Aeolus Redux
01 May 2007 | 250 Miles East of Hatteras
Karl
Clear overnight with a bright moon and a stiff wind. I am trying to slow the boat down, with the jib rolled up most of the way. We are still taking a bucket of water down below from time to time. I am worrying about how to negotiate a gale and the Gulf Stream; we may have to heave to tomorrow night in order to stay out of trouble.
Spent the day jogging along under triple reefed main and about 1/3 of the jib. I spent most of the day repairing the mainsail, both where another sail slide had torn loose, and where there was a rip in the sail by yet another sail slide. This last rip I patched with the sailcloth I bought in Bermuda.
By midafternoon, it is time to consult with the Aeolus of the airwaves again, Herb Hilgenburg. Last summer, on our eastward departure from the East coast, Aeolus gave us nothing but gentle breezes and smooth seas. Like Odysseus, all our contrary winds were tightly bagged up.
Odysseus had less luck with his second visit to King Aeolus than his first: "You are cursed," Aeolus told him, "all of your mariners will be killed and you will be prevented from going home for ten more years." Aeolus would not help Odysseus with fair winds the second time around.
This afternoon, Herb Hilgenburg advises against sailing north on the strong southwesterlies behind the gale system to our north: "North of 35 degrees, you will have gale force and storm force winds, with winds in the Gulf Stream gusting over 40 knots." Instead, Herb advised, we should sail southwest to 72 degrees west and 34 degrees north, and wait for the wind shift to the northwest behind the front.
This is frustrating advice. We are eager to make some northing, towards home. We would fly on a 20-30 knot southwesterly, and we have sailed in similar winds comfortably before. It makes no sense to me to wait until the winds are blowing directly against us before turning north, when we could be flying downwind before the front passes. I asked Herb what we can expect if we turn north a little earlier, after the gale force winds to our north start to move away. "I told you what you can expect before, you will have gale and storm force winds north of 35 degrees and you should stay south of 34 degrees 30 was his reply.
Still, we are thinking of watching how the storm plays out overnight and in the morning, and making our turn before the wind shift. But at 1700 hours, we heave-to in a light southwest wind, basically anchoring ourself at sea, to wait and sea. As a precaution, I installed the storm cover on the cockpit porthole, and bent on the storm jib in case we needed it.
I am very sleepy this evening, and napped through Beryl's 2200 watch -- not much danger of hitting anything while we are hove to and making no way.