Stamford, CT

Wind: E 15-20 knots, gusting to 30 knots

We’re socked in today. Rain was predicted for last night, today, and tonight. We had hoped to get a break at least for a couple of hours during the day, but it looks like a lost cause. So this may turn into our first zero (a leftover trail term—a day we make no mileage). The unfortunate part is that we can’t really use it to get any of the town stuff done either, the necessary food, fuel, internet, laundry, shower stuff. Karl was able to get water last night by breaking into the yacht club basement and turning it on and then off again (shh, don’t tell anyone), but the rest of our chores remain incomplete.

We watched another sailboat anchor last night and then set out this morning. They’re hardcore, I guess. They also had a pilothouse (a little enclosed protected area over the cockpit, where you can steer from and be out of the weather), which means they would have been safe from the rain. Still, as usual, I’m comparing us to them and feeling a little weenie-ish.

It was about time for a zero, anyway. We were both getting a little worn out. I know I was frustrated with the motoring-sailing conundrum. But we had a nice long talk about it over the bacon and eggs that Karl made me for breakfast, and the whole plan seems more manageable. Basically we need to figure out how to use our staysail for heavy weather, and additional power in medium air, figure out how to rig our spinnaker pole as a whisker pole to pole out our jib when we’re running, and how to use our spinnaker at all. So our only major need is a big genoa for beating to windward in light air. We’ll work it all out. And we really, really need a wind vane. For anyone else thinking about doing this: buy or build a wind vane! Cut out your budget for epoxy or canned goods or something!

In the meantime, we’re hoping our anchor doesn’t drag in thirty knots of wind. We haven’t anchored in that much ever. We’re staying tuned to the weather, reading books and charts, and just hanging out. It’s a little chilly in the cabin, but not bad. Maybe I’ll make some tea.