Saturday, June 12, 2010

Day 12 - Hot Weather - Cold Weather

Well. I should have known that sooner or later it would come to this. We have been drifting along toward San Francisco in a bubble of perfect wind, perfect seas, perfect weather, perfect camaraderie and companionship. This morning's sunrise lit up the sky with a Maxfield Parrish kind of pink and blue perfection. One of the crew took me aside and confessed that because it had been so long they could no longer remember how to trim the sails. I had to reassure them that the skills would come back (probably) when needed.

A friend at KYC recently sailed his El Toro around Oahu in conditions much worse than what we have been experiencing. I hope he doesn't get wind of our current conditions. Otherwise, he'll probably be setting out for San Francisco.

In a strange way Kathy's iPad contributes to the sense of unreality. Last night (moonless, cloudless) we held it out at arm's length and the screen blended in so it seemed as if the illustrated constellations were actually part of the sky. I had to catch my breath when, at one point, I turned to look back and there was the earth behind us and below. Virtual reality is fun and all that, but enough is enough. I thought my heart would stop.

This morning I realized that I was baking in the cockpit. I was wearing a polypro long john layer, a fleece layer, my foul weather gear, boots, gloves, a hat with ear flaps, etc. Why? Because we are at Latitude 38, and that is what you do at Latitude 38.

Turns out to be a dumb idea. So it is back to shorts and tee shirts. There is one new twist to things. Earlier it was so warm and stuffy below that we would have to escape to the cockpit to cool off. Now it is so pleasant and warm in the cockpit that we have to occasionally escape down into the cabin to cool off. The cabin is actually a little chilly because of the dropping water temperature. ~~Bill

Ten hours later, we have entered the twilight zone. Completely overcast dark gray skies, with the cold sun barely visible, give the day a definite winter look. The temperature has dropped to 60 and the winds and seas are building. We are pounding into the building swell with the wind almost on the nose. Hopefully, we'll be able to sail later tonight. We have 746 miles to go to the Golden Gate.

We have switched to Pacific Daylight Time on the boat. It is now 8:38 pm and Bill is about to go on watch, relieving Kathy. By the way, we had tamales for lunch. Yum. ~~Chris

At 6/13/2010 3:39 AM (utc) our position was 37°47.12'N 138°10.97'W

3 comments:

  1. Rick and Maria LuciaJune 13, 2010 at 2:14 AM

    Thanks for the great pictures and descriptions of life aboard. We have sent the blog website address to Portugal and Colombia and we are getting emails from those who have joined in to follow your adventures from those countries. The admin office at KYC joined in on tracking your blog today and they found it extremely interesting and fun.

    Caroline and I started communicating about arrival arrangements in San Francisco. Maria Lucia and I arrive on the night of 30 June at 915 PM. We are looking into a shuttle service. Caroline is not yet clear on when she will arrive.

    We look forward to seeing you soon,

    Rick and Maria Lucia

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  2. Rick and Maria LuciaJune 13, 2010 at 2:20 AM

    Hello Cirrus crew, it is so nice reading your experiences in that long trip. We like your pictures and stories, please keep them coming.
    We are looking forward to seeing you in San Francisco, actually we are counting the days: we will be there in 17 days, yeah!!!!!
    Take care,
    Maria Lucia

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  3. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Didn't I tell them to go slowly? Now then why are they rushing it? You know what will happen, at the end they will arrive in Richmond at daylight! And then what? Our fans are confused, the competitors shake their heads, KYC is printing an extra telltales newsletter, and we need weeks to get over this.

    And isn't it that when they set their foot on the slip in Richmond, during bright sunshine, their bodies start to decompose into ashes - or am I mixing this up?
    Ulli

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