SailBlog

With a few good sailing days this week, we managed to get a tad bit ahead of this approaching front giving us another very pleasant balmy spring like day on the Inspired Sanity...My IS...the barometer has been as high as 1030 this week and is coming down now with the front coming to 1025 this morning. The temperature is the greatest blessing as it only got down to 54* last night and has quickly come up to 60+* with the sun this morning.

A wonderful day on deck. I was in a euphoric state much of the morning as it was just so beautiful. The night winds were steady and light westerlies allowing me a true restful sleep, though I set my alarm, and did my watches...it was sweet to be able to look at the compass and see we were still on a course that did not budge until the morning hours when the winds continued to back to WSW. With the forecast, I had expected the winds to do so and to diminish to a becalm which they did leaving that glassy stillness on the ocean...

It created a Pow Wow day for the birds, several huge great Albatrosses, the usual suspects of the black Petrels...there are several very large, nearly Albatross sized, dark gray birds that resemble the Albatrosses...I am not sure if it is a different species all together of Petrel or a variety of Albatross...but they are just so big. There is one Albatross, I think it is the largest Albatross I have seen, that is so distinct that I can recognize it.. with a huge white diamond shaped area between its wings on its back with more white patches on its wings...So majestic as it swoops....and today, he nearly kissed me as I was singing " You are so Beautiful, to me" and he swooped in within ten feet of me...I kept singing and he swooped off on his rounds. It is just breath taking to have these birds come so close and look at me so keenly as they go by.

There was a smaller black Petrel that come up to the stern of the boat and touched down on the water...5 feet away from me, as I am watching...I spoke a welcome as he actually seemed to be swimming to stay up with me...I was only drifting, moving slowly. I tried to get photos of the markings on the birds beak, as it was white with black lines through it. I am sorely disappointed to not have a real camera to be able to catch the beauty of the details of these birds.

I stood on the bow of IS and meditated as it was so wonderous to imagine where I was, the relative infinite spaces, as if in a dream that it was so...a little girl from the countryside in upstate NY sailing the huge oceans, approaching an area that is farthest away from any large land mass, thousands of miles alone, and yet not alone at all, filled with the life and energy of the sea and her creatures. All I could feel was awe and wonder at it all. The days of calms are truly becoming a haven from the motion, the cold, the concerns...the weather has made an opening for me to bask for a while to rest.

I have been finishing up, reading Tao Of Physics and it all seems so very real..the vastness of space and the reality of time as the fourth dimension of energy and life standing on my boat amidst the great sea. It is amazing to consider the vast spaces that makes up most of our world, space and energy flying around, somehow creating the mystery of human life, consciousness, things that appear to be material that are dynamic interrelating energy fields moving so fast as to appear solid...I love it.

I have always loved physics as it seems that it reveals the most fascinating truths of all existence in a scientific medium, defining creation...which is mind blowing as our minds are just not capable of intenuating the realities, but our spirit...consciousness within us does. It is incredible that humanity can be so ignorant of all that is life and then somehow have an ego that can think to take control of it and function independently from the creator of all within. But conscious awareness is growing as the consequences of denying our interconnectedness becomes more evident.

I remained for as long as I could before I got cold, though the sun was warm, the breezes are cold, and I had taken some of my layers off as it was so warm out of the breeze. My exercises called to me and I began to stretch, opening my joints and muscles to my breathing in and out, fresh energy to wash away the stiffness of sitting, bracing myself against the G forces. I decided to do a gentler routine today to allow the flow to release any acidity captive, restoring flexibiility.. It worked.

We have a good long stint coming of good sailing winds, which means that it will be harder to get out on deck...winds will be 15 -20 backing from North to SW then clocking back to the NW over the next 5-6 days.

I will be making a bit of southing tonight and tomorrow with the tight NE winds, but it will take me back to where there is a better steady wind once the East winds go through...but there is another front coming in a week or so that will bring me back north a few degrees. It seems it will be like this. As long as I can make the shifts north and south gradually, they don't detract too much from my overall easting progress.

One blessing of a Northerly wind is that I am on a port tack...I was able to fold the lee board under my bunk so I have an entire settee to sit on and stretch out to sleep a bit. The little blessings...

Then, having had the two sunny days, the top of the water being warmed, the colder approaching breeze brought a strange fog, that would roll in, lift, and then roll in again, until finally the sky clouded over; The mist now, that dense wetness that clings to my clothes. I have to remember to grab my jacket so that my clothes stay dry. It will be one of those dewy nights where things are so soaked it is as if it is raining. There is a possibilty of rain in the morning. I do not doubt that.

The temperature has already dropped to mid 50s...seeming a mild drop compared to what all of you who are managing in the north hemisphere with freezing temperatures, now in New England and on the coast... Where ever you are...some finding warmer waters in the Caribbean...the Salty Dawg rally is making there way. So many, that love the winters in the north!!! Good on ya...I was raised in the bitter winter world, and I loved it then for the most part.

I did get one chore done today. I am using a double braid line for life lines and there is chaffing developing where the lines go through the stanchions, so I got out my whipping thread and needle, covering the areas that go through the stanchion hole...It seems to be working where i have already done it...today I went ahead and did the rest plus created a tighter synch so they are tighter. The things to do on a warmer day on deck.

I have nestled back in below as the sun set and the winds have begun to gust up to expected wind speeds around 20kts for tonight, maybe gusting to 30. So I have the main reefed fully with the main sheet line lead back to the companionway. It makes it quick for me to let the main out for sudden gusts, spilling air as needed. If it does blow 30 steady, I will be down to a hanky jib. By morning, the winds should back to N enough that I can fall off the nose a bit and ease the heeling.

I am knitting away at socks for Bob, listening to music, as the wind generator is whizzing away providing extra power. I think I will do a short radio night again, catching up with the Cruiser's Doo Dah net at 2200 UTC...0100 am for me...I set one of my alarms at that time so that I can listen in to hear boats and friends check in. The radio is very busy with the Salty Dog and other rallies going on ...Lots of boats moving out there right now. I so hope that the front coming north of Puerto Rico has calmed and will not interfere for the rally goers.

Bob is battling a coastal front trying to get sv_Calypso south. He had to divert to the Chesapeake and has had a rough ride even on the inside with strong 20kt SW on his nose. Hopefully, they will reach Hampton tonight, grateful I am sure to have that section behind them.

My children with children are all together this weekend...what a blessing. I look forward to getting some photos next week of all the festivities around the trio birthday events. Happy Birthday to YOU!!

Keepin On Sailin On a Dream... Amazing day!. An amazing Earth we live on...universe, galaxies and .....

Fairest of Winds and the Love of the Ocean Only Gratitude Donna

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