My air of catamaran superiority faded quickly last night. As I was wrapping up my watch, Joe said, “EQ2 is on the radio.” I had called to chat with them earlier and now the next crew member on watch on their boat was checking in with us. They were about 5 miles off our starboard side. Mike said, “Is it like a washing machine over where you are?” I told him, “Not so bad- just the odd wave throwing us around but otherwise pretty smooth” and thought to myself, “That performance design in our boat makes all the difference – they’re in a washing machine and we’re doing OK.”
I went down to brush my teeth and heard the sound of water hitting the floor. That’s when we entered the washing machine portion of the trip that’s still going on. I spent an hour mopping up sea water that had come through a rooftop hatch and a side hatch. Cobin came up, sleepily babbling about water. I had not yet figured out the source of the water and was trying to figure out what he was telling me – was his room afloat? Still mostly asleep, he kept laughing and muttering about water. Somewhat exasperated, I said, “Cobin, what do you want?” and he said, “I just wanted to know if you wanted some help.” We mopped up some water that had trickled down the steps into his room and changed his sheet that had been splashed by the infernal small window that will stay shut from now on.
Somehow the water targeted the eggs (why is it always the eggs?) and my produce storage. This morning I was washing and wiping potatoes, carrots and onions. It turned out to be useful because I found a few that had started to rot. The eggs in the photo of the hatch aren’t the eggs that got wet. That would be too convenient – it’s always the eggs stored carefully under or behind something that get wet. The ones that are packed in cardboard that turns to mush when it gets wet. The hatch is facing forward on the boat and is soaked with the waves that splashed directly on it, not from rain.
From that point on, the sea state changed and we have been getting thrown all over the place. The wind has stayed at a constant 15 – 20 knots true which is giving us 20 – 25 knots of apparent wind. We reefed our jib, just like EQ2, and have still been doing 8 – 10 knots.
My Catholic upbringing is rearing up and telling me that I am now doing penance for my pride about Charm. I will be more careful what I write so as not to incur the wrath of the sea. Although I’m not sure Catholics incur the wrath of sea gods . . .
Today we had off from school and off from cleaning because it’s just too bumpy to move around the boat without getting flung around. It was a “wave day.” I took a long nap, Cobin made cookies, Tully listened to an audio book, Marin read and Joe took a power nap in the cockpit. Every single hatch is closed so it’s stuffy down below but it’s cool enough and windy enough outside that we’re getting fresh air blowing through the salon.
The cockpit (outdoor covered area) is completely soaked with sea water. Every minute or so a wave breaks over the bow and the spray comes straight back in sheets or a wave crashes over the side and splashes everything. We left some cushions outside when it was calmer and now they are all completely soaked. I crept out tonight across the damp bench seats to dump some food over the side and when I came back in, after a few minutes, the water on my my legs dried out but were covered with salt.
Tully reported this morning that she had bounced so high on her bottom bunk that she had bumped her nose on the top bunk.
The upside to it is that none of us are seasick (queasiness often comes with upwind sailing) and we are moving briskly along. There’s nothing so unpleasant as moving slowly through unpleasant seas. Marin spent a long time outside with me this afternoon watching the large waves with jewel-like blue tips just where they were breaking into white foam. She said that she liked the big waves, would welcome a storm, and would miss all this when we were back in Colorado. Of course, two days ago, she wanted to leave the boat and go home immediately. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
I tried getting some photos of the waves but the camera never captures their true size or nature. I was always a half second too late to get the spray and I didn’t really want to get the camera covered with salt water. You’ll just have to take my word for it – the waves are unpleasant and on the bigger side.
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