ARC Day 15: All is quiet

If nothing changes between now and when I finish typing this update, today has been a quiet and relaxing day! I better type fast.

The latest forecast still shows us hitting a dead zone within the next 24 hours. When I say “dead,” I mean little wind—it may, however, be very much alive with thunderstorms. We’ve continued heading south to extend the fair winds as long as possible. This route also helps us avoid the worst of the forecasted thunderstorms.

We’re making good progress while we can, though the wind has already started to drop. Currently, we have 15 knots of true wind speed (TWS) coming from 80 degrees true wind angle (TWA) magnetic. We’re on a starboard tack, sailing at 148 degrees to the wind. Our current heading is around 240 degrees, taking us south of our desired westerly course. Overnight, we enjoyed a nice wind shift that allowed us to sail more westward. We only encountered one rainy squall overnight (at 2:00 a.m.), and now, at 8:00 a.m., the skies are clear. I’m wrapping up my double shift (3:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.), so please forgive any errors here!

All crew members are well, and spirits remain high. With 400 miles to go, the end is in sight—both figuratively and literally. We’re seeing more sargassum and a few birds. All we need now is some St. Elmo’s Fire on the mast and, like Columbus before us, we’ll know we’re getting close to Asia!

In general, things seem to have settled across the fleet. By now, what was going to break has mostly broken, though I’m sure there will still be a few surprises.

We’re holding steady in third place in the Cruising Catamaran Group: