From blowing half a gale to dead in the water

28-12 01:55 board time

From blowing half a gale to dead in the water for 10 hours Another low pressure area, 980hps, passed, this time to the South of us. Barometer dropped 7hps in 4 hours, promising some strong winds to follow, and they did. We started sailing away from Cape Horn as the wind picked up after a calm of a few hours and we started off with second jib, forestaysail, mainsail and mizzen fully set. It was smooth water sailing on a close hauled portside tack. Quickly the wind picked up and we put a reef in the mainsail and mizzen. This continued for some hours and we were making our way East South East with a nice speed. Then the wind increased some more, making close hauled harder to maintain. Short waves build up, that would stop us dead in the water. We sheeted out a little to loose some of the wind as it started to blow at 24 knots, gusting 29. When it picked up more, 27 knots gusting 34, we chose to bear of a little, but keep all sails up. Weather report had stated the wind would increase, but it would only be for 3 hours, it would then decrease and turn more to the West North West.

So we ran for it! doing 130 degrees and 9 knots over the ground.

Luckily the weather report was spot on. We soon went back to 100 degrees over the ground with sheets on a close reach. At watch hand over we were still speeding along, straight for the Falkland Islands, 8 knots and more. But then the wind decreased. Krista called me to shake the reefs at 09:30 and by 14:00 hours, we were dead in the water, sails flapping about, once again. We lowered all sails and waited it out. To our frustration, the weather report said we were supposed to have 12 to 14 knots from the North West still, but there wasn’t a light air to be felt.

Now, 12 hours later, we have our sails back up. We started sailing again 50 minutes ago, and it feels good!!

Just 15 miles left before we are at the latitude of Cape Horn again!

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