Watch #22
Date: 08/22/2016 Time: 1300 – 1700
Latitude: 11° 10.738 N Longitude: 41° 05.180 W
BTW: 289° COG: 289° (Grenada) SOG: 6.7 nm
Wind:4, South TWS: 11 knots Trip: 2,164.15 nm
NOTES
This watch was a breeze, and because we had no…breeze…it was a goo time to make some repairs, do some maintenance, and look into some other things that need attention. First the tattered sail bag needed adjusting for the fifth time since I’ve been aboard, then there was the batten plug that fell out and somehow didn’t bounce off into the ocean, putting that back was easy. We also put some strengthening tape on the mainsail, there were actually holes in it that we weren’t expecting and the captain just put a little tape over it and threw her back into action. One of the contacts that hold the mainsail on the track that allows us to hoist her up had broken…again…we repaired it in the same manner it was done before because doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Haaaaaaavve you met the Captain? While we did our repairs the engines were stopped and there was no wind so we were dead in the water, in the middle of the ocean, it was interesting and ominous. I saw some flying fish and one bird. This birds closest dry place to land is 1,300 nm away…crazy! By the time all the work was finished my watch was almost over. NOICE!
Something of note, there was no shouting the whole time.
It appears that we have 9 days before we reach Grenada. Lunch was shredded cheese, tomato, omlette with corn, peas, a slice of ham and two slices of bread.
Watch #23
Date: 08/23/2016 Time: 2200-0100
Latitude: 11°11.017 N Longitude: 41°47.197 W
BTW: 290° COG: 277° SOG: 6.4 knots
Wind: 3, South TWS: 10 knots Trip: 2,203.17 nm
Sails: Full Mainsail, Full Gib
NOTES
We have passed the mid way point….in a way….it’s hard to say because there are no straight lines in sailing, you must go with the wind, and the wind is always changing. I thought that I was going to get hit by a small weather front but instead it just waved as it passed just ahead of us. The Scotsman’s watch was packed full of interesting things to talk about, I had remind him that interesting is better than boring which makes it good. He tends to lean to the “If it’s safe, it’s exciting”…cool, cool, fight the good fight the Scotsman, fight the good fight.
I know there are only nine to ten days left but I feel weak from ot having any physical activity, I’m going to attempt some exercise…although food rations are at an all time low. I’m hungry…There…I ate some muesli. I am once again grateful that I bought some food in Cape Verde.
As a change of pace I like to switch off the auto helm to remind myself how challenging it is to steer.
The wind is after my false squall.
Tonight I saw a rainbow created by the light of the moon.
Dinner was spaghetti pesto with white sauce and chopped ham.
Watch #24
Date: 08/22/2016 Time: 0700-1000
Latitude: 11°13.728 N Longitude: 42°35.435 W
BTW: 278° COG: 278° SOG: 5.5 knots
Wind: 1, South East TWS: 3.2 knots Trip:2,248 nm
Sail Plan: No main, No gib, Port engine
NOTES
I could hear the gusts of wind and feel the rain come through my cabins ceiling hatch before I had a chance to wake up and close it. This means the Scotsman was in it again. As I closed my hatch I heard him yell “Joseph!!!, Can you close my cabin hatch?” and so I did, and since I was up I full sweep of the deck and closed all the hatches that needed it. An hour later it was my turn to see if I had the testicle fortitude to weather the elements like the one before me, and as soon as I selected my rain gear and the last zipper was secured I came to the helm. I could still see the storm the we had been navigating a couple miles behind us, the boat and the Scotsman were still drenched by the deluge we had endured. I looked ahead to what awaited me and it was a sky full of clouds breaking apart and a lane of calm sea and blue skies as far as the eye could see. It was a wardrobe disaster and I had to completely give up on my outfit after the last winnie the pooh cloud had past.
The forecast for the next couple of days is no wind and we are entirely under the power of our engines at the moment
Lunch was macaroni noodles with white sauce and two slices of tomato, it was not cooked well…no meat.
