Wind and Waves

We're a crew of four now. Shapna joined us yesterday, just as the weather turned for the worse. It's still sunny and clear, but the wind is blowing 20-30, hard enough to make the seas out in the Strait of Georgia untenable. Or uncomfortable in any case. The last time I tried to cross the strait with seas forecast to be around one meter, green water came up over the bow and rolling down the deck where it found its way through small openings under the dodger and poured into the main saloon. There was so much water, Quijote's floorboards were floating. That's not something I have seen happen before or since, even out on the open ocean where there was just as much water on deck.

Todays forecast called for 1-2 meter seas, possibly twice as large as that day. The boat has no problem with strong wind and large seas, but the crew…That's another story.

Our next anchorage is roughly north of here and the wind and waves will be coming from the NW. we'd be bashing into them up the coast, and then crossing them perpendicularly across the Strait. Neither would be fun.

So we're hunkered down today, waiting for friendlier conditions. We'll spend a second night in Silva Bay tonight and reassess tomorrow.

In the mean time the boat is being blown around while Tina, adorned in her life jacket, paces up and down the deck.

The wind generator sounds like an airplane propeller. It's putting out more electricity than we can use. Like an old friend, it's nice to see the generator in good health again. It was disabled last year by high winds (and old age).