Monday, December 30, 2019

Crossing the Gulf

So when planning the trip south this year, one of the big obstacles to overcome is Gulfo de Penas. Also known as the gulf of Penance/Pain... We have friends who purposely mispronounce it "The Gulf of Penis"... You get the idea. Last Thursday we finished getting the boat fixed and we noticed the possibility of a weather window today or tomorrow so we've put in 50 NM days since then to get in position in time. Yesterday was not noted as part of the "good" weather window for the crossing but we assumed coming here wouldn't be as bad as the forecast for the gulf as it was only a small step out into the Southern Ocean and back. How bad could it be?
Unfortunately we are without internet so we can't show you how bad it was (including Gary's barf all over the boat) but it was bad... Very Bad. Anyway, as usual the boat took care of both of us while we suffered in the cockpit. We hadn't planned for the conditions so we were stuck without food or the ability to go below and make something for lunch. We just suffered in the cockpit.
Arriving in our current anchorage was certainly welcome. We licked our wounds, cleaned up the boat and spent today making food and preparing for the real crossing tomorrow. We will spend New Year's eve on passage but if all goes as planned maybe we will celebrate the start of 2020 having finished the crossing with a Champagne breakfast (with Bacon) on the other side. Given the lack of wind we've seen today, sunny skies and forecast for tomorrow we can assume we've already given our penance for this crossing and it will be smooth sailing. Everyone should keep their fingers and toes crossed for us. We'll report back on reality when we get there.
Happy New Year everyone!

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