Loop de loop!
Day 11
Stats - 9/9/2023
Time: 2100
Trip Miles: 1,250
Weather: Mild - clear with 20% cumulous cloud cover, cooling. Lot’s of stars out tonight.
Wind: 11 Knots blowing from the NW
Sea State: Relatively calm with three foot swells
Propulsion: Sailing 5 knots due north
Sea Temperature: 72
How was your evening last night? We did the great Loop de Loop!! https://youtu.be/qKGRps8HJDs?si=ZcBQ8kb9Ufx42BGE We started the evening in one direction - the storm hit - we went the opposite!! (That is our track above).
We had a lovely dinner, Randall went down to catch a couple of hours of sleep and I settled into the doghouse for my watch. During that time, the wind picked up a bit, and maybe a drop of two of rain. I come off watch at midnight, headed to my bunk and the roller coaster thing starts again (heavy wind, building waves, rain). I try to sleep but cannot drift off due to the movement of the boat. Doesn’t matter because Randall calls me up and we need to reef both sails and quickly. I put on my foulies because I can feel the rain. Randall puts on his jacket only and out we go into the pitch black night as the wind picks up to 30, the rain turns into a downpour and the waves begin to crash over the bow. Randall valiantly goes forward to do one reef, and then one more. Meanwhile he gets completely soaked again and again. The only saving grace was that the water and wind was of moderate temperature. This goes on and off for two hours - Randall finally changes into his foulies. By that time the boat is slamming around and we reverse course along with prevailing wind and surf. We make no headway, Randall is soaked, and I am back on watch for another four hours!
The above video was shot in the morning after the storm. Still pretty powerful out there. This is the first video that I am posting and I am not sure it will work. But I will keep trying!
After the storm has subsided, Randall and I go out to put more sail up to catch the receding wind. That is pretty much how our day goes. The wind picks up we reduce sail, the wind dies off, we increase sail. All day long, over and over. The wind does not stay constant for a minute. Notice that we put on our foulies even though it is calm - we learned our lesson!! All it takes is one wave….
This is rigt after sunrise. So stoked to be out in the North Pacific of MŌLI.
I shot his video (hope it works as well) in the middle of the day as Randall goes to the mast to raise the main. Please notice how effortlessly Randall accomplishes this amid the constant rock ‘n’ roll of the boat.