13°09.2S – 117°41.4W – course 285° – speed 6.6kn
We had to give in today… The wind just wasn’t there, so the engine came on during the night. We took down the maintopsail and the mainsail and continued under power. We kept the staysail, “forejib” and mizzen up for support — sometimes they help, sometimes they just flap around dramatically.
Ten minutes ago, a sudden gust rolled in just ahead of a passing shower. The wind shifted 50 degrees and picked up to force 4 to 5. We gybed the sails, set the “forejib” and forestaysail wing-on-wing, and just like that we were doing 7.8 knots! Which is faster than our usual 6.6 under engine. But as quickly as it came, the wind disappeared again, leaving us back to humming along.
During the day, I had to check the rigging on the mainmast. Our sailing lights had an unfortunate run-in with the topsail boom and stopped working. So up the mast I went to secure the fixture and see if anything could be done. But with Tecla swaying in the swell, there was no real chance to fix things aloft. The lights are still there, secure, but repairs will have to wait until we’re at anchor.
For reference: our mainmast is 24 meters tall, about 23 meters above waterline. The lights sit roughly 2 meters below the top, and at that height, a 1.5-meter swell can swing you nearly 4 meters from port to starboard. It’s like riding a pendulum made of wind and waves.
I forgot my camera, but Jasmijn caught the moment — picture of the day right there (looking very cool, I know 😉 ). Sadly I forgot my camera when I went up, otherwise that may have been the winning picture!
Other than the lack of wind and slow progress, we’re all happy on board. Plenty of small jobs to keep us busy, and the moon has come out to play again! Our nights are now bathed in silver, making deck work just a little easier.
All is well on board,
Jet
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