Sunset over Isla Gorritti, Punta del Este. The sun is being framed by the windvane self-steering gear platform.This picture was taken about 785 miles back (click on map for current location).
Monthly Archives: April 2009
Genoa modification
I mentioned getting the genoa made smaller yesterday. This sunrise picture shows the problem with waves hitting the foot (lower edge of the sail). The seas are not at all rough in the picture, the wind is light, but when the bow cuts into the waves, water is forced up and some of it still catches the foot of the genoa, which strains the sail and the furler it is attached to. Waves are not high enough in this picture to require reefing the genoa, but when they get a little higher, the genoa will need to be reefed (and the boat will go slower). Now that the genoa has been made smaller (cloth was taken out of it), waves hitting it are less of a problem than they used to be.
Ship crossing
Ship crossing ahead. The genoa (the forward-most sail) was reduced in size in Argentina to make it easier to use. The foot is now higher and doesn’t catch as many waves (also doesn’t block visibility ahead so much).
Sunrise
A nice thing about getting up early is watching the sun rise.
Mostly light winds so far
So far, the wind has mostly been light, and sometimes calm, so speed has been low. There was a great tailwind yesterday (the picture is from a few days ago), but it is lightening up now.