Monday Nov 14
Friday Nov 11 at 1030 the race started. We woke up to 45 degree temp and blowing about 20-25 kts. We reefed the main before the start and let most of the boats start ahead of us to play it safe. We crossed the line at about 1040.
Unfortunately the wind was directly behind us which made the boat rock and roll a lot. To avoid the rollin we gybed back and forth out of the bay crossing over 2 tunnels (there are no bridges crossing the Chesapeake entrance so they could not be bombed and lock the Atlantic fleet in). To add to the confusion there were at least 10 ships from commercial, to military, to coast guard coming in and out through these narrow openings on the causeway. We listened to the ship Cptns calling various vessels to figure out how to get by them without running them down. These ships are hundreds of feet long and need miles to stop or turn.
We sailed downwind through the day bundled up in sweaters and coats, on a course that would get us to the edge of the Gulf Stream. At this point the Gulf Stream curves around Hattaras and flows Northeast at about 1.5 to 2 kts. The water temp before we reached the Gulf \stream was 49 degrees and by the time we got through it, we were up to 70. We want to get through it, at the shortest distance so it does not push us too far off course. It took us about 10 hours and fortunately was not very rough. We were able to sail through i,t but by the time we got out the other side the wind started to die down.
We start the engine twice a day to charge the batteries, and one time the alarm sounded suggesting overheating. We turned it off, checked everything out and found nothing wrong. Started her back up and she has been running fine ever since. Hmmm.
Since crossing the stream we have done a mixture of sailing and motoring but for the last 36 hours we have only motored. Very light winds and a current of about 1-1.5 knots against us. There have been boats around us in sight or just over the horizon (shown by our radar) the entire time. The water temp has since climbed to 79 degrees and we are now back to shorts and T shirts.
Every day John K has put out his fishing line hoping we catch us some fresh dinner but the only thing we have had is sautéed Sargasso. Instead we have been eating homemade Lasagna from Karen (Carl's partner), homemade soup by Karen (2), (John K's partner) and instant mashed potatoes from John L, which were amazingly good. And yes my partner is also Karen (3) so there has been many a mix up.
It is now 0935 and I just finished my shift from 0600 to 0900. The sun as it comes up over the horizon on the ocean is very breathtaking and I don't get tired of seeing it every morning. Sunsets have also been amazing. Where is that green flash?
Michael