Uptade for 9/5

Today has been a topsey-turvey day for sailing. We have seen everything between strong wind and light, right direction and wrong. But we have kept up and adjusted and are still making great progress. Right now we are making between 7 and 8.5 knots boat speed in a mostly east direction. How can we do that, you ask? Well, our limiting factor for boat speed is the theoretical hull speed, which is (more math) 1.34*SQRT(waterline length). While we are a 38 foot boat, and, with overhangs nearly 50 feet long overall, our speed is limited by the amount that is in the water, which, when at a dock, is 33 feet. Thus our maximum theoretical dock speed is 7.7 kts.

Ok, that was a joke. Our maximum dock speed is 0 kts. Our maximum theoretical speed at sea when we are level is 7.7 knots. But when we heel over, our waterline length increases a lot. That is how we are able to now sail at over 8 knots. If we do the calculation the other way, to go 8.5 knots, we have to have a waterline length of just over 40 feet. Not sure if we get quite there, but we must be close.

Our progress today has been great. All day we have been in clouds and rainshowers, just prior to the doldrums, but we have continued to make both north and east progress. Our data as of 6:30 pm was: 05 deg 47.3 N, 146 deg 23.5 W. Boat speed was 7.6 knots on a course of 052T. Seas were light at 2-3 feet, which partly explains our good boat speed.