The Trimaran Windwalker -- July, 2005

The "Windwalker"

The Daily Log -- July, 2005

Date -
Position Heading
Made Good Daily Log Comments

Fri Jul 1
32:22N, 64:40W Bermuda Harbor 0545, southerly force 1 - light air, high overcast, mid 70s. Scrubbed foredeck and patched areas with fresh water. Second cup of coffee while they dried. Painted them and the bottom 6' of mast that I couldn't reach while it was down hanging over the stern. Reassembled and glued the door to the head that came apart when I fell against it during the storm. Re-hung it about noon after the glue set. Went to Dinghy club for a shower. The repair plan is complete except for clearing the short in the masthead light wiring, repairing the cabin top, sail repair, getting jerry cans for extra fuel, fueling the boat and provisioning. Started a light drizzle at 1300, 85° and muggy. Siesta. Cleared by 1400, with force 3 winds from SW. Went ashore to see if I could borrow a bosun's chair, waited an hour for Steve to show. I can borrow it any time.

Sat Jul 2
32:22N, 64:40W Bermuda Harbor 0545, southerly force 3 - 10 kts, mostly clear, mid 70s. Painted a second coat on the ama patch. Ashore at 0830 to internet and sailmaker's. One sail, the jib needs no repair, the genoa needs 2 patches and new luff tape, and the main is cut off at the foot to the first reef and double taped at the foot and loose footed without slides, saving bucks. I wasn't feeling well this afternoon, too much sun, so I laid in front of the fan, napped and read. Visited Rick on the ESKIMO to see his mast ladder that slides up the mast sail track and gave him Blad's contact data as he is bound for Nova Scotia. I did a calculation and design of a mast ladder spliced from line and with PVC pipe steps. Takes 150' of line and 24 sail slides.

Sun Jul 3
32:22N, 64:40W Bermuda Harbor 0530, westerly force 2 - 5 kts, mostly clear, mid 70s. Spent most of the day gathering tools, stowing gear and cleaning the boat. I made a mess and clutter with tools and pieces strewn everywhere. It will feel good to be uncluttered again. By 1400 I had most of it stowed, the galley cleaned and the cabin organized. Stowed tools in tool chest in port ama, power tools in aft hold. All salvaged pieces aboard from the hulk, extra cable stowed in mid port ama, PVC tubing, leftover pieces of old rigging fwd in stbd ama, paint and resin in paint locker. Charged batteries 1600-1800. Thinking of Judy and Spyder, on my mind a lot these past few days as I get closer to leaving. Now that it is later in the hurricane season, I have been advised not to attempt to return to Florida, but to get out of Bermuda and proceed on to the Azores out of hurricane reach. That means a year before I return unless I fly back later or they fly to Ireland. I wish that Judy and Spyder would get a computer so we could communicate via email and so they could read the logs of what is happening with the Ol' Fart. If the sail repair comes in lower than I have budgeted, I should be able to pay Judy back by Xmas, about $500 of it before I leave here. I hope Leslie is giving a copy of the logs to them. Ruminating. Outside to finish on deck. At 1930 a storm front coming from the northwest. Downpoured at 1945. Should have rigged a catch tarp to fill the tanks. Have a leak at the mast step, needs more caulk.

Mon Jul 4
32:22N, 64:40W Bermuda Harbor 0600, westerly force 1 - 3 kts, cloudy, mid 70s. Woke to the sound of a nearly continuous fog horn offshore to the south, but no fog??? Sails should be done today. Loaded the dinghy with left over junk going ashore. Ashore at 0730 to Bean's to unload dinghy and to cut 12" lengths of PVC for mast ladder steps. On to hardware for 200' of 3/8" poly line, a spool of nylon chalk line for lashing, butt splices for the mast wiring, $50, internet, $10, ATM, drew $200, and sailmaker's, got 24 slides for the mast ladder. Back to the boat and started splicing the ladder together. Takes about 45 minutes per ladder step. Ran the batteries down too far, had to use genset enough to start engine. Got engine started and ran for 3 hours. Finished 9 steps, 13 to go. Ate and went to bed early about 2000.

Tue Jul 5
32:22N, 64:40W Bermuda Harbor 0500, westerly force 1 - 3 kts, cloudy, mid 70s. Woke early. Casey's 34th birthday. Back to work on ladder. Rigged a tarp over boom so I can work outside. Brief rain squall at 0730. Two cruise ships left, two came in, each one bringing $250,00 to the Bermudian economy, 4-6 ships a week. Ashore at 0845 to internet, it was down, waited a hour, then gave up, went to sailmaker's. Sails will be done tomorrow. Checked weather maps, Friday would be a good day to get out of here. Back to boat and continued working on mast ladder. Finished at 1600. BUT...I have a mixed set of slides, one slides free, the other doesn't, so I un-lashed the bad ones. First thing in the morning to the sail loft to exchange them and make sure he gets the right ones on the main sail.

Wed Jul 6
32:22N, 64:40W Bermuda Harbor 0600, westerly force 0 - calm, clear, mid 70s. Woke sweaty about 0300 for an hour. Tea and a pipe load, wrote this and back to bed. Cooled down just before first light. Ashore at 0715. Inrernet and sail loft. Internet still down. Steve will change out the 4 bad slides on the main. I had 11 good slides, enough for every other step. Returned to boat and lashed them in place, then ran the ladder up the mast. Changed the halyard winch, the Gibb self-tailer didn't work right. Now to climb the mast and fix the short in the masthead light. Provisioned, $145, enough to get to Azores. Sails done, $1000. I hung the jib and it appears that the luff is 2' short of what I had measured. No big deal, will put a pennant at the top. It furled nicely. After it cooled off I tried hanging the genoa with a 2' pennant, and couldn't get it hooked. Gave up after half a dozen tries, went below and made coffee and thought through the process a step at a time. Went out at dusk, and hooked it on the first try ... amazing results when things are done properly. It furled nicely also. Turned on the work lights and put up the US flag and the Bermudian courtesy flag. Looking good. Ran the engine for an hour and a half.

Thur Jul 7
32:22N, 64:40W Bermuda Harbor 0545, westerly force 0 - near calm, clear, mid 70s. Woke with the damn leg cramps. Let down the jib and added a 2' pennant. Worked on the main, fitting battens. Leon came to St. George and helped me, hoisting me in the bosun's chair to the masthead. It didn't raise me high enough so came back down. Used the mast ladder, spending the better part of an hour splicing on new wire ends. Dropped the lens to the deck and broke it into 4 pieces. Ashore for lunch with Bean and Leon and to the hardware for crazy glue. Glued the pieces and took a nap. My hands and arms hurt from the strain on the mast. Took 3 aspirin, some help. Waited for the heat of the day to pass, finished the main battens. Mounted the main on the boom. Re-hoisted the jib, climbed the mast again, replaced the light lens and hooked the jib and genoa properly. Hoisted the main, looks OK, it will serve until I can get a better one, used or new. I could sail out of here tomorrow, but most likely Saturday.

