Mahina Kai – Day 3 Marion to Bermuda – Gulf stream

Wind SW 8.4kts Seas 1-2ft

Mahina Kai – Day 3 Marion to Bermuda – Gulf stream

This morning marks our half-way point to Bermuda!

One of the complexities of crossing the Atlantic Ocean is remediating the impacts of the gulf stream current.  Most of us know about the basic current flow from the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida, to northern Europe, which then sinks as a cold current and returns South.  In reality though, there are arm-like offshoots from the main current, and large areas of spinning cold or warm eddies that can stay active for years.  These create beneficial or opposing currents that can help or hinder progress.

A second complexity is the prevailing weather.  Two years ago, remnants of TS Bill, moving through New England and easterly off shore created strong winds in opposition to the gulf stream current.  This combination increases the seas, wave heights, and compresses the wave frequency, and made for a very rough ride.  This year, a gale moved North of New England before the start, giving us a lively sailing day for the start, but has now left us with several areas of high pressure and relatively calm weather now. 

Part of the strategizing of this race is to determine the impacts of the main gulf stream and the eddy currents which may be moving in favorable or unfavorable directions.  All the boats are sailing their own race now, and are trying to determine the best path through the gulf stream.  Each vessel wants to take advantage of these currents, especially considering the light winds, to position themselves for a good approach to Bermuda upon exiting the stream.

 

Have seen a couple pods of dolphins swimming nearby, and a few sea birds.

Thai peanut noodles for lunch, dinner of Lasagna, Cookie of the Day: Frosted starfish

#SVMahinaKai #MBR2017

Mahina Kai - Day 2 Marion to Bermuda – Over the edge

Wind SW 12.8kts Seas 1-2ft

Mahina Kai - Day 2 Marion to Bermuda – Over the edge

While the first half-day of the race is characterized by the activity of the start, the second day is about leaving the continental shelf behind, and arriving at the gulf steam current.

As the race moves along, the pack spreads out.  During night watch, we leave one nearby boat behind, and a USNA sailboat which has been shadowing our course within sight, changes heading to pass behind us, turns off AIS, and within an hour is gone from sight.  Nothing else in sight now, and it may stay that way until the final hours of the arrival in Bermuda.

There is a boat race in the Western US, from Port Townsend WA to Ketchikan AK, which ran a couple of weeks ago.  It apparently is open to vessels of all sorts without an engine, and I saw kayakers, catamarans with oars, human-powered craft, and many others on TV coverage.  The race distance is similar to MBR, but it is a near-shore race, with support services along the way and ports that a boater can pull into in case of trouble.   Being a near-shore race, it seems to me that you never are forced to say farewell, cut the apron strings, and head into the abyss.  One of the racers said: “To reach Ketchikan you have to build your own little victory, every hour of every day.” 

Those are true words no matter what the challenge.  In offshore racing, once you are in the big blue ocean, you need to be your own problem solver and build those little victories.  There are two “on your own” moments in this race.  The first is when, late in day 2, the depth gauge flips from around 200-300 feet over the continental shelf, to “no reading”.  When I write that in the log, I always think of a final scene from the “Titanic” movie, and it’s a long way down!  The second is when, at the end of day 2, the boat enters the gulf stream.  When the prevailing winds and the prevailing seas meet the gulf stream current it creates a cacophony of sea state.  Pilot-friends talk about the Yaw, Pitch, and Roll of an aircraft, and you get all of those in the gulf stream seas as these weather forces meet.

 

Dinner of Tortellini soup with Shepard’s pie, and the Cookie of the day: “fair winds” Clouds

#SVMahinaKai #MBR2017

Mahina Kai - Day 1 – Marion to Bermuda – Settle In

Wind SW 18kts Seas 4-6ft

Mahina Kai - Day 1 – Marion to Bermuda – Settle In

The day of the race is partly spent recovering from the crew dinner/party the night before, partly making final preparations for the race, and come 12:00: the start! 

The race committee is always helpful with specific directions for race completion (see IG photo).  We appreciate all their hard work to setup and manage the race.

There are multiple size/weight classes at the start, so it takes about an hour to get all boats across the line and into the race.  Friday was a lively sailing day in Buzzards Bay, and there was plenty of opportunity for strategizing how to best set-up to exit the bay.

We are lucky to have Cathyann as a pastry chef on our shore crew.  She supplies each Mahina Kai race crew with the “cookie of the day”.  Day 1 cookie is cute lemon sailboats, and the package contained the message “Settle in”.  These were preceded by a dinner of pulled pork sandwiches & cole slaw.

Once the excitement and drama of the start is over, settling in is exactly what we do, preparing the next four days.  It is said that MBR is three-races in one… the Buzzards Bay leg, crossing the Gulfstream current, and the Bermuda approach.  A storm moving north Thursday night gave us good wind with clear skies for the start.  The Gulfstream crossing will include its own weather mysteries, but we anticipate the final leg with some trepidation.  Not because of heavy weather, but because of a forecast for quiet winds.  The meteorologist told us to “bring a deck of cards”.

#SVMahinaKai #MBR2017