05 January 2009

05-Jan-2009 Noon Update

Atlantic Crossing Day #12
14'33.3N/49'04.4W

North Atlantic Ocean
  • 141 nm last 24 hours!!
  • 1399 nm from Cape Verde
  • 622 nm to Barbados
  • Winds NE 15-20 Knots
  • Seas NE 3-4 feet, 8 foot NE Swell
141 nautical miles in 24-hours!!! One of our best runs ever. For the last 24 hours the winds have stayed dead off the the stern blowing at 20 knots, gusting higher at times. With a beam reach the pressure of the wind against the sails keeps the boat from rolling back and forth. But with the winds/seas dead astern, like they have been for the last 13 days, there is nothing to keep the boat from rolling side to side. It makes for interesting sleeping when one's body is being pushed back and forth.

We still have the main out to port and jib poled out to starboard. When the winds become too strong we roll in the jib until we have control again. When the winds lighten up we unroll the jib back out.

Part of our daily routine is in the morning run the generator for about 30 minutes to make up for battery power consumed during the previous evening. We then run the water maker during the day when the solar panels are getting some of nature's juice, along with a little help from the wind generator. The water maker makes about a gallon and a half of fresh water from sea water an hour, and this gives us plenty of fresh water for drinking, showers, cooking and washing dishes. We run this till about 5pm when the solar panels are no longer making any power.

After sunset we run the generator one last time for about another 30 minutes to make sure the batteries are topped off for that night's use. Sometimes it is shorter depending on how much power the wind/solar panels are putting out.

There are flying fish all over the place out here. Usually in the morning we can find a couple out on deck. The other night I stepped on one that had landed in the cockpit in the pitch black night. Nothing better then a flapping flying fish between the toes.

Last night I turned on the flashlight to go aft to change 'Haywire's' course that he was steering. As soon as I turned on the flashlight a flying fish flew straight into the light and smacked my hand, landing in the cockpit.

No traffic last 24 hours.

More in 24,
Tom and Amy

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