Day 3: Passage from MX to FP

What a difference a few hours make.  I left my night shift with only 8 knots of wind, boat going 3.7.  I woke up at 8am with up to 20 knot gusts and the boat moving along at 6-8 knots.  Seas VERY lumpy; combo of wind waves and swells. 

No seasickness yet, but we’re not super excited to eat.  Breakfast fig bars taste good.  Unfortunately, we need to keep making progress west for this passage, going south with the waves puts us into a potential calm (no winds) zone and into some reverse currents.  We are currently hauling along at 9 knots boat speed, but big seas on beam.  The combo of big seas on the beam, along with gusts, are problematic for catamarans that want to stay upright and we need to decrease the sail we have out.  We just put 2 reefs in the main and 1 reef in our Genoa (decreasing sail we have out).   It is very active steering and watching currently, trying to anticipate waves.  Current swells 6-9 feet with 5-6 foot wind waves on top.  More flying fish on deck this morning.

Lunch was going to be poke, but boat moving too much and crew not that hungry.  So, Kraft Mac and Cheese with salmon and veg mixed in for lunch it is.  Draining the boiling water off the noodles in between waves was a big enough challenge for me.  I was able to chop up salad veg and cook tuna steaks for dinner; yummy!

I look out the window in the galley and feel a brief moment of panic, looking the large seas and expanses of water all around.  I then take a big breath and start to breathe into the big seas, find myself moving with them rather than resisting the movement, listening to the seas breathe back.  Here I am, where I ought to be.

All through the day and throughout the night passage we felt we were in a washing machine – sailing along with swells and wind waves from behind and on the beam, both directions, the boat groaning, fits of sleep for all.  In the dark, you can’t anticipate big rollers.  We think this is a result of a “swell event” that occurred north of here and is working its way out.  We’re hoping we can say see you later to these beam seas very soon.

Total miles over the last 24 hours: 149.1 nm

Average speed in last 24 hours:  6.2 knots

Total miles of trip so far: 401.8 nm