Another fine day of trade wind sailing and we’re getting back into our fair weather routines. Captain ran another splicing workshop this afternoon: mostly a refresher for most people, but with the aim of bringing everyone up to the same level. He ran through eye splice (with different tapers), with-the-lay sailmakers’ eye splice, short splice, chain splice and laying up grommets. The gang will get plenty of time to practice them all before the end of the week.
SHIPS WORK: Carpenters have finished work on the new small boat spars, which are getting coats of varnish. Sailmakers are working on a new gaff topsail, a lower topsail and an inner jib. The weather’s good enough for painting again, so the watch were busy here and there with brushes and cans and rags to catch the drips.
BOUND FROM: James Bay, St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean
TOWARDS: Grenada, Windward Islands, Caribbean Sea
TIME ZONE: GMT -2
NOON POSITION: 04°38.5’N /042°01.9’W
DAYS RUN: 145 nm
PASSAGE DISTANCE RUN: 2,608 nm
DISTANCE REMAINING: 1,225 nm
COURSE AND SPEED: North West by North, Course made good 173° true, 6.2 knots
WIND: Wind Force 5, North North East
WEATHER: Fair, 4/8 cloud, barometer 1017 millibars and falling slowly, visibility good
SWELL HEIGHT & DIRECTION: North East 2 m
SAILS SET: All sails set
The crew practice splicing at the workshop