9:15 a.m.
So yesterday was a great sail. Outstanding! What makes a great sail? Warm temperatures, clear skies, 15 knots of wind on a beam reach, with flat seas; and comfortable. Comfort can be fleeting. And today is different. Today is not comfortable.

I drew first watch last night 8-11 pm. Jay will do 11-2, three-hour shifts until 8 tomorrow morning. We had flat seas and some cloud cover, and the wind continued to die, until our boat speed was a mere 2 knots. We are not racing this time so from 8-10 we motored. At about 10 pm the winds had built to 10-12 knots so I killed the engine and hoisted the jib. The wind continued to build all night and with it the seas. The winds leveled off at 20 – 25 knots and the seas are rolling at about 8 feet. It is a beautiful day today, but the conditions are starting to make the simplest of tasks a chore. Throw in a little PD and it is a real challenge, but I’m loving this moment; at the helm, a hundred miles or so from Bermuda toeing 7 knots. LIFE IS GOOD!

When sailing offshore it feels like time passes at varying speeds depending on the time of day and the conditions; there is speed at which time passes during the day and that during the night. In daylight time passes unhurried and easy in good conditions, more deliberate in foul weather. Nighttime time can crawl; even grind to a halt in poor weather.

When on night watch the dark is intense. On a clear night you can see the stars so numerous there is no void; a solid wall of tiny twinkling lights. You can see the shimmer of effervescence in the boats wake. You can see the lightning of far off storms. Your senses are working overtime. You can hear everything; water passing under the hull or crashing over the bow; the creak of lines and the occasional flutter of the sails when a wave knocks us off the wind. You hear everything at night alone at the helm. Sometimes you can swear someone is calling you from the ocean or whispering into your ear. It is amazing. I actually thought I heard Josa yell “Caw” it made me laugh. (Did you ever see the movie Bottle Rocket? Good small flick with Owen Wilson. After seeing it Josa and I started “cawing” to find each other in the house or in the supermarket. Pretty funny.)

So time ticks slowly in good times and stands still in bad. When your watch is up, your three hours in the bunk pass in an instant.

11:00 a.m.
Things change quickly. The wind has picked up considerably, 25-30 knots, and the jib is damaged – a tear a few feet from the top. We had to take it in and set the stay sail. We are doing 6.5 knots with the staysail and reefed main. The seas are 7-9 feet. Working on deck is like riding a bull at times. A lurch forward, a slide down the side of a wave; bucking, lurching, and twisting with no particular rhythm.

3:30 p.m.
Every person who sails blue water has a healthy respect for weather and its unpredictability. Getting an accurate weather forecast is very important and can be a challenge. There are a variety of ways to get weather forecasts out here but perhaps the best come from a guy named Herb Hilgenberg.

We will be checking in with Herb shortly.

5:30 p.m.

Checked in with Herb, he said to slow way down or we will meet gale conditions in the Gulf Stream. This is something you really want to avoid if at all possible. In fair weather the Gulf Stream is confused and in bad it’s just plain nasty.

The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current that runs through the northern Atlantic Ocean off eastern North America. It originates in the Gulf of Mexico and, as the Florida Current, passes through the Straits of Florida and then flows northward along the southeast coast of the United States. North of Cape Hatteras the Gulf Stream veers northeastward into the Atlantic Ocean, where it splits to form the North Atlantic Drift and the Canary Current. The core of the Gulf Stream current is about 60 miles wide and has peak velocities of greater than 5 knots.

I am exhausted, but at least not as queasy. I puked at about 2 pm. Seasickness is just part of the deal off shore. Everyone gets seasick, just a matter of how bad and in what weather. For me, I get sick about 30 hours into a sail and feel shitty for 8 or 10 hours. Interestingly, the word “yacht” is from the Dutch word “jacht,” which when literally translated means “to throw up violently.” So, seasickness is very much a part of yachting – especially off shore.

The seas have built to 10-15 feet in 25-35 knots of wind. It’s wild ride. Taking a leak is an Olympic Event. Open fly, right foot against threshold, left foot against the wall. Left hand on the back wall and head pushed against the ceiling. Once secured at these four points things get flowing and the right hand grasps the counter edge. Fun. Living with PD on land ain’t nothing to living with PD on the ocean.

The winds have subsided some not quite as many white caps. However, we can expect to cross the frontal boundary during the night and are likely to be greeted with 25 to 35 knots and heavy rain. It may be a long night.

Took advantage of the mellowing winds and tended to some hygiene. Washed my hands and face, brushed my teeth and I even flossed. I wish hygienist Josa were here.