First item of business: Kathy wants it to be known by all that, yes, she tossed her cookies on day one, but she still stood her 6-9 watch last night. Frankly, the sailing has been challenging, especially for the off watches. Seas are lumpy and confused, with the occasional big breaking wave, and it's all on the beam. And strong gusty winds, with the occasional squall thrown in for excitement, keep us busy furling and unfurling the jib. Moving about below is somewhat hazardous because the boat can jump or lurch violently at any moment. Every move has to be planned, gripping every available hand-hold with white knuckles. The only safe place is wedged in the cockpit, or in your bunk. Fortunately, our stalwart helmsman, Otto, is up to his task so we are able to focus on hanging on. We expect to be sailing into an area of weaker winds soon, so Bill has mentioned that we will probably shake the reef out of the main. Dinner last night was chicken noodle soup fortified with a can of chicken. Excellent choice given the uncertain state of our sea legs at that point. Even now, I am absolutely not in the mood to be taking pictures or videos. I just want to find a cool, secure corner to hide in. So that's why this blog entry is so short. Stay tuned for more later. Meanwhile, thanks for all your comments. I compiled them all into a two-page newsletter and printed one copy for all to read: The Daily Cirrus.
Wait! Bill and I just shook out the reef. Kate is on watch and she reports fair winds and calm seas. And I just took a picture of Bill at the mast. Everybody's smiling again. I guess for a sailor, good weather is central to good mental health. ~~Chris
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At 6/2/2010 8:15 PM (utc) our position was 23°10.84'N 157°22.77'W
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For those of you at sea, taking issue with the waves and wind, you could have had a day like me.
ReplyDeleteThis morning the alarm went off, and I went to work.
After checking my emails on two different computers; I went to a meeting where I barely stayed awake. After that I read more emails before going to a second meeting. Then I composed more emails. Then I took a break and read about my friends out at sea. After work I came home, cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed the carpet, and am doing laundry.
For those of you at sea, where would you rather be?
Rick