In our experience, even a forecast calling for settled, consistent wind doesn’t guarantee that’s what you’ll get. The strength or direction of the wind usually varies up or down over the course of a day, sometimes squalls roll through (usually at night, of course), or something else will happen that requires some effort – trimming the sail for the new wind direction, or putting in or shaking out a reef or two.
For the past couple of days, though, we’ve had three different sets of nearly stable conditions, each one lasting about 24 hours. First we sailed downwind with the Genoa poles out to port, then about a day of close reaching, and overnight we jibed the Genoa back onto the pole. But in between those sail changes, we’ve just been sitting back and letting Madrone do her thing.
So, not much to report – still sailing with decent speed in the right direction, and still enjoying being in the ocean wilderness, accompanied only by the occasional shearwaters gliding along the face of a wave.
All’s well onboard.
Day Four
158nm
42 08.3N 14 37.6W
Wind WSW13-16 Seas 3-5’
