Post 31
December 14, 2010
08:00
The weather window has thrown its panes wide. Walk On has been motoring through a light, 10-knot breeze that's just enough to fill her conservative sails aloft. She makes a good 4 knots east by north across a fairly calm sea. We've been driving for all of the easting we can in preparation for the reestablishment of the eastern trades that are due back in 3 days. If we get enough easting under our keel in the meantime, we'll be able to reach up to the Marquesas quickly and comfortably rather than having to beat further into 20 knots of easterly tradewind.
My meteorological senses have been tingling as of late. The sky is enclosed with a thick veil of alto-stratus and alto-cumulus. The middle altitude clouds have thrown away their patchy presence and have assimilated the whole of our bright blue sky with their gray sheets of haze. Occasional squalls punctuate the day and bring lengthy downpours with them.
I took to following in Michael's footsteps today and had myself a totally free (to our water stores) freshwater shower from one of these very squalls. As the massive cloud inched our way just a few knots above tradewind velocity, I gathered my towel and shampoo. When the water started to fall a few articles were shed before I strolled up to the foredeck and sudsed up. It wasn't the warmest experience and the cloud passed before I could completely rinse off (a very common happening during free showers), but there was enough water caught in the mainsail bag to finish the job and deem this novel event a success.
The current weather conditions perfectly replicate those of the ITCZ down to the last detail besides their location. We have flukey winds, a grayed-out sky, and random squalls with seemingly endless stores of water within them. I wouldn't say it's unheard of it for the ITCZ to stray this far south, but it would be a pretty rare occurrence for this time of year. I suppose it's been disturbed by some other system and it's just giving us a sneak preview. After our last short beat to the Tuamotus, we aren't complaining about having to motor through a calm to get our precious easting. There's that word again.
16:00
Oh what a fine day for sailing this has turned out to be. A few hours ago someone, not me, made the decision to cut the motor, unfurl the genoa, and see how she sails to windward. The breeze is just above 10 knots and veers from NE to E. She cuts a quiet wake 43 degrees off the apparent wind. Since our windward beat is through weakened 10 knot trades, it turns out not to be much of a beat at all. We're skipping along faster than we ever did with the motor, at about 6 knots, and the slamming bow has become a repressed memory of the past.
The skies have cleared, the sun is lowering, and the moon stands bright in the daylight sky. For things to stay as such for the next few days would make this passage a fine moment in Walk On's passage-making history. These are the kind of days we sail for.
December 14, 2010
08:00
The weather window has thrown its panes wide. Walk On has been motoring through a light, 10-knot breeze that's just enough to fill her conservative sails aloft. She makes a good 4 knots east by north across a fairly calm sea. We've been driving for all of the easting we can in preparation for the reestablishment of the eastern trades that are due back in 3 days. If we get enough easting under our keel in the meantime, we'll be able to reach up to the Marquesas quickly and comfortably rather than having to beat further into 20 knots of easterly tradewind.
My meteorological senses have been tingling as of late. The sky is enclosed with a thick veil of alto-stratus and alto-cumulus. The middle altitude clouds have thrown away their patchy presence and have assimilated the whole of our bright blue sky with their gray sheets of haze. Occasional squalls punctuate the day and bring lengthy downpours with them.
I took to following in Michael's footsteps today and had myself a totally free (to our water stores) freshwater shower from one of these very squalls. As the massive cloud inched our way just a few knots above tradewind velocity, I gathered my towel and shampoo. When the water started to fall a few articles were shed before I strolled up to the foredeck and sudsed up. It wasn't the warmest experience and the cloud passed before I could completely rinse off (a very common happening during free showers), but there was enough water caught in the mainsail bag to finish the job and deem this novel event a success.
The current weather conditions perfectly replicate those of the ITCZ down to the last detail besides their location. We have flukey winds, a grayed-out sky, and random squalls with seemingly endless stores of water within them. I wouldn't say it's unheard of it for the ITCZ to stray this far south, but it would be a pretty rare occurrence for this time of year. I suppose it's been disturbed by some other system and it's just giving us a sneak preview. After our last short beat to the Tuamotus, we aren't complaining about having to motor through a calm to get our precious easting. There's that word again.
16:00
Oh what a fine day for sailing this has turned out to be. A few hours ago someone, not me, made the decision to cut the motor, unfurl the genoa, and see how she sails to windward. The breeze is just above 10 knots and veers from NE to E. She cuts a quiet wake 43 degrees off the apparent wind. Since our windward beat is through weakened 10 knot trades, it turns out not to be much of a beat at all. We're skipping along faster than we ever did with the motor, at about 6 knots, and the slamming bow has become a repressed memory of the past.
The skies have cleared, the sun is lowering, and the moon stands bright in the daylight sky. For things to stay as such for the next few days would make this passage a fine moment in Walk On's passage-making history. These are the kind of days we sail for.
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