2006 Newport Bermuda
Back
Light Air and an Extended ETA
June 19, 2006
Hello Friends
We have been making slow progress over the last 24 hours as light winds "on the nose" (coming from where we want to go) have been the order of the day. After exiting the south side of the gulf stream in what we thought was pretty good shape, the music stopped and we moved very slowly across a flat and glassy sea for most of yesterday. As misery loves company, it was good to see a number of the "big dogs" such as our demo division rival "Maximus", the largest boat in the fleet, just a stone's throw away. Also in our coffee klatch were "Hercules" the 80' ex-Nirvana, Captivity (another 80 footer) and a couple of the hot new Transpac 52's, which are amongst the most slippery boats in the fleet. I suspect that the group of boats who took the western route may have made out better than our eastern group but that is really just paranoid speculation as we have no good info on fleet positions.
So, as we head down the last 200 miles to Bermuda, we are certainly a bit behind our hoped-for schedule and arrival time, but that is the nature of this game sometimes. As we all do the math on 200 miles divided by 8 knots average speed, or 7, or 6 or 5... guessing our ETA becomes the sport of the day. Vegas odds have us at 3 to 1 for a mid-Tuesday finish past St. David's Light, but it is in the hands of the wind gods and all we can do is put out our best effort. Morale on board the yacht is quite good, with incidences of mutiny and cannibalism temporarily under control. However, if one combines excessive heat with no wind, food stores depleted, travel schedules screwed, upset families vacationing alone in Bermuda - stir well - and you have the makings of an excellent survivor episode, with Captain Joe most likely voted off the boat. I knew there was a reason I migrated to solo sailing!
Anyway, as you battle the morning commute, think of us skimming along on the clear blue water, waiting to catch the first rich scent of hibiscus and Mother Earth from the enchanted island of Bermuda. We should be there soon.
Fair winds
Joe
