Josephine -- not our favourite girl
Yuva
Jim & Peri Holden
Sat 28 May 2016 09:32
posted by: Jim
We are in sea area “Josephine” (per the GMDSS system of weather “metareas”), having left the St Vincent area and heading towards the Azores area. We knew that this would be the slow part of the passage, as the wind was expected to head us here (ie, move around to hit us on the nose), and the forecast has been quite accurate. We are getting updated GMDSS text forecasts and Grib files via the Iridium connection.
So our progress under sail has been slower in the last 24hrs. Overnight the S wind veered initial SW, forcing us northward, and then the wind veered further as expected to W during the night, at which point we tacked southward. With the wind coming directly from our destination, we cannot sail directly towards it, but must zig and zag. So now we are zigging on a course of 228 degrees.
Per our originbal plan, the expectation is that by continuing southward we will come to an area of lesser seas and winds. We will then decide to either a) continue tacking (zigging and zagging) or b) motorsail for a bit, which will let us head more directly towards our destination, Ponta Delgada.
We expect that as we get closer to the Azores the wind will come from the South, which will mean that the last day or more of the passage should be under sail, at a somewhat more comfortable angle to the wind and seas, compared to what we are experiencing today.
All four of us on board are well, and our four-on-four-off system of two-person watches is enabling us all to get enough sleep. We alternate timings and galley duties on a daily basis, to keep it from getting monotonous.
We will be glad to leave sea area Josephine behind, and to get to more favourable conditions expected in sea area Azores to the West, but that will take us another day and a half.
We are already looking forward to a gin & tonic or two on our arrival into Ponta Delgada, which seems most likely to be on Tuesday, 31st May.
S/Y Yuva