Scratched!

Day … 0

Local Noon Position: 22.12.44N by 159.29.49W

Course: 0 degrees
Speed: 0 knots
Wind: 20 knots E, sweeping across Hanalei Bay
Sea: 0
Sky: 100% occluded.
Bar: 1024
Temp: 75 degrees
Debris: none save the banana peal I tossed over.

MILES
Since last noon: 0
Total for passage: 0
Daily average: 0
Miles to Kauai: 0
___

Mission scratched for the day.

Winds north of Hanalei Bay and for several hundred miles are 25 to 35 knots NE; seas are head on at 11 feet and higher. Starting out close hauled in a near gale failed to engage my enthusiasm this morning.

One might wonder why a man who faces the possibility of much worse weather in the Pacific’s frigid high latitudes would opt to shirk a warm-weather blow in favor of one more day in the comfort of port. I believe the answer to that is self-evident.

It’s called prudence. Or maybe it’s called cowardice. This is the mariner’s eternal quandary. Or may be it’s just my eternal quandary. Prudence or cowardice. Toss a coin.

Adding insult to injury, The Wailin Jennys are right now singing in Murre’s cabin: “When that storm come, don’t run for cover…don’t run from the comin storm for there ain’t no use in runnin.” For the record I didn’t run. I didn’t move.

The afore mentioned High Pressure System is now positioned directly above the islands, a great wall blocking our path and blowing us backward before we’ve had the chance to depart.

I spent the day at chores. I was ready to sail, but there are always more tasks to be done on a boat than there are days.

• Lashed down the stern anchor.
• Rigged a lashing for the captain’s seat–must tie that thing down in a blow.
• Double supported the solar panels on the stern rail and lashed them.
• Rerove the main second jiffy reef–I’d rove it up twisted at Nawiliwili.
• Double lashed the dingy.
• Renewed two frayed lines running to the windvane.
• Secured the “Ice Chest”, an open hatch in the cockpit I’ve fastened down with plywood and woodscrews. Ugly. Serviceable.
• Secured loose objects below: a case of apples, that last 5 gallon bottle of water, five empty kitty-litter containers that will be used to gather sea-water samples for the University of Hawaii. They are testing for evidence of Japanese tsunami-driven nuclear radiation in the North Pacific.
• Dug out the storm jib. Here forward it will be my pillow unless it’s in use.

Sauteed organic kale, fresh tomatoes and spicy tofu for dinner. Bought the kale only yesterday at the local, chic, expensive, organic foods market. By way of example, their bell peppers are $7 a pound. This afternoon I noticed that half the head of kale was already yellow. So I ate the whole thing. So much for my stock of passage greenery.

Tonight the Giants won over the Angels 5 to 3. No big deal except it was Cain’s first outing after his historic perfect game, first in Giant’s history, last week. His outing tonight was neither perfect nor historic, but it was gritty, baseball-tough and successful, and the bullpen was perfect. One looks for little signs that his fragile flight across the ocean will also be successful. Lacking other, grander evidences of divinity, this happy win will suffice.

end