Team
Ellen - Day 50: Digging Deep, To Get Out Of A
Deep Hole
“It's
the morning here, and i'm feeling the most human
i've felt for days. Last night , after our gybe
and third reef episode yesterday I, for the first
time had the boat in a configuration where we
were safe for a few hours. The wind would decrease
from it's 40 knot gusts - and the terrible sea
conditions - should - in theory improve...
The
last few days have not been just testing, but
have taken me once again a long way inside myself
to find the strength to keep sailing safely. Since
Cape Horn which seems to me like weeks ago now
I have had nothing but changeable conditions.
We've had every sail up, bar the gennaker, and
the mainail thourgh it's full range on several
occasions. Yeterday I was more tired than I have
been in the whole trip - and conditions worsening
through the day. My body ached with the strain
of the trip so far, my joints throbbed - together
with the lump on my head, I just felt like I was
empty. I have tried so hard to rest - but when
things are changing with the weather and the boats
safety is in idanger it's very very hard to switch
off. Disconnecting the brain does not come easily.
In some ways your body is exhausted, perhaps your
brain ceases to allow itself to switch off...
- and thought functions like eating, drinking,
charging the batteriers, coiling the ropes, can
become tasks forced by habit - sleeping is not
neccessarily something that comes on demand. We
had a terrible time - the wind building, the seas
were horrendous, we needed to get east - but the
waves were pushing us west. B&Q was suffering,
and so was I. I made lunch albeit at about 1400
and after a frantic gybe in 35 knots, and seas
breaking all over B&Q (that ripped off the
starbord mesh protection!) I climbed straight
onto my bunk after putting on a new dry shirt
- and thought "at least I've eaten"
now sleep. Then I realised that I couldn't remember
eating - and glanced over to the galley to see
my food still sitting there stone cold. I ate
it straight away anyway - followed with some sports
drink - but that just shows how tired I really
was. But last night - with a short break in the
weathers busy schedule we were able to get some
sleep - how much I do not know, but I forced it.
I lay still I had to and I do feel a bit better.
I'm not back at 100 percent, but I'm back, looking
forward to gybing out of the horrible sea state,
and pointing our bows once again to the NORTH!”
exx
WEATHER ANALYSIS FROM COMMANDERS' WEATHER 0600
GMT:
Fairly
strong SW flow that we saw Saturday will be coming
down today and the trend will be for substantially
less wind during the latter part of Sunday night.
High pressure over Uruguay will be edging east
and this will bring the lighter air east with
it. Will be coming east for a time early today
and then we'll gybe to the NNE and NE as the wind
clocks this morning. Should be able to maintain
reasonably good wind speeds until near and north
of 35s.
Big
hurdle coming up on Monday will be the light air
associated with the high. The high will be out
around 32-33s/47-48w and continuing to head east.
We plan to come on the east side of it and stay
in as much breeze as we can. Crossing the ridge
axis will be slow as that's where the lightest
wind will be. We will head north and sail the
shortest distance across this light wind area.
Once past the high, wind should become SE and
pick up for a time. We then will have to deal
with a weakening and stalling front off to the
NE.
Wind
forecasts
Wind directions are TRUE, wind speed in kts, time
is UTC
Sun, Jan 16
09: 240-255/23-28 - gybe to a more NNE to NE heading
if and when wind W-140 twa
12: 240-260/22-27, near 38 55s/48 55W - wind lighter
to the W and N, stronger S and E gybe to a more
NNE to NE heading if and when wind W- 140 twa
18: 240-260/20-15
Partly cloudy with a shower possible. Seas 10-15
feet
Mon,
Jan 17
00: 270-290/13-18 - wind more left to the N, right
to the S - lighter wind to the N
06: 280-300/12-17 - wind much lighter near and
N of 35s
12: 270-250/15-10, near 34 35s/43 45w
18: 240-290/11-6 - near ridge axis and will head
more N to cross at shortest distance
Partly cloudy. Seas 8-12 ft
http://www.commandersweather.com
