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Turning Tables

As we continue our journey away from the Canaries, the wind has decided to take a vacation. We noticed this influence even 200 nautical miles out, with areas of wind shadow followed by sudden bursts as we moved away from the islands' reach.  Unfortunately, the average wind speed has been light, and yesterday, we only managed to cover 102 nautical miles in 24 hours.
With the apparent wind hovering around 10 knots yesterday afternoon, we decided to try out our light wind sail.  Setting it up proved a bit trickier than expected, thanks to some challenges with the deployment and retrieval sock.  Finally ready to hoist it, our hearts sank as we realized – it's simply too long for the boat!  The distance from the front of the boat to the top of the mast needs to be several feet longer for this sail to fit. 
This discovery puts us in a bit of a bind.  Light winds are to be expected for this time of year on this passage.  To address this, we've decided to make a slight detour to Cape Verde to refuel.  While it adds a few hundred miles to our journey, strategically, it positions us well for the rest of the trip.  From Cape Verde, it's only 2,000 nautical miles to the Caribbean.  However, having enough fuel on board to motor out of the way of potential hurricanes is crucial during this time of year.
Let's just say Craig is feeling a bit down about the unusable sail, and even extra cottage pie couldn't quite lift his spirits.  The good news is, Cape Verde offers a chance to regroup, refuel, and get strategically positioned for the next leg.  Here's to fair winds (eventually!), following seas, and the ability to adapt to the unexpected twists and turns that ocean voyaging throws our way. Yacht Delivery Solutions and not Yacht Delivery Problems!

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