DAY ONE AT SEA!!!

Day One out to sea…

…  (warning long blogs... blogging kept me awake at night.. I just posted 3 entries with pictures that might not be in order sorry..)

…soon I will be done with my second shift. Next to me is a huge cargo ship.  It is so huge looking that when I sighted it I thought, "now I didn't see any island with big hotels that I passed." that is cuz It just came up behind me. Well I had been watching that bad boy for a while but could not site it with my eyes until it was 10 miles out. The AIS on the chartplotter told me a vessels coming about 30 miles ago. Last night was frustrating cuz I took the first shift right as the sun goes down. I assumed Ben was going to take that shift cuz he is a night owl and I turn into a pumpkin around 10p. The difference was yesterday we took two hour shifts in the day Ben was so excited to sail that he never took a break to go down below. (also cuz he was still trying to get sea-legs, I think.) So I think he wore himself out? He just said, you take the first shift" and went down stairs to snooze. ( that's not like him) I was totally fine cuz I was stressed out cuz once the sun went down the AIS ( that is the part of the computer that shows us the vessel as an arrow like icon so you know which way they are going) ok so I could list the vessels and see the written info but no cute icon to show me direction and orientation to me. Grrrr. I looked and looked. I gave up. So then it gave bearing but I wanted to know heading. What is a bearing anyway? In movies they say such and such is bearing down on us. Then again movies say “over and out” too which is wrong. I studied enough ships to think the bearing is the number on the compass rose as to where they are around me, north south east west. Etc. The heading is the way they are going. But where is the stupid headng? Frustrated! On top of that. I could not get the cape horn auto pilot to work. Or so I thought. The swing was about 20 degrees up then swing back 20 degrees. Now after the first four hours (actually my first shift was three. Ben woke up and was raring to go. No complaints here. So I steered myself for three hours and I could not keep it within 20 degrees either due to the wind.) I guess it doesn't matter that much. The cape horn had been working just not to my expectations. (I have a picture of that wonderful piece of equipment it is on the back end with a stiff flag that steers the whole boat!) So Here I am with all this electronics and I must have done something wrong but were is the stupid display button. Oh well. Was frustrated but never stressed. It was a beautiful evening with 8-12 knots and we were making 4-6 knots traveling. Our average goal is 5 our hull speed. (which is the fastest we can go is about 7.8 that is screaming fast) comfortable winds for me are 8-14. I also cheat at night and only use the main with the staysail (the staysail is a shorty sail infront of the main. I can run the sheets from the cockpit. The jib or genoa is huge. I can still pull the sheets (sheets are long lines that attach to the sail to keep the sail on one side or the other) but that big guy likes to get stuck n the stanchions (cables that hold up the mast) so when tacking from side to side I have to run up to the front and stand on tippy toes to pull the monster over which isn't too safe. We also did not get a jack line run before dark. That is a rope that runs from the bow to the stern and you click your safety line (which is also a compact life jacket that only inflates when submeged) it was hard to find a small one that was comfortable last night I wore it and no complaints from me and. Hate to wear life jackets. What I Hate more is going overboard at night when ben is fast asleep! Like he is right now. I have to be exhausted to sleep with all this noise, loud banging booms, creeky rigging, wind and waves crashing not to mention trying to sleep as if on a ride from valleyfair up and down then on one side and back to the other. Yahoo. Last year it took me half the summer to sleep while at anchor. My son says it perfect, " mom doesn't sleep she waits". Ha ha sometimes I do wait for morning to come.

It is now one clock. Ben found where the display for AIS hangs out. He has way more patience than I do when it comes to electronics! And he got the cape horn to work! Same o story from last year the lines that run the cape horn get twisted. So all is a clear day. Only 5-7 knots of wind so 3-4 knots of speed. Oh that is per hour. At three knots one could walk faster than us but one could not backpack the stuff we have with us!  For a while I could not see land but now I am  tacking back toward land cuz of the wind shifting - the wrong way i might add. Last night you could steer the boat by stars. Fix on a star and keep it in line. It was fun. When I tacked north there was the big dipper it reminded me of home in mn in the north woods where all you see is stars but not as many as here! Oh last night was funny too cuz I was keepng track of the big vessels and then the little ones on radar which this radar is amazing you. Can see the ships! Anyway I look over and here is a bright red light like from a huge cargo boat. I thought, wow how did that one pass me by ha ha it not took an other minute to laugh at myself cuz it was the moon! Bright red and only a half a moon.

Time to stop blogging although blogging is the best way to stay awake. I have my umbrella up and here comes Ben. He has a little touch of the queezy   He never complains and it seems to not get worse another few more days he'll be all weathered.

Oh lunch was yummy cuz the day we left Yorktown there was a farmers market so fresh fruit and veggies for a day or two! Yumm. Ok time to track another big boy boat. or crocket a coffee mug so I don't keep tipping it over!Sleep well All!