Steamed overnight from 1600 to 0800 as winds were light and variable and we want to push on to Grenada. If we’re taking in or setting all sail we tend to do it at the change of the watch so we’ve got twice as many bodies to help without having to call all hands. With two watches and most of the daymen laying, in the sail handling goes quite fast: taking in all 20 or so sails, one or two or three at a time; running aloft to get rope gaskets wound tight around the kites, t’gallants and royals and then bracing the yards up sharp ready for steaming. And the same again in reverse to set everything again when the wind comes!
SHIPS WORK: Replace spanker clew in-haul and brail blocks, work on new spanker sheet grommets (to attach the spanker sheets to the boom), work on new main upper topsail downhaul pennants, work on Sydney rig (it’s all so cute and little!), and a Dutchman in the port galley house door frame where the door hinge attaches.
BOUND FROM: James Bay, St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean
TOWARDS: Grenada, Windward Islands, Caribbean Sea
TIME ZONE: GMT -3
NOON POSITION: 05°18.4’N /046°15.1’W
DAYS RUN: 125 nm
PASSAGE DISTANCE RUN: 2,870 nm
DISTANCE REMAINING: 991 nm
COURSE AND SPEED: North West by North 1/2 North, Course made good 305
true, 2.2 knots
WIND: Wind Force 2, East North East
WEATHER: Overcast, light rain, barometer 1017 millibars and steady, visibility good
SWELL HEIGHT & DIRECTION: East North East 1-2 m
SAILS SET: All sails set
Taking in the topmast studdingsail