Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Day 104 – POST 2: FINAL 24 HRS , Tanker, Submarine, Dorado Jump

12 June, 07 – 10.22    
16.5283N,60.2720W
24 hr progress: 19 Nautical Miles (1 nm = 1.85 km)
Distance left to Antigua (straight line): 43.2 Nautical Miles ( 79 km)
Distance completed: 3385 NM (6262 km)
Wave height: 6-8 ft, Winds: 20 knots SE, Bearing: 270-290 degrees.


I am presently 43 miles away to the East of Antigua and hope to make landfall at English Harbour Village / Nelsons Dockyard (on the South West corner of the Island at 17.00 N, 61.48W) in the next 24 hours.
Its been a tough 72 hours and its been a fight to stay on course. My position has oscillated between North and South of Antigua and for a short period I was caught in a counter current and pushed back out to sea, loosing about 8 miles. The weather has been dull, gray and not very friendly and I've counted more than 8 rain squalls that have passed thru just in the past 24 hours.
Another tanker turned up today, without its radar on. It appeared about 500 meters off the side of the boat, just as I got out of the cabin. I had no response on the VHF either. I was too tired to panic or get angry and just counted my self lucky that it missed the boat.
Regardless of the navigational challenge, I am trying to enjoy my last 24 hours at sea as much as possible. There was quite a show last night with thunder and lighting and high winds and it's quite amazing to watch the change in sea states – from flat calm to 10 ft waves - as a squall moves over the sea from one end of the horizon to the other.
It's also my last day of watching my Dorado friends hunt for flying fish around the boat and jumping in the air to catch them. They are extremely fast and I had the rare luck of getting an incredible photo of one as it jumped right across the bow.
Amongst other diversions, the fiberglass cabin walls often happen to pick up and amply different sound waves in the water. I can usually hear the whistling of dolphins in the water. This morning I could quite clearly hear the ping of a submarine through the water. It must be why the radar alarm has been going off randomly.
Well, back to things rowing related, SE winds @ 10-15kt have been advertised for the next 24 hours. I've been pushed to the NE of Antigua by the weather and its going to be tough trying to row across the South East winds to make it into English Harbour that lies to my South West.
For the next 24 hrs or 'til landfall, news here will be updated every few hours.
Right. Back to rowing.
B
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GPS showing Flags marking my 24 hr waypoints.md-070612_5tanker

Tanker that came close this morning.

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Massive 1 meter Dorada jumping across the bow to catch a flying fish

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