I've been putting off this blog entry for a handful of hours now trying to decide if I have been the one jinxing our wind in the past by reporting it too early; but with the wind holding for nearly six hours now it's time to take a chance and report the good news. We are under sail! After four and a half days of motoring a southerly wind has finally picked up and we are moving along at over five knots without the obnoxious drone of the engine. I can't express in words the sheer joy and bliss of this feeling. After days of motoring the spirits of everybody on board were flagging as we all contemplated the worst-case scenario of never finding a breeze, running out of gas, and floating around in the Pacific at the mercy of the currents. And as of 2300 at the start of my night watch yesterday there was still no relief in sight. After watching a gorgeous moonrise and perusing the star-filled sky I settled in for another couple hours of reading and some computer tasks, engine still droning on. By the time the clock struck 0200 on this new day and my dad came up the companionway to relieve me of my torture I noticed the slightest hint of a ripple on the surface of the sea and told him to keep a close eye on it, lest a following wind picked up unnoticed. With that I returned to my cave for a few hours of sleep, waking periodically in anticipation of the wind I felt was on its way. Finally, at 0800 I was certain the wind was close at hand. The sea was unmistakably ruffled, and the flag was trying to spring to life. By 0830 I was determined to put the infant breeze to the test, so we set the spinnaker pole and poled the jib out to starboard as I shut down the engine. By 0845 all was quiet on board and we held our collective breaths as the wind alternately filled and spilled from the sails with each passing NW swell. By 0900 there weren't any reefs left in the main and we were scooting along at the same pace as if the motor had been running. The wind soon stabilized in the 7 to 10 knot range and began shifting east of south where it remains as I write this. With the wind shift I abandoned our wing-on-wing endeavor, altered course slightly further east, and we are now scooting along with the wind just aft of the beam at speeds we couldn't hope to motor at. Clouds alternately roll in and out, but nothing can dampen my mood at the moment. The engine is at rest, the fuel is being held in reserve, the motion on board is smooth and steady, and our speed is up. This is how sailing is meant to be! This is the trip I envisioned. Now let's just hope the forecasts hold true and we keep it for a while.
As far as the forecasts are concerned, the Pacific High seems firmly entrenched in her position at 37N, and as of now our aim is all the way up at 40N. This is slightly higher than I would have hoped, but with all the early motoring we were forced into we have no choice but to attempt to sail over the top of the high before coasting down its east edge and making a b-line for home. So if all goes to form we have a handful of days till we reach 40N where we'll turn east, skirt the edge of the high for a day or two till we reach its eastern edge, and slide down along the west coast. I won't yet venture a guess at our arrival date because it is still too dependent on how long we are able to keep our wind for and how quick we can get to the east edge of the high. So for those of you with your maps handy you'll see we are now north of Santa Barbara (close to Big Sur), and will be heading for the latitude of Point Delgada (Shelter Cove), north of Fort Bragg. Basically it's like driving to New York via Alabama.
June 25-1500
36.13N by 151.00W
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