Last night was a busy nigh with winds starting at 15 and heading for 30 knots. It was all over the teens, both high and low making our Hydrovane earn its keep and it did that just great. If you own a monohull and plan on doing some cruising, look into it. Some of the best money we have spent on redoing and upgrading Zephyr. It was blowing at 1900 when I took over the watch and still blowing when Tracy came on at 2300. By 0300 this morning, it was still going at it and has continued most of the day. Throw in a squall or two for some fresh water cleaning and that's the kind of day we are having. We're doing a respectable 5 knots of speed and still making our way toward the Seychelles. According to the chart plotter, only about 150 miles to go. At the rate we are going, that's about two days, maybe less. We have to judge our arrival time at the outer banks so we cross them in sunshine to see what we will be up against(wind and wave wise). You don't want to enter a place in the ocean where the depths go from 1600 feet deep to 100 in the space of a mile or two. Water can back up against that kind of ocean ledge and really get nasty. The timing of arrival is critical.
It's now 1700 and Tracy has gone of watch. The winds have continued to be close to 20 knots with gusts to 30. We took a second reef in the main sail as the Sun was going down. One thing we learned a long time ago is to put on a life jacket when you are out on deck. Things happen you can't foresee and it's better to play it safe. I always wear some kind of foot gear. I like my toes in good shape. Tracy kicked something a few weeks ago and one of her toes still is ticked at her and let's her know it should it get bumped.
I'd just made my dinner standard of noodles in a pouch-curry flavor of course just as we decided we needed to reef so they sat below decks in the galley waiting for me. I made a board for the galley years ago that wedges between the front edge of the railing around the sink and the faucet. I drilled holes every few inches and cut dowels of two different lengths to go in the holes. We can put glasses, bowls, you name it on the board and they don't move. It's like having an extra pair of hands in the galley.
More as the night goes by. We hope to be over the shelf that surrounds the Seychelles tomorrow AM and at anchor some time late tomorrow if everything works out. It's been a long two weeks out here. --------------040301020200020008030601--