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November 15
I feel as if I have been body-slammed by the Governor of Minnesota, several
hundred times. The night was trying. It was about 110 degrees inside the
cabin and very damp. The winds probably averaged 20 knots with gusts
closer to 40 knots according to my Kestrel anemometer (wind gauge).
Thunderstorms came and went. The seas accustomed to the east-west trade
winds continue to be confused by the west-east wind. Large swells rolled
over one another.
The sea anchor held the boat in place as the waves went by. Periodically,
a wave would depart with enough speed to leave the stern half of my boat
hanging in the air. Trustworthy gravity always managed to return it to the
water with a loud splash. I, inside the stern cabin, would seem to hang in
the air myself until gravity returned me to the cabin floor (my bunk is the
floor of the cabin). Galileo's Law of Falling Bodies dictates that the
boat and I probably fell at the same rate and reached the surface of the
water at the same time. Suffice it to say, whether the boat and I hit
together or I hit separately, there was a good deal of knocking about.
I waited anxiously for dawn. When dawn arrived, I went out on deck. The
rising sun at water level burnt the surrounding clouds crimson. A dark
black rain cloud overhung the sky to the east. To the south at the stern
of my boat a curtain of flaming red clouds swirling as if the gates of
Hades had been opened charged in my direction. I retreated back into the
cabin just before the squall arrived to pummel the boat and me.
All day, it was far too rough to go on deck. Even if I could stay out in
this weather, I cannot row into a 20-knot headwind. Late in the afternoon,
I phoned my support team for a weather report. It fell to Diane Stege to
tell me about Hurricane Lenny. The good news is that if I had not been
waylaid by this stubborn tropical depression, I might be staring into the
teeth of another hurricane.
At the last report the storm was moving in my direction, but it was
expected to turn north. Still, I can expect to have a week of disrupted
winds. As the hurricane turns, it will bring my winds from the South,
which is about the last thing I need. The trade winds from the east are
not expected to return until the middle of next week. This news was more
disturbing than the presence of the hurricane. I will be sitting right
here or worse moving north-northeast for the next week. Grump!
November 16
The weather today is a little calmer. The winds from the hurricane are not
supposed to affect me before tomorrow. I took the opportunity to inventory
the food on board. I have 32 breakfasts, 34 dinners, 110 snack type items
and 164 food bars. So, while I may be out on the ocean for longer than I
would like, all my friends back home can stop worrying that I am going to
run out of food. It is possible, but very unlikely.
I would write more (much more) but my power is low and making water is my
first priority.
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