Post 9

A Storm Approaches and What Happened to the Tomatoes?!

As the sun begins to dip below the horizon, the sky takes on a rich, orange hue. You can feel the cool breeze on your face, and the sound of the water lapping against the rocking hull of the boat is constant and soothing. However, the peacefulness is short-lived.

As we continue to sail, the Captain’s use of “SailGrib WR” enables us to pickup and monitor a low-frontal system beyond the horizon approaching from the northwest. Eventually it begins to catch us and the sky darkens, and the wind begins to pick up. The once calm sea now churns like a washing machine, and the boat rocks and pitches as it makes its way through the confused waves. 

Despite the sudden change in weather, Captain Anthony had a plan - “minimal stress on the boat and crew”; in long hand … find the weakest section of the storm and sail within that area until the storm passes.  And that is what we did for several hours, first tacking and later jibing in various directions to head southeast then west then southeast again staying in the weaker sections of the storm, until it past.

While it was generally a very sporty day on the open sea(see my updated plain language description of “sporty conditions”below, which supplements my prior description of a “sporty galley”), I fully expected these types of conditions (and worse) during the five-plus week crossing. You know the phrase, “plan for the worst and hope for not so bad.” Or “smooth seas do not make skillful sailors!” I always consider any rough conditions as “practice.” The more you practice, the more skills you acquire. When it matters the most, there won’t be time to practice.

Sporty conditions on the open ocean are, to say the least, the best practice I can get. Especially with learning the personality of a new boat. The term “sporty” typically refers to conditions with moderate waves, (5 feet), some wind (20 to 30 knots), and a bit of chop (5 foot high waves close together coming from various angles). These conditions are usually ideal for recreational activities like surfing or sailing, where the waves are big enough to provide a challenge but not so large as to be overly dangerous - as long as you know how to handle those conditions. In sporty conditions, boats can typically maintain a good speed and stability, and the ocean may feel exhilarating (that is one way to put it!).

As the storm and heavy rains began to subside, the sky cleared and “Just Live” is grateful the practice session is over for now and for the heavy rains that cleaned off six days of ocean spray salt. The next morning (day seven of our time at sea; 1000 nautical miles from our start in La Rochelle), the crew was greeted by slow rolling calm seas, a blue sky, and shorts and tee shirt conditions. 😎 

With the favorable turn in weather, it was time to open up the aft salon area for lunch. “Move over tomatoes, we are going to join you!” Oh and did I tell you the Captain is also a great cook. He made fresh pita bread which we stuffed with cheese, jam, salami, and tomato (sorry tomatoes, but you had to see it coming 🤪). Yum Yum!

Oh shite! The darn “House Martins” are back! Gotta go close doors and hatches again!

Cheers,

Paul

P.S. Remember, you can click on this tracker link to follow us across the Atlantic on an interactive map via Iridium Go - thanks to Captain Anthony.