We humbly float above
After looking at the weather models and listening to Chris Parker on the crackling short band radio, we had all the weather information we needed - maybe too much information. Four different forecast models covering the next five days. Wind speeds, wind direction, gusts, wave heights, rain, temps, cloud cover, and on and on. It's a good thing but can lead to info paralysis.
We knew the winds would not be too much for Iolair, and we knew we were in for some upwind sailing. That means higher apparent winds, a boat heeled on its side, and lots of wind in the face. We like doing this, but wondered if 24 hours of it would wear us out.
It was a fun day of sailing, zipping along with the sails in close. As night closed in the moon rose. It was almost full and completely unreal - a perfect night for sailing. We plan on 2-3 hours shifts, one would sleep while the other stood a solo watch. And did I mention our 3rd crew member, Flipper? Kelly named our Hydrovane. Flipper steers the boat using a big red vane set to a specific wind angle. The vane nods back and forth in the wind and adjusts the rudder below to keep the boat sailing perfectly. This marvelous machine doesn't need a lick of battery power to do its job. It is currently in first place for "best in kit." Flipper sailed the boat most of the day and night, freeing us to watch the charts and watch for boat traffic on the instruments.
Around midnight, we tacked back away from the coast of New Hampshire. The sea was in washing machine mode, choppy waves back and forth, but the wind was slowly dying. By 2 AM, we turned on the motor and headed south toward Gloucester Point in Massachusetts. As the sun rose in the west, the moon simultaneously set into the fog directly over Boston. We could barely see the tops of high rise buildings.
A couple of miles away, a large humpback whale came completely out of the water, rolled over so I could see it's belly, and came down on it's back. Even miles away I could hear the splash. At first, I thought maybe my mind was playing games with my sleep-deprived eyes. Seconds later, the coast guard sent out a "Securite" message on the radio. One of their cutter ships had just seen a whale heading toward Boston Harbor and the Coast Gaurd was warning all mariners. Later, that same cutter took a pass by Iolair to make sure we were behaving. We humbly float above giants.
We knew the winds would not be too much for Iolair, and we knew we were in for some upwind sailing. That means higher apparent winds, a boat heeled on its side, and lots of wind in the face. We like doing this, but wondered if 24 hours of it would wear us out.
It was a fun day of sailing, zipping along with the sails in close. As night closed in the moon rose. It was almost full and completely unreal - a perfect night for sailing. We plan on 2-3 hours shifts, one would sleep while the other stood a solo watch. And did I mention our 3rd crew member, Flipper? Kelly named our Hydrovane. Flipper steers the boat using a big red vane set to a specific wind angle. The vane nods back and forth in the wind and adjusts the rudder below to keep the boat sailing perfectly. This marvelous machine doesn't need a lick of battery power to do its job. It is currently in first place for "best in kit." Flipper sailed the boat most of the day and night, freeing us to watch the charts and watch for boat traffic on the instruments.
Around midnight, we tacked back away from the coast of New Hampshire. The sea was in washing machine mode, choppy waves back and forth, but the wind was slowly dying. By 2 AM, we turned on the motor and headed south toward Gloucester Point in Massachusetts. As the sun rose in the west, the moon simultaneously set into the fog directly over Boston. We could barely see the tops of high rise buildings.
A couple of miles away, a large humpback whale came completely out of the water, rolled over so I could see it's belly, and came down on it's back. Even miles away I could hear the splash. At first, I thought maybe my mind was playing games with my sleep-deprived eyes. Seconds later, the coast guard sent out a "Securite" message on the radio. One of their cutter ships had just seen a whale heading toward Boston Harbor and the Coast Gaurd was warning all mariners. Later, that same cutter took a pass by Iolair to make sure we were behaving. We humbly float above giants.
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