The Dance of the Squalls
Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Thu 28 Oct 2010 20:34
Destination: Bahia Ballena
Distance: 110nm
Hi well it's 2 pm in the afternoon are off a bay that use to host Flamingo
Marina, we going around a set of islands (one called Santa Catalina but
looks small and green different to sister in Southern California). We have
10 knots on the nose so I am slightly off the desired direction to at least
get some lift, and we have 4 to 5 foot sea at 7 to 8 seconds (not ideal and
will make for a bouncy trip, I am hoping we can get some better angles
latter on, but we doing well at 5.8 knots.
Someone once said to me that sailing in the tropics is dodging squalls but
the rain is warm, well I think I now understand. I am threading us through a
set of 6 squalls/ thunderstorms, some to the left, and others to starboard
but huge, and the rumbling thunder. I can see the really dark clouds, allot
of it is behind us, and the radar shows them up well. We had one shower on
the way out of Bahia Culbria after we had just fueled up and water at the
new marina, as it was easy and we will need the fuel for the next 6 weeks.
But I would call this "Dancing with the Squalls" they have little wind, but
lightening which is to be avoided, but to have so many around us keeps the
navigator on his toes.
We had a couple of hours on the beach this morning, so the boys could run
around, then we had a slow raising of the anchor as I and Tracy sorted out
the method we were going use for raising the anchor as the issue with the
windlass makes it on useful for small lifts. We used the spinnaker halyard
winching off the mast, that combined with me pulling the chain slack
allowed us to get it up in reasonable time mad we will do better next time.
The coast off Coco and around to Flamingo is just spectacular steep hills
all green, in different shades of light at the moment as the sun lights them
up in rays through the thunder clouds, steep cliffs rise up in the islands
and some pinnacle islands exist.
Just saw a sail fish jump out of the water off to port a great sight, the
cloud formations are like massive statues rising into the heavens. Family is
down for the afternoon nap hope they get some in this wobble of a sea but I
do not expect it to improve much for this passage, but Gijima is handling it
well, it is not dangerous it is just un comfortable.
Stay tuned.