May 10th

00:00:10EST – 23º02.989’N 066º38.734’W SoG 4.0kts CoG 300ºT Trip 430.6nm

05:07EST – 23º17.640’N 066º55.357’W SoG 4.0kts CoG 315ºT Trip 454.9nm
Wind has continued gradual shift S-SW overnight – now steering 330ºC

09:31EST – 23º31.818’N 067º09.570’W SoG 4.5kts CoG 315ºT Trip 478.4nm

11:02EST – 23º37.500’N 067º14.010’W SoG 5.0kts CoG 330ºT Trip 486.6nm
Reported to router.

12:03EST – 23º41.400’N 067º15.835’W SoG 4.0kts CoG 330ºT Trip 491.4nm
Called router. Multiple shit systems off US east coast. Advised to divert to Bermuda.

17:49EST – 23º57.914’N 067º03.464’W SoG 4.0kts CoG 355ºT Trip 519.7nm
Divert [to] Bermuda. Called in friends to obtain BDA entrance plot.
Gybed twice, tried wing-on-wing, but boat would not [self-] steer DDW [dead down-wind] in such light air. Now port gybe, jib poled to leeward, reaching deeply as possible.

18:15EST
Motor on for battery charging. Wind too light and aft for decent motorsailing.

19:15EST – 24º04.016’N 067º04.225’W SoG4.5kts CoG 350ºT Trip 527.5nm
Motor off.

May 9th

00:03EST – 21º20.242’N 066º10.519’W SoG 5.8kts CoG 330ºT Trip 293nm
145nm/day average!

05:18EST – 21º50.200’N 066º13.496’W SoG 5.5kts CoG 360ºT
Wind shifting further SE through night. Our course has clocked north to 010ºC

09:10EST – 22º10.078’N 066º13.208’W SoG 4.0kts CoG 350ºT Trip 353.5nm

11:37EST – 22º21.545’N 066º13.680’W SoG 4.6kts CoG 350ºT Trip 367.5nm
Reported position to router.

[CJ] 15:10EST – 22º38.124’N 066º14.176’W SoG 4.5kts CoG 004ºT Trip387.3nm
Mellow – made awning from stained sheet and moved cushions to cockpit. Lounged in the sun and read… and napped. I phoned parents.

16:41EST – 22º44.575’N 066º14.066’W SoG 5.0kts CoG 340ºT Trip 394.8nm
Motor on, charging, motorsailing. Winds very light SE. Checked engine oil – okay.

17:20EST
Gybed under power to 320ºC
Gybed early – hopefully will get us back onto the rhumb line as predicted winds shift S-SW

18:00EST
Motor off. Engine repairs!
#1 exhaust valve lifter rod found to have slipped out from under rocker… repaired. Rod slightly bent!

19:15EST – 22º52.018’N 066º22.053’W SoG 4.0kts CoG 300ºT Trip 408.9nm
Steering 315ºC
Winds slightly increasing, seas still calm. Local ESE swell now further astern on port gybe.

May 8th

02:09EST – 19º41.129’N 065º11.275’W SoG 4.7kts CoG 340ºT Trip 154nm
Mellow/mellow. Steering 350ºC. Aries goes great.
Some shipping traffic.

06:24EST – 19º58.821’N 065º20.713’W SoG 5.0kts CoG 340ºT Trip 178.3nm

07:52EST – 20º05.815’N 65º24.548’W SoG 5.0kts CoG 330ºT Trip 187.8nm
Swell shifting SE. Increasing cumulus clouds. Wind still10kts.
Routing places us near 20º45’N 65º50’W @ 0800EST May 8th

09:20EST – 20º11.268’N 065º29.248’W SoG 5.0kts CoG 320ºT
Shook out main reef, all plain sail set.

11:41EST – 20º21.217’N 065º37.810’W SoG 5.0kts CoG 320ºT Trip 211.2nm
Sent position to router. Checked in with Leigh.

17:06EST – 20º48.065’N 065º50.600’W SoG 4.6kts CoG 320ºT Trip 247.2nm

17:48EST – 20º50.579’N 065º52.622’W SoG 5.9kts CoG 350ºT
Motor on, [charging] batteries.
Charging laptop and satphone.

18:30EST – 20º54.472’N 065º54.422’W SoG 7kts CoG 350ºT Trip 256.2nm
Motor off.
Iridium charged and left on.

22:08EST – 21º10.870’N 066º05.080’W SoG 5.2kts CoG 320ºT Trip 279.7nm

May 3rd 2008
Ship’s Crew suffering from extreme rum-poisoning. Still in port, awaiting repairs to “Ol’ Rippy” [torn mainsail] and arrival of rental EPIRB and liferaft.

May 6th
9:41pm – Green Cay Marina/St. Croix
Vessel prepared for departure. Took on 3x 5gallon diesel jugs plus 12 additional gallons to top off main fuel tank. Filled main water tank 30gals plus loaded 35 gallons water in jugs. Mainsail repaired and looks good, new reef tack lines rove and tested. 8-man Avon liferaft mounted in bracket on main hatch cover. Route to WP4A23 (18º17.5’/64º38.5′) laid into handheld GPS.

May 7th
01:45EST – 17º48.270’N 064º40.134’W SoG 5.0kt CoG 350ºT Trip 4.9nm
Departed St. Croix approx 0030hrs. All plain sail set. calm/calm
Aries steering well. Boat still carries weather helm with full main.

02:25EST
Winds puffing 15kts+, boatspeed 6.5kts. Single reef main, struck staysail.

05:00EST – 18º04.178’N 064º38.510’W SoG 5.3kt CoG 002ºT Trip 25nm
Many dolphins.

06:13EST
One jerry jug diesel found to be leaking – approx 3gallons lost to bilge.

07:37EST
Transiting Flanagan Passage, BVI
Trip 43.2nm

11:42EST – 18º34.120’N 064º40.522’W SoG 4.8kt CoG 002ºT
Standing past Jost Van Dyke
10kt+ ESE winds
Sent position to Commanders [weather routing service].

[CJ] 16:01EST – 18º59.277’N 064º51.233’W SoG 5.1kt CoG 345ºT
Boat is paralleling us to the east most of the day.

18:47EST – 19º09.493’N 064º55.340’W SoG 4.5kt CoG 335ºT Trip 110nm
Motor on, charging house [battery], laptop.

20:00EST
Motor off. Seas calm, some clouds moving in
Laptop charged.

23:43EST – 19º30.754’N 065º06.450’W SoG 4.6kt CoG 330ºT Trip 139.4nm
Still steering 350ºC, great night sailing. Single reef main, full jib and stays’l.
On schedule for 140nm day!