Fri Jul 8
32:22N, 64:40W Bermuda Harbor 0545, westerly force 0 - near calm, clear, mid 70s. Woke with the damn leg cramps again. Today is fix the cabin sole where it collapsed when Leon stepped down hard coming in, vacuum inside, fill water tanks, laundry and shower, finish stowing, get jerry cans,$33 for 2, internet, check weather charts, mail a check and a letter to Judy, other miscellaneous. Bought tobacco, $6, a real deal, saved about $25. Boat looks good, all stowed and cleaned. It is a scorcher today. No Laundry, No Shower, Out Of Water. Bermuda is in a water crunch, no rain. Converted cash to US dollars. Sorted out the wiring for the masthead light. Went to Friday meeting. Aboard by 2200, soup and bed.

Sat Jul 9
32:22N, 64:40W Bermuda Harbor 0545, southerly force 0 - calm, clear, mid 70s. I was planning on leaving this morning. Making a final system check I found the autopilot is dead. After checking wiring to it, all OK, I found corrosion in the control box, scrubbed it clean with alcohol to no avail.. what next?? I will hold over until Monday to see if there is anyone here in Bermuda that has another or can service it.

Sun Jul 10
32:22N, 64:40W Bermuda Harbor 0545, southerly force 0 - dead calm, clear, mid 70s. Simply waiting. Spent the day patching the lifted coach roof where the mast was stepped aft adjacent to the companionway. Today is another muggy scorcher, sweat running off onto my work, almost no breeze. The patch resin finished setting at dusk.

Mon Jul 11
32:22N, 64:40W Bermuda Harbor 0545, westerly force 2 - 4 kts, cloudy, mid 70s. Sanded and painted patch. Stowed genset as it looks and feels like rain is coming. Ashore to Bean's at 0730 to call about getting autopilot fixed. WP5000 is discontinued, can't be fixed here, would take a month or more sent back to the states. The only solution is to buy another, a Raymarine ST4000+ for $860 plus the freight, brokerage and handling charges, may need a rudder position sensor, another $1000 boat unit or more. Damn. Have I said before that BOAT is not the name for a vessel, but an acronym for Break Out Another Thousand??? Mid-Shore Electronics in Maryland is faxing data and costs. Started raining heavy at 0945. Light wind veered northerly and lightning/thunder all around. Drizzled off and on the rest of the day. Fax did not come through, asked them to email data. Talked with Leon.

Tue Jul 12
32:22N, 64:40W Bermuda Harbor 0600, wind force 0 - dead calm, clear, mid 70s. Ashore at 0730 to Steve McKey's to see if fax came and to check email for data on autopilot. Nothing. Leon came with breakfast. He has a contact in Hamilton that has a few used autopilots that we can cobble together. We fueled the boat and jerry cans, 37.4 gal, $191, and took on 30 gal of water, $4.50. We then motored to Hamilton, a two hour trip at 7 kts, arriving at 1215, rafting alongside his contact's boat until his return. I took Leon ashore, then returned and took a nap. Leon came by and woke me about 1630 to tell me that Craig Scott may have located a compatible autopilot. Leon's contact Mike Voegeli on the SPIRIT OF LIBERTY had a complete working SimRad WP5000 identical to mine, $300, a saving grace. I gave him the salvaged 3/8" backstay turnbuckles and cable which he can use.

Wed Jul 13
32:16N, 64:50W Bermuda Harbor 0530, wind force 0 - dead calm, clear, mid 70s. Motored back to St. Georges. Installed, programmed and set the autopilot on the way. It works fine. Back at anchor in St. Georges at 1100. Did laundry. Bought a few more cans of soup, miscellaneous provisions. Back to boat and folded the dinghy and lashed it on the forecabin. A rain squall at 1630 stopped things for a bit, but gave me a shower. Checked engine oil, cleaned seawater filter, checked battery water levels.

Thur Jul 14
32:16N, 64:50W, Noon,
32:32:20N, 64:24:00W Leaving Bermuda Harbor
076° 0530, wind force 2 - 5 kts, part cloudy, mid 70s. Bound for the Azores. I project a 12 - 18 day passage for 1800 nm. Hauled Anchor at 0700. Cleared Bermuda Customs and Bermuda Radio at 0730. Set sail at 0745 on broad stbd reach after clearing marker buoy out of Town Cut channel on course 076, making 3 - 4 kts on a force 2 southwesterly breeze. I plan sailing a route from Bermuda to approximately 38:00N, 55:00W, then sail down that latitude to the Azores. I will update this log as soon as I get to the internet in the Azores. The wind died about 1300, so I motor-sailed with genoa up, main down, until 1530 charging batteries for tonight. Dodged inbetween and missed a dozen localized rain squalls during the day, a big one about 1500. No wind in them. Slow until sunset then 6 kts when the wind backed to a southerly beam reach.

Fri Jul 15
33:21N, 63:16W,
Noon,
33:41N, 62:36W Bound for the Azores
068°
130 nm 0600, wind SE force 3 - 8 kts, cloudy, mid 70s. Beam reach heading 068°, making 6-7+ kts. Engine 0730 for an hour for lights and pilot, battery below 11 volts. Will take 2 hours of charging per day. At 0845 on a force 4 rain squall wind the boat was making 10.7 kts with 1/4 jib and main spilled. I spilled them some more and changed course 10 degrees more off the wind to slow it down to 8 kts, and a little easier on Otto von Helm. When the rain hit it was a deluge. When the wind let down it veered southwesterly dead astern. I got soaked coming back to course and resetting sails making 6kts on main alone. A harder deluge hit at 1045, like I have never seen before. Soaked again. Noon to noon made good 130nm. About 1500 the wind veered astern, doused the main, quartering and surfing down wave on genoa alone making 7+ kts on course 069°. Charged batteries from 1600 - 1700 as Otto is getting a real workout and again 2000-2100. Wind diminished and backed SSE about 2000 so while the engine was running I re-set the main on a beam reach on course making 7 kts. The seas are a little confused but waves are down to about 4 feet.

