6 days out from Panama, and we are clear of the Caribbean Sea. It has been a bit of a tough slog, with uncomfortable seas and intense heat dominating. Things have definitely improved over the last couple of days though, and spirits are good.
After finishing the canal transit, we stopped at Shelter Bay Marina to fuel up, have lunch, and do some last internet related business. The Marina manager took one look at Arctic Tern as we came in, and commented that he doesn't see many boats that look as strong and capable. Nice to hear before a 5000 mile ocean crossing!
We cast off the docklines at around 3:00, and set off generally east, motoring through a band of low winds, intending on picking up the easterlies north of Caragena Colombia, which would take us up between Haiti and Cuba. With 4 on board, Les proposed a rotation of 2 hour watches, so each of us would have 3 watches, where we are in charge of driving the vessel, per day. My watches are 6 to 8 AM, 2 - 4 PM, and 10PM til midnight.
I was startled on my first night watch by a wheezing breath a few feet behind me. I jerked my head around reflexively, and within a few seconds realized I was accompanied by several dolphins. The bioluminescence in the seawater made them light up underwater, and I watched them play in the bow wave and dart alongside the boat for 15 minutes before heading off. A beautiful thing to see.
By early morning on the 3rd day, we had made the 200 miles or so we wanted to make east, and made the turn north. We put the sails up to help us along, but our primary driver was still the diesel. By dawn, there was enough wind to shut off the engine. A wonderful thing both for the sound and vibration, but also the heat the diesel generates. The wind increased as we travelled further north, which was expected, but the seas unfortunately developed a very confused pattern (actually, lack of pattern), which made our upwind sail rather uncomfortable. Within a day, the wind was strong enough that we needed to take down the Bimini (a tarp covering the cockpit) which took away our shade during the day, which really made things unpleasant.
Arctic Tern has spent her life up to this point in northern latitudes, and little consideration has been given to comfort in the tropics. The big windows that provide such great visibility from the upper salon make it into a floating greenhouse in these climates. There are going to need to be a few upgrades (fans primarily) before we turn her south again.
All was not heat and misery though. My 6 am watches were particularly enjoyable, driving the boat with the rest of the crew asleep, before the day got too hot. Dolphins seemed particularly active this time of day, and one morning, I found myself in the midst of what seemed like 50 or so racing along side. Driving along with them leaping all around me, I wished I knew how to maneuver the 18 tons of Arctic Tern into a few happy leaps just to join in the fun.
Thankfully, Haiti came into sight yesterday morning, and with it, lower winds, smaller and more organized seas, and the replacement of the Bimini. Shade never felt so good!
Early this morning, we passed by the eastern tip of Cuba, and started working our way up through the outer corner of the Bahamas. From here, we'll be heading up towards Bermuda, before heading east across the Atlantic. There is a chance we might stop in to Bermuda, if the winds work out favorably, which will be in another week or so. Otherwise, we are slightly ahead of the pace we need for a 35 day crossing to the UK. Lots could change though...
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