Bermuda to Azores – Day 5

Time: 05/25/2008 1200 UTC

Lat: 36 deg 07' N

Lon: 56 deg 19' W

Heading: 50 M

Speed: 4 kt

Wind: SW 5 kt

Seas: 1-3 ft

Weather:  Cool, light drizzle all day

 

We still don't have e-mail or weather.  The front is still approaching.  People sound concerned , it's supposed to be a nasty one, but we're convinced it will pass us to the south.  Of course, our conviction is based on two-day old weather data and a handful of coordinates from the ARC on the location of the front, but everything lines up to suggest we've ducked the front.  Nervous anticipation.

 

I was nearing the end of my watch.  I had the daybreak shift, was struggling a bit to stay aware.  I put on a pot of coffee, which is a mentally stimulating task in this environment.  The act of making coffee wakes me up as effectively as the coffee itself.  When I'd emerged from the cabin, a full quart of java in tow, I looked aft to see an enormous container ship approaching from the stern. 

 

Normally, when I spot a ship, there's a moment of panic regardless of its course or distance, as I assess whether it's an immediate threat.  This time, it was so clear that the ship was no danger that I was really just excited that I'd have a potential weather update.   I hopped down to the nav station and fixed his position by radar.  8 miles behind us, on course to pass within 1 mile to the north.  Back to the cockpit, I poured myself a cup of coffee and watched her approach.  Whoa.  Big.  When the ship was abeam, I could read the shipping company's name clearly: PCL.

 

I radioed the ship.  The captain was friendly.  We exchanged pleasantries, and I asked him what weather to expect.  The news was good: light air, but the front should pass to the south.

 

Later that day, I spoke with my mother, who managed to learn weather forecasting from NOAA GRIB data files in 24 hours.  She confirmed that we'd dodged the front.  The rest of the fleet was in the middle of it.  As Kevin would say, we were looking smarter than a tree full of owls.

 

The winds have been light and fluky all day.  Seem to be steadying out of the south, we should be able to make decent headway north and east.  Still raining. 

 

For lunch, we had tuna fish tacos (seared in olive oil, with salt, pepper, lime),  guacamole with beautifully ripe avocado, and rice left over from last night's sashimi.  We've been binging on tuna and there's still a quarter of her left.  Dunno what's for dinner,  but it'll include tuna.

 

I gave up on the satellite data – it was really starting to frustrate me.  We're on a sailboat.  I'm trying to escape from technology, not get trapped by it.  I think my mother will provide great routing information.  She certainly has our best interests in mind.