46) 1,646 nm ENE of Barbados

12.10.05 1048am, 18° 18.395 N 31° 35.082 W, 1,646 nm ENE of Barbados

Our heading is 273 magnetic.  The wind is coming from port about 60° aft of the bow.  We are pointing!  All the sails are up and we are doing 4.5-5.5 knots in 9 knots of true wind.  The best part of all is that we are sailing directly towards Barbados.  Our velocity made good is identical to our speed.  If these conditions remained the same we would arrive at Barbados on 12/24.

701pm, 18° 11.972 N 32° 07.097 W, 1,615 nm ENE of Barbados

This has been a long day of sailing.  We had been traveling along nicely to the west yet the wind was clocking and we had been progressively heading to the northwest.  Late in the day we tacked and are now on a course that is heading us due south.  At least we are making way down to 13°.  The wind is 15-20 and the boat has been between 5-7 knots.  We are heading into the wind and wind waves and there is a slight following sea of swells.  We never thought we’d be pointing into the wind. 

Just when I thought Alan might know something about sailing he does a “what the fuck are you doing?”  It turns out that little ol’ Alan this morning at 7 was the one who unfurled the Genoa and put up the staysail also.  That was a good move and I thought John did it.  Well, this afternoon cruising along, 20 knots of wind, 6+ knots of speed, I had my back to the winch.  He gets up, goes starboard and I feel him bump the pillow I am leaning against.  I turned just when he released the active Genoa sheet and the line ran.  I saw him trying to stop it running and I thought, ‘there go the fingers’.  The sail is blowing wild in the wind and loud.  The boat is slowing down.  He’s now trying to pull on the line and I tell him there is no way he can do that without a handle.  He was still trying to hold on to the line and panicky and wraps the line onto the winch capstan and bypasses the stainless guide.  He walks away to get a handle and I’m looking at the line slipping and I’m saying the line is going to blow.  By the way, he does not think very fast on his feet and this time he was moving slow.  I had gotten up and moved to the other side and got out of his way and watched.  Then John comes up and sits down to make a call.  I say to John why did he do that?  Shrugs, rolled eyes.  While Alan is trying to winch it in I ask him why he did it.  He says that he looked at the telltales and they said to let the sail out.  I said we are pointing as high as we can go and that says everything in tight and you never let out the sails when pointing.  He then went back to his original statement.  I was inwardly upset that he did something as stupid as unloading an active line in such strong winds and without gloves.