Position: 31 deg. 8.9' N, 72 deg. 31.2' W
Heading: 85 deg. M
COG: 90 deg. M
Winds: W 15-20 kt
Seas: 8-10 ft. swells from the West
Temp: 80 deg.
BP: 1010 mb
Notes:
Today we tore the boat apart again. Problems with the electrical charging system, but we think we have it figured out. It's a sailboat, so we don't need power, but creature comforts like refrigeration, autopilot and radar are appreciated.
In the afternoon, we launched the cruising chute. 7 knots, surfing to 9-10 in 8 foot seas. We pulled the chute when we saw squalls approaching from the west, double-reefed the main, furled half the genny, and waited. The squall passed mostly to the north; we saw winds around 20 knots, but we escaped the brunt of it.
We had dinner, Scott made a pork stew in the pressure cooker that was phenomenal. He was pissed that we all polluted it with hot sauce. Brownies for dessert. Scott has cooked every meal. No one is complaining.
After dinner, we spotted another squall approaching from the west. Wiley and I geared up in our foulies, furled half the genoa and double-reefed the main. Soon, there was lightning to the north, west and south, rain coming down hard. Visibility reduced to 500 yards, it felt like a movie set, no concept of scale on the 10 foot waves we were riding.
But, the gale winds never materialized. 15 knots gusting 20. We were under-canvassed for the squall, so we let more sail out. Wiley and I were disappointed given our preparation. We needn't have been.
An hour later, while sharing the last can of beer, we got knocked down by a 30 knot gust, full genoa, single reef on the main. Didn't see it coming. We were taken up, and were rolled by a following wave. Spreaders in the water, gear crashing in the cabin, the last drops of beer spilled in the cockpit. We muscled in the headsail and double-reefed the main. An ominous cluster of blue and white balloons shot past our bow, skipping over the sea at 20 knots. Children on a cruise line somewhere were likely frightened and upset.
Later we let out five feet of headsail, and sailed that way through the night. Winds were steady 20-30 knots, gusts over 35. Our speed hit 13 knots at one point. The waves kept getting bigger. Barometer has been falling rapidly.
During my night shift, I saw flying fish skipping across the stern light.
It has been a great trip so far. We're averaging over 6 knots, should have strong and favorable winds all the way to Bermuda by Wednesday.
1 comment:
This comment is responding to Day 4 when Scott cooked Pork Stew; Day 5 he cooked something that smelled like Pork Roast in the oven.
Question - was it fresh pork or are you eating the dried pork that the crew spent so many late, late hours drying before leaving Treasure Island. Just wondering if the master chef had managed to make the dried meat palatable... or if that adventure is waiting for the next leg!
Signed - Curious in TI
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