After spending the weekend following Antonio’s waypoint, our luck continued to get better as the currents continued to shift in our favor rotating from West to North North-East.
With this favorable current, 29 managed to get back up to speeds of 1km/hr vs the 1km/10 hrs progress we were making last week.
By Monday however, the current continued to rotate around – the result of how hectic the landscape is of quickly moving eddies through the area. Even with the 180˚ change in current direction, the glider continues to make good progress in the direction of Cape Town.
With the latest forecasts, the British GLOSEA is the closest to what the glider is reporting, showing a medium sized warm eddy to the south of 29 resulting in the currents shifting back to the west.
GLOSEA Mar 29
Since recovery is quickly approaching, we have shortened 29s flight pattern to 4 yos and turned the ctd on for both up and down casts so we can gather a nice data set upon approach for data comparison with the recovery vessels on board ctd.
Finally looking at the AIS data in google earth, the RV Algoa is waiting at the port for this weeks activities
Over the past day, the team has been arriving in Cape Town and this afternoon will be meeting at the Algoa to load up some equipment and discuss the plan for recovery. Then, weather permitting, the team will set sail early tomorrow with the intent of arriving at the glider early Thursday where they will get the glider out of the water after 282 days at sea and 6700 km.
Force Wind Sea & Honor