Current Position: 75 32N / 015 36E
24 hour progress: 139nm, 5.8kts avg SOG, approximately 330nm to the Norwegian coastline. 20.5 hours of motoring before wind filled in to sail.
We have been watching weather for the last 3 weeks in search of a window to go south. A large low pressure system passed between Norway and Svalbard over the weekend. We are riding the backside of the system which has winds from the north behind the system. Before this we had been looking at a LOT of days with winds from the south and nobody wanted 500nm of headwinds.
This window is the best opportunity to go south in weeks but it is not perfect. We decided to leave yesterday evening knowing that we were looking at a good deal of motoring before the north winds would fill in. Then we will ride the north winds for as long as we can. After that we will likely motor sail and then beat the rest of the way to the Norwegian coast. It is not ideal, but it is time to get south and it is better than tacking into head winds the whole way back to Norway.
Our friends on L'Éléphant, a Boréal 47.2, are with us and have been a mile or two away since leaving. Actually they have been close by for all of the past 3 weeks. We have hung out and fretted about weather windows. We knew we needed to wait for the winds and swell from the system to die down a bit before setting off. So we spent Monday in sunshine getting ready to leave and then taking a little trip together to the nearby glacier for a last shore walk and stretch of the legs before the final passage preparations and setting off. We were all a bit sad to say "see you later" to our little Svalbard camp.
Also heading south is a Finish sailboat, Olivia, that is a bit behind us whom we met cruising Svalbard. We saw them on AIS grabbing this same weather window. They fell off AIS early this morning about 15nm or so behind us.
We motored and motored with the Svalbard coast as company through the night and into the morning. The seas have not been especially comfortable. The remnants of the weekend's blow remained. Once we were offshore we were in a 3m swell. It was confused for a while, testing everyone's sea legs.
Around midday the wind started to fill in, but with the large seas, 10 knots from behind was just not sailable. Additionally we need to make the most of the north winds, so we kept motoring. Finally by around 3pm local we were seeing around 15kts and the seas were more organized. We set up on a deep broad reach with 1 reef in the main. We are sailing well and mostly on rhumbline.
Interestingly L'Éléphant has chosen wing on wing and is heading a bit more easterly. They crossed ahead of us. We seem to be making similar speeds so we will see how this plays out. For the end of day 1, we are still close and find it comforting to see their sails out on the horizon.
Yesterday through this morning was partly sunny with the coastline keeping us company. From this morning it has turned overcast and gray all around. There are lots of seabirds and a couple of dolphin pods checked us out before we were south of Svalbard.
All is well aboard and the boys each did an overnight watch. Everyone is happy to be at sea, and napping as we adjust to the rhythm. We all have great memories of our trip to Svalbard - 2 polar bear watching sessions, interesting encounters with belugas, lots of reindeer, walruses, a humorous fox sighting, beautiful landscapes, interesting cabins and nice walks. It's been a fabulous adventure and we are so grateful to have shared the experiences as a family.
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