The Fore-Jib

Position: 10°28.4’S 097°56.7’W Course: 272° Speed: 6.5 kn

Around 03:00 this morning, the wind dropped off entirely, somewhat unexpectedly. With no wind to fill the sails and a northerly course putting us beam-on to the swell, the Tecla began to roll heavily. The motion threatened to cause an uncontrolled gybe, with the boom slamming up and down in the waves and shaking all remaining wind from the sails. We sheeted in tight, and at the start of the 04:00 watch, we gybed under engine power and turned westward.

And so, the day began under engine. Around 11:00, we were finally able to sail again. With our small jib still set, I found myself wondering how our second, older staysail might perform up front. Out of curiosity, we dropped the jib and rigged the forestaysail — attaching it to the traveler, jib stay, and halyard. To our surprise, it didn’t look bad at all. In fact, it looked like it was working quite well! And so, we’ve unofficially christened our new setup: the “Fore-Jib” — a twin-sail arrangement on the bow. We had to have a photoshoot with a sail looking this amazing! Pictures below.

Picture of the day was won by Joana, who captured Lisa on the jib boom, re-routing our forestay preventer.

After lunch, we hoisted the topsails and for a few glorious hours managed to maintain our desired speed of 7.5 to 8 knots. But by late afternoon the wind dropped again, and the engine came back on. At 20:00, we were able to shut it down briefly, but now, at 01:20, we’re losing speed again — mostly holding at 6.5 to 7 knots, but occasionally dipping to 5.5. It won’t be long before we’re motoring again, as the forecast predicts lighter winds ahead.

A new moon made a brief appearance tonight — a sliver of orange setting around 21:30, just over our starboard bow.

The weather continues to warm. While the sea remains at a steady 21°C, the air temperature is clearly rising. Today, the entire crew was in shorts and t-shirts, and the deck grew hot beneath our feet. In the afternoons, people linger outside — a book in hand, a puzzle on the deck, or simply staring at the horizon as we sail on.

All is well on board, Jet