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Starblazer - Starblazer 17/01/2014 – What a difference a day makes.



During Thursday we had almost everything except rain! The overnight watches
were not pleasant with winds in the 22-25 knot range with gusts up to 30,
which is nearly gale force. We were well reefed and the winds were not a
problem but the accompanying seas were evil. The seas and swell came from
different directions and rolled the boat alarmingly at times. One
unexpected roll threw me off the seat at the nav station, dumping me on the
floor between the engine room and a cupboard. The laptop also went flying
but, thankfully, still works.

The winds abated and backed during the morning but the seas remained very
confused. We shook the reefs out of the genoa to increase boat speed and
slowly altered course, following the wind, away from our destination! By
late afternoon we decided we had to change the sail plan again. It took an
hour (again) to rig one pole and devise a method of supporting both genoas
on it. The seas had calmed to the extent that we were both happy working on
deck. We are now sailing wing and wing, genoa poled out to port and
mainsail out to starboard with a preventer rigged to keep the boom out the
right side and avoid a gybe. The immediate increase in speed and direction
was just reward.

Our noon run was 192 miles towards our destination of which 180 were boat
speed through the water and 12 were current over the ground. We had just 200
miles to go but, there is always a ‘but’, the current is now against us and
the wind is dying. It is now midnight, the sea is calm enough for me to sit
in the cockpit typing this, the wind has dropped to 13 knots and we are
sailing at 6 knots. Unfortunately we are only making 5 knots over the
ground because of the adverse current. Our hopes of a good night’s sleep
tomorrow, safely anchored off an idyllic island, are a distant dream. We
will probably arrive around midnight, depending always on the wind, and it
is unsafe to attempt to navigate among the islands in the dark so we’ll have
to sail up and down or hove-to until the sun comes up. Another night of 3
hours on and 3 hours off! We mustn’t complain. Four years ago our friends
on Camomile got a severe beating in gale force winds in this area off the
Columbian coast.

The cook had the night off! Dinner was a can of cassoulet, a bit past its
best before date but delicious none the less.

Message to the wind gods, please can we have a little more? 20 knots would
be lovely and I promise not to complain if it makes the seas a bit lumpy!

Joyce


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