Following the latest weather forecast and based on the way we are sailing, I expect that we will need a day/night longer than original planned. Well, when I called the Marina in Mindelo yesterday, I mentioned potentially 28th sunset hours but that seems to be a bit too optimistic now and it shall be the 29th sometime during the day. The beer has to wait.

The reason is mainly that I am hesitant to deploy the mainsail to gain an extra knot of speed but taking shaking and banging into consideration besides the risk of an unintentional gybe. The latter one can well well happen with wind shifts in the range of 30 degree despite the preventer securing the boom. Why all this hassel? No need. Our weather window is open towards the end, so we can stay 24 hours longer and just keep sailing in safety, comfort and style.

I have spoken to Jan from SY Sutje this morning. They were doing better than me and were already ahead and out of the VHF reach. Well done. In principal they are challenged by the same conditions but also follow the strategy: better slow and safe.

After a huge pot of tea this morning I took some further naps in the cockpit now as the seastate is a bit more pleasant. We got 4 out of 8 cloud coverage, which allows now to sit outside in the shade and enjoy the passage. We have arrived at the sweet spot!


Fair winds…