When Refrigerators Go Postal

We’ve all heard sayings such as “A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work.” Boaters will often remark that a bad day on the water is better than a good day at work (home, etc). While I agree in principle, I’ve got to tell you that a rough day on the water can make you wish you were at work. In as much as the wind (with few exceptions) seems to always come from the direction in which we wish to sail , the travel day can get a little bumpy when combined with choppy seas.

Of course, prudent cruisers will wait for agreeable weather before setting out (see “Mother Nature” in our January blog). That is why every book on cruising counsels on patience and frowns on trying to sail to a schedule or timetable. However, inevitably at some point in your travels, circumstances will dictate travel on a day and in a direction that you might not otherwise entertain.

Such was the case when we decided to leave Little Farmers Cay on a Wednesday morning and tried to make it to Georgetown before nightfall. If the swells, current and wind all agreed to go our way (we can hope can’t we??) we would have easily made Georgetown in the afternoon and had time left to anchor, secure the boat and enjoy a cold adult beverage at the Chat-n-Chill on Stocking Island. Of course we didn’t have the blessing of wind, swell and current trifecta, but we were optimistic that the wind may back to the N and that the seas wouldn’t be too bad. (Maybe I should re-read our “Mother Nature” blog!) We could have stayed “inside” on the Bank, but knew that we would have had to motor most of the day. Aside from our preference to actually sail our sailboat, Morgan is quite aware that every hour motoring is one hour closer to the 100 hour oil change. Therefore, despite the conditions, we made the decision to go “outside” and try our luck on the Sound. We knew it would be bumpy and wet, but we had several administrative tasks to complete by Friday. So, we closed all the hatches, secured loose items, took a deep breath and went for it.

As our previous entry may have mentioned, the wind was coming from the SE at about 20 knots and the swells were 2-5 feet. We needed to head S, so in order to move under sail, we had to “tack,” which involves sailing in a zigzag pattern as opposed to straight S. Each time we tack, we release the jib sheet (the rope attached to the sail) on one side and quickly pull in the sheet on the other side. While Morgan handles the sheets quite readily, I’m not nearly as quick or as strong, (not to mention experienced) so it’s quite a sight! Though I do have to say it’s terrific exercise, toning my arms and increasing my heart rate.

Once we were settled on a tack, it was just a matter of keeping an eye out for other boats. Quite an armada was heading the same direction and it made Morgan feel a little better to see that they, too, had to tack several times. In between tacks, we tried to keep our stomachs settled and keep an eye on the pets. Koki actually started out in the cockpit but decided to go inside when it started getting really rough. Every time the boat slams down off a wave, the water hitting the underside of the boat makes the salon floor boards jump. Poor Koki tried to enter the salon just as the aforementioned occurred. I swear she jumped two feet up and sideways! After that, she decided to stay put on the tail of the mainsheet coiled beneath the admiral’s seat where she could dig in her claws to hang on if needed.

Morgan went below to find something to drink that would sit well on his stomach. As he opened the fridge, I heard an expletive and “The fridge is throwing things at me!”. Apparently, as he opened the door, he was attacked by steak sauce and salad dressing that launched themselves at him. It wasn’t long after that we concluded, not only were we not going to make it to Georgetown that afternoon, but that our stomachs (and apparently the refrigerator) needed to seek calmer waters. We ducked in at Rat Cay and sought a calm anchorage for the night near Barretare.

Could the administrative tasks had waited? Probably. But, as we are learning, everything’s a compromise. We could have stayed at Little Farmers indefinitely, but there comes a point when you’re ready to sacrifice some comfort in order to make some progress. We left Pensacola on January 1st with Georgetown as our unofficial destination. With the tasks preying on our minds, being out of cash (and beer!), out of touch with family and being so close to our destination, mentally, we needed to get here.

So, while a rough day on the water may not be as comfortable as sitting in a recliner watching “Lost”, we know that each mile, rough or smooth sailing, is not only progress toward a particular destination, but it’s another mile of experience to draw upon in the future. All in all, I’ll take a rough ride in the Bahamas (and fridges gone postal) over yard work any day!!!