News from the Cocky Ones

This is the front that just keeps giving! We currently have complete choice of direction that we travel - as long as it's south. We have tried southwest and southeast. They are both similar, but after a couple of tries we have again chosen southeast. We are still sailing under stays'l only. Maybe when the wind abates enough to hoist the storm jib we can choose a better course. For now, though, we are warm and dry in the cabin, waiting for a change in weather.

Our current data, by the way, is:
Date/Time: 9/30 1225 PDT
Position: 42D 24.5N 129D 27.7W
COG/SOG: 125T @ 2.7 kts
Wind: N 25-30
Seas: N 12-14 ft
Sky: 100% cloud cover, occasional rain

Position Update 9/30

The California / Oregon border is not our friend. The last few times we have tried to cross it together, on land or at sea, it has hammered us with big winds, big seas, or lots of snow. Thankfully, we don't have snow this time. I'm cold enough as it is. But, the wind that was supposed to briefly pick up as the cold front moved over us has maintained its 25-35 knots for the last 12 hours. According to the GRIB weather files that we download on our radio, we may see this kind of wind for a few days unless we can figure out how to move out of its way. Sailing with just the stays'l up at the bow has not been effective. We have been moving at about 2 knots in a southeasterly direction all night, which is not the way to get to Friday Harbor. Fortunately, we are moving so slowly that our mileage to Friday Harbor has not changed, just the direction has changed by 2 degrees. Daylight is just now breaking, and we are pretty tired from yesterday's efforts. But, we have been taking turns resting all night and we should be able to figure out a better sailing arrangement soon, when our heads are clearer and the day is brighter. In the meantime, we'll just be taking in the scenery along the California / Oregon border. We have the diesel stove on, so we are warm and toasty below decks where we can watch the radar and other instrument data on the computer. All is mostly well on board.

Our current data:

Date/Time: 9/30 7:45am PDT
Position: 42D 28.9N, 129D 41.5W
COG/SOG: 103T @ 2.5 kts
Wind: NE 22-29 kts
Seas: NW 6-10 ft
Sky: 100% cloud and light rain