DAILY POSITION/STATUS (P/S) REPORTS

S/V Aquila

Date: November 5

Time: 1800

Lat: 37 00.700 N

Lon: 075 00.848 W

Last night we all got hot showers, cleaned up and and had a nice team dinner ashore. Back on the boat, we had a fierce game of gin rummy and then turned in early. We woke up this morning and it was REALLY COLD. With the North wind blowing strong, it was about 45 degrees in Cape May.

Last night the weather forecast was for winds of 30-40 kts and 10' to 16' seas. We had decided that to make a little progress we might sail up Delware Bay, cut across the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal,and then sail past Baltimore down to Norfolk. It added about 90 miles to our trip, but was all protected and looked like it could be fun. We had decided that we would rather keep moving and go an extra 90 miles as opposed to sit in Cape May for a day waiting for the offshore weather to cooperate. In order to get to the Delaware, we had to sail back out into the Atlantic for a few miles before turning West into Delware Bay - so we set out at about 9:00am.

Once we left the shelter of Cape May Harbor, it was a little wild - we found winds between 25 and 30, gusting to 34 and moderate 8' seas. The high pressure ridge was pushing up against the low off of Cape Hatteas which caused the high winds (Bill B.  and I have been discussing gradients). As we sailed with a double reefed main and a quartering sea, we were making 7 kts along the coats. Though the sea was pretty rough, we found decent sailing conditions, and so we decided instead to stay offshore and make for Ocean City about 36 miles down the coast. Our average speed was about 7 knots and we hated to not take advantege. By the time we got offshore from Ocean City the average wind speed had fallen to the 20-25 kts range and the barometer was holding steady at 1027, which meant the winds shouldn't increase. With our reduced sailplan we found the sailing very manageable so we elected to press on toward Norfolk - 100 miles to the South.

So, it has been a GREAT day of offshore sailing, clear skies, strong winds and HUGE seas. Steering the boat down 12' - 15' waves is exhilirating, but exhausting. The best part: we are making really good time, with speeds of 7 and 8 knots. No pictures this post since I'm using the Satellite Phone - but we've taken some good ones.

Our next decision point will be whether we should pass Norfolk and head directly for Cape Hatteras, or whether we need to make a pit stop in Norfolk for a good weather window.

All the crew area having a good time and enjoying the ride.

- david