17º 30.450s 146º 44.708w
Sun Sep 29 2019
We
waved goodbye to Moorea and Tahiti yesterday morning on the promise of an
encouraging weather forecast. We figured we’d have to motor and/or motor sail
for around 12 to 16 hours then we’d be off and running with the hopes of laying
the South end of Tahanea. I guess they call ‘em weather guessers for a reason.
. .
About
an hour into the trip we were surprised to have some nice sailing conditions,
so up came the main and out with the jib. A bit later we realized it was
perfect conditions for the screecher so out it came and we picked up another
1.5 knots or so. Well, it didn’t last and pretty soon we were motoring along in
flat seas and about 4 knots of headwind, so we elected to aim East Southeast to
be in a good position to lay Tahanea when the wind did fill in. We ended up
motoring until about 0245 this morning when Isabel finally decided there was
enough wind to raise the main which I had stowed just a few hours earlier, roll
out the jib, and when I awoke around 0530 this morning we were sailing along
quite nicely, thank you very much. Three to four knots isn’t scalding fast, but
it doesn’t involve noise and consuming diesel and more frequent oil changes, so
I’m all for it.
Today
was going swimmingly until we found ourselves in a big blue hole on the
forecast chart, a virtually windless area where local conditions matched the
forecast. Another opportunity to push Southeast while burning dinosaurs, aiming
to motor out of the big blue hole. Our strategy worked and late afternoon we
were sailing again at 3 – 4 knots. Isabel whipped up a killer Indian curry with
leftover lamb roast, and we feasted mightily. Conditions were mellow as she
headed off to bed around 1830, leaving me and Shawnee to tend the store.
Naturally
the wind started to pick up after dark, and a squall suddenly appeared on the
radar screen. Once we started tickling 20 knots apparent wind and hitting over
8 knots speed over ground I began to seriously consider reefing. The seas were
getting lumpy and it was obvious it could be a stormy night, so in went reef 1.
Well that slowed things down a bit, but the wind and seas continued to build so
reef 2 was next. I played around with furling half the jib as well, but
eventually the wind calmed a bit and out came the jib to keep the speed up.
Now
of course there are 2 reefs in, and the wind has settled so that we’re doing a
lousy 5.5 - 6.5 knots, but the seas are still lumpy so perhaps that’s fast
enough. There are bound to be more squalls tonight and the last thing Isabel
needs is to have to put a reef in during a nasty rain storm. Likely that would
involve getting me out of bed to help, so that’s the last thing I need too.
We’ll make do with our 2 reefs and roll up some jib as needed to slow things
down. The good news is the sail angle is just what we need to lay the South end
of Tahanea atoll, and a Monday early morning rounding of that tip to make the
pass during slack water at 1000 looks realistic. Yachtzee!
As
much as I like to go fast, beating the boat up doesn’t pay big dividends.
Beating the crew up is just plain stupid. It’s one thing to push during
daylight hours when we can see squalls forming in the distance and get ready
for them. It’s another to pound along in the black of night creating a poor
sleeping environment. Are we getting older? Yes, but we’re also getting
smarter. We’re not on our way to a fire, we’re sailing our house in
“interesting conditions”, so why push it?
Still,
a 200 mile day would be a kick in the ass. Maybe if we can get the seas on the
stern and enjoy a clear, cloudless night with a big moon. Maybe next week when
we’re driving towards Fatu Hiva.
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