(Blog No.26) Horse latitudes - becalmed again.
Catou
Paul and Sylvie Tucker
Sat 27 Nov 2010 12:32
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21:27.79N 23:23.21W
Noon Position : 21 deg 28 'N 23 deg
23'W
Daily
Run:
80 miles
Av.
Speed:
3.33 Knots
Total Av.
Speed:
4.51 Knots
Total distance covered:
649 '
Distance to
go: 2188'
ETA: We will resume this calculation when we find
the NE trade winds!
Phrase of the Day: From Ben's mother : Do unto
others as you would have do unto you. (Sorry, we forgot one
yesterday.)
We have been becalmed yet again! Most
frustrating- and have been trying to keep our spirits up! I took over
from Sylvie at 0600 this morning and the distance to the w/point north of the
Cape Verde Islands was 102'. My only ambition was to reduce the
distance to 100' when Ben took over at 0900. I only had to do 2
miles! It was still 102' at the end of my 3 hour watch ! Just
nothing you can do. The GRIB weather forecast shows an excellent chart
with graphics, and it was absolutely accurate with this calm - so we knew it was
coming.
These areas of calm are known as the 'Horse latitudes' -
an area of latitude between the westerly winds of higher latitudes and the NE
trade winds closer to the equator. (that we are hoping to find!) Two
explanations of the name: (1) As ships were becalmed, and fodder and animal feed
ran out, the horses were thrown overboard in the old sailing ship days (not sure
why horses would have been on board anyway - for meat I suppose?), or (2) The
term 'dead horse' was used by seamen to describe the period of work on board
ship for which they had been paid in advance when signing on (usually a month's
wages). There was a custom in merchant ships of celebrating having worked off
the 'dead horse' by parading an effigy of a straw-stuffed horse and then
throwing in overboard. So says my my Oxford companion to ships and the
sea!
At just after noon when preparing to send this, we have
found some wind and are now making over 5 knots. AND ....... big news of the day - we have
finally got the Hydrovane self-steering working well, and it's steering a better
course that we human beings!. It has been an expensive piece of scaffolding
hanging off our stern to have just sitting there doing nothing.
We are due to have at least 2 days of SW'ly head winds
ahead - not usual at all for this region, so it will probably be a bit of a
bash for the next couple of days - but hey, at least we are moving
again!
Best wishes
Catou crew
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