Rio Grande to Enseada Pinheira - Day 5
14/11/11 22:21 Filed in: Brazil | On Passage
At about 02:00 some 25 offshore with the coast converging it became apparent that we could no longer hold a safe course under sail and weather Cabo S. Marta Grande.
The wind had backed further to ENE-NE 14-18 knots and tacking would not do the job sending us off in the direction of South Africa. In the interests of maintaining good progress I had allowed a falling off from our course which nibbled away at our sea room cushion.
Now there was a penalty to paid. I decided to motor sail under main only. This put us back on a safe course and was later helped by the wind veering a tad.
At 12:00 Cabo S. Marta Grande was rounded.
Noon run 96.1 miles. 45 miles to go to Enseada Pinheira.
By now the wind had died away leaving us with slight seas and a long swell. At 15:00 a nice easterly breeze sprang up and we romped along under sail at 5 knots for two hours until the wind died again.
The weather on this trip has been curious and not quite as expected. Forecast SE to E became ESE to to ENE. The difference being pleasant sailing giving way to less pleasant conditions. Another reason to get well offshore on this coast.
We were not home yet. At 18:00 I heard, I thought, a strong wind warning of NE/SE F7-9 from Radio Laguna. The reception was poor and the broadcast in Portuguese but a little seeds of doubt were planted in my mind. We were where we were and there was no practical port of refuge.
During the day there had been one or two small rain squalls. Now in the early evening there was a slightly eerie oily swell and a long line of dark cloud on the SE horizon.
We pressed on doing about 4.2 knots under motor. At nightfall the cloud arrived with light misty rain and periods of much reduced visibility.
Progress was steady and even in a short moderate swell my new ST2000 tiller pilot steered a perfect course. It also got a good dousing as continuous light rain set in.
At midnight we were approaching Ilha Coral which was lit.
The wind had backed further to ENE-NE 14-18 knots and tacking would not do the job sending us off in the direction of South Africa. In the interests of maintaining good progress I had allowed a falling off from our course which nibbled away at our sea room cushion.
Now there was a penalty to paid. I decided to motor sail under main only. This put us back on a safe course and was later helped by the wind veering a tad.
At 12:00 Cabo S. Marta Grande was rounded.
Noon run 96.1 miles. 45 miles to go to Enseada Pinheira.
By now the wind had died away leaving us with slight seas and a long swell. At 15:00 a nice easterly breeze sprang up and we romped along under sail at 5 knots for two hours until the wind died again.
The weather on this trip has been curious and not quite as expected. Forecast SE to E became ESE to to ENE. The difference being pleasant sailing giving way to less pleasant conditions. Another reason to get well offshore on this coast.
We were not home yet. At 18:00 I heard, I thought, a strong wind warning of NE/SE F7-9 from Radio Laguna. The reception was poor and the broadcast in Portuguese but a little seeds of doubt were planted in my mind. We were where we were and there was no practical port of refuge.
During the day there had been one or two small rain squalls. Now in the early evening there was a slightly eerie oily swell and a long line of dark cloud on the SE horizon.
We pressed on doing about 4.2 knots under motor. At nightfall the cloud arrived with light misty rain and periods of much reduced visibility.
Progress was steady and even in a short moderate swell my new ST2000 tiller pilot steered a perfect course. It also got a good dousing as continuous light rain set in.
At midnight we were approaching Ilha Coral which was lit.