December
19, 2000 Stories
in this section... St. Lucia
Madness or Masquerade? Stories
in this section...
Don't stop de carnival-or,
how to become a cruising sailor on a new boat and remain functionally
sane, Jan 24, 2001. St. Lucia Until the Butter Melts Rockin', Rollin' and Cookin' Right Along! Thanksgiving Day at Sea-Our 1000-Mile Celebration Race to the Finish by Lois Joy, December 19, 2000 St. Lucia It is incredible how fast the time has gone from the halfway party to Land-Ho. There has never been a day on this crossing that has been boring. We had a few idle days in which we read, “networked”, and Pacific Bliss was just averaging 6 to 7 knots. But the thrust of activities the past few days has been port-oriented.
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As we run out of provisions, I’m updating the computerized provisioning list and making out shopping lists. I’m working on my journal and the website now in earnest, thinking of all that the adventures we’ve had since leaving Canet, wanting to document them lest I forget. The laundry bag is full, the crew having changed bedding and towels at the halfway point. Gunter, Gottfried and I have been busy making lists of work to be done on Pacific Bliss, marine supplies, and planning the remainder of Voyage 1, from St. Lucia to San Diego. After our halfway point, when we had a few quiet days with calmer seas, the B&G began to estimate our time of arrival later than the ticket Anne held. That caused some consternation on board. With the wind directly from the east at our stern, we began to fly the spinnaker at night as well as during the day to make better time. Rainbow
over a stormy Atlantic Last night, on a watch after the sun had set and before the half moon rose like a white sugar bowl behind our stern, Pacific Bliss had quite a wild ride in store for me. Seated at the starboard helm, I began the watch marveling at the flickering phosphorescence jumping from the waters surging past the two aft hulls. “There is so much life in the sea that I know nothing about,” I thought. “I need to find a book about this.” Pacific Bliss interrupted my reverie with her constant surging, as if the wind could not push her fast enough. 9 knots-no, 10 knots-then 12 knots-how about 14-16 knots? We were racing through the night! When the wind gusted to Force 7, I woke up Gottfried, considering reining her in by taking down her spinnaker, but oh I hated to do that, the ride was so exhilarating. A rain shower came and went, and then another. But these were not squalls, so we decided to let her race on. With my light foul weather gear, wearing shorts and bare foot, I kept an eye on the spinnaker and let Pacific Bliss run and run through the night, her sleeping passengers bouncing on their foam mattresses. The day brought a series of showers and squalls, as if Poseidon needed to teach us a few lessons before we raced out of his grasp. We had experienced such a charmed crossing up until now: only two rain showers-less than ten minutes each-and no squalls or thunderstorms. Forward Hull Cuts Force Seven
Seas. journal16.html
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