Sat Jul 16
34:43N, 64:14W,
Noon,
35:06N, 60:41W Bound for the Azores
075°
108nm 0600, wind SSE force 3 - 8 kts, drizzling, mid 70s. Slept most of the night in one hour pieces. Broad reach heading 041°, making 8 kts. About 0800 a deluge. Doused the genoa, quartering down wind on main making 5-10 kts. Soaked bare butt but I am waterproof. Reset the genoa and gave the helm back to Otto and went below for coffee and dry out at 0945. Heading 075 making 6-10 kts. 1300, another lesson learned, don't wait to take the main down when running downwind and the wind is over force 3 and the seas build up. Got it done, but a real bitch of a time doing it. Run downwind with head sails only, screw the main. Drizzle cleared and the sun came out at 1330.

Sun Jul 17
35:56N, 59:15W,
Noon,
36:16N, 58:36W Bound for the Azores
075°
140nm 0600, wind SW force 3 - 7 kts, some clouds, mid 70s. Slept most of the night. Changed to port tack at 0300 on course 075. Wind veering southwesterly. Set Main, it has broken slide to replace next time it is down. Making 6 - 9 kts. Charged batteries 1130-1230. The wind held good until 1530 then veered NW slacking to force 2, making 3-4 kts, so charged batteries and motorsailed from 1615-1715.

Mon Jul 18
36:55N, 56:55W,
Noon,
37:03N, 56:23W Bound for the Azores
075°
141nm 0600, wind NW force 1 - 2 kts, some clouds, mid 70s. Wind died about 0300. Motorsailed and charged batteries 0630 - 0730. Cloud front 4nm ahead, maybe some wind. Some, NNE, high force 2, enough to make 5-6 kts on heading 095m to 38N50W. After 0930 the wind veered NE and making it a slow 2-4 kt beat to windward. By 1245 wind died again to force 0, so motorsailed for 5 hours heading 075° bringing both batteries to full charge. The cabin battery was down to 10 volts. A cloud front ahead 5 miles may have some wind for tonight to carry on to lat 38N and the turn east to the Azores. Nothing. At dusk I can see the cloud bank over the Gulf Stream laying about 5 miles north of my position. Changed course to port 10° to get into it.

Tue Jul 19
37:17N, 55:26W,
Noon,
37:19N, 54:56W Bound for the Azores
075°
88nm 0500, wind W force 1, some clouds, mid 70s. Just cat's paws of wind all night. Motorsailed for an hour. Took the main down and replaced the broken slide. Re-set the main, making 2 kts, just ghosting. Northwesterly wind came up some about 0800 making 4-5 kts. A little drizzle passing under the cloud bank. Wind veered NE, close hauled. At 0900 in the gulf stream for sure, gaining a half knot. What wind there is veered to E by 1045 and I had to fall off course to stbd 30° on heading 125° making 2-4 kts close hauled. A slow tedious day. Wind died total at 1430. Motored for 1 1/2 hours. then drifted with the stream until 1730. A force 1 breeze from the north gave steerage way of 1-2 kts on course. At 2030 it is flat calm. I furled the genoa, dropped the main, will drift with the current through the night. Pumped the engine bilge, the rudder gland is leaking again. I will service it in the morning.

Wed Jul 20
37:28N, 54:24W,
Noon,
37:43N, 53:53W Bound for the Azores
095°
67nm 0600, flat calm, some high cirrus clouds, mid 70s. Drifting at 1 kt on heading 075°. Retrieved a 12" orange mooring float ball that had drifted close. Tightened rudder gland. 0700 - Motored 075° for 2 1/2 hours. Slight breeze developing from SE. By 0930 it was enough to make 6.5 kts on heading 075°. As the force 3 wind veered southerly I made the turn east to Flores, rounding the heading to 095°m to sail down the 38th parallel to the Azores. The SSW wind holding force 3, sailed 5.5 - 6.5 kts on heading through the afternoon, a nice comfortable ride.

Thur Jul 21
38:06N, 51:40W,
Noon,
38:24N, 50:53W Bound for the Azores
095°
184nm 0600, wind S by E - force 4, storm clouds ahead, mid 70s. Booming along at 9-10 kts. Passed under the storm clouds. A bit of a rough ride on a beam reach, gave Otto a workout. At 0715 I turned 20° to port down wind and furled the genoa 50% to ease it. Charged batteries 0930-1130. Furled genoa at noon and ran out 50% of the jib. It has been a sleigh ride all day on a beam reach averaging 10 kts in 5-7ft seas. Saw 12 and 13 several times. Lowered the main at 1900, running on engine on course and heading making 5 kts. Rain front coming 2 nm off, I hope the wind abates the other side of it. Some.

Fri Jul 22
38:43N, 48:43W,
Noon,
38:51N, 47:46W Bound for the Azores
100°
187nm 0600, wind S by E - force 4-5, seas 8 ft, storm clouds abeam and astern, mid 70s. Motored through the night and morning on heading 100°, waiting for storm to pass before raising sail. Put reefing ties in main. Set genoa and shut off engine at 1000, running slightly off the wind at 7-9 kts on course and heading. Drizzling. Breakfast of clam chowder, crackers and cheese. By noon the wind has veered southwesterly 20° abaft the beam. I raised the reefed main at 1230. Back on course, making 9-13 kts, as fast as yesterday and more controllable with reefed main. By 1400 the wind has veered another 20°, now SW force 5, making 13 1/2 surfing down wave. I saw 14.5 on a big one. Otto is doing a good job handling it. By 1630 the wind has let down to force 4, but waves built earlier are still 9 feet. Napped from 1700-1930, woke with Judy and Spyder on my mind. Boat moving along nicely, at this rate 4 more days to Lages. Charged batteries 2130-2230.

Sat Jul 23
39:07N, 45:13W,
Noon,
39:06N, 44:40W Bound for the Azores
100°
186nm 0600, wind SSW - force 4, seas 4 ft, storm clouds ahead, mid 70s. Wind died to force 2 while it rained from 0300-9500 during the night. Black rain clouds ahead on the horizon. Making easy 7-8 kts at daybreak, on course and heading. At 0745 the wind died to force 1 so motorsailed for an hour to charge batteries. Furled the genoa and took the reef out of the main. Set clock ahead for mid-Atlantic time. Tried for an hour to coax something out of the sails, gave up and started engine again. Took down main to stop the slatting. At 1330 the wind flopped all the way to the other side coming as force 3 from NNE by N. Set the sails, course and heading, making 7 kts. 1530, breeze freshened to force 4, making 11.5 kts. There must be a big hurricane south of here, all afternoon there have been big swells rolling in from the south against a NNE wind. At sundown the wind is down to force 3. Still making 6+ kts, a beam reach on course and heading. Should be a quiet ride tonight. Potatoes, onions and corned beef for dinner. Dead calm at 0200, dropped sails and motored.

