Position 34:52.85N 68:53.39W
PASSEPARTOUT
Christopher & Nirit Slaney
Mon 16 May 2011 11:49
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The gulf stream, "Are we there yet?
'You'll know you're in the gulf stream because all of a
sudden it will get very humid below decks.'
'Watch the water temperature, as soon as it jumps by a
few degrees - you're there.'
'I know guys who can just look out at the water and see
the stream.'
All good pieces of advice from sailors we spoke to in
Bermuda who have done this trip countless times. We have a diagram downloaded by
the Atlantic Cup staff last Thursday showing gulf stream position and speed
based on an analysis of surface temperature. After consulting with a couple of
other skippers, we marked on it a point to aim for to cross the gulf stream
at a narrow waist which was sort of on our route to Newport.
Yesterday I listened in to other yachts on the radio
making a final decision as to where to enter the stream. So we changed our point
on the map. A few hours later I monitored Canadian weather forecaster Herb
'Southbound II' and heard him stress another position, 37 degrees 15 minutes
north and 69 degrees 30 minutes west; 'You don't want to be any farther west
than that.'
Eventually we had more points on our chart than we could
remember putting there. We were suffering from too much data.
In the end it was all academic. At 2 a.m. local the seas
suddenly kicked up from two opposing directions.
Yes it was humid below, and I checked the water, it was warmer. So
here we are, in the gulf stream with an added 2 knots to our speed. The wind has
also increased and we have reduced sail. We are barreling along, rolling from
side to side. Neither of us can sleep as below decks it sounds as if the
poor boat is disintegrating. I can get used to the motion but the thoughts keep
me awake; my restless mind runs through a list of everything that could now go
wrong with sails, rigging, electrics..., the list is endless. Strangely enough
we both have huge appetites.
Gil Tagar wrote to say the satellite tracker isn't
working. I checked the batteries and re-set it but perhaps the reason is that it's now our original tracker, and
that we have someone elses?
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