Surprise Sail

3.3.11

We woke up this morning planning on spending a lazy day on the boat since a front was moving through the area, we expected some rain and high winds. However, when we checked the GRIBS that morning, we realized the front had stalled a bit and although it had rained yesterday, it was supposed to be clear today with winds up to 20knots. The following day the winds were supposed to build and the rain was to hit again. Well, I hate sailing in the rain, so our mind was made up. We quickly got our butts into gear and readied the boat for sailing. We were on the water with our sails raised 45 minutes later!
We were on a beam reach, flying along the water at 6knots. And it only got better, or worse, depending on which way we chose to look at it. We were traveling in the right direction to harness all the power of the wind and as the day wore on, we reached 7, even 8, knots, which is our max speed in our little boat! But with the speed came the wrestling of the wheel. This is where we are a bit different from other boaters. We currently don't have an autopilot – it is under construction, kind of. So, we had to wrestle the wheel to keep the boat straight for the whole 5 hour trip. When you are slicing through waves that are 5-7 feet tall that are slamming into your beam and the boat is trying with all its might to turn you straight into the wind, things can get a bit dicey. And that is exactly what happened. We had to take shifts behind the wheel because it was such a workout! The waves built steadily throughout the day until they were just picking us up and tossing us around.
Needless to say, we were happy, relieved and exhausted when we finally reached the cut and made it behind cover of land. We had made the best time ever, having covered 35 miles in a bit under 5 hours! But we had paid the price.
Georgetown was even more crowded than when we had left, due to the regatta being this week. We had trouble anchoring and the over 20knots winds were not making our job any easier! We finally squeezed our way into a spot and were so thankful to drop the anchor and be back in a safe harbour.
Tomorrow starts the deep cleaning of the boat and the parade of guests starts in 2 days! Can't wait!!!