Heading South: Day 2 and Day 3

November 12th and 13th

So sailors have usually about 3 or 4 different terms for the same thing on a boat. It’s annoying when you are trying to learn stuff. We’ve created our own terms for what we’ve experienced over the last few days. I’ve not crossed checked these with Urban Dictionary so if there are other definitions for these words I plead mea culpa.

Beatering.

 The past two days were a bit rough…we were super tired having not really been prepared for night shifts, given that the departure was spontaneous. But our changes in the shifts seemed to help – shorter shifts and a shorter night. But man, part way through the day we found ourselves bouncing around in the world’s biggest washing machine. Banging upwind against big swell and waves, motor sailing (again), and not loving it. NOT LOVING IT. Every time we’d crash into a wave it would feel like the boat was going to break apart. It was so violent.

We were reefed down, 20 – 30 knots of wind, close reaching, squalls coming through. It sucked.

For the next 36 hours.

Our log book consistent of the following word many times “beatering”….Beatering is the term we have adopted when you are beating into the waves, against the wind, with the motor and it’s basically terrible. Everything is hard to do, walking, sitting, sleeping, eating, pooping, everything. It’s so loud and there are so many sounds – sounds we’ve never heard before – it is impossible to relax, even for a second. If we came down a wave and didn’t bash into it, you’d breathe a sigh of relief but then you’d tense up for the next one to hit. UGH.

Ok on the bright side the V-berth remained dry – YAY!!! But still. Beatering sucks.

Chooching.

Despite beatering, there were times we were really going fast too – our top speed at one point was over 12 knots! Crazy. With the waves and the wind and the speed the boat felt really on the edge, which of course kept us on edge. At one point I slept on the floor in between the table and the salon couch: upside was less movement, downside was that it wasn’t long enough and my knees hit a wall and then my feet when numb. Compromise. Chooching refers to a surprisingly brisk speed over ground for a big heavy ocean boat. Matriarch was chooching.

Chooching is good when you are out running a cold front. Chooching is also noisy and stressful and overstimulating.

 So we chooched and beatered along, dodging squalls, freighters, and the odd other brave sailboat out there until finally we touched the edge of the Trade Winds….

 Much love,

M