Tuesday, July 9 James’ 1400-1500 watch In the first 15 minutes of the new day, our average speed was 5.5 knots. By 1400, it was down to 5.1 but I’m still glad we reefed when we did. I don’t know why I keep checking the forecast that is now 7 days old. If it is right, we’re going to be out of the worst of it tomorrow by sundown. Today is going to be an inconsistent worsening, and tomorrow will be intense. The part I’d like to see turn untrue is the doldrums for the last 100 nautical miles. Where there’s a bit of wind, it’s in the wrong direction. Motoring 100M and arriving with sufficient reserves for the unexpected in Praia would take a long time, even with a ton of very bright sun. We’d go very slow, right when we’d also be coping with increased traffic and islands to not-hit. If it’s bad enough, we can anchor somewhere quiet. Since the whole problem is lack of wind, it opens up usually-untenable spots, places we would want to be away from before the winds came back. We’ll see about that! James’ 1800-1900 watch The wind has backed down from the late-morning high. I feel relieved that the onslaught is delayed. I was really bracing for impact. Which is weird. I’m going to control outcomes as much as possible whenever I can, but I don’t usually anticipate the future with quite so much investment. I naturally believe that there’s no way to know what’s coming, so prepare for a range of probable events. These moments of having put real energy into a possibility are pretty rare, thankfully. It’s easier to act quickly and decisively when I have an awareness that I might need to but being poised for that action,[…]
Read more