Thursday, July 10. 2008
Ahoy Barra Trackers!
I'm typing to the sound of water gurgling and swooshing by Barra's gleaming new hull! After a bit of motoring to get out of the Bermuda High, We've now been enjoying fair winds for the last 4 days. If you put this boat in first gear and take your foot off of the gas, she goes 6 Knots! We've pretty much been sailing with a double reefed main, and the jib rolled up to suit the 5-10 knot changes in wind speed that have been characteristic of the last few days. Two days ago we shook out the second reef and logged a 200 mile day sailing before a 15-18 knot breeze. The weather was spectacular, and Barra was filled with merry chatter among the crew.
As Captain of the vessel I declared a "Crew Hygiene Day" and everybody showered in the cockpit in turn. Lately we've encountered a weak low-pressure system that sprung up to our northeast and has tracked in front of us and is now slowly dissipating to our southeast. It has brought a wide variety of mild weather in a matter of just two days: clear skies with towering cumulonimbus clouds, a dramatic approaching cold front with thunder showers, grey skies and drizzle, low and patchy stratus clouds with sun peaking through, and now fog! Drastic decreases in water temperature have changed the climate from balmy to chilly almost instantaneously, and the swirling eddies have been a frequent topic of discussion.
Funny happenings: Rob being shut in the forepeak locker while Stuart threw buckets of water on the hatch to see if it was leaking; Sam straddling the boom to attach the main Halyard and saying "Ride em' cowboy!"; El befriending an injured Petrol that found its way on to the boat in the middle of the night, and a shark eating our first fish as Stuart was hauling it into the boat!
Post by Pat
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