Where is that Rainbow Going?
06 June 2022
• (10.99n, 79.5w)
by robin
Shades of grey were the colors the Jamaican painter worked on for this morning's sunrise. Clouds were moving in before first light. I was steering for the southern cross. One, two three all of the stars disappeared. The sailing was slow, the wind light and the current strong (translation â�" we were not going anywhere). Katherine, a cargo ship Karl has been circling for the past hour was 1 mile on our stern (behind us) when I came on deck. Her engine noise was audible. She is waiting for transit through the Panama Canal.
Even atop a couple of miles of water a lot of learning happening. New insights into wind, waves, stars, teamwork and oceanography are filling our heads. When I talk to friends about sailing at night, I argue that early morning watch is the best time to learn sailing. There is no one to see. You can experiment, try things, make mistakes, laugh at what you tried. A perfect classroom. I decided this was going to be the morning to become better acquainted with our drifter (brand new handmade sail with a big blue star in the front of the boat). The sail was was born in our living room were Karl spent days sewing huge pieces of blue and white cloth together in our living room. We had only two chances to fly (use) it before winter set in. So, it really his baby but this morning is my chance to get to know it better. I tack (change direction) to see how it works. It was made for light air (almost no wind) and tonight these little wind. I discover it has a wrap (rope where it should not be) on the snubber (42-foot-long sock we use to tame the living room size sail). My first opportunity to mess with the sail up. The sheets (ropes) are thin and I pretend the Mabel Rose is an Ideal 18 on the Hudson and the roll of the swell is just a passing tug. The boat begins to move a little although with the nasty couter current I am only moving away from Katherine the cargo ship at about .8 knot (less than a mile per hour).
Atop the grey weather, a rainbow appears. It seems to be moving south. Not sure I have ever seen a rainbow move but I decide that means the weather systems are moving like the rainbow --- south. About 10 minutes late a rain squall came from the east. Bad rainbow interpretation. Probably the light causing the rainbow shift not the rain moving. How to translate this? It is like being at the four-way intersection on Fifth Avenue and 59th street driving towards lower Manhattan I decided the traffic (weather and rain) were also moving down Fifth with me and there was little other traffic to worry about. Imagine my surprise when a monster truck pulling an inflatable balloon appears on 59th street barreling moving from the East River toward Lincoln Center. I was not expecting any traffic there and a truck and a balloon definitely caught me off guard. Still working on understanding tropical weather patterns.
Finally, the wind wills in and we are moving nicely, catching up to the long grey line in front of us. The wind picked up (blows more strongly), thunder crackles from the dark cloud in front of me. I feel like a character in a movie wearing a frilly dress and high heels (drifter sail) at the edge of the haunted woods thinking I should not go in there. Aaa while I am having fun with the new sail, I am not going into that squall line with Karl's work of art. We douse the sail and the nasty weather slides past and we pass with the smaller Genoa (triangle sail in front).
Slowly the last tidbits of food from home is on our plates. Edgewick feta in the frittata this morning- still hoping to make one more edgewick frittata in the Pacific. Julie's last red onion from North Riven joined Jamaican cabbage, tofu and pineapple with a lemon peanut dressing for lunch. The jar of Mango juice David brought to our family picnic has become the sun ice tea brewer.
The calm zone is here. The engine is purring and we are heading south in a glassy grey sea. The moon and the clouds reflect on in the water. Reading about Panama Canal transits. Much to learn there.
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