Hard Work, For Some

October 2, 2019

Days at Sea: 298
Days Since Departure: 367

Noon Position: 47 12N  140 03W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): ESE 7
Wind(t/tws): WNW 20+
Sea(t/ft): W 10
Sky/10ths Cover: Cumulus tending toward squalls  5
Bar(mb): 1022, steady
On-deck Temp(f): 62
Cabin Temp(f): 67
Water Temp(f): 60
Relative Humidity(%): 63
Magnetic Variation: 15.7

Sail: Twins poled out, 3 reefs

Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 160
Miles since departure: 37,961

Randall: Hey Monte, have you heard this one? “A guy walks into a bar…”

Monte (perspiring at the tiller and concentrating hard): SENIOR! PLEASE!, if this is no an hemergenthia, then the god of wind and waves and your pilot appreciate you talking only when necessary.

It’s been a challenging day for Monte. Winds are fast and the sea is high. Holding a course is real work, and even with three reefs, the bow is being tugged around a bit too much.

But I want the speed more than balance. Two days of 160 miles or better. Now that’s something. And too, if we can keep up such mileage, we may scoot just far enough E to miss the hard edge of the coming low.

—

The afternoon gets strange, though. Yesterday squalls built up after lunch such that I had to be on watch as their racing winds approached. Every hour I’d roll in sail and roll it back out again when the sky cleared. Luckily, when their heat source went down below the horizon, the squalls melted away and we had a quiet night.

This afternoon, the squalls have taken over the sky. They are heavy and dark, and an hour after sunset they are still crawling up Mo’s skirts. I’ve stayed in foulies. It may be some time before I can relax.