Sunny weather 39:03.1N 58:32.2W
Ellatrout3
Sun 20 Jun 2010 20:57
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Day 28
The weather is really much more pleasant down here
even if the wind was fickle all day, (managed to get a few jobs done though,
gave the galley a good bottoming)fading to nothing by evening. This made ET
quite demanding thro the night and day.I had expected the calm spell on Sunday
but it arrived early, a few hours before dark. I planned to check the
tension of the riggfing and the bend the mast and I reckoned I had just
enough time to do this before dark.
On examination of the port shroud I found to my
dismay 3 more strands had parted. Nevertheless acting on advice I had
received I tightened all the shrouds to make the mast very tight and the prebend
in the mast remained within the manufacturers guide lines. I then
rigged two 4:1 mast supports on the port side so that they did not push on the
shroud when tightened, which the first one did and may have contributed to the
additional wire failures.It was just dark when I finished and a beautiful night
with a half moon. We had drifted a few miles north while I was doing this
but I set her going west anyway.
Day 29
I set the alarm and wearily lay down for a short
sleep. Shortly after I went to sleep the chart plotter spontneously rebooted
itself (11th time!)and turned
off the alarm and turned the radar.on I awoke 6hrs later (not 90 mins later, my
carcadiane cycle time) in complete darkness, all systems down, I reasoned
it must be flat batteries as we have had light winds insufficient to drive
the wind generator so I started the engine, systems restored,
The dammed plotter with no alarm the Radar scanner had been on
for nearly 6 hours, ran the engine for 4hrs, and then the wind filled in
sufficient to drive the wind generator. I have now disconnected the radar.
Also in that 6 hours I was driven further north and am in the Gulf Stream
currently doing 4kts through the water but less than 2 over the ground. I spoke
to Rory on Cooking Fat at midday and learnt that while I was drifting north he
had sailed ahead west and had little effect from the Gulf Strem. It was a
beautiful sailing day with wind and sun and I have spent the whole time
trying to break free of the Gulf Stream. You can see from the position
above at 2200hrs I've not trvelled far.
Things that are different about the Gulf Stream,
apart from the fact that iot is going in the wrong direction
Roger/Dad/Poppa
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