Light and Variable Continued
Where Next?
Bob Williams
Tue 2 Jul 2024 03:17
Course: E Speed: 4 knots
Wind: variable - light air
Sea: rippled Swell: SE 1 meters
Weather: sunny, mild
Day's run: 58 nm
As expected, we have had nothing but more light airs since noon yesterday. We motored for the afternoon watch, sailed with the code zero for the first dog watch when a light air made itself felt, motored some more for the last dog when the breeze disappeared, and then for the first watch, needing a break from the tiring background noise of the engine, I left Sylph to drift where she may.
However, at 2200 I heard the Australian flag fluttering - a breeze. Going on deck I was greeted with a patter of rain and a dark cloud overhead. I was disappointed as the breeze was clearly associated with the rain cloud and I knew it wouldn't last. But I couldn't waste a bit of wind so I unrolled the jib and left the main resting on the boom to await developments. Sure enough, an hour later the rain had passed and the Australian flag on the backstay was no longer fluttering, but it was still gently waving to a hint of a breeze. I thought it worth trying to make the most of it as I certainly wasn't going to motor all night. I set the main with two reefs to minimise chafe damage caused by the sail slatting as Sylph rolled to the ever present ocean swell, and poled the jib out to port. I then left Sylph to it, checking on her every hour or so during the night to make sure we were still roughly heading in the right direction.
Come morning, plotting the 0800 position revealed that we had made fifteen miles over the previous twelve hours, slow progress but progress nonetheless. While the breeze was barely a zephyr, now that the sun was up and I was feeling well rested I thought I would make use of the spinnaker. I shook the reefs out of the main, rolled up the jib, and after a bit of messing around getting the spaghetti of lines sorted, hoisted the spinnaker, pulled up its sock and then trimmed the brace and sheet. It filled but only just, occasionally collapsing against the forestay as Sylph rolled to the long swell.
We persevered with the spinnaker until 1100 when we were approaching some oil rigs, albeit very, very slowly. Vessels are required to remain two miles clear of the oil rigs and I was having a difficult time getting Sylph to give them a wide berth. Every time I adjusted the wind vane and trimmed the sheets, the wind would seem to shift and Sylph's bow would be pointing back at the nearest rig. Not wanting to get a big fat fine in the mail (I have no idea how this rule is policed but big brother is every where these days), I handed the spinnaker and flashed up the BRM.
For now we continue to motor. We are almost clear of the two rigs - Bream A and Bream B - and if we still have some usable breeze once we are clear, then I will soon shut down the BRM and try to continue sailing, seeking the fresher breeze to our east.
All is well.