Sun Jul 24
39:12N, 42:41W,
Noon,
39:17N, 42:12W Bound for the Azores
102°
152nm 0600, calm - force 0, seas rippled, overcast, mid 70s. Put on sail at 0700 making 3 kts, light air SSW. On course and heading. Clearing on the horizon. 0800, loafing along at 4-5 kts. Checked engine oil, bilges. Less than a half gallon of water in each ama from spray and rain driven under the hatch seals. Pumped engine bilge, maybe a gallon. Four foot swells still coming from the south. Looks to be a quiet day. 1045, heavy rain squalls approaching from windward. I could have filled the water tanks with rain water streaming off the main. I will have to make a way of collecting it. Wind died to low force 1, barely enough for steerage. At noon the wind freshened WSW by W force 2-3 astern. Quiet steady progress all afternoon averaging 6 kts. Had myself a seawater bucket bath late in the afternoon, real refreshing. I could have had a rain shower this morning but didn't think of it. Motored for an hour at sunset. Watched part of a movie. Took down the main while still light, will use genoa only tonight running down wind. Top slide chafed loose, will have to re-lash it.

Mon Jul 25
39:18N, 40:29W,
Noon,
39:17N, 39:44W Bound for the Azores
103°
132nm 0600, wind SW - force 3, waves 2 ft chop, overcast, mid 70s. Will wait to see what the day brings before hoisting reefed main. Making good progress on genoa alone, 5 kts. Drizzle to windward but slipped past most of it. Motored for an hour charging batteries, 0730-0830. Could not re-lash slide until I get a calm. At 0845 hoisted reefed main and reset genoa on a beam reach making 6-7 kts on course and heading. Drizzling. Shook out reef in main at 0945, wind died to low force 3 as the sun came out. By noon the wind was back to high force 3, the boat doing 6-8 kts for a couple of hours then slackened again, veering astern. With wind and current we are still doing well, in 11 hours since 0600 making 77 nm, an average of 7 kts. Otto has been doing a great job. I have steered for less than two hours since Bermuda, spending most of the time in the cabin reading or sleeping, occasionally changing Otto's heading or tinkering with sail set. Motored 1900-2100 as wind was dying and backing south before sundown, and batteries need charging.

Tue Jul 26
39:17N, 38:11W,
Noon,
39:19N, 37:27W Bound for the Azores
103°
137nm 0600, wind W by N - force 1, waves 1 ft, overcast, mid 70s. A slow night. Drizzle. Motored 0530-0630. On port tack broad off the wind on course and heading making 3-4 kts at 0700. Finished last night's dinner for breakfast. Wind veering north and picking up a little. At 0915 the wind veered to N by W and freshened to force 4, making 10-11 kts with a rain front approaching. Shortened genoa, slacked main, balanced sails so Otto doesn't need to work so hard. An exciting ride that trimarans are built for, occasionally seeing 13-14 kts. I went below out of the rain, made coffee, smoked my pipe, relaxed, had lunch and napped until 1430. It quieted some after 1730 which was welcome as the seas had built to 6+ feet and better making for a rough pounding ride on a beam reach. Reviewed my chart of Flores Island and altered my waypoint to pass well clear to the south. At present the distance is 247 miles and landfall should be day after tomorrow in daylight into Lages Harbor. Engine 2015-2115. Using lower nav lights to conserve batteries.

Wed Jul 27
39:07N, 35:22W,
Noon,
39:10N, 34:42W Bound for the Azores
100°
165nm 0600, wind NNW - force 3, waves 4+ ft, cloudy, mid 70s. Batteries very low. Serviced engine then ran for 3 hours. Ran port tank dry, switched to what was left in stbd tank and siphoned 5 gallons into it. Set clocks ahead to Azores time. Set and trimmed sails at 1000 making 7-8 kts in force 3 wind. Batteries back up to 11.5v, will need to run another hour tonight. Riding a little easier with the sails pulling. Lunch a cold can of soup. At 1300 the wind died then veered easterly. Reset the sails close hauled on heading 125° making 5 kts. At 1445 the wind died again so I motored on course and heading 100°, adding 5 more gallons to the stbd tank. Tried sailing again at 1645 but the wind didn't hold. Wind came force 4 in a hurry pushing 6' waves at 1800 from the ESE. Set sail close hauled on 070 heading. The wind continued to veer south so that by sundown we were back on course and heading. The wind died so I furled the genoa and motor sailed after 2200

Thur Jul 28
39:17N, 33:19W,
Noon,
39:17N, 32:46W Bound for the Azores
103°
116nm 0600, wind E - force 1, waves 2 ft chop, cloudy, mid 70s. Just after midnight I had 3 problems all at once. Otto's belt was slipping and couldn't hold course, the alternator wire broke, and the main was flogging. Stopped the engine, let down the main, repositioned Otto's mounting bracket to tighten the belt, and spent an hour fixing the wire. Continued on engine. At dawn the wind is directly ahead. Motoring on course and heading. 95 miles until landfall about dawn tomorrow at the present rate. I put another 6 gallons in the stbd tank, holding 6 gallons in reserve. Should be enough to motor all the way to Lages. At noon the wind was still force 1 on the nose with 68 miles to landfall. At 1630 the wind freshened some and I set sails on a 150 close hauled reach hard in the wind, which will give a little southing and conserve diesel. The wind died again at 1745, so back to motoring. Dropped the main at 1900 so I won't have to contend with it in the dark. Wind is still on the nose but barely force 1, making 5 kts on the engine. Raised the lights of Flores at 2300, first lights of any kind since Bermuda. Some time after midnight the moon faked me out as it rose on the horizon looking like a fishing boat under work lights coming down on me. A minute or two of confusion. Back on course, 20 miles distant.

Fri Jul 29
39:18N, 31:19W,
Noon,
39:23N, 31:10W Lages, Flores Island, Azores
90°
96nm 0600, wind E - force 1, waves 2 ft chop, clear, low 70s. At first light Flores is 4 miles distant on course. A beautiful sunrise. Snugly at anchor in Lajes harbor at 0830. It has been for the most part an easy, uneventful 15 day passage. I will get fuel, a few provisions, find the internet access and hopefully some pipe tobacco today after clearing in, and will leave tomorrow or the next day for Ireland.

