Going for it! - 45:17.662N 20:37.274W

Voyage of Wanderingstar
Ben Bonnick
Thu 7 Jun 2018 10:10
The last 36 hours have been challenging but I think we’re winning. I shall try and explain for those without appreciation of sailing or knowledge of meteorology the position.

All around the globe are weather systems, think of them as buses which carry weather with them. I was late leaving the Azores as I was waiting for a ‘bus’ that would take me north which eventually came along and I jumped on board. I have got off that bus and I was nicely positioned to jump on a new weather system ‘bus’ going east and home when right in my way a low developed a bit like a set of traffic lights that prevented me getting across to jump on the easterly bus. So for the last 36 hours or so I have been waiting at the traffic lights so I can cross and get on to the easterly bus. To make matters worse the winds were pushing me into the road.

A further complication is that the easterly bus isn’t going to hang around for me and if I don’t catch it in the next 12 hours it will have left without me. There is another bus on the way but that doesn’t arrive until the middle/end of next week and I will be caught in a high (area of no wind) waiting for it - a depressing thought.

While being battered by winds that should have been taking me home except for this road that had appeared I was feeing very depressed about the whole situation yesterday afternoon.

At about 6pm last night I down loaded my weather map and noticed a subtle change and a gap had appeared in the road. The traffic lights were still red, but the gap in the traffic could provide the opportunity to leap across the road and get on that bus before it travelled without me.

So that’s what I’m doing right now, running across the road and hopefully I can jump on that bus before it leaves later tonight. At the moment it looking quite good but the next 12-24 hours will be critical.


Alternatively for those with a better appreciation of meteorology - see below: 
 
Synoptic situation 06/1200z with anticipated positions by 07/1200z.

High 1025 just northwest of the Azores expected 1029 over the Azores western
islands with ridge southwest to Morocco.
High 1025 slow moving off southern Iceland with ridge east to Norway.
Low 1001 52n 24w slow moving expected 1015 with trough southeast to new Low
developing expected 1010 47n 16w further expected 1010 44n 16w by 08/0001z
and 1011 40n 14w by 08/1200z.

Winds northwesterly 3 or 4 at first increasing 4 or 5 by 07/0001z increasing
northwesterly 5 occasionally 6 by 07/1200z veering northerly 5 by 07/1800z
and northerly 4 or 5 by 08/0001z in region 46n 21/22w decreasing northerly 3
or 4 on 08th on the course east northeast towards the Channel. Winds
decreasing northerly 3 on 09th to near 47n 18w decreasing and becoming
variable on 10th.

Outlook winds becoming westerly 3 on 12th increasing southwesterly 4 or 5
perhaps 6 on 13th veering westerly to northwesterly on 14th.

Seas about 2 metres at first increasing 2.5 metres in rising swells by
07/0001z increasing up to 3 metres or more for a time in rising west
northwesterly swells on 07th then steadily decreasing to 2 metres on 08th
and 1.5 metres on 09th similar on 10th.

Swell westerly moderate increasing moderate to heavy at times on 07th then
steadily moderating west to northwesterly on 08th and 09th.