Being a long passage (i.e. over 2 weeks) rookie, I am learning the tricks of the trade. 1 Provision with fun food I am now into baking, a phenomenon that is unlikely to continue at altitudes of more than zero feet. I am looking forward to making pretzels and enjoyed baking the Irish soda bread. Also have easy to eat food for when the passage gets ugly. 2 You will get your Sea Legs As the days pass you do get more comfortable with the motion. I better anticipate the […]
Day 60 – 2nd repost attempt-Remote helpers and more
Great Friends solve Two Fish problem from afar Sailboats have little black cups spinning at the top of the mast which calculate the wind speed. Our unit started to die the day before we left on this 3,000 mile passage. Gail tried a few times to fix it but Furuno advised us that the only solution is to mail it in for service or buy a new one (see previous posts). So we set sail with the thought that many an ocean have been crossed without a wind speed indicator […]
Day 56 – Enormous
In our car trip analogy, (NYC to Miami to LA) we have made it to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. After driving for 3 continuous days, we are about 400 miles into our 3,000 mile journey. El Nino has slowed our progress as large patches have been windless. And unlike our theoretical car, we can not get out for a BBQ in North Carolina. Instead, we had fresh corn bread with chili last night for dinner. We also baked two loaves of banana bread. This morning we caught a 26 pound […]
Day 54 – Mega Passage
As the first day of our long voyage drifts into the record books, I see in sharp relief life onshore versus passage mode. We had our last ice cream, our last laundry, bought as many carrots as we thought might last, weighed anchor and cut our final tether to land, cell service. We are now in the big blue ocean. The earth’s largest ocean. Our 3,000 mile crossing has begun. El Nino has reduced the trade winds and the weather files encouraged us to fill up every jar with extra […]
day 51 – The Curse of Captain Cook
I have been reading a couple of books on Captain Cook. Short version: he explored the South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pole and was eaten by cannibals in Hawaii. As we are sailing in his wake I thought it would be enjoyable to read his adventures, but now I am convinced he is cursing us from the grave (actually from the belly of the Hawaiian who ate him). The evidence of this curse is that every time I read a chapter where something afflicts Cook’s ship something […]
Day 37 – Half way to Galapagos
We are officially in offshore passage rhythm. 2 hours of “on watch” followed by six hours “off watch” is the plan. Reality works out to something different. Mike and Rebecca often share their watches while I will often do the bulk of Gail’s night watches and she does the bulk of my day watches. Our bodies are used to being jiggled, we walk naturally like penguins and hold on to the boat at all times. We enjoying chatting when a crowd forms in the cockpit but also appreciate the silence […]
Day 35 – Where is the fishing gear?
New crew and Two Fish forge an understanding during their first full night at sea. Last night our crew Mike and Rebecca met Two Fish in an ocean breeze of 20 knots with squalls going over 30. Both crew and boat are unscathed and happy. Before buying a boat one might think passages are a test of your ability to fill empty time. You research workouts, download books and possibly pick up a crochet kit. A night passage in a good breeze keeps the crew busy. Fishing sometimes takes second […]
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