Captain's Log

March 18, 2003

Hello all.

It is 2 1/2 days and 430 nm closer to Salvador since my rigging failure. These are OK average daily runs considering I am sailing conservatively, with one more reef in the main than wind conditions require.

The big issue is not so much the wind but the seas. Luckily they have been quite kind in the past few days but 15 - 20 kts of headwinds are expected in a day. There are 2 main functions to the D1 stay that broke, the first and most obvious is to provide left and right support; however, another crucial function is fore and aft support which is needed to stop the mast ' pumping ' in choppy seas. This will be the real test of my jury rig and may mean I really have to slow down.

As you know by now I am not one to dwell on the negative, so here's hoping the weather forecast is wrong, generally a fairly safe bet, and that BTC Velocity is blessed with at worst, a close reach and please no beating into
the wind.

Alan
BTC Velocity