S2H Day Six - Calm
Where Next?
Bob Williams
Sun 31 Dec 2023 02:44
Course: SSW Speed: 0.5 knots
Wind: SE F1
Sea: calm Swell: S 1 m
Weather: sunny, warm
Day's Run: 68 nm
The winds continued to abate and are now a bare zephyr. We have changed the jib for the code zero and are now ghosting along on a calm sea at less than a knot (though a low swell keeps Sylph rolling slightly and the sails struggle to remain full).
Fortunately, overnight the wind remained steady enough to sail close hauled on the port tack, allowing us to maintaining our desired heading for Tasman Island so that in the last 24 hours we have managed to close our destination by another 68 nm.
With New Year's Eve a matter of hours away but Hobart Town still 246 nautical miles ahead of us, we will be celebrating the beginning of 2024 on the high seas with a can of soda water. When we started the race, the weather forecast gave us little hope for Sylph reaching the finish line in time for the New Year's celebrations, but, as 'tis said, hope springs eternal and the idea of making it in time remained with us for the first few days, but certainly no longer.
My current best guess at an ETA is sometime on the 3rd of January.
All is well.