Southbound -Fourth Day - underway Newport to Tortola

Please excuse typos and grammar...I wrote this at midnight in the toilet bowl (read on and you will understand) 

The good, the bad and the ugly.

The good part is that we are making great time. We covered almost exactly 200 miles in the last 24 hours and there is no sign of change. The wind is supposed to stay in our favor for the next several days. We are making for the trades on the outside (huh, that would make a great line for a song...sorry, I couldn't help myself) of 64W below 28N and it looks like the wind gods are looking after us.

The bad part is the sea state. Scott put it best, he says it's like sitting on a little plastic boat in a flushing toilet. We're currently sailing between 7.5 and 9.5 knots slamming across confused 4 to 6 foot seas in 17 knots of wind. Somewhat like a car, I have come to learn that Zen has many different gears. The tricky part of this trip is chosing the right gear for the conditions.

We could be doing 15kts right now but we would have to be strapped to our seats as we skipped across the waves (not to mention the stress on the rig). We could also be doing 5kts and sleeping like logs (we tried this gear earlier today and all three of us almost went to sleep at the same time...oops).

We are currently sailing in about 3rd gear, two reefs in the main and 1 reef in the jib. This allows us to keep the boat moving but not so fast that we have to hang on too tight (well, maybe a little tight). It's also good on the boat. This is a long trip and the boat takes a lot of abuse.

I heard a boat on the SSB earlier yesterday that was bailing out to Bermuda. They couldn't take the conditions and wanted to get off the bumpy road in hopes of more settled conditions. Zen's flat composure and inside pilot house really make a difference in these conditions.

The ugly part is that we haven't taken showers in three days, wet foulies and harnesses are scattered all over the pilot house and there is no sign of change. Even worse, none of us are complaining about it. I guess that tells you something about the crew :) That's all for now. Happy Thanksgiving!!

-Tom