We needed to maintain a course above 34.5 North (which is around Moorehead City latitude) until midnight for insurance purposes. We also wanted to make a lot of Easting so we can get forward of the cold front.
I am now firmly tethered in for my 2nd midnight shift. The rules are simple; at night we must wear a lifejacket and be tethered in. When we tether, we make a physical connection to our harness/life jacket and the boat through a safety tether usually about 6 ft long and a safety shackle to a d-ring.
We also cannot go outside the cockpit without first waking up the Captain. At that point, he will likely go outside to complete whatever task is needed to be done.
It can be rather unsafe walking around on deck in sea conditions, and since I don’t know the boat very well, it is much smarter to bring the Captain out to ensure the work is done correctly.
Since this morning we went from 3m seas to very light seas overnight, and the same reduction in wind. No additional squalls and very little if any marine traffic. Many of us took naps, but the spirits are up. At around 1530, we began our 2nd crossing of the Gulf Stream.
We had a beef and pepper stew / teriyaki meal on a bed of rice for dinner. Everyone enjoyed that after a long day of sailing.
The boat plowed through waves all day as we made a lot of Easting. The official tally is 210 nm in 24 hours. If we are running the engine (a Volvo Penta D-180) then we increase the revs every 2 hours up to 1900-2000 rpm.
Currently we are headed at about 115 degrees magnetic North with the engine on at 1800 RPM moving 8.3 knots under a moonlit sky with a few clouds. We have a staysail fully deployed to stabilize the boat.
