Picture: Comocean and the fleet as seen by the C1500 Fleet Tracker. Only 1,026 miles to go!
Author: Seth

Here is a copy of the email I just sent to Comocean to report on their progress and give them routing information. They will use the Satellite phone connected to their boat laptop to download the text. It's the most expensive email they will ever receive but it will be worth it!

Hi Dad,
SPOT: Is working! We are now tracking your progress and see you have turned due east. We assume this is due to the eddy, which you should be over very soon. The NOAA predicts it to weaken around 72.1'W (you are currently 72.2'W).

C1500 TRACKER: You guys are doing very well compared to the fleet and continue to pass others. Yesterday you were 33rd and now you are 29th (with corrected time) and you have made more easterly progress so you are better prepared than most boats for the trades. There are now two pods of boats. The bigger guys are spread out in a pod approximately 40 miles to your south. You appear to be one of the leading boats in the second pod of 40 footers and you should see several other boats nearby on radar. Just 3 miles south of you are CrocquBleu, Surprise and Emma Kate. Two miles to the north are Meander and Wind Dancer. And seven miles to your west are Jade and Katahdin. In total, approximately 25-30 boats are behind you in this second wave. If you require assistance, hail Katahdin who is closest to following your course.

WIND and ROUTING RECO:
Today: Winds are forecast to be very light (5-10 knots) and from the south for the next several days as a high pressure system sits over the area, slowly moving northeast. Try to maintain your SSE progress unless you hit the eddy I wrote you about, which I assume is why you are heading east to pass over it quickly. Once over the current, return to your SSE heading.
Wednesday: Conditions finally start to change as the high starts to get pushed out of the area by a new low, causing an increase in wind speed from the south as it follows the system northeast. At 18 UTC Wed, winds should pick up and be from the South at approximately 10-15 knots. Favor a more easterly course if possible.
Thursday: 24 hours later, as the low gets closer, the high is pushed further east and the winds trail behind it, moving to a SW direction which should be perfect for you to head in a SE direction. Winds will be 15-20 knots north of 31.3'N and lighter as you go south from there. Try to make Southeasterly progress before the low arrives on Friday.
Friday: The Low arrives and brings back the strong wind from the Northeast. A front forms from Orlando to Bermuda with heavy northeast 30-35 knot winds north of that line. South of this line the winds stay lighter in the 5-15 range and out of the east. You should be south of this and prepared for 10-15 knot easterly trade winds. I'll keep an eye on this front in the next couple of days.
Sat/Sun: Normal 10-15 knot trade winds out of the east.

Good luck guys! Send me a blog entry if you get the time...
Seth