Light Wind Morning

Light Wind Morning

Today will be a day of light winds and calm seas as we await the arrival and development of a severe, localized low to the south.

Of all the things I wanted to avoid on this leg, I wanted to avoid a severe storm over the shallow and varied bottom topography that guards the western approaches to Prince Edward, Marion, and the Crozet Islands. It has actually come to that.

It is why I am at 40S and not 43 or 44. It is why I began to move North just over a day ago. The low South of us, with bring storm force winds at 47S or so and strong gales all the way up to 40S east of our position Thursday and into Friday. As it stands this morning, all of that will miss me. Fingers crossed it does.

Here is how I looked at the big picture when planning my passage here:
Strike One – The shallow bottom
Strike Two – The very rugged bottom topography
Strike Three – The possible presence of any eddies spinoff the Agulhas Current
Strike Four – A possible enhancement of the West Wind Drift

Three strikes and you’re out. There’s a fourth in case you’re playing softball. Regardless, it as enough to make me want to be in deep water between 40 and 41S with the only significant risk being an adverse current in an eddy. As luck would have it, the current is here and against, but slight. If I had more fingers, I would be crossing them too.

Although slow and with another poor daily run resulting from the light winds that will eventually die today, I am glad of it considering the shenanigans south.

Follow my tracks in real-time:
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