1430 EDT – 25’44″N – 63’43″W. The AM fax charts and our barometer agree for a change. Turns out the squall line we passed through was the front which was supposed to be to the N – but actually had drifted S. We’re motorsailing now towards Bermuda at 10.5 knots – carrying full main and mizzen and burning about 2 gallons/hr of diesel.

We could be sailing, but that would knock a couple of knots off our speed on these leftover seas, adding as much as half a day to the passage. Coming at the end, with the potential front bearing down from the coast, that is time we do not want to waste at this point. In the AM, if the situation looks more benign, we will slow down and sail (or the wind may free up the way Commander’s Weather is predicting, in which case we’ll have a very fast close reach).

We have toyed with the idea of heading direct to Norfolk. The temptation is there. From where we sit it is a broad reach, and we could be at anchor in three easy days. But then there is this NE compression gale threatening. Odds are at least one in three we would get caught – and that is too high a risk factor for us. So, we head towards Bermuda, and then we’ll await the eventual shift to the SW which will come on the backside of the front.

We are getting to like the concept of getting on the internet from the boat, via the Globalstar phone. We can get the latest faxes from NMF – just as they are posted, instead of hours later when they are broadcast on SSB. Really helps when weighing the options. And besides, we can call the kids and find out what happened on Survivor!

We’ve passed through a small squall line and the breeze is backing towards the ENE – if this holds for 10 minutes, we are going to give the engine a rest and do some pure sailing…