell, sails flogging. So I have handed all sail and we drift.
But I have not been idle while we drift. Earlier this forenoon I had another go at freeing the engine’s pistons. I figured they had had a good soak in some WD40 and maybe a good whack on the top of the pistons with a bit of timber and a mallet might help unbind them. Regrettably the attempt was unsuccessful so I have poured some kerosene into the top of the cylinders to allow them to soak further and put the head back on to try again later, probably much later.
The other job I attended to was removing some more of the tenacious limpets clinging to Sylph’s stern. Again we are still rolling and bobbing about quite a bit in the swell and despite there being no appreciable wind, Sylph still moves forward at about half a knot, probably being pushed by the swell. I trailed a couple of lines in the water so I didn’t have to swim to keep up with Sylph as well as try to scrape her gyrating hull above me. The port side is now clear of the pesky molluscs and I will do the starboard side in the next calm'
As I write a bit of a breeze has picked up and I have just set all plain sail.
We are moving.
All is well.