The wind built a little today to a perfect sailing breeze. It seems almost a shame to be so close to Dakar when we’re just getting into the routine of this excellent sailing passage. Yet more marine wildlife today with a big pod of dolphin playing all around the bow wave for ages before supper; at least 20 of them including tiny babies were darting and swooping about just below the surface, and every minute or so one would make a crazy leap splashing back into the water to the delight of the crowd watching from the focsle head.
SHIP’S WORK: Clean green trim on charthouse, aft side of mizzen mast and Monomoy; shift pudding for Monomoy along the griping spar a little so the boat sits better and re-paint the spar, exercise and grease the kedge anchor, paint starboard focslehead ladder grey and buff, paint the stanchions for the starboard headsail sheet rail grey, fix main upper topsail earring lashing, re-seize fore lower topsail starboard inner bunt block. Sailmaking on the quarterdeck, carpentry forwards.
TOWARDS: Dakar, Senegal
TIME ZONE: GMT – 1/2 hour
NOON POSITION: 19°480.2’N /017°59.8’W
DAYS RUN: 127nm
PASSAGE LOG: 550nm
DISTANCE REMAINING: 312nm
COURSE AND SPEED: South half East (CMGT 171°T)
WIND: Force 4, North
WEATHER: 3/8 cloud (cirrus and haze), air temp 74F (23°C), barometer reading 1020 millibars, visibility good
SWELL HEIGHT & DIRECTION: approx 1 foot, North by West
SAILS SET: All square sails to the royals, outer and inner jibs, fore and main topmast staysails, main t’gallant staysail, mizzen topmast staysail.