Changing tack. Literally and figuratively. We have decided to engage Option B where we make landfall in Washington instead of British Columbia.
I feel good about this decision!
I have cousins on an Alaska Cruise and they are going to be in Seattle next weekend. We're gonna try to meet up with them.
Cool sky... what is going on?!
Day 14
…
I know I whine about the chill. And I know that it's high sumer and I should be grateful. Here are the stats: sea temp is about 62°F Ventusky reports perceived air temp (w. Windchill) to be in the low/mid fifties. I can & do dress for that. But my blood has been running tropical thin for years now, and overcast damp windy 55 is not the bees knees.
We are experiencing a little anxiousness about our approaching landfall and navigating new tricky coastal waters.
July 15
It is a lumpy gray morning out here. Moderately large mixed seas bullying us around. Lumpy low gray cloud ceiling. Not lovely.
But, we have everything we need, plus warm dry clothes and beds, and a bright red kettle on the stove.
So, hey, y'all, we got to fly the spinnaker! First time ever! We had a window of nice light tail wind conditions so we experimented with hoisting and opening & furling. We made a couple adjustments and then we sailed with it. Aaah, proper downwind.
July 13
A pretty uncomfortable night shift started with a 30+ knot crash gybe on my watch. I got too deep, wth too much sail & the autohelm got into a aggressive pattern of overcorrection, and I couldn't settle it with hand steering in time either. It was all hands on deck to manage the aftermath. Fortunately, no body got hurt and nothing got damaged! Yay, angels! (thanks for the prayers) anyway, it made for a stressful start to the night… (which other than being kinda chilly & a little wet, was fine.)
For a few hours early mid day, we had a beautiful respite, blue skies, light winds, calm(ish) seas. We all found a sunbeam to bask in, got some "housework" done and relaxed a bit.
Later when it turned gray & wet again, we warmed the cabin up making a big pot of soup and warmed ourselves up enjoying it.
July 12
At sunrise J & O were headed deep downwind, keeping as much east in our course as possible.
Sea and sky aren't so bright blue as they were last week.
July 11
Still overcast, but brighter. Watch standing last night and this morning felt solid, conditions were pretty steady.
Today we've redeployed the hydro-generator, and ran the diesel generator and water maker.
Jeff and Olivia both got sufficient sleep last night. Jeff is running a deficit tho.
We've been commenting that everything is in a LOT better condition than our first Passage. (I mean it better g-d be after 2 years of projects! Lol.)
Gray day. Not much to report.
Some motoring, not too much. Decent sailing, more East than North, but ::shrug:: whatcha gonna do?
Reading, Napping, baked biscuits, roasted veg with pasta sausage pesto & parm. For dinner.
Bordering sleep deprivation for Jeff. I'm not at much of a deficit.
Night watch was chilly, but maybe it's just me, Olivia was dressed in sweats, and fine. I wore about 4 layers.
Day 7 - July 9
Well, it was a rough night after midnight Olivia and Jeff had to deal with extremely shifty winds, a couple thunder-head clouds, and other stressful conditions. And we were very apprehensive as to the conditions we would experience on Sunday. The models were conflicting at best and discouraging at worst. But we kept our fingers crossed and trusted our best hunches and kept hunting down that front.
We reached it and found some breeze, enough to stay with it and use what energy we could, and it just kept getting better. I felt so much gratitude all day long, and continue to feel blessed as night falls. Our heading is favorable, our speed is good. The boat is really rolling as the waves have built and we head pretty hard on the wind. But, at least we are heading in the right direction & under sail!
The highlight (besides finding wind after fearing we'd be stranded in the high pressure, with dwindling fuel reserves and 1500 miles to go) of the day was being visited by a pod of dolphins! What a joy that was to witness. We could hear them watch them interacting with each other and racing with our bows. So cool!!
Yesterday, I was impressed by the 75° water temp. It's only 72° today. I guess we exited some current I wasn't aware of and it is much cooler tonight. I've got quite a few layers on (including a beanie and wool socks, lol) and am quite comfy.
Saturday Night
Feels like a long day, maybe because we were out in the sun a bunch today, on deck or even in the water (for some of us). We had extremely light winds all day and have been running steady on engines headed north. The weather forecast models show a band of slightly more wind headed NW (same way we want to go!) And we've been inching our way trusting the info.
I had an inclination to wait, becalmed, but the forecast and all wise advice pointed out why we really shouldn't do that this week. … all the signs suggest it just isn't going to get easier to get to the PNW if we miss the opportunity of this weak front.
So, engines it is.
It's still really warm. Not Hawaii-warm, but warm nonetheless. Our sensors indicate a water temperature of 75°. I'm curious to see how this changes as we go along. But luckily for Jeff and Olivia who went in the water today, it wasn't too bad. What a nasty bunch of abandoned sun-baked nylon rope Jeff pulled off the prop. It's so aggravating! He said it wrecked a bunch of our fancy fresh bottom-paint too, where it rubbed. UGH!
The stars have been incredible, even at sea-level with all this humidity, the chance to sit under a dark & starry sky is a treasure. Last night we had the special treat of cruising through a bit of bioluminescence. So bizarre. So magical.
Day 3
Passage
We are striving to find our groove out here, together.
Meals and watchstanding, household & boat tasks, as well as a few remaining & pop-up "projects" :::sigh:::
The weather is good, we have confidence in the boat and un ourselves.
But it's still a big adjustment for each of us!
