Gabo caught another Mahi Mahi, we are getting used to eating fish daily now :-). A large pod of dolphins (50+) came to play for probably an hour, just cavorting around the bow and scattering schools of flying fish that happened to be in the way.

Late afternoon the sky became very hazy, a light brown colour. Looks like dust from the African continent. Impressive, given we are about 600 miles offshore.

We arrived around 2pm yesterday, and anchored in the middle of the anchorage, but not before doing a detour to check out the Sorlandet, a Norwegian square-rigger that Maria spent 6 months on back in 2017.

Today we went to visit the Sorlandet, which was a bit nostalgic for Maria, and really interesting for me.

Sunny conditions with not a cloud in the sky!

Sailplan for last 24 hours was #3 genoa poled out to port (weather side) and staysail poled out to starboard (lee side).

We sailed very conservatively the last 24 hours due to concerns about the reliability of the autopilot, especially when going faster. The staysail was up throughout, but the #3 was part furled most of the time as it was gusty and we were making consistent 6.5 to 7.5 knots of boat speed still.

After an uneventful night with the wind and swell slowly abating, we rolled the Genoa out fully this morning at sunrise. The captain  is very grateful for a good night’s sleep, made possible by the crew!

We are now sailing very comfortably, making 7 to 7.5 knots boat speed in 1 – 2m seas from behind. Looks like we will reach Cabo Verde later on Tuesday given the latest forecast and the lighter conditions will prevail until then.

We will probably stop at Cabo Verde, even if it is just overnight, so everyone can have a night off. The forecast is for very light conditions west of Cabo Verde next week, so we may check in at Mindelo and wait a few days for better wind. The ship’s engineer  also wants to do a full inspection of the steering system and autopilot and possibly make some adjustments. Only possible when not underway.

We had a fair wind between 10 and 14 knots, sailing at a very nice pace on seas getting smaller and more regular every hour. So far we’ve made just over 90 miles since 8:30AM.

Joy of joys, Gabriele landed a small Mahi Mahi just before lunch, and most of it was devoured shortly after with couscous and roast vegetables. Living the dream!

The wind is now quite light, under 10 knots true, but we are still making 4.5 to 6 knots, generally in the direction of Mindelo, Cabo Verde. All other boats around us on AIS have also slowed down (not that it’s a race, or anything like that, of course…).

Looking forward to quiet night of gentle sailing, Aeolus and the autopilot permitting.

Total trip distance 442nm, or almost exactly halfway to Cabo Verde. Made 179nm in the last 24 hours, helped by sustained boat speeds around 9 knots all night, with extended surfing on some waves bumping our speed over the ground to 12 knots. The ride was comfortable despite the 3-4 metre seas because we were running with the waves and accelerating with every swell in stead of being rolled by it. On the whole it was stable and peaceful down below except for a big roll every so often. Batteries at -200Ah (50%).

The autopilot disengaged around 4:30AM while Gabriele was on watch. He took the helm immediately and Mariona, who happened to be in the cockpit at the time, alerted the rest of the crew.

The #3 genoa was furled, leaving only the staysail on starboard. This slowed the boat to about 6.5 knots, but the ride became much more rolly.

While hand steering in winds gusting to 30 knots and short confused seas of 3 – 4 metres we attempted to restart the autopilot a few times. It would hold the helm but would not turn it. After a few seconds it disengaged with “Motor Stalled” error on the display. We gave up and concentrated on steering the boat. Gerhard remained a the helm after a few cups of coffee and the crew tuned in.

When it got light, around 6AM, Maria came up. We tried the “Auto” button, and suddenly the autopilot was working flawlessly again, only its reputation still in tatters…. Investigations (the Spanish Inquisition) are about to start!

The crew were all asked to spend most of their watches yesterday hand steering, which was either fortuitous or the cause of the autopilot going on strike in protest, who knows? The watch schedule has been amended to always have the next watch on deck as backup, in case of another hissy fit on the part of the autopilot.

It was a pitch dark moonless night, with the trades pumping up to 22 knots. We were flying along, gooswing poled-out staysail and No. 3.

We were running all night with staysail and 50% of the #3 genoa, both poled out. Made 5-6 knots with the wind averaging about 16 knots. Rolled the whole #3 out again at first light and now doing 7 to 8 knots boat speed.

We swapped the #3 Genoa and the staysail around 11am, poling out the Genoa on the port/weather side. This has significantly stabilised the boat and also allows us to sail a much wider wind angle either side of dead square. Running downwind to Cabo Verde in 20 to 25 knots and making good miles.

It was pretty much overcast the last two days, so our new solar panels are not giving everything they’ve got. Today we ran the engine a couple of hours to lift the batteries while running the water maker.

Morale on board is good!