Friday 5th November Cold, grey, fine drizzle - everything seems to be wet!
I'm so WET!! The air is so damp that nothing is getting dry with the fine misty rain that has been around for several days now. Thoroughly damp jackets, trousers, socks, shoes and boots.... Thank goodness for the vinyl coverings at the chart table - and for towels and plastic sheets to protect anything I'm touching. I need some warm sunshine!!
Wasn't expecting wind to strengthen and back today as it did... Wasn't surprised by the light variable winds we suddenly got around midday, that sent us round in circles at 0-1 knot and had me shaking out the reefs in the mains'l and unfurling the genoa... But I was surprised by the sudden backing and increase from 10 knots ENE to 23knots from NNW that had me up on deck around 4:30pm to reef down again and gybe around in order to keep heading S. Waves are getting quite big again and frequently crashing into us with a loud noise! So it's a bit difficult moving around - and my warm bunk has become even more inviting! Actually, I'm forever switching bunks, depending on the tack we're on ... and my new sleeping bag (for down to -12C!), bought in Victoria, is working out well.
Over the afternoon, our speed increased from 1 knot in the light variable winds to 5-6 knots ... and our heading was good, so that was pleasing. Of course, when the wind really strengthened later, we were doing well over 6 knots for quite a time - nice! So much for gribs and weather forecasts!!
Not a lot to report really, except that our latitude is well over the border from Oregon into California now and the rough weather coincided with passing well off Cape Mendocino - no surprise there!
Wind charging is doing well in the strong winds and solar panels are managing to put in around 4A during the day, despite the grey overcast skies.
I made a hot pasta dish during the evening, preceded by a mug of hot soup - I really needed hot food, I felt so cold and damp!
Contact with the Pacific Seafarers is difficult these days -the 14300 frequency is really suffering from bad propagation just now - and the check-in time of 0330UTC coincides with the worst of the conditions - I managed tonight to speak to ZL2CVJ, Cirrus, the Net Controller - he only just got my weather and position details.
Pity, but I finished the last of some oatmeal choc chip cookies I'd been given before leaving. Thanks, Tricia and Jim - I'd really enjoyed them!