Greetings from California! We just sailed past Pt. St. George (near Crescent City) and have entered California waters. It’s been a rip-roarin’ day, with high wind and seas as we passed Cape Blanco (Oregon) this morning. We were about 50 miles offshore and the wind, instead of the predicted 25-30 kts, was well over 40. The crests of the big swells gave us all a good soaking, and by the time it began to calm down we were flying a *very* deeply-reefed main, and a scrap of jib. Still, we were hitting 8 and 9 knots. We worked our way inshore again, and were rewarded with calmer conditions. VALIS definitely took good care of us.
Although challenging,it was a beautiful day. The sky was clear and the sun a welcome change from the previous day’s overcast.
By contrast, passing Pt. St. George was a comfortable cruise. The swells did kick up as we passed over the shallower water, but once south of that conditions moderated. Even though the wind has dropped a bit, we still have reefed sails. We’re making 6kts, and that’s just fine. We had a beautiful sunset and are enjoying a sky full of stars and a half-moon nearing the western horizon.
Continuing south, Paul / VALIS