To stay or to go; to stay or to go…we keep vacillating as to whether to take the weather window tonight or wait. The winds will be clocking and the seas calming for a brief time, but whether they’ll stay that way for getting across the Gulf Stream, I don’t know. The currents change direction about in the middle which could give a washing machine effect against the winds.
We’re keeping an eye on the weather reports and on passage weather… Especially since we had a ton of rain last night and this morning. It looks like there are back to back fronts and if they change speed it wouldn’t be fun to be caught in either. If we go, we’ll be racing ahead of a front and if it catches us – well, yuck… Wayne has a tender stomach so it’s up to him really.
I’d emailed Barb and Klaus to see where they were and if they were still planning on meeting up with us to cross. They called this morning and they’re not going to make it. I’m not sure if they’re crossing to the Bahamas or not at this point but there’s lots of exploring to do in Florida too. I hope we get to meet up with them again – I really like them. Maybe at a Cold Stone parlor
Well after the latest 4pm weather and sailing forecasts, I think we’re going for it. We can stay here and get hammered in Lake Worth by 25-30knot winds and sit in temperatures in the 30s or try and catch the favorable winds in front of the weather patterns and take advantage of the low seas. The Gulf Stream is two miles off the shore of Lake Worth – wow I don’t remember it being this close before. After weighing our options, checking the forecasts, and the next window (it’s still closing) we decided to go for it. So we got the outboard on the back of the stern rail and raised the dinghy and lashed it to our foredeck. I tried to stow all the loose stuff below deck in case we got buffeted around and sent an email that we were going to go for the crossing tonight. The plan was to leave at 10pm but I think we’re all for leaving earlier if the seas calm down a little more. That way our odds of getting stuck in some bad weather are slimmer. Chatted more with Mary and went over the forecasts again and we’re both thinking that it’s a safe bet to head out at 8pm. If the seas are still high we can always turn around and come back in. Time to get Otto hooked up (Otto is our Auto-helm – helps with our steering). We can get an hour nap before time to bring the anchor up… hope I can sleep…
7:45pm Mary gave me my wake up call. It’s time to flick on the motor, turn on the instruments, radar, and GPS; Compass light on, the tachometer is playing with us again – working, then not working
9:17pm 26*45.766 x 79*59.055 GPS heading 109*/Compass heading 122* wow – quite a variation. Our course runs 71.5 nautical miles along this line so if the GPS goes out, 122* is what we’ll follow on the compass until we have to change course. I think Wayne is getting queasy… It’s a little choppy out, but the waves are in the expected 1 meter range.
11:30pm location – 26*42.911 x 79*46.090 Okay, it’s a lot choppy but winds/waves are as expected. The seas are pretty confused. Captain not feeling well at all.
I tried to catch a nap – we like to do 3-4 hours on and off watch on night crossings but when I went down into the boat, things were already all over the floor. The way things were rocking, I decided it was a lost cause to try and pick things up, not only that I’d have killed myself in the process, so just side stepped carefully in the dark to get to the V-berth (I always call it a V-berth but I guess the correct term is a Pullman berth).. Stubbed my toe on the nav-station seat…What the heck is that doing opened? Lights on. Oh my…nope it’s not up… but all the way over and off its hinges! I’m not fighting with it now in these rolling seas. Lights off and I get slammed into the V-berth. I tried napping. Have you ever tried to nap on Mr. Toads great adventure ride? It’s like being in a whirling spinning cup that jerks you one way while spinning, then bam, now the other direction while spinning… well the boat was giving me those kinds of motions. At the same time emulating a wash machine action of plunging up and down along with the spinning and whirling motion. I couldn’t imagine Wayne coming down here at all. I tried to wedge myself into the V-berth as best as I could using pillows, foot against the hanging locker, head in the other corner, wall to one side and pillows to keep me tucked in. Wedging myself in didn’t help. I was air born several times, and buffeted all over the “Pullman” berth (hey a bed is a bed to me). After a half hour of this “boat” flagellation I couldn’t take it anymore. Sleep was out of the question and I was starting to get queasy…
I went back up top to see that poor Wayne was busy getting it on with his little bucket…
Clear, whitish fluid came gushing out of him.
I could see him heaving into the bucket and felt bad for him. Having gotten car sick a lot when I was a kid, I could relate to him heaving up stomach acid and bile. Trying to hit the small bucket was no small feat in a dancing, sloshing boat.
Continued on Saturday, Feb 11, 2012 post
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Ohhhhh - love it Pat - at the same time as I commiserate with you. I so identify with the ride in the forward berth!! I generally hang out in the port salon seat but Jim likes the forward berth despite the noise. One of these days I'll put lee cloths on that seat. And that darned nav station seat does tend to come loose at the most inopportune times! Glad you are there and the passage is behind you. xxoo
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