Passage to Palmerston, Part IIAugust 11, 200217°52'S, 162°43'W
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What a difference a day makes! I read my last diary entry and never cease to be amazed at the ups and downs of life at sea. As I turned over my watch to Gunter at 2100, I commented, "Beautiful watch. You'll like it out there." The next thing I knew, it was 2330, almost midnight, and the boat was racing and swaying to some mighty waves. I quickly arose and got dressed for action. The sails were full up; we discussed reefing and went to wake Richard. We were up to a Force 6, 20 knots. While we prepared to reef, Force 7 came up on the multimeter above the salon door. We were fast, with Gunter at the electric winch and Richard and I each pulling in the three lines on either side of the winch. We could do it in our sleep by now; in fact, we were half-asleep! Pacific Bliss does have a handy reefing system! But that was the end of my sleep last night, I never did manage to get back to sleep until after my 0300-0600 watch. Life out here doesn't seem fair. We are only interlopers here in the Pacific, where the sea holds sway. Even when the Pacific is placid, I know that she is merely tolerating us. It is a love-hate relationship that I have with her. Perhaps I love the sea so much because I fear her. Her power is awesome and inhuman. What ever happened to the forecast, so carefully analyzed before we left port? The swells are always higher, the winds faster, than they say. Now I have a new source of weather and advice: Russell Radio. I checked in Pacific Bliss for the first time last night. 1000 and 1800-two more obligations in addition to the Coconut Net. But nothing stops us from getting slammed. We are frankly tired of it. All day and into the night the winds have continued, a steady Force 6 again, sometimes up to 30 knots, but always above 25. To think that yesterday we had actually barbecued while underway! Tonight, dinner was grilled cheese sandwiches on paper plates. Nothing spicy, nothing to slop around, few dishes to wash. Back to the basics. We'll cook again when we get there. And of course, we will arrive tomorrow. And we'll just have to hunker down and bear with it until we do. Our biggest problem is slowing down Pacific Bliss. How she hates to be held back in strong winds! Right now she is sailing-if you can call it that-at 5 knots with no main and no jib. That's right. She is just being pushed by the wind and the following seas. We changed our waypoint to go further north of Palmerston before we change course, which lengthens the time to get there, so that we can arrive at the island in the daylight. It will be another difficult passage through the reef, if in fact, it can be done. If not, we anchor out there in the wind. On Aitutaki, we heard that the passage has been dredged to two meters. But by now, we know that rumors are rampant; we'll know when we get there. Until then, it is a challenge for the Captain and his crew not to let fear reign. There's a very real fear of a tricky and windy landfall, and then there is just plain free-floating anxiety when the wind chases us like a freight train. But I am determined to stay strong this night. I am determined not to give into the sea. Go back to Part I
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