Bermuda to Azores | Day 7
On the bow watching the dolphins play
Day 7 brought a little sugar and a little spice. It started out with Ken so rudely informing me that we had not reached the halfway mark and that we still had 1100-ish miles to go. Party pooper. Then this morning, upon my waking after a mostly sleepless night, he had the nerve to inform me that I might not be able to have coffee. The weather system we were expecting has reared its head. But I am getting ahead of myself.
The day started with no wind, and we continued to motor. But by lunchtime, the winds picked up enough at an angle we could sail. So from lunch until 3 pm, it was a glorious, calm, and casual sail. We even had another pod of dolphins come to play, and it was calm enough to go out onto the boat deck to watch them and capture some video.
My afternoon shift ended at 3 pm, and we started talking about the coming weather system and when we needed to reef the sails in preparation. Ken had barely gotten that question out of his mouth when we heard the winds begin to roar. So we all scrambled into action. We put two reefs in our main sail and a healthy reef in our headsail. The winds picked up so fast, and then the seas rose really quickly, too. Waves were crashing on the port (left) side of the boat, pushing us all around. One broke, sending a good splash into the cockpit. The amount of water we were taking over the side of the boat was kind enough to show us all the leaks we have inside the boat. It is hard to chase down leaks because they could originate at the spot you see them, or they could come from ten feet away.
Making dinner tonight in the midst of all of that was quite the production. I wish we had hidden cameras around the boat just to show you how hilariously chaotic it is. But we managed to cook and eat a Thai red curry meal without any major disasters, despite the sea state. It just took time and extra hands to steady things.
Being in the boat during a weather system can feel kind of ominous. When you are below, the winds roar, and it sounds like you’re in a hurricane. You have your regular waves that pitch the boat one side, but every now and then, you get what feels like a 300-pound linebacker who just found out his wife was cheating on him, violently crashing into the boat and shoving you around. We have been in weather like this before when we brought the boat back from Grenada. She is a solid boat. She proved that to me on that trip. So I know she can take it. It is why we bought her—to cross oceans. So she is doing great, and I am thankful. Me, without coffee, well, that is a whole different story.
We are currently getting sustained winds of 20kts, with gusts to 25kts and 8-foot seas, with an occasional 10-footer. This is not dire. It is just uncomfortable. But we expect the system to continue to build, so we are regularly monitoring weather updates and prepared to adjust course if and when needed.
Hopefully, today, unless Ken decides to burst my bubble again, we have crossed the halfway point.
We do have another, larger system on the heels of this one that we are also paying close attention to, so if you’re the praying type, we’d appreciate your prayers.
The dolphin visit was definitely a highlight of our day—that and another FaceTime call with our granddaughter. Nothing like baby smiles and coos to bring a smile to your face and give you some extra pep in your step.
All is well.
Day Seven Stats
Nautical Miles Sailed In The Last 24 Hours 152
Average Boat Speed 6.3 kts
Max Boat Speed 8.5 kts
GPS Coordinates 38 43.998N 48 19.331W
Miles to go 922
Here are a few more pictures and a video of the dolphins and our attempt to capture video of the seas. If you are reading from your phone, be sure to click the link to view the post on the website in order to see the dolphin video!
Our friendly visitors yesterday morning
Surfing the waves at the bow
Monica chasing down a leak to protect the bed. Seeing her feet poking out like that in the midst the boat being slung around made me giggle.