Where Did the Time Go

Where Did the Time Go

All day today we sailed under heavy overcast skies dotted with cumulus clouds. It resulted in my constantly fussing with sails, our course, and weather helm to keep the boat going in a reasonably straight line. Whenever I glanced at our course, we were off course and whenever I checked the sails, they were sheeted poorly. Thankfully, we had next to no swell.

On the bright side, it is a sign of progress. We are leaving the tropics and Northeast trades behind. Ahead is the sub-tropical transition and eventually the prevailing westerlies that will send me East and home. Not only are the cloudscapes changing, the diurnal variation in pressure that clearly shows up on the barometer trace is becoming less and less pronounced. Today, with these clouds about, it was almost entirely absent.

This time tomorrow will see us at or very near 30N. A week ago I thought we would never get here. Knock on wood, a week from now should see us aimed at the entrance to Juan de Fuca. It is hard to imagine that in something like a week, I will be aiming the boat at my original departure. Surely it cannot be so. Have I really sailed all these miles? Where did 8 months go? And what of the next 8 months?

Up till now, the only questions needing answers had to do with sailing the boat. With wind and wave and weather. Now suddenly, I feel the continents looming just beneath the horizon and the questions needing answers having nothing to do with my immediate circumstance. It is confusing and strange and, I suppose, a taste of what is to come. I would rather it not.

Follow my tracks in real-time:
https://bit.ly/svseaburban