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20050701

Date - Position	Heading Made Good	Daily Log Comments
Fri Jul 1 32:22N, 64:40W	Bermuda Harbor	0545, southerly force 1 - light air, high overcast, mid 70s. Scrubbed foredeck and patched areas with fresh water. Second cup of coffee while they dried. Painted them and the bottom 6' of mast that I couldn't reach while it was down hanging over the stern. Reassembled and glued the door to the head that came apart when I fell against it during the storm. Re-hung it about noon after the glue set. Went to Dinghy club for a shower. The repair plan is complete except for clearing the short in the masthead light wiring, repairing the cabin top, sail repair, getting jerry cans for extra fuel, fueling the boat and provisioning. Started a light drizzle at 1300, 85° and muggy. Siesta. Cleared by 1400, with force 3 winds from SW. Went ashore to see if I could borrow a bosun's chair, waited an hour for Steve to show. I can borrow it any time.
Sat Jul 2 32:22N, 64:40W	Bermuda Harbor	0545, southerly force 3 - 10 kts, mostly clear, mid 70s. Painted a second coat on the ama patch. Ashore at 0830 to internet and sailmaker's. One sail, the jib needs no repair, the genoa needs 2 patches and new luff tape, and the main is cut off at the foot to the first reef and double taped at the foot and loose footed without slides, saving bucks. I wasn't feeling well this afternoon, too much sun, so I laid in front of the fan, napped and read. Visited Rick on the ESKIMO to see his mast ladder that slides up the mast sail track and gave him Blad's contact data as he is bound for Nova Scotia. I did a calculation and design of a mast ladder spliced from line and with PVC pipe steps. Takes 150' of line and 24 sail slides.
Sun Jul 3 32:22N, 64:40W	Bermuda Harbor	0530, westerly force 2 - 5 kts, mostly clear, mid 70s. Spent most of the day gathering tools, stowing gear and cleaning the boat. I made a mess and clutter with tools and pieces strewn everywhere. It will feel good to be uncluttered again. By 1400 I had most of it stowed, the galley cleaned and the cabin organized. Stowed tools in tool chest in port ama, power tools in aft hold. All salvaged pieces aboard from the hulk, extra cable stowed in mid port ama, PVC tubing, leftover pieces of old rigging fwd in stbd ama, paint and resin in paint locker. Charged batteries 1600-1800. Thinking of Judy and Spyder, on my mind a lot these past few days as I get closer to leaving. Now that it is later in the hurricane season, I have been advised not to attempt to return to Florida, but to get out of Bermuda and proceed on to the Azores out of hurricane reach. That means a year before I return unless I fly back later or they fly to Ireland. I wish that Judy and Spyder would get a computer so we could communicate via email and so they could read the logs of what is happening with the Ol' Fart. If the sail repair comes in lower than I have budgeted, I should be able to pay Judy back by Xmas, about $500 of it before I leave here. I hope Leslie is giving a copy of the logs to them. Ruminating. Outside to finish on deck. At 1930 a storm front coming from the northwest. Downpoured at 1945. Should have rigged a catch tarp to fill the tanks. Have a leak at the mast step, needs more caulk.
Mon Jul 4 32:22N, 64:40W	Bermuda Harbor	0600, westerly force 1 - 3 kts, cloudy, mid 70s. Woke to the sound of a nearly continuous fog horn offshore to the south, but no fog??? Sails should be done today. Loaded the dinghy with left over junk going ashore. Ashore at 0730 to Bean's to unload dinghy and to cut 12" lengths of PVC for mast ladder steps. On to hardware for 200' of 3/8" poly line, a spool of nylon chalk line for lashing, butt splices for the mast wiring, $50, internet, $10, ATM, drew $200, and sailmaker's, got 24 slides for the mast ladder. Back to the boat and started splicing the ladder together. Takes about 45 minutes per ladder step. Ran the batteries down too far, had to use genset enough to start engine. Got engine started and ran for 3 hours. Finished 9 steps, 13 to go. Ate and went to bed early about 2000.
Tue Jul 5 32:22N, 64:40W	Bermuda Harbor	0500, westerly force 1 - 3 kts, cloudy, mid 70s. Woke early. Casey's 34th birthday. Back to work on ladder. Rigged a tarp over boom so I can work outside. Brief rain squall at 0730. Two cruise ships left, two came in, each one bringing $250,00 to the Bermudian economy, 4-6 ships a week. Ashore at 0845 to internet, it was down, waited a hour, then gave up, went to sailmaker's. Sails will be done tomorrow. Checked weather maps, Friday would be a good day to get out of here. Back to boat and continued working on mast ladder. Finished at 1600. BUT...I have a mixed set of slides, one slides free, the other doesn't, so I un-lashed the bad ones. First thing in the morning to the sail loft to exchange them and make sure he gets the right ones on the main sail.
Wed Jul 6 32:22N, 64:40W	Bermuda Harbor	0600, westerly force 0 - calm, clear, mid 70s. Woke sweaty about 0300 for an hour. Tea and a pipe load, wrote this and back to bed. Cooled down just before first light. Ashore at 0715. Inrernet and sail loft. Internet still down. Steve will change out the 4 bad slides on the main. I had 11 good slides, enough for every other step. Returned to boat and lashed them in place, then ran the ladder up the mast. Changed the halyard winch, the Gibb self-tailer didn't work right. Now to climb the mast and fix the short in the masthead light. Provisioned, $145, enough to get to Azores. Sails done, $1000. I hung the jib and it appears that the luff is 2' short of what I had measured. No big deal, will put a pennant at the top. It furled nicely. After it cooled off I tried hanging the genoa with a 2' pennant, and couldn't get it hooked. Gave up after half a dozen tries, went below and made coffee and thought through the process a step at a time. Went out at dusk, and hooked it on the first try ... amazing results when things are done properly. It furled nicely also. Turned on the work lights and put up the US flag and the Bermudian courtesy flag. Looking good. Ran the engine for an hour and a half.
