DAY 1 – GAMBIA TO CAPE VERDE

We left The Gambia at 1030 yesterday morning with mixed feelings. Our experience there were incredibly rich and the people lovely but it was excruciatingly hot, buggy and we couldn’t jump in the creek to cool off. As such, we were looking forward to the fresh sea air. The winds promised (as much as a forecast does) to be just aft of beam and 15-20 knots. Perfect. In fact, the winds are much further forward than promised and are keeping us at a steep heel pushing through much larger waves than planned. We are no longer used to sailing upwind and it is very uncomfortable. That said, we are making excellent progress towards Mindelo.

Date: November 28, 2017
Time 10:3 UTC
Position 14’36.619N / 18’50.183W
COG/SOG: 166 degrees /7-8kn
Trip distance: 161nm
Distance to go: 392nm
24h distance 161nm
Cabin temp: 32.0C (!)
Sea temp: 23.4 C
Conditions: overcast, wind NNE 21-23kn, sea moderate/rough
Sails: full main and reefed genoa

DAY 2 – GAMBIA TO CAPE VERDE

We are still making good progress at an uncomfortable angle. Life happens at about 17 degrees from even and is very wobbly, it may sound like nothing but it makes simple tasks very complicated. We are trying to keep the energy level as high as possible reading, telling stories and looking at the waves but we are accomplishing less than normal. That said, we had another good run in the last 24 hours covering 170 nautical miles. We expect to land in Mindelo very early on Friday morning.

Date: November 29, 2017
Time 10:30 UTC
Position 15’46.811N / 21’13.482W
COG/SOG: 290 degrees /6-7kn
Trip distance: 331nm
Distance to go: 235nm
24h distance 170nm
Cabin temp: 28.0C
Sea temp: 22.3 C
Conditions: overcast, wind NE 14-15kn, sea slight-moderate
Sails: full main and genoa

DAY 3 – GAMBIA TO CAPE VERDE

Another 90 nautical miles before arrival, a very fast voyage. The winds have gone down a bit and we are sailing above the islands giving us a broader angle from the wind and thus a more comfortable tilt. We have fresh bread in the oven and the fishing lines out behind the boat. The lures are a combination of a squid that washed on board and a squid that Macsen and Emma made from an old toothpaste tube. We are quite confident that this combination will succeed. I am hoping for a tuna.

Date: November 30, 2017
Time 10:30 UTC
Position 16’35.358N / 23’23.994W
COG/SOG: 289 degrees /5.5kn
Trip distance: 457nm
Distance to go: 98nm
24h distance 126nm
Cabin temp: 29.0C
Sea temp: 22C
Conditions: sunny, wind NE 11-13kn, sea slight-moderate
Sails: full main and genoa