12/2/24 Day 3

If speed were my wish, then it sure has been granted. Since late last night, we’ve been in big weather, with gusts up to the high 30s and averaging around 28 knots. For the entirety of my watch there was a squall system about 30 miles in diameter constantly developing over us, with lightning striking all around without pause, and some incredible thunder claps. As such, today has been the fastest day on Stardust yet, as we are consistently surfing at speeds around 15 knots, with 18 knots not uncommon either. As if that’s already not great enough, we hit a new boat speed record, 20.4 knots! Although the seas are a little uncomfortable, it’s still bearable and life is pretty good on board. We’re on track for an over-200 mile day.

12/3/24 Day 4

Conditions today are much calmer, with the 4-5 meter sea state down to about 2, and the wind rarely goes over 24 knots. Even so, we’re still chugging along, although more northward, still to the west. The standard passage across the Atlantic is to head almost due south toward Cape Verde, then turn west once on the latitude of the Caribbean islands. However, the weather we seem to be getting suggests staying north for the first part of the passage, as a large area of low wind passes below us. Once that passes, we’ll begin our southwest descent. The stars and milky way are bright and stunning tonight, some of the best conditions I have yet to see.

12/4/24 Day 5

Today has been just about the most perfect day yet. With the wind finally blowing a steady 17-20 knots from the west, that meant perfect spinnaker conditions to propel us not only quickly, but comfortably straight towards our destination of Antigua. Although a small spinnaker made to handle windy conditions, it’s still our best option for going dead downwind (as opposed to jib and main) and the best part is there is nearly zero sail tending to do. No trimming and no worrying about a gust of wind shredding it apart, and it also helps with solar energy production as our mainsail isn’t up and covering half the solar panels. A consistent 8 knots of speed for half the day later and we are back to reefed main and jib for the night, as strong gusts and shifty winds brought by thunderstorms are forecast for early morning.

12/5/24 Day 6

Progress today has been slow, and unfortunately that appears to be our reality for possibly the next week. There is a new high pressure system developing exactly between us and the Caribbean, while we’re already being squeezed between two areas of low wind about 1/3 of the way across the atlantic. As such, we’ve decided to change destination and head 10 degrees more south to Barbados, hoping to skirt underneath the high to remain in good wind. Fishing activities have resumed today, and although too small to be worth keeping, we caught a mahi mahi. We also got a huge bite on our line 30 minutes past sunset with drag absolutely screaming as it payed out line, but unfortunately the crimps I had done on the leader to attatch the hook slipped, and the fish (as well as our most beloved mahi chugger lure) were never to be seen again. Tomorrow I am determined to get my vengeance.

12/6/24 Day 7

Conservative precautions against the shifty and squally conditions meant sailing under reefed main and jib for the night, instead of our downwind spinnaker. Unfortunately, light wind combined with a somewhat sloppy sea state meant an extraordinary amount of creaking and groaning, with the boat jerking and lurching as the sails slammed around. That meant, for the second night in a row, that I hardly slept. Somehow the first few nights with 30 knots of wind and violent surfs down giant waves I slept like a baby, an almost impossible feat in such conditions, but yet here I am, rather sleep deprived. As easy as sailing now is, I’m dreaming of 25 knots.

12/7/24 Day 8

Fish aplenty! Despite our slow day with wind only blowing about 8-12 knots, time flew by as I hooked mahi after mahi. Today’s total ended with 6 fish hooked and 4 fish landed, with specimens ranging from a juvenile three-pounder to what I estimate to be a 30 pound bull that unfotunately shook the hook loose, but not before spooling nearly all my line at max drag in a run that lasted seveal minutes. Mahi mahi are known for their head-shaking acrobatics, leaping out of the water as they fight on the other end of the line. By late afternoon, I ended up keeping and cleaning two fish, leaving us with a good five pounds of meat. Going slowly also allowed us to make water to top off our tanks, as after a week using ten percent per day we were running low while keeping an emergency allotment. Thankful for the chance of a second shower this passage as a result, and things are looking pretty positive. Due to weather, the destination has officially changed ten degrees more south to Barbados, home of every sailor’s beloved Mount Gay rum.

12/8/24 Day 9

We’ve officially entered the second half of the passage today, which unfortunately also means much lighter and unstable conditions. Much of the day has been in wind under 10 knots, which for our heavy spinnaker is barely enough to stay filled with air especially in combination with wonky seas that constantly knock the air our of the sail. Still, we’re moving south and west which is further confirmed by the increasingly hot and humid weather. Shirts are largely a thing of the past, and it’s everything we can do to stay comfortable to the point we’ve opened a handful of hatches, nearly a cardinal sin of passage making. We are thoroughly enjoying the abundance of fish caught yesterday, with fish tacos last night, thai curry for dinner tonight, and a fresh ceviche for lunch. Eating is definitely something taken seriously on board Stardust.