Thur Jul 7 32:22N, 64:40W	Bermuda Harbor	0545, westerly force 0 - near calm, clear, mid 70s. Woke with the damn leg cramps. Let down the jib and added a 2' pennant. Worked on the main, fitting battens. Leon came to St. George and helped me, hoisting me in the bosun's chair to the masthead. It didn't raise me high enough so came back down. Used the mast ladder, spending the better part of an hour splicing on new wire ends. Dropped the lens to the deck and broke it into 4 pieces. Ashore for lunch with Bean and Leon and to the hardware for crazy glue. Glued the pieces and took a nap. My hands and arms hurt from the strain on the mast. Took 3 aspirin, some help. Waited for the heat of the day to pass, finished the main battens. Mounted the main on the boom. Re-hoisted the jib, climbed the mast again, replaced the light lens and hooked the jib and genoa properly. Hoisted the main, looks OK, it will serve until I can get a better one, used or new. I could sail out of here tomorrow, but most likely Saturday.
Fri Jul 8 32:22N, 64:40W	Bermuda Harbor	0545, westerly force 0 - near calm, clear, mid 70s. Woke with the damn leg cramps again. Today is fix the cabin sole where it collapsed when Leon stepped down hard coming in, vacuum inside, fill water tanks, laundry and shower, finish stowing, get jerry cans,$33 for 2, internet, check weather charts, mail a check and a letter to Judy, other miscellaneous. Bought tobacco, $6, a real deal, saved about $25. Boat looks good, all stowed and cleaned. It is a scorcher today. No Laundry, No Shower, Out Of Water. Bermuda is in a water crunch, no rain. Converted cash to US dollars. Sorted out the wiring for the masthead light. Went to Friday meeting. Aboard by 2200, soup and bed.
Sat Jul 9 32:22N, 64:40W	Bermuda Harbor	0545, southerly force 0 - calm, clear, mid 70s. I was planning on leaving this morning. Making a final system check I found the autopilot is dead. After checking wiring to it, all OK, I found corrosion in the control box, scrubbed it clean with alcohol to no avail.. what next?? I will hold over until Monday to see if there is anyone here in Bermuda that has another or can service it.
Sun Jul 10 32:22N, 64:40W	Bermuda Harbor	0545, southerly force 0 - dead calm, clear, mid 70s. Simply waiting. Spent the day patching the lifted coach roof where the mast was stepped aft adjacent to the companionway. Today is another muggy scorcher, sweat running off onto my work, almost no breeze. The patch resin finished setting at dusk.
Mon Jul 11 32:22N, 64:40W	Bermuda Harbor	0545, westerly force 2 - 4 kts, cloudy, mid 70s. Sanded and painted patch. Stowed genset as it looks and feels like rain is coming. Ashore to Bean's at 0730 to call about getting autopilot fixed. WP5000 is discontinued, can't be fixed here, would take a month or more sent back to the states. The only solution is to buy another, a Raymarine ST4000+ for $860 plus the freight, brokerage and handling charges, may need a rudder position sensor, another $1000 boat unit or more. Damn. Have I said before that BOAT is not the name for a vessel, but an acronym for Break Out Another Thousand??? Mid-Shore Electronics in Maryland is faxing data and costs. Started raining heavy at 0945. Light wind veered northerly and lightning/thunder all around. Drizzled off and on the rest of the day. Fax did not come through, asked them to email data. Talked with Leon.
Tue Jul 12 32:22N, 64:40W	Bermuda Harbor	0600, wind force 0 - dead calm, clear, mid 70s. Ashore at 0730 to Steve McKey's to see if fax came and to check email for data on autopilot. Nothing. Leon came with breakfast. He has a contact in Hamilton that has a few used autopilots that we can cobble together. We fueled the boat and jerry cans, 37.4 gal, $191, and took on 30 gal of water, $4.50. We then motored to Hamilton, a two hour trip at 7 kts, arriving at 1215, rafting alongside his contact's boat until his return. I took Leon ashore, then returned and took a nap. Leon came by and woke me about 1630 to tell me that Craig Scott may have located a compatible autopilot. Leon's contact Mike Voegeli on the SPIRIT OF LIBERTY had a complete working SimRad WP5000 identical to mine, $300, a saving grace. I gave him the salvaged 3/8" backstay turnbuckles and cable which he can use.
Wed Jul 13 32:16N, 64:50W	Bermuda Harbor	0530, wind force 0 - dead calm, clear, mid 70s. Motored back to St. Georges. Installed, programmed and set the autopilot on the way. It works fine. Back at anchor in St. Georges at 1100. Did laundry. Bought a few more cans of soup, miscellaneous provisions. Back to boat and folded the dinghy and lashed it on the forecabin. A rain squall at 1630 stopped things for a bit, but gave me a shower. Checked engine oil, cleaned seawater filter, checked battery water levels.
Thur Jul 14 32:16N, 64:50W, Noon, 32:32:20N, 64:24:00W	Leaving Bermuda Harbor 076°	0530, wind force 2 - 5 kts, part cloudy, mid 70s. Bound for the Azores. I project a 12 - 18 day passage for 1800 nm. Hauled Anchor at 0700. Cleared Bermuda Customs and Bermuda Radio at 0730. Set sail at 0745 on broad stbd reach after clearing marker buoy out of Town Cut channel on course 076, making 3 - 4 kts on a force 2 southwesterly breeze. I plan sailing a route from Bermuda to approximately 38:00N, 55:00W, then sail down that latitude to the Azores. I will update this log as soon as I get to the internet in the Azores. The wind died about 1300, so I motor-sailed with genoa up, main down, until 1530 charging batteries for tonight. Dodged inbetween and missed a dozen localized rain squalls during the day, a big one about 1500. No wind in them. Slow until sunset then 6 kts when the wind backed to a southerly beam reach.
Fri Jul 15 33:21N, 63:16W, Noon, 33:41N, 62:36W	Bound for the Azores 068° 130 nm	0600, wind SE force 3 - 8 kts, cloudy, mid 70s. Beam reach heading 068°, making 6-7+ kts. Engine 0730 for an hour for lights and pilot, battery below 11 volts. Will take 2 hours of charging per day. At 0845 on a force 4 rain squall wind the boat was making 10.7 kts with 1/4 jib and main spilled. I spilled them some more and changed course 10 degrees more off the wind to slow it down to 8 kts, and a little easier on Otto von Helm. When the rain hit it was a deluge. When the wind let down it veered southwesterly dead astern. I got soaked coming back to course and resetting sails making 6kts on main alone. A harder deluge hit at 1045, like I have never seen before. Soaked again. Noon to noon made good 130nm. About 1500 the wind veered astern, doused the main, quartering and surfing down wave on genoa alone making 7+ kts on course 069°. Charged batteries from 1600 - 1700 as Otto is getting a real workout and again 2000-2100. Wind diminished and backed SSE about 2000 so while the engine was running I re-set the main on a beam reach on course making 7 kts. The seas are a little confused but waves are down to about 4 feet.
