Swift

Nearing Beufort, NC!

Whatever date today is, aka, some time after we left the Bahamas, 14 miles outside Beaufort, NC.

No one is sick, yay!
Our wind instrument broke a few days ago. We've been running dead downwind and it's a joy to jibe in the pitch black, in heaving seas, in the rain, with no wind direction or strength info other than your feelings, which are preoccupied with being tired and irritable. This joy has lead us to chafe the dyneema (super strong) reef lines and bust some sail cars(hold the main sail onto the big metal lightning rod).
Because our hearts were too full, when a storm joined us at 4am last night, we just dropped the sail and started motoring. Couldn't take anymore blind jibes in storm winds. Now it's cold and raining. We haven't seen any other private boats; Matt says other people don't want to be on a small boat, in the middle of the ocean, with their loved ones.
It can't be that bad because we still have lots of snacks left, including the emergency Bombay mix my sister gave us. What larks!

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4 comments

  1. Dear Independence,
    I hope you are already in Beaufort enjoying a well deserved rest. I'm starting to dread our own trip back to US after reading this post.
    Note to self: get more snacks!
    See you soon-ish

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    Replies
    1. We are in Cape Lookout, 6 miles east of Beaufort. It's very relaxing- turtles, dolphins, dune backed beach. The trip was actually OK- it was the wind instrument failure that precipitated all our other issues. It's hanging upside down right now.
      A friend left 36 hrs before us and single handed all the way here with no breakages, storms or issues... so hopefully you'll get his luck! And I'd rather have all our passage drama than spend another 10 minutes dragging in bad Abacos holding in a storm towards rocks and other boats! There's also so bugs in the ocean. Definitely stock up on snacks and chocolate!

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  2. I really enjoy reading your stories. Keep up the awesome work and sharing your experiences!

    ReplyDelete

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