Monthly Archives: December 2017

Day 587 – 31st December 1987

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Noon Summary Log

Day: 587
Date: 31st December 1987
Latitude: 3° 37.3′ N
Longitude: 29° 31.1′ W
Water Temperature: 27.8°C
Wind @ Noon: 10 NE
Max Wind /24 hours: 20 NE
Min Wind /24 hours: CALM
Cloud Cover 8/8
Cabin Temperature: 29.5°C
Barometer: 1009
Whales Seen: 2

Source: CUL00045/16

Log

  • Turned around now heading south. 219 N miles north of the Equator. Meridian Passage (noon) sight was got at noon.
  • Lots of rain. Its raining & raining & raining. All water tanks & containers are full. Enough fresh water to get to Australia!!!

Source: CUL00058/1

Day 585 – 29th December 1987

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Noon Summary Log

Day: 585
Date: 29th December 1987
Latitude: 1° 45.9′ N
Longitude: 28° 15′ W
Water Temperature: 27.7°C
Wind @ Noon: 0-6 VAR
Max Wind /24 hours: 15 SE
Min Wind /24 hours: CALM
Cloud Cover 7/8
Cabin Temperature: 31°C
Outside Temperature: 31.1°C
Barometer: 1008

Source: CUL00045/16

Log

  • Running out of wind bang smack in the midst of the Doldrums & it looks like Doldrum Weather too, very overcast, bits of wind here & there coming from this way & that. Rain here & there but not over the yacht yet.
  • On my previous two roundings North of the Equator I’ve hit the rain in the Equatorial Trough before running out of wind. This time I’ve run out of wind before getting the rain.
  • I’ve got a passenger, a nice sea bird sitting on my tiller.

Source: CUL00058/1

What are the doldrums?

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The doldrums, also called equatorial calms are equatorial regions of light ocean currents and winds within the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), a belt of converging winds and rising air encircling Earth near the Equator. The northeast and southeast trade winds meet there; this meeting causes air uplift and often produces clusters of convective thunderstorms. They occur along the Equator in the Indian and western Pacific oceans and slightly north of the Equator off the African and Central American west coasts. The crews of sailing ships dreaded the doldrums because their ships were often becalmed there; the designation for the resultant state of depression was apparently thus extended to these geographic regions themselves. (Source Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Day 584 – 28th December 1987

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Noon Summary Log

Day: 584
Date: 28th December 1987
Latitude: 0° 13.2′ S
Longitude: 28° 41′ W
Water Temperature: 27.6°C
Wind @ Noon: 12 SE
Max Wind /24 hours: 18 SE
Min Wind /24 hours: 12 SE
Cloud Cover 5/8
Cabin Temperature: 32°C
Outside Temperature: 30.4°C
Barometer: 1007
Ships Seen: 1

Source: CUL00045/16

Log

  • Huge – huge oil tanker starboard side horizon.
  • The beep beep (beep) stove is still playing up. It is a dangerous thing. Whilst in the cockpit this morning – to get away from its smoke it stopped making gas & poured out liquid kerosene which smoke filled & blackened the cabin. Of late I only light the stove twice a day morning & evening & one burner only. I wish I had the stove I originally prescribed. I wish a lot of things had just been left to me.
  • North of the equator now

Source: CUL00058/1

What is the Equator?

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The Equator is a great circle around the Earth that is everywhere equidistant from the geographic poles and lies in a plane perpendicular to the Earth’s axis. This geographic, or terrestrial, Equator divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres and forms the imaginary reference line on the Earth’s surface from which latitude is reckoned; in other words, it is the line with 0° latitude. (Source Encyclopaedia Britannica)

What is the Guinea Current?

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The Guinea Current is a surface oceanic current of the Atlantic Ocean, the eastward continuation of the Atlantic Equatorial Countercurrent, off the western coast of Africa near the Gulf of Guinea. Always north of the equator, the southeastward-flowing Guinea Current changes position with the seasons so that its northern limit lies at approximately latitude 7° N during the winter and latitude 15° N during the summer. The warm, highly saline Guinea Current reaches a depth of less than 660 feet (200 m). (Source Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Day 581 – 25th December 1987

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Noon Summary Log

Day: 581
Date: 25th December 1987
Latitude: 7° 11.8′ S
Longitude: 31° 13.5′ W
Water Temperature: 27.6°C
Wind @ Noon: 12-15 E
Max Wind /24 hours: 20 E
Min Wind /24 hours: 12-14 E
Cloud Cover 3/8
Cabin Temperature: 30.3°C
Outside Temperature: 30.4°C
Barometer: 1009

Source: CUL00045/16

Log

  • Happy Xmas me all alone with a sunburnt cracked chafed bottom lip – very sore. I’m listening to Xmas carols specially taped for me by Noel Semmens – who is a truly nice friend. Good program on BBC too.
  • The day was a good excuse to treat myself to abetter fare with my evening meal. 1st I had a mixture of Bacardi with water! (the only grog – that was – on board). Then big full plate of Hawaiian & California chicken mixed with surprise beans & a liberal helping of fresh greens sprouting beans. Then stewed prunes & custard. Then two cups of coffee.
  • Gosh my strobe light is working – hooray but none of the rest of the lights on the mast.

Source: CUL00058/1