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Old 6th Mar 2011, 21:29
  #2790 (permalink)  
mm43
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: NNW of Antipodes
Age: 81
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I am amazed or at least bemused at the "precision" here.
The accuracy involved is mind boggling when you consider that with a known distance and a best guess average speed, the computer doesn't understand such subtleties and the answer is always to x decimal places!

In any-case the best guess average speed appears to be 10.75 knots, and I suspect they will be lucky to maintain that, as for starters, the leg ENE to the north of Colombia is often subject to a strong ENE wind with accompanying sea and swells. After passing Curacao the winds will be lighter, but the surface current sets along the coast to the WNW and will peg back their GS.

Edit ::
ETA Recife 201103182011z per "Alucia" AIS
Last Pos'n. 201103061602z 9 43'N 79 31'W Distance 3141NM
Period 12 days 4 hours 09 min = 292.15 Hours
3142/292.15 = 10.75 knots

Last edited by mm43; 8th Mar 2011 at 21:22. Reason: typo - 10.75 knots
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