The last several days fall neatly into the category of “be careful what you wish for”.
The first two thirds of this passage was made in light wind. Leaving Easter Island, we sailed upwind for days in 5 to 7 knots of true wind. Once south of the high, we sailed downwind under spinnaker in mostly 10-12 knots breeze.
The whole time, we were wishing for more wind. We finally got it.
Two early season storms rumbled by to the south of us, and we were brushed with a pair of gales. The first was relatively tame, with sustained winds in the low 30s and a stray gust above 40 knots. The second made up for this moderation – sustained winds in the upper 30s and gusts in the 40s with a maximum above 50 knots.
The wind was manageable by shortening sail, but after 8 to 12 hours of strong winds the waves became very significant. Reducing sail doesn’t help with those, so we steered to keep them on the stern quarter, held on, and marveled at how quickly the ocean can change its face.
We’re out the other side now with no damage, sunny skies, and just a large leftover swell. We’re less than 35 miles from landfall. We’re no longer wishing for more wind…
Day Fifteen: 169nm
40 34.9S 74 33.4W