Sat Jul 16 34:43N, 64:14W, Noon, 35:06N, 60:41W	Bound for the Azores 075° 108nm	0600, wind SSE force 3 - 8 kts, drizzling, mid 70s. Slept most of the night in one hour pieces. Broad reach heading 041°, making 8 kts. About 0800 a deluge. Doused the genoa, quartering down wind on main making 5-10 kts. Soaked bare butt but I am waterproof. Reset the genoa and gave the helm back to Otto and went below for coffee and dry out at 0945. Heading 075 making 6-10 kts. 1300, another lesson learned, don't wait to take the main down when running downwind and the wind is over force 3 and the seas build up. Got it done, but a real bitch of a time doing it. Run downwind with head sails only, screw the main. Drizzle cleared and the sun came out at 1330.
Sun Jul 17 35:56N, 59:15W, Noon, 36:16N, 58:36W	Bound for the Azores 075° 140nm	0600, wind SW force 3 - 7 kts, some clouds, mid 70s. Slept most of the night. Changed to port tack at 0300 on course 075. Wind veering southwesterly. Set Main, it has broken slide to replace next time it is down. Making 6 - 9 kts. Charged batteries 1130-1230. The wind held good until 1530 then veered NW slacking to force 2, making 3-4 kts, so charged batteries and motorsailed from 1615-1715.
Mon Jul 18 36:55N, 56:55W, Noon, 37:03N, 56:23W	Bound for the Azores 075° 141nm	0600, wind NW force 1 - 2 kts, some clouds, mid 70s. Wind died about 0300. Motorsailed and charged batteries 0630 - 0730. Cloud front 4nm ahead, maybe some wind. Some, NNE, high force 2, enough to make 5-6 kts on heading 095m to 38N50W. After 0930 the wind veered NE and making it a slow 2-4 kt beat to windward. By 1245 wind died again to force 0, so motorsailed for 5 hours heading 075° bringing both batteries to full charge. The cabin battery was down to 10 volts. A cloud front ahead 5 miles may have some wind for tonight to carry on to lat 38N and the turn east to the Azores. Nothing. At dusk I can see the cloud bank over the Gulf Stream laying about 5 miles north of my position. Changed course to port 10° to get into it.
Tue Jul 19 37:17N, 55:26W, Noon, 37:19N, 54:56W	Bound for the Azores 075° 88nm	0500, wind W force 1, some clouds, mid 70s. Just cat's paws of wind all night. Motorsailed for an hour. Took the main down and replaced the broken slide. Re-set the main, making 2 kts, just ghosting. Northwesterly wind came up some about 0800 making 4-5 kts. A little drizzle passing under the cloud bank. Wind veered NE, close hauled. At 0900 in the gulf stream for sure, gaining a half knot. What wind there is veered to E by 1045 and I had to fall off course to stbd 30° on heading 125° making 2-4 kts close hauled. A slow tedious day. Wind died total at 1430. Motored for 1 1/2 hours. then drifted with the stream until 1730. A force 1 breeze from the north gave steerage way of 1-2 kts on course. At 2030 it is flat calm. I furled the genoa, dropped the main, will drift with the current through the night. Pumped the engine bilge, the rudder gland is leaking again. I will service it in the morning.
Wed Jul 20 37:28N, 54:24W, Noon, 37:43N, 53:53W	Bound for the Azores 095° 67nm	0600, flat calm, some high cirrus clouds, mid 70s. Drifting at 1 kt on heading 075°. Retrieved a 12" orange mooring float ball that had drifted close. Tightened rudder gland. 0700 - Motored 075° for 2 1/2 hours. Slight breeze developing from SE. By 0930 it was enough to make 6.5 kts on heading 075°. As the force 3 wind veered southerly I made the turn east to Flores, rounding the heading to 095°m to sail down the 38th parallel to the Azores. The SSW wind holding force 3, sailed 5.5 - 6.5 kts on heading through the afternoon, a nice comfortable ride.
Thur Jul 21 38:06N, 51:40W, Noon, 38:24N, 50:53W	Bound for the Azores 095° 184nm	0600, wind S by E - force 4, storm clouds ahead, mid 70s. Booming along at 9-10 kts. Passed under the storm clouds. A bit of a rough ride on a beam reach, gave Otto a workout. At 0715 I turned 20° to port down wind and furled the genoa 50% to ease it. Charged batteries 0930-1130. Furled genoa at noon and ran out 50% of the jib. It has been a sleigh ride all day on a beam reach averaging 10 kts in 5-7ft seas. Saw 12 and 13 several times. Lowered the main at 1900, running on engine on course and heading making 5 kts. Rain front coming 2 nm off, I hope the wind abates the other side of it. Some.
Fri Jul 22 38:43N, 48:43W, Noon, 38:51N, 47:46W	Bound for the Azores 100° 187nm	0600, wind S by E - force 4-5, seas 8 ft, storm clouds abeam and astern, mid 70s. Motored through the night and morning on heading 100°, waiting for storm to pass before raising sail. Put reefing ties in main. Set genoa and shut off engine at 1000, running slightly off the wind at 7-9 kts on course and heading. Drizzling. Breakfast of clam chowder, crackers and cheese. By noon the wind has veered southwesterly 20° abaft the beam. I raised the reefed main at 1230. Back on course, making 9-13 kts, as fast as yesterday and more controllable with reefed main. By 1400 the wind has veered another 20°, now SW force 5, making 13 1/2 surfing down wave. I saw 14.5 on a big one. Otto is doing a good job handling it. By 1630 the wind has let down to force 4, but waves built earlier are still 9 feet. Napped from 1700-1930, woke with Judy and Spyder on my mind. Boat moving along nicely, at this rate 4 more days to Lages. Charged batteries 2130-2230.
Sat Jul 23 39:07N, 45:13W, Noon, 39:06N, 44:40W	Bound for the Azores 100° 186nm	0600, wind SSW - force 4, seas 4 ft, storm clouds ahead, mid 70s. Wind died to force 2 while it rained from 0300-9500 during the night. Black rain clouds ahead on the horizon. Making easy 7-8 kts at daybreak, on course and heading. At 0745 the wind died to force 1 so motorsailed for an hour to charge batteries. Furled the genoa and took the reef out of the main. Set clock ahead for mid-Atlantic time. Tried for an hour to coax something out of the sails, gave up and started engine again. Took down main to stop the slatting. At 1330 the wind flopped all the way to the other side coming as force 3 from NNE by N. Set the sails, course and heading, making 7 kts. 1530, breeze freshened to force 4, making 11.5 kts. There must be a big hurricane south of here, all afternoon there have been big swells rolling in from the south against a NNE wind. At sundown the wind is down to force 3. Still making 6+ kts, a beam reach on course and heading. Should be a quiet ride tonight. Potatoes, onions and corned beef for dinner. Dead calm at 0200, dropped sails and motored.
