5/19/14 Wandering Dolphin POS
GMT 1200
11 51.86N. 108 35.05W
COG 280T
SOG 5-6kt
NTN 70 nautical miles
DTG 2971 nautical miles
Wind: S10-12 (we have seen nothing but very light south and even SW winds last 24 hours)
Current not noticeable
Temp: 88.2 F
Pressure: 29.6
Sky: overcast
Seas: 2-3ft
Jib and main set
Good Morning!
We are moving. That makes us all happy! Yesterday we only managed 14 nautical miles during the day but overnight we were able to get up an average of 4 kts in the right direction. The forecast east winds still have not arrived but these light south winds are better for us than light east winds anyway. The boat does better with light winds on the beam than light winds right behind us.
I remember reading about people making these long voyages. They always go on and on about how much they hate the doldrums and I always thought it sounded kinda nice. Sit out there on a calm sea in your boat with nothing to do but read and relax, squalls come by to give you free water, what's not to like? Wow! What an idiot I was! I have been becalmed on deliveries before, not too recently on Dulcinea, but this is a whole different animal. First of all, being becalmed in the trade wind belt is always temporary, short lived and though there may be a few little squalls around the difference is in magnitude. Out here you are becalmed in the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) this zone is also known as the monsoon trough, in layman's terms, Breeding Ground for Hurricanes! The squalls are not little squalls that hit and run, they are enormous thunderstorms like the one that hit us the other night and stayed on us throughout the night. Not that there aren't any of the little guys too, just as soon as one of the big Mamas is done spanking you one of the little bitches comes right up your backside and sucker punches you. Then it all calms down the sea goes glassy, the heat radiates off the water, the boat steams and you would like to think you could then relax and catch a few winks... No... The swells don't stop so the boat rolls back and forth, the sails flog, things break. The other difference is the distance. When you are becalmed in the trade wind belt of the Caribbean or like we were off the Bahamas on our way to Key West, you're almost there, no matter where you look there's land within a couple of days... Not so out here. We have been out here 16 days and still have nearly 3000 miles left to Hawaii! Being becalmed with that many miles in front of you is nerve wracking in itself.
Well we're hoping these winds keep blowing but we have kinda lost our faith in them. We sure will make use of them while we have them though!
Yesterday Rebecca, EmilyAnne and I sat in the cockpit daydreaming. It started with me asking Beck if she wanted to go on a virtual date. I told her I would take her anywhere she wanted to go in our imaginations. Beck is known for never being able to make a choice for a restaurant. ( it's because she always wants to make the other person happy and her first choice will always be the one she thinks YOU would like most). Emily came to her rescue by saying, "Dad, the guy asks the girl out he should already have the romantic date planned, not expect her to plan it for him!" She was disgusted with my unromantic attitude about this virtual date. I said, "OK fine but if you put the planning of the date in the guys hands when he gives you carte Blanche to go where you want you can't complain when you don't like the place..." They both shook their heads at me, the stone for brains guys apparently. "You are supposed to know what I like and plan a date you know I'd love." My sweet wife gave me a little smile.
So I planned the virtual date in which we could go anywhere. It started out with drinks in Ten-Forward on the Starship Enterprise D, where Guynan served us Romulan Ale and we were serenaded by the sweet violin playing of Lt. Commander Data. Then we rushed off to Douglas Adams, "Restaurant at the End of the Universe" where we had a sampler plate from various worlds while Ford Prefect tried to convince us to invest in a new inter dimensional travel machine which we would need to get to our dessert place on time because for dessert we were going to The Prancing Pony in Middle Earth for Cakes and Beer...
My idea of a romantic virtual date was not really what my wife had in mind, although I have to say our nerd daughter thought it would be pretty damn cool.
This led us to questions about which novel we would be in if we could choose, Beck: "The Great Gatsby." Emily: "Outlander." Tofer: "The Lord of the Rings." Which led us to the question, if you could be any movie character.... That went on and on but the funny answer was Beck wanted to be James Bond.
Messages:
Don, thanks for the yummy omelette thoughts, wish I was there
Aline, Benny loves money problems and the occasional (5th grade) math riddle.
Cave, Jack Reacher 6 "Without Fail" and Rome is great, but more soap opera than history LOL
Jared, thanks for the trivia and riddles, we loved the one where Wandering Dolphin was the answer!
Jim V. Man! Now I'm hungry! Tex/mex for breakfast sounds great.
Herman, what's happening back in St Thomas?
Thanks everyone for sticking with the messages, they really help get us through the rough spots! And a BIG "THANK YOU!" to Mike for posting our blogs and passing on Facebook posts since the InReach is on the fritz.
Hope you all have a great day! Hey dolphins just showed up! That means it will be a good day!
