This is it. Time to cast off.
February 10, 2017
Mahimahi, Sailfish, Yellowfin
October 27, 2017
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Dec 10, midnight, Day 1 Location: 16.53’.5S/176.45’.4E 54553 nm
Despite being out of the marina since morning, our first crossing day officially starts now, at midnight. That’s zero hours sailor! We’ve been experienced some drenching squalls, unstable winds and no wind in the last few hours. I do believe that is called an unstable weather pattern. I have night watch stating at 2 am and have gone to my cabin to hopefully sleep. Words can’t express how glad I am I fell straight to sleep.
Just a touch before 2 am Tom wakes me. I fumble for my clothes, make my way up the ladder, thru the hatch, to the cockpit where I join the Captain. He briefs me on what had transpired on his watch. Nothing. Truly. No wind, no weather on the radar, we have calm seas and are under motor going about 5 miles an hour. Mellow. So, with only a few practice drills and a bit of reviewing this afternoon, Tom is headed to his quarters. It’s just me, the blackness of a moonless night and SV Discovery on the start of a 2am to 4am night watch. EECK!
Well, leave it to me to stir things up! Around 2:30 am, the radar shows a large patch of rain ahead of us. I donned my professional sailor’s rain gear – thanks Santori!- and proceed to battened down all the hatches and wait for our boat to get a bit closer to the rain. Remember we are under motor so it’s slow going, 5 miles an hour maybe and the storm could slow down or pick up speed. A light drizzle starts and a good wind picks up. I’m not comfortable. This is way outside my wheel house! So “Nervous Nelly” over here wakes up Tom. Wow! He was up in a flash and takes a takes a quick look at the radar. We put up the rain covering for the salon. As we button it on, the boat rocks as the rain and wind increase. I hope I don’t slip. In minutes we have unfurled the Genoa, pulled the the main sail tight and cut the engines. Now we are sailing. Ahhh, slipping thru the waters as the rains become more intense. Dawn is coming. SOG 7.6. SOG you say? Speed Over the Ground (SOG) is the speed of the vessel relative to the surface of the earth. Capeesche?
Magic Time
It’s now first light, somewhere around 5 am. I will come to learn that twilight is the magical time of the day. As the horizon lightens, a swell of brightness pushes the day into the deep blue sky, the moon bold and bright hanging over the dark waters. A sliver of moon slips away on one side as the sun’s rays rise up bringing fresh, calm, almost spiritual air with a gentle breeze.
The days are filled with chores, cleaning, repairs. There’s plenty time to sleep, read, rest and yes for me prepare lunch and dinner. Down time is filled with near meditative states as the eye searches for something in the distance. The feeling of wind on your face, hair flying about; the sensation of the roll of the boat and the sounds as we cut thru the water, are mesmerizing. I find myself staring at the horizon; yet there is nothing but high clouds of all shapes and sizes and sapphire waters as deeply blue as they are deep. Our fishing lures attract the odd bird, always flying solo. Where do they come from? I wonder where would they rest if we weren’t around? We are at least 100 miles from land in any direction and with layers of blue filling the entire view.
Can you believe the variety of shades of blue? Wild! Oh, remember the fishing rods, nearly always out.
It’s time for our first meal of the crossing. The ride has been really rocking around which of course makes cooking a challenge. My goal is tasty, easy to prepare meals with as few dishes as possible.
The sun fades as the sea swells, it’s a rocky ride as we kick up to 8.3 SOG! A dark, moonless night envelops us.
The bouncing mast light is the only light in the sky in the vast blackness.
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