Weblog 11-04-2020 epic low

Out here, we get only written glimpses of what is happening around theworld. It is difficult to grasp the full extent of what is taking place.The fact that we are fully focused on racing Europa to the equator andbeyond (why make the trip last longer than necessary), combined with our12 hr working days (maintenance!), means that we all probably don’t takethe time to ponder what’s happening in the world. Or at least, not enough…Right now we focus on getting Europa around the low we have been chasingsuccessfully and which has now more or less stopped in our path. It isabsolutely the best low pressure system I have ever encountered. Whilewe were more or less becalmed, smack dab in the middle of the RoaringForties, it came from the South American continent and passed west of uson a north-easterly track, just close enough that we could get into theeasterly winds around the bottom of it. As the low kept moving to thenortheast of us we gradually came into the south easterlies on itssouthwest quadrant and have been using those for the last three days tomake our way out of the Roaring Forties and into the thirties, theso-called Horse Latitudes. For the full lecture on this area of theglobe (yes! It’s definitely not flat!) between the Hadley cell andFerrell cell atmospheric circulations, you will have to book a trip withus when the Corona thing is over. I will also not go into explaining theterm Horse Latitudes. Several explanations about the etymology of thisname are around, but none seem to be conclusive. The area is the dividerbetween the westerlies to the South and the southeasterly Trade winds tothe north. It is known for its light and variable winds. If we manage toget around this low -- which is slowly losing its significance -- andcan take advantage of the remaining breeze to the north of it, we canhopefully propel ourselves a good distance into these Horse Latitudes.That will get us closer to home, but we will still have a long way togo. Will the world have turned back to normal, by the time we arrive? Isuspect not, but if it has, we will have missed out on one of the mostepic low’s of modern history. That could be conceived as a good thing,but I am sure, most of us on board would, if they would have had thechoice, rather have spent these 70 days of sailing with their loved onesashore. Sure, it may be an “epic voyage”, as some will have us believe,but for us it’s more or less business as usual. It’s just a bit longerthan normal and with less people than normal.That said, the sailing in this low (the best low ever!) has definitelybeen epic: winds gusting to 62 knots, waves up to about 7 meters, withthe occasional rogue due to a cross swell and current running againstthe wind. Getting soaked on deck five times over while sail-handling orcoiling lines that have been washed of the pins and overboard. Handsteering all the way….Sailing is fun!I hope that even with all the Corona issues and suffering, people ashorewill also find moments to experience some pleasure in these epic times…Happy Easter.Eric