Sun Jul 24 39:12N, 42:41W, Noon, 39:17N, 42:12W	Bound for the Azores 102° 152nm	0600, calm - force 0, seas rippled, overcast, mid 70s. Put on sail at 0700 making 3 kts, light air SSW. On course and heading. Clearing on the horizon. 0800, loafing along at 4-5 kts. Checked engine oil, bilges. Less than a half gallon of water in each ama from spray and rain driven under the hatch seals. Pumped engine bilge, maybe a gallon. Four foot swells still coming from the south. Looks to be a quiet day. 1045, heavy rain squalls approaching from windward. I could have filled the water tanks with rain water streaming off the main. I will have to make a way of collecting it. Wind died to low force 1, barely enough for steerage. At noon the wind freshened WSW by W force 2-3 astern. Quiet steady progress all afternoon averaging 6 kts. Had myself a seawater bucket bath late in the afternoon, real refreshing. I could have had a rain shower this morning but didn't think of it. Motored for an hour at sunset. Watched part of a movie. Took down the main while still light, will use genoa only tonight running down wind. Top slide chafed loose, will have to re-lash it.
Mon Jul 25 39:18N, 40:29W, Noon, 39:17N, 39:44W	Bound for the Azores 103° 132nm	0600, wind SW - force 3, waves 2 ft chop, overcast, mid 70s. Will wait to see what the day brings before hoisting reefed main. Making good progress on genoa alone, 5 kts. Drizzle to windward but slipped past most of it. Motored for an hour charging batteries, 0730-0830. Could not re-lash slide until I get a calm. At 0845 hoisted reefed main and reset genoa on a beam reach making 6-7 kts on course and heading. Drizzling. Shook out reef in main at 0945, wind died to low force 3 as the sun came out. By noon the wind was back to high force 3, the boat doing 6-8 kts for a couple of hours then slackened again, veering astern. With wind and current we are still doing well, in 11 hours since 0600 making 77 nm, an average of 7 kts. Otto has been doing a great job. I have steered for less than two hours since Bermuda, spending most of the time in the cabin reading or sleeping, occasionally changing Otto's heading or tinkering with sail set. Motored 1900-2100 as wind was dying and backing south before sundown, and batteries need charging.
Tue Jul 26 39:17N, 38:11W, Noon, 39:19N, 37:27W	Bound for the Azores 103° 137nm	0600, wind W by N - force 1, waves 1 ft, overcast, mid 70s. A slow night. Drizzle. Motored 0530-0630. On port tack broad off the wind on course and heading making 3-4 kts at 0700. Finished last night's dinner for breakfast. Wind veering north and picking up a little. At 0915 the wind veered to N by W and freshened to force 4, making 10-11 kts with a rain front approaching. Shortened genoa, slacked main, balanced sails so Otto doesn't need to work so hard. An exciting ride that trimarans are built for, occasionally seeing 13-14 kts. I went below out of the rain, made coffee, smoked my pipe, relaxed, had lunch and napped until 1430. It quieted some after 1730 which was welcome as the seas had built to 6+ feet and better making for a rough pounding ride on a beam reach. Reviewed my chart of Flores Island and altered my waypoint to pass well clear to the south. At present the distance is 247 miles and landfall should be day after tomorrow in daylight into Lages Harbor. Engine 2015-2115. Using lower nav lights to conserve batteries.
Wed Jul 27 39:07N, 35:22W, Noon, 39:10N, 34:42W	Bound for the Azores 100° 165nm	0600, wind NNW - force 3, waves 4+ ft, cloudy, mid 70s. Batteries very low. Serviced engine then ran for 3 hours. Ran port tank dry, switched to what was left in stbd tank and siphoned 5 gallons into it. Set clocks ahead to Azores time. Set and trimmed sails at 1000 making 7-8 kts in force 3 wind. Batteries back up to 11.5v, will need to run another hour tonight. Riding a little easier with the sails pulling. Lunch a cold can of soup. At 1300 the wind died then veered easterly. Reset the sails close hauled on heading 125° making 5 kts. At 1445 the wind died again so I motored on course and heading 100°, adding 5 more gallons to the stbd tank. Tried sailing again at 1645 but the wind didn't hold. Wind came force 4 in a hurry pushing 6' waves at 1800 from the ESE. Set sail close hauled on 070 heading. The wind continued to veer south so that by sundown we were back on course and heading. The wind died so I furled the genoa and motor sailed after 2200
Thur Jul 28 39:17N, 33:19W, Noon, 39:17N, 32:46W	Bound for the Azores 103° 116nm	0600, wind E - force 1, waves 2 ft chop, cloudy, mid 70s. Just after midnight I had 3 problems all at once. Otto's belt was slipping and couldn't hold course, the alternator wire broke, and the main was flogging. Stopped the engine, let down the main, repositioned Otto's mounting bracket to tighten the belt, and spent an hour fixing the wire. Continued on engine. At dawn the wind is directly ahead. Motoring on course and heading. 95 miles until landfall about dawn tomorrow at the present rate. I put another 6 gallons in the stbd tank, holding 6 gallons in reserve. Should be enough to motor all the way to Lages. At noon the wind was still force 1 on the nose with 68 miles to landfall. At 1630 the wind freshened some and I set sails on a 150 close hauled reach hard in the wind, which will give a little southing and conserve diesel. The wind died again at 1745, so back to motoring. Dropped the main at 1900 so I won't have to contend with it in the dark. Wind is still on the nose but barely force 1, making 5 kts on the engine. Raised the lights of Flores at 2300, first lights of any kind since Bermuda. Some time after midnight the moon faked me out as it rose on the horizon looking like a fishing boat under work lights coming down on me. A minute or two of confusion. Back on course, 20 miles distant.
Fri Jul 29 39:18N, 31:19W, Noon, 39:23N, 31:10W	Lages, Flores Island, Azores 90° 96nm	0600, wind E - force 1, waves 2 ft chop, clear, low 70s. At first light Flores is 4 miles distant on course. A beautiful sunrise. Snugly at anchor in Lajes harbor at 0830. It has been for the most part an easy, uneventful 15 day passage. I will get fuel, a few provisions, find the internet access and hopefully some pipe tobacco today after clearing in, and will leave tomorrow or the next day for Ireland.