The OMG Moment

At Sea
32 50.80 N 079 29.60 W

We are making excellent time. This morning at 1000 we passed Charleston, SC. That is 180 miles of progress in 24 hours. For a boat that is supposed to do only 100 miles per day, that's amazing. For Tarwathie it ties our previous record of 180 miles. However, the first time we did that we had a current boost from the Gulf Stream the whole way. This time is is purely due to favorable winds.

The wind has been about 20, varying from 15 to 25 the whole time. It appears that we will complete this entire 400 mile passage on port tack, and by making only minor adjustments in sail trim. I wish I could have all my previous sailing companions with us. They would all be so impressed by what an ocean cruiser can do in the right conditions.

The best part came in the dark of night. We had a clear sky and a nearly full moon last night so visibility was good. As we flew along averaging almost 8 knots, combinations of wind and wave would sometimes make the speed surge to 10. When that happened, Tarwathie would throw a huge white wake behind her as spray flew off the hull. The roar of the water and the flying white spray illuminated by the moonlight made quite an impression. I was so entertained by that I hardly noticed that I was getting cold and wet. Every hour or so, a wave would slap on the side in such a way that it threw a wall of cold water high in the air and then crash down on my poor body. I was wearing my foul weather jacket but not the pants. Soon I was wet from the waist down and shivering. Never mind. I was having too much fun to care.

Around 0200 we passed what I'll call point SR. What is that? It is the point, about 12 miles from the entrance to the Savannah River where ships anchor and wait for their turn to enter the river. The first time we came across point SR at night 4 years ago I was really spooked. I saw numerous lights from ships ahead but which way were they moving. There were so many and they were so spread out that they were impossible to avoid. It wasn't until we were in the midst of these ships that I realized that they were anchored. Last night it was the same. However, this time I was expecting to see them so I wasn't quite so spooked. Nevertheless, being less than 1 mile away from huge ships while at sea makes me exceedingly nervous. I was very glad to leave them behind.

The forecast for Wednesday has changed, so we decided to go for Beaufort, NC rather than Cape Fear. We'll cross Frying Pan shoals, the most dangerous place on the whole East Coast, tomorrow morning. We did 180 miles in the past 24 hours, but I think it will take 48 hours to do the next 200.

Life is good.

p.s. Almost never can we complete an offshore passage without something breaking or getting lost. Last night it was a solar powered garden light. We bought those lights in Vero to help illuminate the decks at night. I forgot to stow one of them away before putting out to see. This morning at 0500 I noticed that the light had lost its top overboard. How? I have no idea, but it's gone.