Captain’s Log | Lunenburg to Boston
Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Time: 0900 hours EDT
Position : 42°34.2′ N, 066°54.0′ W
Course: 270 magnetic
Speed: 7+ knots
Wind: East-Northeasterly 12-15 knots
Sea: East-Northeasterly 2-3 feet with Southeasterly long swell of 4-5 feet
Sails Set : Most of them (mains’l, fores’l, stays’l, jib, jib top, main gaff tops’l, fore square tops’l)

One day out from Lunenburg, bound for Boston.

The attached photo shows a long trek south around the big yellow area before turning westward toward Boston. That yellow exclusion zone is protecting Right Whales that congregate there June-December. All vessels are asked not to pass through.

Reason Captain Jeff Crosby and I chose a deviation from the shortest distance toward Boston to a longer distance is the wind forecast. A large area of light winds covering Southwestern Nova Scotia all day Monday. Continuing till early Tuesday. When a northeast-east wind flow of 10-20 knots was forecast to span the southern portion of Gulf of Maine.

The inconvenience of northeast-east wind when sailing westward is how far behind could the wind actually go. Most of Pride’s sails forward of the mainsail are loose-footed. Foresail does not have a boom. Nor does the staysail. Point Pride away from the wind far enough and those loose-footed sails, hanging from highly raked mast and stays, collapse inward due to a wind shadow created by the mainsail. The forecast indicated some period of easterly flow during the week. Wind flowing more from the east versus northeast will mean wanting to sail to the right of west to keep forward sails filled.

Taking the longer route using engines at normal cruise RPM during light winds means a speed of 6-7 knots. Providing the opportunity to get well south for a better sailing angle with Tuesday’s stronger hence more sailable winds. And be better positioned to accept needing to steer to the right of west and Boston when wind direction went towards the east.
near-beam

The new Tuesday wind arrived around 0100 hours today. Started out more northerly. Incidentally, Pride had reached the southern corner of the yellow zone. Turning west provided a near beam wind angle. Stopped engines. Sailed on. At first 4 knots. Slowly speed increased as the wind strength increased. Through this morning wind has veered northeasterly. Now east-northeasterly. If further veering occurs, likely will want to steer to the right of west to keep all sails filled and drawing. Having deviated as far south as we have, wanting to head more to the right of west to keep loose-footed sails drawing is easier to accept, as doing so won’t likely mean pointing off from Boston by much. At speeds that could mean no interim motoring. And maybe also no gybing.

Signed,
Jan Miles, Senior Captain