Paramaribo is a pass……
July 21st, 2013 Time: -3 on GMT
We motored yesterday till midnight and the wind gave us a chance to sail. It wasn\’t very long, only about 30 miles, but nice to turn off the iron genoa\’s and give them a rest. We timed our arrival this morning at the outer sea buoy at Paramaribo for the beginning of the flood tide. However, there was constant rain, squalls, VERY SHALLOW water and muddy like the Mississippi! It was also going to be at least a 20 mile round trip up and back and it just didn\’t seem to be that appealing.
Hence, we\’re now en route to Georgetown, Guyana (former British Guyana). We\’ll be there by mid day tomorrow and we\’re sailing now with the pole to starboard (genoa) and a full main. The sun is coming out too! Speed around 6.5-7 knots. This is the most wind (12-16 knots) we\’ve seen in 8 sailing days!
It seems the strategy of being on the coast versus sailing the long haul straight line from Ascension Island is a mixed bag. We get great current, chances to stop, rest, see and experience but actually have had a much longer no wind area than the seaward route had. This is exactly the opposite of what all the \”sages\” said and as such, lots more motoring. Welcome to Mother Earth and her various moods. I\’m still glad we did it this way and would do it the same again.
We\’re 180 miles from Georgetown and only 425 miles from the top of Tobago. As such, we should be up there by sometime next week.
I also noted this morning on the weather files that another Hurricane is expected to form West of the Cape Verde Islands beginning on Thursday. This one will not come further south (if it tracks as expected) than about 14 degrees north. Not a concern for us, but it may recurve toward the mid/northern Caribbean Islands. Batten down the hatches!
The water being particularly \”murky\” is the dominant feature other than the generally fair weather cumulus clouds. The seas are calm and we feel like we\’re getting toward the end of the ITCZ.
Position Report is up, more tomorrow.
KIT,
Scott and Nikki