From: OmanTri
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:42:12 -0000
To: update
Subject: Light airs still

Although we are still in very light airs, we have managed to move a few
miles, we have had two lots of 2-3 hours where progresss has been
reasonable. In roughly the right direction for us – NW. We need to get NW
to get clear of the light airs that are holding us. For now We are in winds
from around 200 @ 7kts . which means we are making NW course at 10kts.
Every 12 hours a satellite called quikscat goes overhead and allows us to
see windspeed and directions ahead of us – it’s a little course, but it is
a good way for us to see if the weather files we have are in anyway
accurate, and more importantly show up really well the transition line
between the doldrums ( official name InterTropicalConvergenceZone ITCZ) and
the NE trade winds. It is of course very warm still, but at least now with
some wind it’s managable, though i am not fully shore if i brough enough
tops to last me alll the way – may be i’ll be doing a bit of washing before
we finish.

This new breeze that we are sailing in has meant a change from CodeZero to
gennaker and back again a few times – which is not too much work,
especailly in the light airs, and at night, but in the heat of the day it
takes a full 500ml drinking bottle to help get over it! Generally though
conditions onboard are the same as the last 3 days. all indications are that
once we are N of 5s then the NE winds shoud start to appear and once N of
3S they should be well established. If this becomes reality then we’ll be
thankful, what we don’t want to happen is for this transition area to move N
with us.

Looking at different routing options ahead, but our options are fairly
limited we have to sail high on stbd to stay well off the Somalia coastline
Currently thinking to stay over 550nm of the coast but this may prove
difficult or slow. So we are watching the weather closely to see if there
are other options for the last 1300nm from the equator to muscat.

Lots of people have asked me in email th equestion – does it feel like a
long time? In some ways the answer is yes, and others the answer is no. The
finish seems quite close, even though we are still more than 2000nm sailing
to go, but each sun rise is like a new day, and you take each day as it
comes,there are obviously routines that help break the day up, and the days
slip by fairly quickly. Sometimes i find myself thinking we are on a short
trip and are nearly back to base, and think it odd that Muscat doesn’t
suddenly appear ahead of us before nightfall, and we’d be getting ready to
take the mainsail down, engine on, get dock lines ready before going out to
sail again the next day. Of course that doesn’t happen, night falls and we
keep sailing eating sleeping just the same as the last 65 days and nights.
These quiet conditions have meant that we all sleep a lot more deeply than
when we are being thrown around in waves.For the sleeper this means deeper
and longer dream sleep, some interesting ones coming out when people
stumble on deck after being asleep! and for those on watch tryig to wake up
the sleeper, it takes more than a couple of name checks to rouse the
sleeping crew man. I guess this means we are catching up a bit on our sleep,
but it also goes to show how lack of sleep can be a gradual thing, you don’t
feel super tired, but when your head hits the pillow – you’re gone.