Those of you who have been reading our posts will know that I had many adventures and many new acquaintances on our first ocean passage. However, most were, it turned out, imaginary with a little help from Scopolamine (the behind-ear patch to prevent seasickness). Most of what I remember from that passage didn’t actually happen, so I was hoping to have a more genuine experience with this one.
To prevent seasickness I used a thing that looks kind of like a wrist watch but provides electrical stimulation to a pressure point on the inside of the wrist. I also took a single dose of Meclizine – an oral seasickness med like Dramamine.
As we entered the Atlantic near dusk, conditions were “rolly” with pretty large swells, but not much “chop” since winds were light. The boat was rolling uncomfortably though for most of the trip. The motion did bother me somewhat, but not severely which is good news, and I found the experience of sailing at night pretty magical. A full moon came up a few hours in and we were able to sail (motor sailed until the engine died again). For most of the passage there were no other boats within sight and I felt like we were the only boat on the ocean. It is strange to be on a small boat and realize that there are several thousand feet of water below you and no land within hours (days on a longer passage). It is quite a beautiful place to be, especially with a full moon shining brightly.
I would not say I’m ready to tackle Cape Horn yet, but reasonable passages in reasonable conditions seem to be very manageable.
It’s very hard to get decent nighttime pictures. The moonrise was spectacular, but you’ll have to be satisfied with a view of our current anchorage in Royal Harbor, Eleuthera from the bow of Regina M. Since this was taken, several other boats have pulled in here to ride out a 2 or 3 day “northerly blow” that has hit the area. It’s a beautiful 360 degree protected anchorage. If you look closely, you can see the very narrow entrance in about the middle of the picture (between a rock and a rocky point).