Captain Tofer, Becca, Emily, Kanyon, Kaleb, and Benny
GMT 1200
11 51.86N. 108 35.05W
COG 280T
SOG 5-6kt
NTN 70 nautical miles
DTG 2971 nautical miles
Wind: S10-12 (we have seen nothing but very light south and even SW winds last 24 hours)
Current not noticeable
Temp: 88.2 F
Pressure: 29.6
Sky: overcast
Seas: 2-3ft
Jib and main set
Good Morning!
We are moving. That makes us all happy! Yesterday we only managed 14 nautical miles during the day but overnight we were able to get up an average of 4 kts in the right direction. The forecast east winds still have not arrived but these light south winds are better for us than light east winds anyway. The boat does better with light winds on the beam than light winds right behind us.
I remember reading about people making these long voyages. They always go on and on about how much they hate the doldrums and I always thought it sounded kinda nice. Sit out there on a calm sea in your boat with nothing to do but read and relax, squalls come by to give you free water, what's not to like? Wow! What an idiot I was! I have been becalmed on deliveries before, not too recently on Dulcinea, but this is a whole different animal. First of all, being becalmed in the trade wind belt is always temporary, short lived and though there may be a few little squalls around the difference is in magnitude. Out here you are becalmed in the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) this zone is also known as the monsoon trough, in layman's terms, Breeding Ground for Hurricanes! The squalls are not little squalls that hit and run, they are enormous thunderstorms like the one that hit us the other night and stayed on us throughout the night. Not that there aren't any of the little guys too, just as soon as one of the big Mamas is done spanking you one of the little bitches comes right up your backside and sucker punches you. Then it all calms down the sea goes glassy, the heat radiates off the water, the boat steams and you would like to think you could then relax and catch a few winks... No... The swells don't stop so the boat rolls back and forth, the sails flog, things break. The other difference is the distance. When you are becalmed in the trade wind belt of the Caribbean or like we were off the Bahamas on our way to Key West, you're almost there, no matter where you look there's land within a couple of days... Not so out here. We have been out here 16 days and still have nearly 3000 miles left to Hawaii! Being becalmed with that many miles in front of you is nerve wracking in itself.
Well we're hoping these winds keep blowing but we have kinda lost our faith in them. We sure will make use of them while we have them though!
Yesterday Rebecca, EmilyAnne and I sat in the cockpit daydreaming. It started with me asking Beck if she wanted to go on a virtual date. I told her I would take her anywhere she wanted to go in our imaginations. Beck is known for never being able to make a choice for a restaurant. ( it's because she always wants to make the other person happy and her first choice will always be the one she thinks YOU would like most). Emily came to her rescue by saying, "Dad, the guy asks the girl out he should already have the romantic date planned, not expect her to plan it for him!" She was disgusted with my unromantic attitude about this virtual date. I said, "OK fine but if you put the planning of the date in the guys hands when he gives you carte Blanche to go where you want you can't complain when you don't like the place..." They both shook their heads at me, the stone for brains guys apparently. "You are supposed to know what I like and plan a date you know I'd love." My sweet wife gave me a little smile.
So I planned the virtual date in which we could go anywhere. It started out with drinks in Ten-Forward on the Starship Enterprise D, where Guynan served us Romulan Ale and we were serenaded by the sweet violin playing of Lt. Commander Data. Then we rushed off to Douglas Adams, "Restaurant at the End of the Universe" where we had a sampler plate from various worlds while Ford Prefect tried to convince us to invest in a new inter dimensional travel machine which we would need to get to our dessert place on time because for dessert we were going to The Prancing Pony in Middle Earth for Cakes and Beer...
My idea of a romantic virtual date was not really what my wife had in mind, although I have to say our nerd daughter thought it would be pretty damn cool.
This led us to questions about which novel we would be in if we could choose, Beck: "The Great Gatsby." Emily: "Outlander." Tofer: "The Lord of the Rings." Which led us to the question, if you could be any movie character.... That went on and on but the funny answer was Beck wanted to be James Bond.
Messages:
Don, thanks for the yummy omelette thoughts, wish I was there
Aline, Benny loves money problems and the occasional (5th grade) math riddle.
Cave, Jack Reacher 6 "Without Fail" and Rome is great, but more soap opera than history LOL
Jared, thanks for the trivia and riddles, we loved the one where Wandering Dolphin was the answer!
Jim V. Man! Now I'm hungry! Tex/mex for breakfast sounds great.
Herman, what's happening back in St Thomas?
Thanks everyone for sticking with the messages, they really help get us through the rough spots! And a BIG "THANK YOU!" to Mike for posting our blogs and passing on Facebook posts since the InReach is on the fritz.
Hope you all have a great day! Hey dolphins just showed up! That means it will be a good day!
Captain Tofer, Becca, Emily, Kanyon, Kaleb, and Benny
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