This afternoon the Captain called all hands to the quarterdeck to update us on progress of the passage. With less than 80 nautical miles left to run, we could have set a course straight for Flores Island and arrived in 12 hours or so, sometime early Saturday morning. That is except for the post-tropical depression that is all that remains of the late-season Hurricane Kate. The storm is to our north west, but strong winds to about 35 knots are expected for most of Saturday, easing right off by Sunday morning. So rather than attempt to come alongside the dock in a blow, we’re spending the day waiting out the weather in nice deep water, and we’ll make our landfall tomorrow morning.
SHIP’S WORK: Tarred up a new batch of ratline stock, scrubbed down the bulwarks and got some spot painting done to make her look pretty for port. The Bosun showed an episode of a travel show about the Azores to get everyone ready for landfall.
TOWARDS: Flores Island, Azores
TIME ZONE: ZD + 2
NOON POSITION: 38°55.1’N /032°49.8’W
DAYS RUN: 86nm
PASSAGE LOG: 1,566nm
DISTANCE REMAINING: 81 nm
COURSE AND SPEED: SE (94°True), 3.9kts
WIND: S1/2E, Force 6
WEATHER: 4/8 cloud cover (cirrus and alto cumulus), air temp 66F (19°C), sea surface temp 66F (19°C) barometer reading 1021 millibars
SWELL HEIGHT & DIRECTION: 6-8 feet, SWxS
SAILS SET: Topsails, foresail, fore and main topmast staysails.