When cruisers say goodbye to one another they nearly almost always say, "Fair Winds and Following Seas." There's a reason they do that, and today was the reason.
 |
| Back Creek Annapolis |
We set out from Back Creek at about 0730, passing our new friends Carl and Ardys as they brought their Saga 43 in to the dock for service. A quick hello as we passed and then we motored just out of the channel before cranking out the staysail. The apparent wind was cranking up to the low 20s, substantially higher than the 5-10 predicted, and we were hard on the wind until we could make the turn to the south, so we decided on the staysail rather than the jib. Even with just the small staysail up and 3-4 foot waves, we were skimming along at 5 knots. Once we cleared the point and turned south, the apparent wind dropped to 15-20 so the staysail was stowed, the genoa cranked out, and the whisker pole set. It was magic. 45.8 miles, 9 hours 13 minutes, top speed 7.7 knots, average speed 5 knots, perfect temperature, and the new autopilot performed flawlessly. It was the sail cruiser dreams are made of, and the "Fair Winds and Following Seas" greeting is the best wish I can pass along to the rest of you making your way south. We hope you get to share the magic.
 |
| Back Creek in the Solomons |
We set out from Back Creek at about 0730, passing our new friends Carl and Ardys as they brought their Saga 43 in to the dock for service. A quick hello as we passed and then we motored just out of the channel before cranking out the staysail. The apparent wind was cranking up to the low 20s, substantially higher than the 5-10 predicted, and we were hard on the wind until we could make the turn to the south, so we decided on the staysail rather than the jib. Even with just the small staysail up and 3-4 foot waves, we were skimming along at 5 knots. Once we cleared the point and turned south, the apparent wind dropped to 15-20 so the staysail was stowed, the genoa cranked out, and the whisker pole set. It was magic. 45.8 miles, 9 hours 13 minutes, top speed 7.7 knots, average speed 5 knots, perfect temperature, and the new autopilot performed flawlessly. It was the sail cruiser dreams are made of, and the "Fair Winds and Following Seas" greeting is the best wish I can pass along to the rest of you making your way south. We hope you get to share the magic.
2 comments:
Do you rig your whiskerpole without a pole lift? I can't tell from the picture.
Rhonda & Robert
S/V Eagle Too
Pensacola, Florida
www.LifeOnTheHook.com
@Robert - see the more recent post on coming unraveled...
Post a Comment