"Hi everyone,
Today has been a day for getting everything sorted inside the boat, organizing things and having a look at where we are going to go through the doldrums. I think those ahead of us will have it a little easier, and when we get there the doldrums will have extended out to almost latitude 0 (the equator) which is quite rare.
Normally at 2º north the doldrums have already finished and you are into the southern trade winds, but I think this time it’s going to be tougher to find them. Right now I’m making my way south with the gennaker and sometimes the spinnaker trying to get as much to the west as I can.
Yesterday I finally did my last gybe to gain as much west as possible, I passed 34 miles from the Cape Verde islands, and even so had two hours with light winds because of the lee of the island although I didn’t actually come to a standstill.
It is complicated to choose exactly where to enter the doldrums. Right now it looks like it should be an approach more to the east than to the west, but going east is always quite risky. I still don’t know exactly where I will go through, although the wind being as it is I think it will be at 26º30W.
Tonight I will download the last weather models and satellite images to study the least complicated spot to pass. The question is to try to avoid losing time with the boat at a standstill and to get as fast as possible into the southern trade winds. Once into the trade winds it’s a little easier…..A couple of days later I’ll be on a level with Cape Frio where it gets tricky all over again. But that is still quite a way from here. The most important thing right now is getting through the doldrums."
Bubi.
From : Acciona Sailing
Today has been a day for getting everything sorted inside the boat, organizing things and having a look at where we are going to go through the doldrums. I think those ahead of us will have it a little easier, and when we get there the doldrums will have extended out to almost latitude 0 (the equator) which is quite rare.
Credit : Javier "Bubi" Sanso
Normally at 2º north the doldrums have already finished and you are into the southern trade winds, but I think this time it’s going to be tougher to find them. Right now I’m making my way south with the gennaker and sometimes the spinnaker trying to get as much to the west as I can.
Yesterday I finally did my last gybe to gain as much west as possible, I passed 34 miles from the Cape Verde islands, and even so had two hours with light winds because of the lee of the island although I didn’t actually come to a standstill.
It is complicated to choose exactly where to enter the doldrums. Right now it looks like it should be an approach more to the east than to the west, but going east is always quite risky. I still don’t know exactly where I will go through, although the wind being as it is I think it will be at 26º30W.
Tonight I will download the last weather models and satellite images to study the least complicated spot to pass. The question is to try to avoid losing time with the boat at a standstill and to get as fast as possible into the southern trade winds. Once into the trade winds it’s a little easier…..A couple of days later I’ll be on a level with Cape Frio where it gets tricky all over again. But that is still quite a way from here. The most important thing right now is getting through the doldrums."
Bubi.
From : Acciona Sailing
