An exciting day today! Firstly the new topmast studdingsail was finished so we bent it and set it for the first time – it looks great, especially for a sail completely made underway, from design and first layout all the way to hand finish work. Sadly the wind was gusting too strong to hold it, so we took it in again after seeing how it set. As we were busy with the studdingsail, the call of ‘Fish On!’ came, and Donald reeled in a nice sized mahi-mahi, the first fish of this passage, and big enough to make a delicious supper for all hands.
And then as if that wasn’t enough excitement for one day, we sent up the brand spanking new fore royal yard in the afternoon: a gang on the capstan heaving around to lift the yard way and then the bosun and her riggers aloft to steady the yard, bolt the collar tight and then make fast braces, sheets, footrope stirrups and gear. I would guess that we were the only square rigger in the world crossing yards at sea today.
BOUND FROM: James Bay, St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean
TOWARDS: Grenada, Windward Islands, Caribbean Sea
TIME ZONE: GMT -2
NOON POSITION: 05°02.3’N /044°14.2’W
DAYS RUN: 137 nm
PASSAGE DISTANCE RUN: 2,745 nm
DISTANCE REMAINING: 1,088 nm
COURSE AND SPEED: North West 1/2 West, Course made good 283 true, 5.5 knots
WIND: Wind Force 4, North East by North
WEATHER: Fair, 6/8 cloud, barometer 1016 millibars and steady,
visibility good
SWELL HEIGHT & DIRECTION: North East by East 2 m
SAILS SET: All sails set
Sending the new royal yard aloft