Out at Sea Sat through Tues morning's arrival and rainy Wednesday

Before we left Pocasset we had to take the outboard off the dinghy and secure it to the cockpit post.  It's all wrapped in bubble wrap so we don't get injured on the propeller. Tweety is hanging off the davits on the stern.

 Out at sea. No sense of time.  Clouds cover the sun.  The gray green of the water meets the horizon to a gray blue sky with no lines marking the stratus cloud cover, just solid grays east over to the west; no camera can capture, a dome of the same color.  When I awake I wonder is it morning, afternoon or evening?  No sun to show the time - feels like it's endless.
  White caps and roiling waves roll under us.  An occasional big one sends stuff flying in the cockpit and salon in spite of securing everything before we left.
  In the cockpit: light sleeping bag - temperature in the 50s, Ipad with Navionics tracking our route, binoculars - 2 pairs, one cheap, one expensive with a stabilizer, two jackets, a panting, trembling, Mazu, one PFD - personal floating device - life jacket, Shawnee log book containing, maintenance notations, fuel consumption, and the cruising information we record every hour or so (They are fun to read later) one personal locator beacon in case Shawnee sinks, ear phones for Audible books, and a water bottle.  The other PFD is at easy access below.  Like most boats our rule is never leave the cockpit without wearing a PFD and another person watching from the cockpit.
  Now the clouds are lifting.  By my watch it's 10:30 am with 17 hours to go until Hampton Pier, VA.  Here's a video of the sea in every direction - no land in sight 360.

  We have to motor to go faster and with sails up for stability in order to beat the bad weather that's coming Tuesday afternoon.  ETA now is 6 am Tuesday.
  Compared to last year this is easier.  Or maybe we feel more experienced.  Don't enjoy seas over 4', but here they come; those big swells from the east hitting us broadside since we're headed south.  Shawnee is a little self contained eco system off the grid.  Energy from solar panels, a wind generator, and a motor fueled by diesel all recharge the battery banks to keep refrigerator, watermaker, lights, and computers running.  It's cozy on the sturdy boat.  I feel totally safe on this Island Packet 380.
  Got bored and baked brownies in the galley oven. No picture of me because so grubby.

   Drew said years ago, if you fall in you're dead - hypothermia (60 or less degree water) and the difficulty of seeing a MOB (man over board) between the waves makes survival difficult.  In an emergency don't abandon the ship; only leave when you are stepping up to another boat or life raft as the boat sinks. Boats are built to withstand many severe problems.
   From the survival books I've read serious situations,i.e. a sinking boat, arise from hits to the boat beyond the captain's control.  Hits from debris, a floating container (Robt. Redford Movie "All is Lost"(terrible inaccurate movie for sailors), whales, rock or a sharp log. For us we are prepared with a life raft, ditch bag, first aid kit, and hopefully personal fortitude. One great read is Adrift: Seventy Six Days Lost At Sea by Steven Callahan (1986) www.stevencallahan.net.  This author was the consultant for the movie "Life of Pi." I'm going to add a page at the top of the blog for good sailing books to read.
   We arrived at our  destination Tuesday morning at 7 am.  We did a little shopping,

 saw a few people for the Rendezvous seminar we will go to over the weekend.
   Today, Wednesday I'm doing a rainy day project: covers for the portals in the head (bathroom) and fore cabin (bedroom) because we are at a slip where boats are close together and can see in.  We want privacy but also want to be able to have air circulation.  I had scrappy cardboard over the windows before.  Here's what we devised:  vinyl shelf paper so it's translucent, cut to the size of the portal, attached with double sided tape.  We can still open the window to get air without lifting it all the way up.  They can be removed easily as well.

Of course, a picture of the amazing sunset.