We sadly have to leave St. Helena at 2pm of the 21st of October with about 700 miles to go before arriving to Ascension Island.
The wind is 10-15 knots from SE exactly from the back and we know that there is no easy way to get diesel in Ascension. We decide to not use the engines to save our diesel for the next passage to Cape Verde and we only sail even when we go at 3 knots with 7 knots from the back. Fortunately, there is not much swell and we are on a catamaran so the sails stay relatively stable even with light wind.
We have to gybe frequently to take advantage of small shifts of wind and we sail all day with a symmetric spinnaker and only the main in the nights. It was a good practice hoisting the spinnaker and the main preventer from side to side so often.
We also have very few hours in a couple of days with more than 15kn and we enjoy over 10 knots speed, but in average it has been our slowest passage ever.
It is our slowest passage ever, but probably also the most comfortable, in good company, finally warm weather and great skies.
We arrive in Ascension bay at 8pm of the 26th of October in complete dark, after almost 800 miles at an overall average just above 6 knots and only two hours engine (just to leave the anchorage and landing). We call Ascension Radio at arrival that tells us about the entry procedure, we go ashore the next morning and there is a single office for Port Control, Customs and Immigration. As in St. Helena also here all the formalities are very easy.
We are the only yacht in Ascension bay as most yachts go directly to Brazil from St. Helena. Wairima and Phoenix 11 are now sailing west.
Bravo! Where do you go from there?