No ship through the channel but it is flooding so I am avoiding the channel. I have one long tack now that will take me just south of the farallon island. The wind increases so I decide to take on a reef. When I walk up to the mast to hook up the tack of the main sail I realize to my horror that one of the spinnaker pole is not attached in the sleeve and is about to leave the ship. I walk to the leeward side, grab one of the lines, attach it to the boat with the end of a halyard and push the pole out of the sleeve, then retrieve it and this time attach it to something. I say outloud 'Nathan, I had said 'attach them with LINES''.
This drenches me as on the low side, my feet end up in the water. Wet feet now.
Bandicoot is doing well and I am barely keeping up with Domino, these are the only two boats in my line of sight.
The wind increases further as I go past the island so I take one other reef in and I go forward to drop the #3 jib and set up the #4 for the night. As I do this, waves break over the bow and complete the job of making me entirely wet. Less than one day into the race, all I am wearing is damp.
I remember the advice: do not bear away early. keep going West, get away from land as fast as you can. I am now steering 240, rhumbline course for the islands, even though I am really only en route to the first waypoint as per the Commanders routing, about 2 days out and my plan is to adjust things at that point.
I don't know what the wind is blowing but after the potato patch the sea state had improved a bit. After we pass the Farallones, it becomes worse again. I can only nibble a little that night, as my stomach gets easily upset. I check the hand held GPS for my next waypoint and that makes me sick. I throw up and feel much better afterwards, I just keep going.
Before the night sets in, I go down below to don a hat, full fingered warm waterproof gloves, a fleece and warmer base layers getting ready for the cold and windy night ahead.
I do like heavy weather sailing but I am just on a loose beat right now and this is a very wet ride as the waves are starting to attack the boat from all over the place. I pause for a minute and think. Now that the Farallon islands are behind me on starboard aft quarter, Elise and I are definitely committed and bound for Hawaii.
On the other hand, fighting for attention in my mind is everything relevant to that personal crisis which I actively try to wave aside. I did not achieve my usual 'start mode' right after I cross the line and now that the excitment of the start, and the numerous tacks have worn out, it starts to overwhelm me again.
It was nice to see all the support heading out - Brian, Jiri, Jason whom I imagined to be on the bridge, Nathan, Serge, Tori. All these people who had gone out to wave us goodbye.
Now it was me, Elise, the rest of the fleet and the ocean - and a new chapter was about to begin. The Windy Reach.
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