If its Wednesday, this must be summer in California. Yesterday was winter in Argentina, and tomorrow will be tropical in the Caribbean. And then, finally, no airplanes for a long time! Just wind and water and aaaahhhh….
Speaking of wind and water, I am starting to pay a bit more attention to the weather forecasts now that our departure is nearer. The earliest we expect to sail is next Monday the 27th, but its not a firm date, as we are not on a rigid schedule. And what a strange concept that is! No starting gun for the race, no charter dates to adhere to, and a long enough journey that a few hours or a day here or there really doesn’t make a big difference. I hope I can adjust to such a relaxed pace…
Anyway, back to the weather. In the Caribbean, the tradewinds are pretty consistent blowing from the East, typically 15 knots on the windward side of the island chain, and a bit lighter on the leeward (West) side, which is where we expect to sail on the first 500-mile leg of our route from Tortola, passing Trinidad to South America. Sometimes, low pressure systems, tropical waves and the occasional hurricane disrupt the tradewinds, making them stronger or weaker, and altering their direction a little bit. That is what seems to be happening this week- a series of tropical waves is passing through the Caribbean sea, causing increased wind speeds and a more northerly direction as each wave passes through every other day or so.
If everything were “normal”, we would be heading pretty much South, maybe a little east of south, in Easterly winds, which means a basic beam reach for 3 days, with apparent wind from 70º to 110º. And this beamy boat enjoys a beam reach. The tropical waves are bringing slightly stonger winds, so instead of 10-15 knots, we may see 15-20 knots, and maybe from a few degrees more north. This is a wonderful forecast for us, as it could mean a faster ride with the wind slightly more aft, and what’s not to enjoy about 3 days of barreling along in the hot tropics of the Caribbean? As long as the wind doesn’t get too strong, like 25-30 knots, which makes the waves bigger, and then it gets harder to keep the wine from spilling out of your goblet.
So, I’ll continue to monitor the weather, and we’ll see what next week brings. But first I have a few more airplanes to ride, far above the waves…