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Tara - Day 4 and 5



Day 4 – May 14th - The winds died on us this morning and we turned on the engine for an easy motor while we mowed steadily onward towards the much anticipated cold front that the charts show is bearing down on us. You’d never know it though because the sky is a clear and a gorgeous blue color. The highlight of the morning was Mahi Mahi #2. Christopher brought in an 18 pounder and I didn’t screw up the gaffing action this time so we turned the back end of Tara into a filet table and Lisa went to work! The male bull head with its bright green and yellow coloring made for some nice photos that we will post if we EVER make it to Bermuda.

After the front passed with little fanfare, we thought we were home free for morning arrival on Friday. But the Bermuda Triangle had other plans. Out of nowhere, we ran into a 1.5 knot current going right into us. Then two hours after the front passed, the winds went from nothing to 18knots right on our nose. We set the sails and tacked off to the west but it sure seemed like we were heading straight to Europe instead of straight to Bermuda. What started out as a great day ended as a frustrating long diversion. Oh, the Mahi Mahi Lisa prepared was excellent!

Day 5 – May 15th - Today has been a miserably frustrating day. We have tacked several times as the wind direction changes often. We have tried motoring straight in, motor-sailing, and sailing all with little success. Just when it was getting easy to feel sorry for ourselves about not being able to get into Bermuda before sundown, we where hailed by another rally vessel with REAL issues. Rhea called us and needed help because they ran over a net that fouled their prop and the sea state was such that no sane person would go under the boat. They we were crossing paths on opposite tacks about 60 miles from Bermuda when they called us for assistance to help arrange for a tow tomorrow morning at the mouth of the entrance to Bermuda. 

With our SAT phone we were able to do that. The bad news is that I don’t see how those guys can sail there by tomorrow morning with the wind and seas on our nose. We are only making progress by motor-sailing. The engine is needed to bash through these endless 6 foot waves that seem to hit every 2 or 3 seconds. We have agreed to meet for drinks at the bar Saturday night for the help given but I’m just hoping they are in by then. I’ve never seen seas so sloppy and frustrating. With both the wind and the waves hitting us from the front, progress has been a fight! It is 4pm with 25 miles to go and we are hoping to arrive by midnight. Yikes!




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