Two Kinds of Sailors

Note: this posting is from several days ago - we'll be caught up soon.

Current location: Marsh Harbor, Abacos, Bahamas

Current weather: Hot, sunny, lovely – nights are cool for good sleeping too.

Favorite boat names seen recently (demonstrating what a male oriented “sport” sailing is:

For Pete’s Sake

Boys R’ Us

Dad's Gone Mad

Warwick is the kind of sailor that likes to sail off the anchor when we leave the anchorage (and not turn on the motor). He likes it when the wind is pretty brisk and we are going fast; he loves it when we are ahead of others! He keeps an eye on the GPS speed. He keeps the sails up when others have taken them down (like going through bridges on the ICW). He is confident that when there is a squall or something different and new, he (we) can handle it.

Wendy, on the other hand, likes gentle winds, especially when they are on the beam (at right angles to the direction of the boat). She doesn't like it when the boat heels (leans) too much. She keeps an eye on the depth sounder. She worries about big waves, storms, and anything new and different.

Why do I tell you this? Because we have had some pretty amazing days of sailing in higher winds and seas than we had previously known. Remember we were waiting in Spanish Wells for the right weather to cross north to the Abacos? Well, the trip was memorable.

We left on Friday morning March 27, from an anchorage we had moved to called Royal Island. A number of boats were planning to leave together, in spite of predicted high seas (10 ft waves), but because the wind was a bit lower (10-15 knots) and the weather was going to get worse afterwards for the next several days, about a dozen boats decided to cross. We were up early and pulled anchor at 7am as planned, to travel with Pryde, Tradition and Perseverance II. BUT as we did so, I (Wendy) got cold feet and changed my mind. Warwick, being the sport that he is, dropped the anchor again as we watched the other boats sail away. We hemmed and hawed, listening to them on the vhf radio for updates, and to other weather news. FINALLY, as the last boat left, I agreed we should try it too (with the qualification that we would come back if it was too rough).

We followed the last boat out (Latitudes)and stayed with or near them most of that long and eventful day. It was a pretty spectacular day in all sorts of ways. Neither of us had ever been in such high seas and for such a long time (50 miles, we left at 8am and anchored at about 6pm. Exhausting, but because the wind was only about 15 knots and the skies were clear and sunny, it felt manageable. The swell was tremendous, enough to get me feeling pretty sick. And it was HARD work, keeping the boat going in the direction we needed to go.

The most amazing part of the day was as we entered the cut (recall the transition I talked about in the last posting?). Since the swell was so large and it was going "in" (ie. the tide was going from low to high so the flow was inward and strong), we literally surfed in, on the biggest and scariest waves I have ever seen. At one point Warwick looked down at the GPS and it recorded 14.2 knots of speed which is about 16 miles an hour (normal hull speed for our boat is 7.7 knots- about 9 miles an hour). The surfing lasted for about 50 yards. We were both pretty tense, awed and very happy with the boat's performance.

Once past the cut, we found Pryde, Tradition and Perseverance II and breathed a sigh of relief. The next day, arriving in Marsh Harbor, we caught up with Latitudes and spent the next days sightseeing in Marsh Harbor and Hopetown.

Now we head north, with Latitudes (saying goodbye to our other friends for the time being).

Mar 29, 2009

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