Dispactches from the Ocean from Greg Stoltz

Reports from June 2 thru June 12, 2006. More to come.

Morning Report June 2, 2006

Joyant departed Mystic (RIYC dock) at 6/1 at 7am in heavy fog that stayed with us for the next 22 hrs. Our 24 hr run has been 186nm and our 12UTC position is 40-39.5n x 67w-53.4w. Current conditions are clear with 16 kits from 210. Speed 7 kts. The most wind we saw yesterday was 22kts

We have opted to stay further north than our weather router (Commander's Weather) suggested and to intersect the stream further east. Our current plan is that absent any weather reasons to the contrary we will target 40 30n x 49w before heading for Ireland.
Tom

When I can I will try to comment on some different aspect of the crossing : ie: safety, food, watch scheme, communications, wild life, etc. Today I was going to talk safety but I was interrupted by shouts above; "Wow, something came out of the water"!! I rushed up to see a bunch, >15, pilot whales tracking 10 feet abeam. These guys are big, around 15' to 20' long. They seemed particularly interested in the towed generator that's 100' astern but were with us for only about 5 min. Of course my camera was stowed away and by the time I got it they found other interests.
Greg

Morning Report June 6, 2006

At 12 UTC today Joyant was at 41 22n x 50 51w for a daily run of 173nm. We lost our stream boost having gone a little further north. Wind is 8 kts from 165. We just started powering for the 1st time which means that we will have hot water and our second shower will be on the agenda today. Water temp has been variable; we found a low water temp of 56 during the night with fog for much of the night now becoming patchy and it looks as though it may clear up today.

The Towed Generator: A torpedo shaped form with a propeller is towed 100' behind us on a cable that transmits the torque to a generator gimbaled on the deck at the transom. It generates between 9 and 14 amps depending on our sailing speed. During the day we are keeping ahead of the battery drain but at night with the radar and navigation lights we go negative. A side benefit is that it seems to attract the interest of birds and mammals; they think that we are a fishing boat.

Greg's Morning Report June 7, 2006

At 12 UTC Joyant was at 41 39n x 47 10w for a daily run of 167nm, our lowest daily progress. Ran the engine yesterday for a short period during a windless spell but had lots of sunshine; I went to an IPod concert on the deck. This morning the conditions are cloudy with occasional light mist, wind 13 kts from 185 deg. We have little if any favorable current though the water is fairly warm at 68 deg. Our course is roughly for Ireland with 1600 nm to go.

Water: Joyant hold 200 gals of water and we have a water maker (reverse osmosis) that can make 15 gal/hr if both pumps are running but draws 16 amps. The water level in the tanks is monitored and the water maker started on an as needed basis: two pumps if the engine is running and one pump if not. To date we've made approximately 55 gal. and the tanks are down about 80 gal.
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Greg's Morning Report June 8, 2006
 
At 12 UTC we were at 42  04.7 x 43  15.0 for a run of 179 nm. Winds have been clocking counterclockwise to 249 m at 18.1 kts. Apparent wind is 140 and we're gliding along at 8 kts with jib out on a stbd pole (we ran that way through the night). Water is still 71 and we have a front passing through that will bring some rough weather.
 
Weather Router: Your weather router is your best friend; ours is Commanders' Weather located in New Hampshire. His forecasts have been fairly accurate so yesterday when we got our Wed update we went into preparation mode: Storm trysail and staysail on the ready. Rough weather expected out of the NE, squalls with gusts greater than 40 kts possible by tonight and seas of 18 feet by Sunday.
 
 
Greg's Morning Report June 9, 2006
 
At 12 UTC Joyant was at 43 28n x 41 30w for a daily run of 114 nm (going to windward sucks)  Spent most of yesterday reaching eastward in the rain on the lookout for the frontal passage and the squalls that may come. It came at 17:30 with a 155 degree wind shift (cc) to the NE. Our preparation paid off: Staysail was up and we went to a double reef. Spent a very bumpy night hard on the wind (24 kts against the current) just making east of north hoping to get through the front a little sooner. Wind shift westward allowed us to tack back to the NE. This was the roughest day we've had; but even then we had dinner under the hard dodger with 26 kts apparent and rain, only needed a warm top. Joyant is an Able Apogee, very comfortable.

Greg's Morning Report June 10, 2006
 
At 12 UTC Joyant was at 44 04n x 36 57w for a daily run of 201 nm. Reaching in 27 kts with full genoa and one reef in the main is so much better than going to windward in 22kts with staysail and two reefs in the main. We are close to the rum line to Ireland and  in 9 days have traveled 1600 nm, we are 1200 miles shy of our destination. I'm looking forward to my first pint. The gale that was forecasted has been pushed north and will not affect use, so we have a couple of good sailing days to look forward to.
 
Sleeping - With the watch schedule we have there are four 2 hr watches when 3 people will be sleeping. While Joyant has a large state room forward it's a little uncomfortable in rough weather. Two bunks can be made in the main cabin and a third in and aft port stateroom.  Your sleeping bag just follows you around.

Greg's Morning Report June 11, 2006

At 12 UTC Joyant was at 45 02n x 32 53w for a days run of 184 nm. Spent the night with a double reef and the staysail adding ∏ genoa towards morning. All night the winds ranged from 310 to 340 and 16 kts to 24 kts. We either had up to a knot of current against us or with us; boy is that frustrating. It's very difficult to understand why the currents out here behave the way they do. Less than 1000 miles to Fastnet.

Deck Sports: Every day there are sail changes to be made because the wide range of wind angles and velocities we've experienced. Fortunately Joyant is rigged for cruising: in particular the single line reef system along with power winches makes reefing the main relatively easy. But even then someone must go forward to check the luff and leach to make sure the sail isn't crimped by the

Greg's Morning Report June 12, 2006

Yesterday we had another good run of 186 nm. As of 12 UTC we were at 46 11n x 28 45w. The gale north of us has been sending 12' seas down as we proceed north east true. With the varying wind directions the sea can become quite confused and rough; lots of sharp pitching and rolling. We think that the wind may lighten which will lead to an uncomfortable track.

Wildlife: Lots of birds; to date we've seen: Wilson Storm Petrel, Northern Gannet, Sooty Shearwater, Greater Shearwater, Red Thalarope, South Polar Skua, Long Tailed Jager, Northern Fulmar and a Herring Gull (All life birds for me; I can only report this because Dot is the expert). And we're a long way from any land. -------------------------------------------------