As predicted, the wind began to build in the early morning hours. At around 4am the Barometer started to fall and we started to get in sail. By 8am the wind was up to Force 6 from the Southwest and we called all hands to get the ship hove to under Lower Topsails and Staysails, all other sails being taken in and securely furled. As the Barometer continued to fall throughout the morning, we got all of our safety gear rigged, extra tarps and ratchet straps on and around the hatch, grab lines on each side of all the decks to hold on and clip into if necessary, and nets mid ship and in the breezeways.
All of this preparation came in good time as by noon the wind was up to Force 8, a whole gale. With the ship secure and snug down, the watches kept busy making sure nothing was breaking loose and fixing up lashings here and there as needed. The ship rode well throughout the afternoon and in the late afternoon as the wind veered to the Northwest we called all hands again and wore ship to set us up for the moderate NW forecasted to come in behind this system.
While the wind began to abate in the evening the seas were still quite high, prompting us to wait until things cooled down a bit more before getting underway. The crew stayed snug on the quarterdeck and in the failing light we caught a glimpse of a fully laden tanker ploughing headlong into the big seas making about 4kts. Not so bad, we thought, to be here on a sailing ship calmly hove to and waiting. It’s a good lesson for us as well: we have to work with the elements for we cannot work against them.
SHIP’S WORK: Rig safety gear; double gasket upper sails; double grip boats; stow and lash on deck and below.
FROM: La Rochelle, France
TOWARDS: Quebec, Canada
TIME ZONE: ZD +2
NOON POSITION: 37°39’N / 052°52’W
DAYS RUN: 69nm
PASSAGE LOG: 3397nm
DISTANCE REMAINING: 1019nm
COURSE AND SPEED: Hove to
WIND: SW, Force 8
WEATHER: Overcast with squalls, air temp: 20°C, water temp: 24°C SWELL HIGHT & DIRECTION: SW’rly, 10 – 14ft SAILS SET: Lower Topsails, Fore & Main Topmast Staysails