(This entire 17-part story can be found in the “travel” category.)
The only other downside that first week at sea on our voyage from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands to the central Florida coast was that the winds were not cooperating. Tony had expected to cover 150 to 200 miles a day, but at 4 knots we only logged 96 a day. On top of that, the winds were in the wrong direction. We needed to head northwest, but in reality we were going almost dead north into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
On the eighth day, there was NO wind. It looked like a tabletop, something I’d never seen before except in maybe an old Errol Flynn pirate movie. The only thing breaking the surface was the thousands of flying fish who accompanied us the entire trip, and three killer whales who seemed curious about our craft and kept rubbing against it. They let us touch them on each pass.
By midday, off to the north, we noted ominous black clouds. We were about to get the roller coaster ride of our lives.
Within an hour, the wind had kicked up to 40 mph and the seas were wild. When we were in the trough between two waves, the tops were 30-40 feet above our heads. The rain came down (or perhaps sideways is a better description) with such force that it stung our exposed skin. The power of the ocean and Mother Nature had earned my instant respect.
We had a big problem that had to be addressed immediately. Tony, not knowing how bad conditions would become, had decided to leave the sails up as the storm approached. Now we had to get the sails down or risk losing our masts.
Since Tony was the sailing expert and the most necessary person aboard, I quickly volunteered to go out and reel in the sails. Snapping on a lifeline, I crawled along the deck as waves washed over me. It was like being in a washing machine.
In what seemed like an eternity, but was probably 15 or 20 minutes, I got the sails down and secured and got back to the hatch. My heart was racing a mile a minute.
The storm continued all night and all the next day. We each took our three hour shifts in turn outside in the weather, although we really had no control over our craft. Or destiny.
- Mountain Man
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