Compass Rose Delivery Sail Day 1: South Portland to Provincetown

Wilfredo

Shoved off earlier than expected but wanted to get in front of the fog. Motorsailed through the lobster pots and for several hours out to sea as the winds were light. Winds were also out of the South, forcing us to decide whether take them on the nose and tack all night, or just go further east than we wanted. The latter won out. We were rewarded with a wind shift from the north, which made for a gorgeous night out. Almost full moon shining brightly on the sea. Engine went off at 2300, as the wind was blowing at about 20 knots and we were gliding along at about 6-7 knots. Perfect night of sailing. Winds were in the high teens to low 20’s; waves were maybe 1-3 meters high throughout. Nice, undulating swells from the back of the boat. Wind has been behind us most of the night, making our autopilot work overtime to maintain our preferred TWA of about 150 degrees. Not as hands on as I’d like, but I ain’t mad at it. Sometimes I like being spoiled. Daylight brought lighter winds but lots of sunshine. Visibility was fantastic - we could easily see Provincetown to port and Boston to stbd from miles away. We switched from the jib to our gennaker and immediately felt the difference in the boat. As an added bonus, we sighted a small whale on our approach into Provincetown. It surfaced maybe 5 - 10 meters away from us before going back under. (I did not get a photo.)