Day 374 [Oct. 12/09] Waiting out the gale

Even if he were ready, the weather is not

Position:

53 11 S, 70 55 W --- Rafted in a harbor in Punta Arenas, Chile

Today's Report [1030 JST]

A late-winter gale has arrived at The Horn, so even if he were ready to leave, he couldn't. It's blowing 50-plus knots from the west -- the direction he'll need to go -- with seas running 5 to 6 meters.

We're waiting to hear if radar calibration was carried out over their weekend. Other than that, and final engine maintenance and a new VHF antenna, he'll shove off, weather permitting.

We're trying to get his precise route on departure and will send that out ASAP. Thanks to the several people who have asked.

Here's the way it looks right now:

Wind Chart

From ClearPoint Weather, a Saito 8 contributing sponsor

Weather Forecast

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[Tiny island at 0729 hours on 12/08/2008 ]

Summary of that day's log entry:

Day 67 [Dec. 8, 0700 JST] -- click to see entire entry & position

The skipper was in good spirits after a rough but uneventful night. Seas were running 4 m swells but had reduced to 3 m by a bit after daybreak. Winds were also moderating after being in the 30s during the night. No leaks reported despite the heavy seas and strong headwinds. Saito noted the appearance of a small island 1 nm north of his 0700 JST position. He said it was hard to see but that he had been watching it on radar.