Day 139, Friday November 8th

Day 139, Friday November 8^th



Julie at the helm

 

The winds pick up.  It is howling by 5:00 and we reef in the jib.  We are sailing with the winds off our port stern so need to be careful not to jibe.  We are on the downhill slide toward the Bahamas.  We got through a challenging night.  Our timing looks good to get to Marsh Harbour by dawn, but sounds like a "rage" is on.  A rage is when the waves break at the entranceway and you can get rolled.  We start planning for an alternate entrance into the Bahamas.  We have a choice to head to the west and enter by Grand Bahamas or head down to the Eleuthera's.

We no longer have communications with the other boats.  Comocean is ahead of us, and we contact them by sat. phone which is handy.  Nice knowing that friends are out on the ocean with us. 

Greg at teh hem

Today is uneventful, we make good time, but are motorsailing.  We want to maintain 6 to 7 knot speed and there is a minor current still.

Dawson fixing weather generator (sorry can't rotate pic)

The winds have reduced a bit, but they are still 15-20 knots.  All of the winds so far have been stronger than what we normally would be out cruising into.

Today when Dawson wakes up he has to rescue the tail from the wind generator which has fallen off, but tied, so in the dark he is up the railing with 10 foot waves, dismantling.  All goes well.  We have attached his tethers which we all wear all the


time, but also we have attached the outboard motor lift to him in case he slips.

All goes well and he gets back to the cockpit safely with all the parts in hand.  Also the wind generator now stops so we can put its leash on as the brakes had failed us earlier.