As recorded by her gallant Captain and crew.
Up the minute news and information on the Racing Yacht Coyote and her continuing journeys!
Day 3 is going well, well„„crystals of salt on my face„ my watch ended an hour ago, but the wind has been building, so we just reefed the jib again…. Daily reporting from the other return boats is very interesting. Some reported 0 wind, some 5 knots of wind, Green Buffalo is motor sailing, but we have not had the lack of wind others are reporting„ GRIB’s (weather charts we download via email) show we should be in 10 knots of True wind speed, and we are now in 12 Knots True, so it is very close… However, we continue to have apparent wind of 17-20, with some sustained winds of 20, especially at night. Good thing we have “lee cloths” to hold us into bed, or we would all be on the floor! This night was no exception, with sustained winds of 22-23 knots apparent, and occasionally sustained winds of 29 knots. Squall after squall. Down below it sounds horrible, on deck some seem fairly mild others have high confused seas with whitecaps and rain and salt spray. We have taken to reefing the main, and 135% jib once winds exceed 21 knots apparent. Turns out, all 3 nights so far have found us with both the main and jib reefed. Decks are awash frequently, at times waves wash the decks and pour water over the combings soaking our shorts! (the smarter ones among us are wearing foul weather pants to stay dry…) The return crew is doing a fantastic job, everyone pitching in where a hand is needed, reefing, cooking, washing„„,meals are also great, so are the desserts! Still very warm down below, and the days are hot. Everyone is looking forward to some cooler air as we move north east. We have found leaks I did not know the boat had, but under constant water it is no wonder I am finding new ones. (also considering adding “non-skid” to the bathroom walls, so when you put your feet on the walls to hold you onto the toilet, your feet will not slip on he walls…..) (It is 0730, but because we are still 2 time zones away from California, it is pitch black out, just like it is at 0430 HST (Hawaiian Standard Time). We have switched to PDT to make all the instruments and clocks agree aboard Coyote. Looks like Valis left today, they reported their position at roll call today. So the fleet is now spread out over 600 miles or so. Looks like the trip will take us 14 days or so, at the current rate of speed, we will see…. Caught a Mahi today, looks like fish tacos for tomorrow… That’s it for today, off to bed now.. Coyote
