Oso has been swallowed up by a giant hole in the normally-reliable trade winds. With the wind only 5kts or so from astern, the options are really only drifting in the leftover swell from a distant Southern Ocean storm or motoring. So, we reluctantly switch on the engine and start to push on towards the southwest.

Overnight, the wind builds to 9-10 kts, again from directly astern. This is just barely enough to power up our double headsail rig – a poled-out genoa to windward and a high clew nylon reaching sail to leeward.

Progress is slow, but at least its progress!

All’s well aboard.

Day Fourteen
15 18.5S 108 22.4W
144nm

Poled out genoa to port and deep blue nylon reaching sail to starboard