stardate…2/9/24…50 nm offshore, 130 nm made good in last 24 hrs, 229 nm to go till landfall!!!

Another long night on passage….It has been so quiet boat and ship wise, I decide to cram myself in the back of the settee using pillows against the edge of the table to pry myself into a spot that wont let me crash back down on to the deck…boat is moving pretty heavily in the quartering seas, but we are hauling ass! Decide to turn on all the alarms on AIS & Radar…and go for 30 min rather than 20 min naps thru the night….which really means no sleep due to the weather…feels good to lay there tho and pretend…fantasies of non moving beds, long hot showers, fridges full of food, toilets that flush with one lever….home….I’m thinking of home, but still love where I am, on the ocean, but it does wear on you…slowly breaking down you patience, strength, sharpness.

Morning arrives, my favorite time of day next to sunset. winds have filled in and steady…I decide to try my new inner staysail for the first time….OMG!!! we are REALLY flying now! Boat is totally balanced, autopilot not working hard at all….I’m a sailor now!….if it wasn’t morning I’d have a Pendi to celebrate such an awesome day…sun is out…it is amazing…..a perfect 15-18 knots apparent wind…pulling a solid 6 knots SOG (speed over ground)…..until….remember I said I had “The Howard?”…well we text daily about weather, sail trim, routing and other things….mostly sailing….I’m bragging about what I just told you folks…he responds…”sounds perfect for the spinnaker! why are you not flying it?!?”.

We all know my experience with that damned sail and furler…..and, it should not be flown over 18-20 knots. But, note wanting to diss appoint or argue…I reel up both headsails and say a prayer….cross my fingers & toes…and just go for it…..the thing spools out just perfectly!…and MAN!!! I LAUNCH!… I mean….like a turbo charger I’m off! I’m literally laughing my ass off it is so fun….better than any ride I have ever been on!….then, not 20 min later, the winds build….18, 19, 21, 23….BEEP BEEP BEEP…autopilot cant keep up…too much helm!…I put in standby mode and talk the wheel….shit is falling apart….(figuratively) boat rounds up…winds now 25….I’m screwed!…what now? It’s not like this thing is easy to get in, especially in high winds….damn…DONT RIP!!!!

I gain my composure, raise the main sail to shadow the wind…after many painful minutes trying to reel the thing back in….success!…I avoided what could have been a major screw up….but learned I can now handle that sail even in a big blow…also I learnt that sometimes you need to go with your gut….make your own decisions on things when you see what the skies and seas look like….again…I’m a sailor now! This is truly what cruising on oceans is like….very unpredictable. Oh!…the best part you ask? As soon as I got shit handled, the winds abated back to 15!…bygones.
I motorsailed thru the night.