Day 11 Passage Rapa Nui bound for Puerto Montt

Lighter winds punctuated by squalls have kept us busy. Lots of small adjustments are frequently required to keep Sila sailing efficiently towards mainland Chile. We are all deep into the daily rhythm of this passage. As with any expedition, much of the focus is on the next meal and the little quirks and fun moments that differentiate one day from the next. For example, at 4:30am this morning I discover a small bag inside my gloves with a handful of M&M's, a nice treat and the sort of detail that is disproportionately pleasurable in disrupting the monotony of standing watch in the pre-dawn hours.

This has been a wonderful and challenging passage so far. We have enjoyed a huge range of wind and sea states. A good test of boat and crew. Sila is certainly up to the task and the crew is still in high spirits (the meaning of life really is... All EB all the time...) All of us really are enjoying the colder weather - good sleeping weather, easier to stay awake at night on watch, and the variability is a nice change from the consistency of the tropics.

- Christopher

Day 11 STATS & INFO

TIME&DATE: 0715 local (1215utc) SAT AUG 23 2014
FIX: 34º55.1'S 86º23.5'W
SOG&COG: 4.5 knots, ±114ºM (129ºT) - headed for Canal Chacao, just north of Isla Chiloe, en-route to Puerto Montt, Chile
WIND (True): 238ºT F4, mostly F4-5 overnight
WAVES: 1-2m seas from the west
PRECIP: short showers in some squalls
CLOUDS: 40% clouds at sunrise
PRMSL: 1013.4mb

24HR RUN: (07-07 local, 12-12 utc): 143nm, mean SOG 6 knots
TO GO: 842nm to landfall, @ ±6 knots, ± 5 days, landfall ± Thursday Aug 28