SUN
July 5, 2018
Day 187/17
Noon Position: 40 31N 131 34W
Course/Speed: ESE4-5
Wind: W6-12
Bar: 1017, rising
Sea: W4
Sky: CLEAR
Cabin Temperature: 68
Water Temperature: 62
Sail: Twins poled out
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good: 150
Miles this leg: 2,339
Avg. Miles this leg: 138
Miles to San Francisco: 445
The low gave us a good push overnight. And with just the working jib to pull us along, it was a gentle ride. The gray sky and a boulder-ridden sea crashing a kind of ice blue reminded of the Southern Ocean in a tempest-in-a-teapot sort of way. It was pleasant to feel the power of wind on water, to feel Mo shouldering her way resolutely through steep 8 and 12-footers, to take that slapping break against her windward quarter and to swing right back.
Wind was steadily in the 30s all night. Emphasis on steady. I slept well.
Today we’ve been working around the bottom of the low, or what remains of it. Winds have gone from N to W over the course of the day, but their strength has drained away. Now we run with the twins poled in 10 knots astern. A bumpy ride in the leftover slop. A yank and bang kind of ride. One of the least pleasant kinds of sailing. Chews up the gear as you go nowhere.
The real news, though… SUN. And, for a time at least, almost no cloud. This is the first time since the 22nd of June we’ve seen unfiltered sun. Almost two weeks of cloud, rain, and fog. Endless fog.
Squalls are at our back now. We’ll see what tonight holds, but I’ll bet it’s not much in the wind department.
445 miles to go at noon. Still 429 as I type. Slow.
Randall, getting closer to the barn with every breath of wind!!! Crazy isn’t it, how that unfiltered sunshine lifts the spirits and makes a day happier and of course much brighter!! Except in the tropics where all you do is search for shade!! Still, it is always a thrill to see that lovely sunshine, sparkling sea, after dreary weather!