Category Archives: Q&A

Questions from comments and our answers.

Passage from Dominica to Bonaire – Days 1 – 3

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Day 1

We spent the morning getting ready to go and pulled out around 11:45. We decided to run with dual stabilization, so we left the paravanes out when we took off. We like the idea of the smoothest ride possible.

Initially, we were in the lee of Dominica and seas were calm and pleasant. Even after leaving the lee, the ride was nice. At 1730, the seas started to pick up some, but only enough to move us from the “nice” to the “fairly good” category. It was a dark night with no moon.

Pretty much the entire ride the wind was 8 14 apparent on the aft (directly behind us), which means the usual problems with the hot air from the engine room getting blown into the downstairs cabins. It is definitely stuffy and stinky down there. Since it is calm, we have the hatches and portholes open, which helps a lot.

Day 2

Conditions were status quo until the early afternoon, when the wind picked up to 11 20 apparent. The seas followed suit and Continue reading →

Start of the Passage from English Harbor to Portsmith, Dominica

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Yesterday was chore day. Eric changed the forward racor fuel filter, changed the generator racor fuel filter, changed the main on engine fuel filter, changed the generator on engine fuel filter, changed the transmission oil and filter, ran the wing engine, and replaced the sea strainer for the diaphragm bilge pump. Eric also put the storm plates back on the salon (living room) windows, which we had taken down for the boat waxing. He also put Lanicote corrosion protector on the screws for the storm plates.

Christi did laundry, cleaned, and did the never ending and thankless job of reorganizing storage spaces.

This morning we walked over to Falmouth Harbor to go Continue reading →

Gran Canaria to Guadeloupe Days 19 – 20

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Day 19 – 1000 UTC location: 16°52.00’N by 056°34.00’W and 2474 nm from Las Palmas. Yesterday’s average speed was 5.8 knots.

Conditions:
Around 0130, the seas picked up even more, though the wind was still dead. It was still an OK ride, but not nearly as nice as it was. By morning, the wind had picked up to 10 knots apparent and shifted to our nose. The swells were only at 4 6 feet on our starboard beam, but they were coming from two directions, north and northeast. The wind waves were at 1 – 2 feet and choppy. The wave intervals and force had picked up, so it was definitely rougher than yesterday. Eric commented that Continue reading →

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 →