Day 2

We're finally moving at a good pace. The wind was so light today that we put up Dill, but he was limp as often as he was full, so we barely moved. We have to eat all of our veggies before they go bad. I made Avocado chicken, which was easy because there was no wind.

I'm watching. I'm watching the compass, I'm watching the time, the speed, the lights of other boats on the horizon. I'm watching the stars multiply inside the black dome that comes down on all sides, uninterrupted. I'm

Watching the bioluminescence twinkle past the boat. They're too fleeting to be reminiscent of stars in the black waves. They're like glitter caught by a moving light. They remind me that that black ocean is alive and we are skimming over it oblivious to all of the life existing 3,000 feet below the keel.

Day 1

Today I walked to the bow of the boat and looked forward. Forward was East. The ocean stretched out in front of us like an infinite blue blanket being shaken over a bed: billowing and settling into place, and then billowing again. And the reality set in that we weren't going to stop until we got to the other side. That was a new feeling. I let it rise from my stomach to my head to make peace with it. And I looked back at our beautiful boat with all of her red sails pulled taught, and Frank and Herby were sitting in the cockpit tossing peanut shells over the side, and I knew that we could do it and that we would be fine.

I have first watch tonight. There is silent lightening. It's not menacing lightening. We're going almost 6 knots with the trisail and there are the lights of another boat far off the starboard bow. I don't feel alone.

Cheap Autopilot Trick

Autopilot is an incredible investment for a long distance cruiser. The value of being able to let a machine guide your course is invaluable when it allows you to be free from the helm while on watch. Electronic or wind powered autopilots have one major flaw in their design: cost. Both types of units will cost several thousand dollars and require a lengthy installation process.

That being said, there is a cheaper alternative to autopilot: sail balance.

We have both, electronic and wind powered autopilots, and we still use this simple trick. When going to windward, simply lock the helm straight and trim the sails for a balanced close reach. The yacht will not be able to turn further into the wind as the sails will luff and stall, and if it falls off, the sails will bring it back up into the wind.

This trick will allow you to sail as fast and as close to the wind as possible without the cost or complexity of an autopilot system.

To recap, all you need to do is lock the helm straight, then trim your sails for close reach and be sure they are balanced. The yacht will then turn up into the wind and sail along on the most windward course that it can as quickly as it can.

Even with two types of autopilot systems, we still do this trick when beating to windward as it is the easiest to set and allows us to relax in the helm as the sails do all the work.

Raising Anchor in Bad Weather

When waves are high and winds are powerful, raising your anchor to escape the conditions can be a real challenge. In a situation like this, a manual or an electric windlass will still struggle.

The force of the wind and waves is pushing you back with such fury that the chain will be bar tight! How will you get your anchor up in this? You can try to motor up to it, but any slack in the chain will cause the bow to fall off the wind and pull the chain tightly from an angle, making the entire endeavor futile.

The best solution is to negate the engine entirely and simply use the power of the waves in your favor.

When the bow raises up the face of a wave, the chain will go bar tight. As the boat crashes down the back of the wave, the chain will go slack for just a moment. This is when you bring the chain in.

It is a slow and tedious practice but it will bring in around a foot with each wave, which can be as often as every 4 seconds if the period is close.

When you reach the anchor, the waves will help break the anchor free from the bottom and allow you to reel it in as it skips over the bottom with too short of scope to reset. Now you are free to sail away and seek a safer harbor.

Shark!

As if Staniel Cay wasn't awesome enough! Right by the marina, there are a resident school of nurse sharks that just hang around all day long.