SailBlog

Photo: La Playita anchorsage off Islas Flamenco, near Panama City... my first time at anchor in 8 months...

It was a sad today... to be out of contact with Bob as I was so close... He is captaining a yacht in the Bahamas and has no phone use... to not be able to share the day with him, at least by textingÂ... I have sailed on by where he isÂ... flying along at 10ktsÂ... Yet... once he returns on Wednesday... we can catch up... but then he will take off as soon as possible on the same motor yacht... heading toward RI... We will be moving up the coast at the same time. I will have a 3-4 day head start...and moving quite quickly in the stream... but then he will make way ahead of me as I slow down to our 'normal pace' and encounter challenges offshore of having to make my way by the wind... He should be there well before me.

But It is so incredible that I can go 10 kts ...fastÂ... The Calypso doesnÂ't go that much fasterÂ... It is as if we are a glider on the windÂ... when the seas and swells are in rhythmÂ...

Yet even as I type awayÂ... there is some counter current tossing us around much moreÂ... then again, the larger Atlantic Ocean swells are now interacting with the ENE windsÂ... there is the tideÂ... All the forces of the larger world now heaping up from their own directionÂ... Celestial horses must be clomping along the ocean surface Â... we are jumping up and down with the waterÂ... but still managing to go 9ktsÂ...

Earlier, as I passed by the Lake Worth Pier, I sent out text hellos and hugs to Kate W and all I have numbers for (having lost my phone, I am missing lots of numbers) Â... our neighborsÂ... and friends. I am sending HUGE hellos to all at RudyÂ's SaloonÂ...Hi Mary and Rose, Jason and Kim and endless names from the Pickers in the roundÂ...the open sessions, the amazing community of RudyÂ'sÂ... Wally, and all those at the PB sailing clubÂ... John and KarenÂ... and on and onÂ... please forgive my brains omissionsÂ...

Thinking of you Jim Grey..as my beautiful SextantÂ... is resting from its hard work along my wayÂ... I am glad to have a GPS aboard at this point and let it do the work of finding my wayÂ... but what a journey I have hadÂ... and experience Celestial navigating along the way.

Then as I was passing Palm Beach Inlet, the towers along the beach, the telltale landmark of the port insideÂ... I texted Cal and MartyÂ... Linda and Jim. Dindy and MattÂ...

I am suddenly so lonely as I pass by you all, not able to stop for a tune, a beer, a hugÂ... but Bob and I will be heading to Florida not long after my return to get Calypso ready for her trip north to be our home for the summer in BristolÂ... We will be stopping in while homeÂ...though it will only be for a couple days for now.

It has been a fast sailing day though the winds are not steadyÂ... each little cloud seems to have its own idea of where the winds should blow fromÂ... It is interesting. Sometimes, the winds just blow steady regardless of the clouds and at other timesÂ...each cloud drags us all over the placeÂ...

Now I am no longer in view of the coastliine... I am a bit farther to the east than usual...having come up from Miami...I stayed out from shore and then just came up the GS axis... so... I will see how this goes... I got an email from Joan...She says the stream really dies off at Charleston... then gets loopy with back currents. I may plan to head more on a rum line to Hatteras... east of the normal route we take... more along 79*30Â'W and then stay more east...it will give me more room to work with when the winds go NE and then I can tack back into the GS, instead of away from it...

The real gale coming is later on the 21st..I will be south of it I think...enough that I will get SW winds first... it should be perfect to get me out of the GS and north a bit ... I will have some sea room, again, when the winds go NE and ... but it will be a beat to RI.. until the winds swap around...

Sailing is sailing... One day at a time.. my capacity for it is thin... I am exhausted from being so near to land for the last few weeks, and truthfully, the winds are so varying now... I am all over the place...but at some point...I am going to have to find a way to get some rest.

I wonÂ't be able to nap on the deck tonightÂ... it is too wet, with the seastate that is risingÂ... The winds meandering all day requiring a constant hand to the sails and steering vaneÂ... Today it is a challenge to stay on any real courseÂ...I seem to be sway to east and west as the winds varyÂ... no matter how I try to watch the compass and make adjustmentsÂ... And nowÂ... wellÂ... who knows what odd swell is making for this chomping alongÂ...

I am storing the warmth and sunshine in my bones for the upcoming shift in weather to the New England style spring and summer Â... my long pants await me once again, to layer myself to keep warmÂ... It is hard to imagine the change that will take place over the next 2-3 daysÂ... YetÂ... for now, there is a perfect coolness in the night air that is falling as the sun is making its way to the horizonÂ...my first night, once again in the good Â'ole US of A watersÂ... I canÂ't quite work up a sense of joy or any lightheartednessÂ... I need a good visitation of a pod of dolphins to add a chuckle to my dayÂ... I have to say, that I will never be so glad to complete a passage safely as I will when I arrive into Narragansett Bay late next weekÂ...

Sail on Sail onÂ... Keepin On CaringÂ... please Keep on PrayinÂ... My capacity for the seas, the chomping, even midst this amazing great progress I am making is rice paper thinÂ... 11 more daysÂ... hopefully I will be nearing the bay on the 26thÂ... At least I am nearing a place with a little elbow roomÂ... a few real hours of sleep would do wondersÂ... I am dreamingÂ...

Fairest of winds and the love of the oceans Only Gratitude Donna