This morning brought us light & fickle winds. We sail the fastest when the wind is NOT coming from directly behind us, but preferably at an angle of 30-60 degrees off from directly behind. So this morning we tried tacking away from a direct line to Barbados (aka the rhumb line) to gain extra speed but to make an overall increase in what is termed "velocity made good" (VMG), or the rate at which you are getting closer to your destination even if you're not pointing directly at it. If you are following our track, that's the crazy squiggle this morning.
It was difficult to figure out if we were really having success since the wind was so variable. Eventually the wind picked up and we were able to start making real headway once again.
We now tearing along at one of the best paces we've had, 8-10 knots. Hopefully this will keep up through the night.
We've seen a few rain clouds today but not a drop landed on us. We must be living right :-)
Antoine's up to his usual tricks, currently baking hamburger buns from scratch. They smell fantastic!
Darkness is falling now, and with mostly cloudy skies it's gotten a bit chilly over the last few hours. Night watches will probably be a bit more interesting tonight than they have been for the last few given the increased wind and associated boat motion.
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