More open water lessons

A 47' monohull, in this case a Kaufman 47, really is more sea-kindly than a 35' Pearson. (And now I know what "sea-kindly means.) Two crossings of a lumpy Gulf Stream were a good lesson in LWL and displacement. But a monohull is still a monohull, it still rolls and yaws and tosses coffee cups around. I read often of those who insist that wisdom lies in buying the smallest boat you think you can stand, not the biggest boat you think you can afford. For me wisdom will lie in buying the smallest boat I think I can stand, as long as it is as close to 50 foot as I can manage to pay for. If circumstances have us leaving in a smaller boat, (it is better short than on shore) I will be very, very conservative about the kind of weather I'll tackle. And I will expect a lot of sleepless nights spent rolling at anchor.

Finding the way into anchorages and ports will take a little practice. Even when closing in on Port Everglades with lots of boats to follow, I would have been hard pressed to locate the entrance without a GPS. Sailing into Hauffman Cay in the Berry Islands, I could see no indication there was an entrance of any kind until we had nearly reached the inlet. By then there were some pretty "interesting" rocks lurking nearby. I'm sure it will get easier with practice, but the first few times I expect to feel a bit exposed. Day time for sure, good or at least passable weather, and have enough stores on board to heave-to several miles away and wait, a couple of days if necessary, for conditions to be acceptable. Entering a harbor really does look like it can be the most hazardous part of the journey.

I expected to be pretty immune to seasickness. A life long pilot and one time acro instructor, my inner ear has had lots of unusual motion training. I have never had a problem on Nomad. No matter. On both open water trips I spent at least a couple of hours blowing chunks. From now on...no drinking and use the patch. I don't know if that will eliminate my "rail time," but it can't hurt.

There is a lot to learn about the rigging and sail controls of any boat. Quetzal had a whisker pole that made a huge difference when sailing downwind, but setting it was a bit complex and it was heavy enough to do some damage if one didn't pay attention. Practice...practice.