As the spot track indicates Sophia is now sailing 260 degrees (WSW) which is not toward the Cape Verdes. The crew assessed the breakage of the wind vane (the mechanical self steering equipment see photo below) ,the 3 day very rough beat back to the Cape Verdes and have decided to carry on for St Lucia.
They are hand steering, two people on shift for six hours. Just talked with Chris, they are not getting too tired and Sophia is still making 8 knots. The 12-15 ft Northwesterly swells from the North Atlantic storm that were expected to arrive today and make the sea state worse have not materialized. The weather forecast looks like they will be in more of the same (25+ kts and 9-12 seas from the ENE) for the next 2-3 days.
Click Here to check weather in the Atlantic where Sophia is currently sailing
Monitor Wind Vane Failure: The failure of Sophia's wind vane occurred at the weld that holds the water vane to the hinge (bottom of photo). The crew were able to recover the water vane because it was secured by the line used to raise it when not in use. Sophia and her crew still have 2000 miles to go to St Lucia and fixing this failure at sea will be very difficult. Any ideas out there?
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