First light this morning brought new challenges for Joe Harris as he makes his way toward Newport on his qualifying trip for The Transat. Instead of the head banging, bone-crunching sailing he has experienced since leaving Charleston, SC on Sunday, Joe found himself flopping around with no wind. For a racing sailor calms can be more torturous than gales, especially when you are close to your destination. "I was looking forward to being tied up at New England Boatworks tonight," Joe said in a satellite call. "But the way things are going right now that may have to wait until tomorrow night." The strong northerly winds slowly subsided overnight until this morning they had been replaced by a gentle breeze from the southwest. The forecast is for the wind to pick up during the day and blow from the west. "A westerly wind would be a great way to finish this sail," said Joe. "We would come flying in to Rhode Island and put this qualifier behind us."
To add to Joe's troubles, during the night he had to contend with dozens of fishing boat each intent upon running him down. In the early hours he sailed over the Hudson Canyon, one of the richest fishing grounds in the northeast, and the area was packed with trawlers dragging their nets. "It seemed as if the fisherman had no regard for this sailor alone on his boat," Joe said. "I guess they were intent upon hauling their catch. I just had to keep a sharp eye out and move to avoid any that came close."
If the wind picks up as expected Joe should be able to make Newport sometime this evening. Tomorrow will be spent going over a worklist with boatyard and cleaning the boat. When asked what the highlight of the trip has been so far, Joe was quick to answer. "The food. I am using Alpine Aire food and it's excellent. The first night when it was so rough I had their Wild Thyme Turkey dinner which was like Thanksgiving. Last night I had Forever Young Mac and Cheese with Vegetables. Excellent." Rack one up for the chef.
- Brian Hancock (great.circle@verizon.net)
