This morning at 08:00 local time Joe Harris was abeam of Cape Lookout in North Carolina sailing in rough seas and strong winds aboard "Gryphon Solo". In a satellite phone call from the boat Joe said that the conditions were rough, but that the boat was handling things very well. "It's blowing about 35 knots right now," Joe said. "The waves are steep, around 12 to 15 feet and they are crashing over the deck." Indeed the sound of waves slamming the hull could be clearly heard during the call, but despite the tough sailing the skipper sounded upbeat and clearly enjoying himself. "After a great sendoff yesterday by Brad (Van Liew, the former owner of Gryphon Solo) and his team I settled into a routine. The wind slowly built during the afternoon until I was sailing with three reefs in the mainsail and staysail."
The real test of the trip will come later today when Joe rounds Cape Hatteras. This notorious cape, known for breaking ships apart, lies less than a 100 miles north of Gryphon Solo and Joe expects to round the headland in daylight sometime late this afternoon. "I am happy that it will be daylight," Joe said. The reason Cape Hatteras is so rough is because the north flowing Gulf Stream is close inshore at the cape, and when current flows against a strong wind coming from the opposite direction, the seas can build to ship-eating size. It will help that it's daylight because it will allow Joe to see the seas as well as the numerous ships that sail close to land in that area. The other problem will be the fact that the course Joe needs to sail once past Hatteras is closer to the wind than the course he has been sailing. This means that he will have to tighten the sheets and sail almost directly into the big seas. There is no relief in sight as the forecast remains for a strong northwesterly pattern to continue for the next 36 hours at least.
The good news so far is that the boat is handling well. "Jeffrey Wargo did a great job preparing the boat for the trip," Joe said. "So far I have not had a single problem. I can tell you though, this boat is fast, very fast." Joe faces a long, cold day heading north.
- Brian Hancock (great.circle@verizon.net)
