250 miles from Newport

Blog to Bermuda 6/22

Sunday just after dawn, the skies are livid pink.

And we just sit here, no wind but we are making some progress thanks to ocean currents. Unfortunately, the current is heading us southwest when we need to go southeast. We are not in the Gulf Stream yet as presumed from the direction of the current pull to the southwest.

We might as well be a large bobber, waiting for fish to bite.

The wind died almost to zero over night and because the mainsail blankets the spinnaker, we dropped the former to aid the latter.

Still no boats to be seen, although several do show up on AIS.

Maybe the Gulf Stream will generate some wind, as is usually the case. But it is also the case, as the GRIB files being downloaded a couple times per day, that we will be sailing through a large area of no wind.

At around 11 am, the wind faltered further, then began to increase at time we decided to jibe. The outside jibe went off as if we had been practicing- which we haven't. Thereafter for the rest of the afternoon, we were making 7 kts and sometimes faster. We are catching several boats ahead of us, although at 9 nautical miles, we cannot see them yet; they show up on AIS.

After the difficulties just after the start, we were well in last place amongst the DH group and our hopes of finishing better than last seem distant.

Slow that we are, we star in the eating regatta. For example, our first three dinners have been homemade (by Addie) chicken tetrazini, Mediterranean lamb stew, and a roasted chicken for tonight. Monday might be the night for goose stew.

Sunday just after dawn, the skies are livid pink.

And we just sit here, no wind but we are making some progress thanks to ocean currents. Unfortunately, the current is heading us southwest when we need to go southeast. We are not in the Gulf Stream yet as presumed from the direction of the current pull to the southwest.

We might as well be a large bobber, waiting for fish to bite.

The wind died almost to zero over night and because the mainsail blankets the spinnaker, we dropped the former to aid the latter.

Still no boats to be seen, although several do show up on AIS.

Maybe the Gulf Stream will generate some wind, as is usually the case. But it is also the case, as the GRIB files being downloaded a couple times per day, that we will be sailing through a large area of no wind.

At around 11 am, the wind faltered further, then began to increase at time we decided to jibe. The outside jibe went off as if we had been practicing- which we haven't. Thereafter for the rest of the afternoon, we were making 7 kts and sometimes faster. We are catching several boats ahead of us, although at 9 nautical miles, we cannot see them yet; they show up on AIS.


After the difficulties just after the start, we were well in last place amongst the DH group and our hopes of finishing better than last seem distant.

Slow that we are, we star in the eating regatta. For example, our first three dinners have been homemade (by Addie) chicken tetrazini, Mediterranean lamb stew, and a roasted chicken for tonight. Monday might be the night for goose stew.




--------------------------------