Lost Our Squall Virginity

Day: 10 Distance: 138/1047

To celebrate our first official lightening laced squall, I panicked and stuck everything we own in the oven. All our electronics now smell vaguely like burnt lasagna. I swear this is a normal reaction. Anyone else would have done the same.

The wind is still knocking us along at 20 knots from the northeast. I know that our good friend Jamie would tell us this is perfect. We are going at a lickity split rate while the seas and wind never get so large as to make the entire expedition dodgy. However, it does have a tendency to make the seas a bit rolly and we're all going back to being super tired.

Part of the exhaustion is, of course, due to covering Jaime's watches in addition to our own. However, she is one the mend. She took her own watch tonight, and she appears to be keeping fluids down even though we are less than completely successful with the solids. It's good to have her back on the crew.

PPJ Note #3: CUSHIONS. I know most cruisers, particularly monohull cruisers, are familiar with lee cloths -- those nice little cloth curtains that keep you from rolling out of a bunk when a monohull is heeled over. I'd like to also recommend that all folks making a long passage brings lots and lots of cushions. In fact, a metric buttload of cushions would not go amiss. Since the boat never stops rocking and bouncing, going to bed is a lot like trying to fall asleep while balanced on a pilates ball. What I've been able to do is create a molded mound of cushions which encapsulates me in a fashion very similar to the way foam packaging is molded around high end electronics for shipping. As a result, I bounce back and forth in my packaging without actually rolling or jostling too much. It's a PITA rolling over as it requires a complete reorganization of the cushions, but the hassle is well worth the increase in comfort.

Loose Pointer is about 80 miles west and slightly south of us now. They have decided that when they hit N8, they are going to turn right until they see a good opportunity to cross the ITCZ. This sounds like a lovely idea until I look at the 14' rollers coming in from the north right now. Nothing on earth short of an enormous ball of lightening straight in front of me is going to get me to turn beam on to 14' seas. There has got to be a better way.

~ Toast
April 26, 12:30 UTC
N09 08.3 W122 45.4