Saturday, June 17, 2017

Mahina Kai – Day 4 Marion to Bermuda – Weatherman said there’d be days like this

Wind SW 6.6kts Seas 1ft
Mahina Kai – Day 4 Marion to Bermuda – Weatherman said there’d be days like this

The Weatherman said there’d be days like this.  There’d be days like this, the Weatherman said.
Having cleared the main Gulf stream current, we are now in the third leg of this race, the Sargasso Sea and Bermuda approach.  The challenge now is to thread the needle of ocean currents and setup a route that provides the fastest path to the finish line outside.

At the Skipper’s briefing on Thursday, the Meteorologist described how the winds from the receding storm on Friday would give way to high pressure areas around Bermuda, and cause winds to lighten.  He said to bring a deck of cards for the last leg.  He was right about that!  In late evening yesterday, winds began to fade, and today we find ourselves with barely four knots of wind and flat seas.  Although we see no vessels around us, we know many other boats are experiencing the same situation. 

When there is a little wind, a sailboat cuts through the chop of the waves and rides relatively smoothly to its powerboat cousins.  But, when there is no wind, a sailboat bobs around like a cork in a bucket.  When waves move past, the boat rocks back and forth, unfilled sails rattling.   It becomes noisy, bouncy, and a difficult place to sleep!

Today on the watch, we have seen some Portuguese Man o’ War, and Sargasso seaweed, which becomes more prevalent once we pass the gulf stream.

Thankfully, we get a little lift in the wind around lunchtime.  We adjust our sails, make final course adjustment to Bermuda, and we are on our way.  Progress is modest, but at least we are making forward advancement against the currents.  This fades after a few hours and in the afternoon we are again halted and bobbing.  There is a wind rally around dinnertime.  We are hopeful for some consistency in the wind, which will make for some progress in the night.

BLT Sandwiches and chicken salad are on the menu, chicken pot pie for dinner, Cookie of the day is: Blue whales.


#SVMahinaKai #MBR2017

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