We left The Gambia at 1030 yesterday morning with mixed feelings. Our experience there were incredibly rich and the people lovely but it was excruciatingly hot, buggy and we couldn’t jump in the creek to cool off. As such, we were looking forward to the fresh sea air. The winds promised (as much as a forecast does) to be just aft of beam and 15-20 knots. Perfect. In fact, the winds are much further forward than promised and are keeping us at a steep heel pushing through much larger waves than planned. We are no longer used to sailing upwind and it is very uncomfortable. That said, we are making excellent progress towards Mindelo.
Date: November 28, 2017
Time 10:3 UTC
Position 14’36.619N / 18’50.183W
COG/SOG: 166 degrees /7-8kn
Trip distance: 161nm
Distance to go: 392nm
24h distance 161nm
Cabin temp: 32.0C (!)
Sea temp: 23.4 C
Conditions: overcast, wind NNE 21-23kn, sea moderate/rough
Sails: full main and reefed genoa