Watch #25
Date:08/22/2016 Time: 1600-1900
Latitude: 11°15.591 N Longitude: 43°11.294 W
COG: 335° SOG: 4.0 knots BTW: 277°
Wind: 4, West TWS: 12.3 knots
Sail Plan: No Main, Full Gib, Port engine, 1,400 rpms Trip: 2,288.96 nm
NOTES:
This is all wrong! The forecast said no wind for two to three days. The wind isn’t the problem it’s the direction of the wind, when you want to go west and te wind is coming from the west than you are trying to sail directly into the wind. Right on cue as I take over the watch from the Scotsman he says “It has been a @#$% watch” and then almost in the same breathe marvels at a particular seaweed that seems to travel on top of the water heading west, ignoring all the obvious elements, like it thinks it’s better than we are…or something.At our current bearing we are headed for New York…Oh yeah! Let su have a pizza…with meat on it…whoo!
I just saw a flying fish
The sky is clear of bad weather for now, the waves our moderate and are also coming from the west and I somehow still have a slight farmers tan. We are 1,090 nautical miles from our destination. Adjusted the course a little and now we are headed for the Bermuda triangle…You know what?…Lets just go see what all the hub bub is about!
Dinner was a delicious beef stew, boat made bread and rice. When I returned to my cabin I found a flying fish on my bed next to the window that I had left open….CLASSIC!
Watch #26
Date: 08/23/2016 Time: 0100-0400
Latitude: 10°59.074 N Longitude: 43°33.434 W
COG: 264° SOG 4.7 knots BTW: 279° (Couratine River)
Wind: 3, North West TWS: 8.4 knots Trip: 2.336 nm
Sail Plan: No Main, Full Gib, Starboard engine 2,000 rpm
NOTES
Nine hours later and we are still trying to navigate through the wind from the west, that shouldn’t exist, I mean, I know very little about weather systems except for what the forecast but since that “science” is rarely ever reliable wouldn’t the modern day sailor be better off using the ache of a bum knee and a weathered eye to guide him on his way? The wind seems to be edging north ever so slightly which is encouraging but we are aren’t eating cake about it. When you spend nine hours desperately reaching for the milestone of “halfway there” because a mystery wind showed up to stall your progress it starts to chip on the moral and since we all know that moral on this is ship is fragile man on a knifes edge on a camels back about to handed the last straw, it would be nice if the wind would change. Moral is a funny thing, the slightest breeze can literally lift moral to a really good place and at the same time it can drop for no apparent reason, you just have to buckle down and see it through. For me, I’m a guy who is just happy to be here and find it hard to see any situation as completely negative, this positive attitude adds to the frustration of the others. Saying things like “At least nobody died” and “That’s ok, it gives me something to write about” and then immediately start singing to myself hasn’t been popular.
Watch #27
Date: 08/23/2016 Time: 1000-1300
Latitude: 10°52.324 N Longitude: 44°18.382 W
COG: 284° SOG: 5.5 knots BTW: 281° (Grenada)
Wind: 4, East TWS: 14.1 knots Trip: 2,386 nm
Sail Plan: Full Main, Full Head Sail, No engine
NOTES
New wind, new life, and it blows from the east and so it looks like we can sail straight there under the assumption that the wind won’t change…but it will…cause it’s wind. It’s funny that we put our faith in a system tat so often fails us just because it’s all that we have. The forecast was completely wrong and somehow the captain is still making plans based on the same information. Why?…cause it’s all we got.
I had muesli for breakfast.
We are still more than 1,000 nautical miles away from our final destination…I just saw some flying fish. The wind is fickle and is fluctuating by 20° at a time which makes the sails bang from side to side and the sound of it makes my soul hurt. You must make your plans and then throw them to the wind, but you know, make them first.
Lunch was a baked pasta that wasn’t delicious.
I only write when I travel 
nice work man, im hoping to do the same crossing later this year or first thing next year. Im guessing you must have finished the crossing if you are posting this? How did you find your boat?
I was in Las Palmas and I put up some paper flyers in and around the sailors bay bar….and thanks
cheers man, that was my initial plan. was there much competition?