Monthly Archives: March 2009

Gran Canaria to Guadeloupe Days 17 – 18

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Day 17 – 1000 UTC location: 17°35.00’N by 051°46.00’W and 2195 nm from Las Palmas. Yesterday’s average speed was 6.0 knots at 1600 RPM.

Conditions:
The wind was erratic today, moving from starboard to port and back again, but the gusts were so light at 5 12 knots that it didn’t matter much. Despite the fact that the wind had picked up some, the seas just continued to get better, though so gradually it was almost imperceptible. Wind waves were nothing, and the swells were 4 6 feet, gentle, lazy, and at long intervals. We are so happy we decided to pick a northern route. It paid off, after all. It was sunny, though heavy clouds moved in later in the day. The moon isn’t going to rise until after midnight, so as of this writing at 2200, it is pitch black outside.

News:
We managed to make contact with the sailboats today. They are also having “good motoring weather”. The fastest of the bunch is Continue reading →

Gran Canaria to Guadeloupe Days 15 – 16

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Day 15 – 0900 UTC location: 18°18.00’N by 046°47.00’W and 1907 nm from Las Palmas. Yesterday’s average speed was 6.0 knots.

Conditions:
By midnight, the wind speed had slowed down to about 15 low 20’s apparent and spun around to the port aft, which is the direction the wind was supposed to be coming from. By 1000, the wind was down to 5 10 knots from port beam and the seas had seriously calmed down. The swells were about 4 8 feet and waves about 2 6 feet. But more importantly, they were less confused, coming at less rapid intervals, and “longer and lazier” than they had been (quote from Colin). We were still Continue reading →

Gran Canaria to Guadeloupe Days 13 – 14

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Day 13 — 0900 UTC location: 19°01.60’N by 041°50.40’W and 1621 nm from Las Palmas. Yesterday’s average speed was 5.4 knots at 1500 RPM.

Conditions:
The seas have been slightly better today, but only slightly. They are still no fun. We are still getting 6 8 foot swells from two directions that clash with one another. The waves are still 2 3 feet. Both the swells and the waves are sharp, so these aren’t gentle rolls we are experiencing. Where it is getting better is the degree of roll. We are still experiencing the constant 5 10 degree roll both directions, but now we are seeing more 5’s and less 10’s, which really does help. We’re still getting the Continue reading →

Gran Canaria to Guadeloupe Days 11 – 12

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Day 11 – 0800 UTC location: 19°42.90’N by 037°04.20’W and 1348 nm from Las Palmas. Yesterday’s average speed was 5.4 knots. The paravanes do slow us down.

Conditions:
The wind was much more consistent today. It ranged from 10 20 knots, usually staying around 15ish. It came from the starboard aft the whole day. The swells are about 6 8 feet, the waves 2 3 feet, and sadly, they are still confused. We are hoping that Continue reading →

Gran Canaria to Guadeloupe Days 9 – 10

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Day 9 – 0800 UTC location: 20°22.00N by 32°30.00W and 1087 nm from Las Palmas. Yesterday’s average speed was 5.8 knots at 1500 RPM.

Conditions:
Wind and seas continued to pick up through the night and by morning wind was at 12 16 knots apparent from the pot aft, swells were 5 7 feet and wind waves were 1 2 feet. Unfortunately, the swells were coming from one direction, and the waves from another, so the seas were a bit confused. It was not terrible, but it is certainly no fun, either. And it just got Continue reading →