Day 12 Our first squalls
21 April 2011 | Out on the ocean
Bill Hudson
We had winds through the night up to 37 knots and luckily we had taken two reefs in the mainsail. With that and the small forestaysail, we still managed to do 134 miles(total 1464) so we were cooking through the darkness. At dawn, the squalls hit and we were nicely cleaned by Mother Nature with LOTS of nice fresh water to get off all the salt residue that had been building p over the last two weeks. We spent most of the night heading South with the winds coming from the Northeast so a rolly down wind sail again as the swells were from the North. We're now at 09 13.747N 123 57.745W with the motor on as the winds have just about died and those that are left have no clue as to where they are coming from. Toss in the residual swell from last nights big winds and you have a mess out here. As much as I don't like doing it, we fired up the engine and took off for another of the waypoints furnished by our weather router. He wants us at 08N 126W to plan for our crossing the equator. The way the winds and swells have been, we have been doing a reverse "Z" course. Many hours heading a mostly westerly course and then a turn to the left and almost straight South for another mess of miles. Then right and west again. We've been doing this for the last several days and it's the only safe way to make headway Southwest to where we need to go. So, all the sails are down and we just do what we have to do. Not much more to say. It's just another day our here. Keeping alert to the winds and swells and trying to get where we have to go.
Tracy's two cents: It is really uncomfortable right now, rolling from gunwale to gunwale, I'm shocked the cat's aren't frothing at the mouth. I'm surprised I'm not frothing at the mouth! The wind gauge is just going around in circles as we pitch and roll. Before all this started, I took time and sort of defrosted the freezer and rearranged the meats, then I went through the refrigerator and took out all the old that needed to be pitched. We had a very simple lunch today, smoked gouda and crackers for me and leftover chicken curry salad on tostitos for Bill.
I just watched Snowshoe judge the pitch and roll of the boat then hike himself up the cat tree to the barrel portion where he lays down and hangs his head out the end of the barrel. He looks like a dead cat stuffed into a tube. So on and on we roll from side to side. I think I'll go back outside where there is fresh air. Cabin temp is 87.2, humidity is 70% water temp is 81.
Two flying fish last night and two squid...haven't had those for a while.