Azores to Ireland | Day 7
Remedy flying her asymmetrical spinnaker
Yesterday was another really great day of sailing.
The winds were light throughout the day, so we had an opportunity to fly our asymmetrical spinnaker. We purchased her last year, so we have only flown her a handful of times. Remedy is a heavy boat, weighing around 14 tons. Her headsail and mainsail are made of heavier material, so she needs 8 to 15 knots, depending on the seas. If there is any significant swell that pushes the boat around, the sails collapse—flogging and thwopping—which not only affects the boat's performance but also feels like torture.
The spinnaker is made of a much lighter sail material, so she can fly in lighter winds. But she is a big girl who commands respect. If the winds rise, or if anything goes awry, getting her down can be quite unruly and dangerous. We had a consistent 9 to 12 knots of breeze, and she plowed ahead at around 8 knots.
We had quite a relaxing day. Ken wanted to watch another movie. This time the classic ’90s film Independence Day in honor of the July 4th holiday. It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.
After dinner, the winds died down to around 6 -8kts, and we were still doing 4.5 kts of speed. The winds were predicted to remain very light throughout the night, with no rainstorms in the forecast. Leaving the spinnaker up overnight is not common practice, especially when you are sailing short-handed (with just the two of us aboard). But with the forecast as it was, and sailing at a good speed, we really hated the thought of dousing her and motoring.
We debated for about an hour, even reached out to some good friends with years of sailing experience to get their perspective and see what they have done in the past. The forecasts were perfect for flying her through the night. There was no indication winds would increase. If ever there was a circumstance to fly her through the night, this was it. So eventually, we decided to leave her up. But we agreed that as soon as we saw a consistent 13 knots of wind, we would bring her down. With that decision made, I went down for my evening nap.
About an hour later, I heard the engine come on. So I jumped up to help. The winds had continued to decrease, and with only 6 kts and some swelly seas, the spinnaker was collapsing. So we decided to bring her down and motor until winds filled back in.
I came back on watch at 9 pm, and by 11:30 pm, the winds were blowing at a consistent 13 knots, with gusts to 15, and the seas were getting pretty sloppy. When Ken came up at midnight for his night watch, we both breathed a sigh of relief that we had brought the spinnaker down and not flown her through the night. We even joked that the winds dying so much that we brought the spinnaker down before dark was like God saying, “Ok, you two, I know more than you do, so let me handle this.” Sure, the conditions were not terrible, and we could have brought her down, but it would not have been ideal. It just reinforced to us that no matter what the forecasts say, the weather is still wildly unpredictable, and it is often better to err on the side of caution.
We should arrive sometime tomorrow evening. We may not make it all the way into Bantry Bay before dark, so we will have to decide whether to find an anchorage for the night or continue on and try to anchor in the dark —which is definitely not my favorite thing to do, especially when you have other reasonable choices.
One more round of night watches before we arrive in Ireland.
Bring on the fish and chips!
All is well!
Living untethered, but held fast.
Day Seven Stats:
Total Nautical Miles Sailed 143nm
Average Boat Speed 6.0kts
Max Boat Speed 8.5kts
GPS Coordinates 50 52.485N 15 14.025W
Miles to go: 225