Open the below photos in a full-screen slideshow in Flickr
April 19, 2010 – At Sea, 17º 39’N, 102º 20’W
By Herb McCormick
One of the great ironies of sailing, as any jaded cruising sailor will tell you, is that it seems about 90 percent of the time that the wind is blowing directly from the direction in which you want to go. Obviously, this isn’t a universal truth – the route across the Pacific from east to west is usually a fine, downwind trip powered by the easterly trade winds – or nobody in their right mind would ever get on a sailboat and try to sail anywhere. (Sailboats, for those uninitiated in the ways of the wind, cannot sail directly into the breeze, but must be “off” of it by an angle of at least 35 or 40 degrees, depending on the vessel.)
That said, it does seem at times that the Wind Gods conspire against us, and that certainly appears to be the case on our current trip from the Mexican ports of Acapulco to Puerto Vallarta. After returning to sea yesterday, the northwest breeze piped up into the high teens and kicked up a short, steep, uncomfortable seaway that made doing just about anything – moving, sleeping – a considerable chore. You can guess the compass heading for the course to P.V., correct? Yes: northwest. Last night was my turn to cook and it was a handful keeping everything under control and in their respective pots and pans.
We had a brief respite this morning but as I type in the late afternoon the wind is again filling in, with pace, right out of the west. The sky is blue, we’ve seen literally hundreds of porpoises, Puerto Vallarta is less than 300 nautical miles away…but it looks like it might be a long evening. We’ll see.
Whatever transpires, one thing is very certain: Our voyage Around the Americas is truly starting to wind down. This past weekend started the two-month countdown to our scheduled return to Seattle, where we’re due to tie up on June 17th, come what may. Clearly, there are still plenty of miles to be sailed, and adventures to be recorded, but there’s also time to start thinking about the coming attractions for the crew of Ocean Watch and their 64-foot steed. As you’ll see, we’ve got some California Dreamin’ on our minds.
That’s because from Puerto Vallarta, the plan is for Ocean Watch to sail directly for San Diego, with an ETA of Tuesday, May 4th. There, we’ll be tied up at the convenient downtown docks of The Maritime Museum of San Diego through May 10th before setting sail for Los Angeles; details are still coming together for the L.A. layover.
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) will host Ocean Watch’s visit to the lovely city north of Los Angeles, beginning with a welcome to the harbor late in the afternoon of Friday, May 14th. The next day will be a busy one, with a public open house scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the SBMM Sea Festival followed by a public presentation at four at SBMM’s Munger Theatre.
From Santa Barbara, Ocean Watch will continue up the coast to Monterey Bay (tentative dates: May 22-26), San Francisco (tentative dates: May 26-June 5) and Portland, Oregon (tentative dates: June 10-12).
Note: All dates and times at this early stage are tentative and subject to change. Also, additional public viewings, presentations and related events are still in the planning stages. Please continue to watch this space for related news, updates and schedules.
Our northerly ascent up the lines of latitude toward Puget Sound will be conducted, naturally, in northerly winds, at least if historical data and forecasts can be believed (that’s certainly our mindset heading into these final weeks). So maybe a lumpy day or two is good training and a reality check for what lies ahead. Either way, as we charge onward towards the Seattle finish line, we plan on cherishing and enjoying the weeks and miles ahead. After all, for nearly every sailor, and perhaps especially us, the one thing worse than a long, windward voyage is when the journey is over and all the sails furled.
-Herb McCormick with photographs by David Thoreson
*This crew log submitted by Iridium OpenPort and Stratos
*To add a comment to this story click on the comment link below the post title. Please direct your messages for the crew to crew@aroundtheamericas.org instead of submitting them here. Thanks for following the Around the Americas Expedition.
Herb, I have been with you through your postings since you were in Miami. I know you are probably eager to spend more than a few days on land. I wonder what I will do when you swallowed the anchor and the postings stop. No matter if it was hot and the currents adverse in Brazil, or weather on the nose in Mexico it is fun to follow the adventure.
Joe