the final approach
10 March 2009 | 17 03'N:60 32'W, 72 miles to go
Meredith
Just a very quick message this time with the position and plan update, as we are 72 miles from land and are starting to prepare for landfall. We checked the weather yesterday and were waiting (still are, I guess) for the wind to die, but it has done great, keeping up a steady and very pleasant 15 knots. Last night and today have been beautiful and the wind from a more favorable direction, so we've been on a beam or broad reach since last night. We're drying out again after those soggy days of beating. I said to Tom this morning that it's nice to go into the head and not wonder whether a rain cloud is going to form in there with you.
A little more Polynesian navigating; I saw a new bird today that I haven't seen yet on the ocean, so that means we must be getting close. And more modern navigating; we've seen two ships in the past 24 hours, the first signs of anyone else that we've seen since we headed away from the African coast over two weeks ago. We expect to see the top of Antigua's highest peak when we're about 42 miles away, so that will be in the next several hours. According to the chart plotter, at this speed, we'll be coming around Cape Shirley and into English Harbour at about 3 a.m. I'm sure that our watch rotation will be amiss this evening as we'll both be up with all the activity. The weather forecast is good, all is well on Flash, and Tom and I are thoroughly enjoying this last leg of the journey. Tom just woke up from a nap and I'd better bed down for one so that we'll both be ready to be on.
More soon.