It's sometimes a pressure cooker out here.

Kellie's comments-- I've been trying to think of a good metaphor for life out here on the sea. I keep coming back to a pressure cooker. Things seem to simmer along nicely and then all of a sudden the steam begins to build and wham we're under more pressure than we can handle. Our most recent pressure situation was caused by Mother Nature and until she decided to turn down the heat, we were just along for the ride. For the last few days we have been listening to the weather, trying to decided if the gale that was working it's way down from Oregon was finished or not. On Monday afternoon we got reports that the wind would be in the 20-25 knot range over night. Sometimes for strategy we plan an overnight trip. We aim to arrive places in the daylight and sometimes leaving in the afternoon gives us the best chance to arrive the next day before dusk. There were five boats in Asuncion planning to leave together. The first boat gave the word that they were pulling anchor at around 4:00, so with a herd mentality, we all got ready and headed out together. Homer's Odyssey was in the lead and radioed back to say that the seas and wind outside of the bay were great. So one by one we left, Loon, Imagine, Solmate and Icarian. At first it was a dream sail. We had the main sail reefed down to make it smaller and the large head sail out. The seas were calm because the wind was from the east, so if we stayed within a few miles of land, the swell didn't have a chance to build. We set our sails and Pete went to bed right after dinner. As a few hours went by we averaged speeds around 7 knots. We passed Loon and then the wind began to build. I put the kids to bed around 7 because I felt very nervous to have then in the cockpit. The moon had not risen yet and the darkness was thick. The wind was beginning to take the tops off the waves and create spray. Again the Lord was taking care of us because shortly after getting them tucked in, a wave came over the side and slopped into the cockpit right where they had been sitting. When sailing in a group we all remain in radio contact. I was feeling like we had too much sail up since we had now reached a maximum speed of 10.5 knots. I gave Icarian a call to ask the wind speed and their sail configuration. Sure enough we had about 22 knots and I felt we were overpowered. Pete heard me on the radio and got up to put our big sail away and put up the staysail which is about 1/2 the size. Shortly after that we got slopped by another wave, this time it got my hair wet and soaked my feet. Luckily the rest of me was covered in rain gear. Some of the splash went below and Pete mopped it up. We put in our hatch boards to ward off anymore water and got out more heavy duty rain gear. You can imagine tension and frustrations. We switched watches then and I tried to sleep. Sleep didn't really come due to the constant motion of the boat and the interruptions of the radio calls. The wind vane did a great job steering and the boat handled the conditions well, but adrenaline levels remained high. I think the 5 men were having an adventure and the women were having a nightmare. The kids slept through it all in a heap on the downhill side of their bunk. I got up around 2:30 to give Pete a break in the cockpit. I wish I could describe better how it feels to be out in the dark with the waves crashing all around. By the time I took over watch, the winds were a consistent 30-35 knots out of the east, or NE with gusts to 46. Every few minutes we had spray over the windward side dowse the aft end of the cockpit. I stayed dry under the dodger but it's instinct to duck and tense up when a bunch of water comes at you. My muscles remained tense which is exhausting. I kept feeling like I needed to check on the kids, but going back there across the wet cockpit, into the path of the spray was more than I could do. I stayed clipped into my harness on the beanbag chair, bracing myself against the steering column and praying. Before my watch was over around 5:30 the wind had died back down to a reasonable 20 or so. Things smoothed out and we relaxed a bit. By morning we actually had to use the motor occasionally to make it all the way into San Juanico. The only equipment difficulty we has was a fouled prop. Pete had to jump in and remove two lobster pot floats. It's unfortunate that we ran them over, but understandable why we didn't see them. We've had some good chats with the other boats about everyone's experience, and many said it was the most weather they'd been out in. The good thing is now we know that we and the boat can handle those conditions with no problem. I hope though to never have to handle then again. Now we're waiting for the wind to pick up a bit so we can make our way to the next stop. Funny how things change quickly. I guess the steam is let off and now we'll just simmer along for a little while longer. We aim to be in La Paz within about 10 days where we will get real showers, internet, laundry, groceries and hopefully some fun. Kellie Pete: Yeah, but it would have been perfect wind for windsurfing! The beach here is nice - not many shells, but nice, flat and sandy with an easy dingy landing. There's a perfect, small, sideshore break along the north side of the bay, and I can see why it's a popular spot for surfers. We may have to break out the boogie boards if we end up staying here another day. The water has warmed up some more - up to 68F, so swimming is possible without risk of freezing. When I had to snorkle to cut free the lobster pot floats, it was almost pleasant (although a bit unnerving - bottomless blue below me!) Cheers. -Pete PS - Leni (my sister)... your e-mail account won't accept my messages... I've been trying since San Diego. We're planning to stick around La Paz area so we can meet you in January. We may cruise past Cabo close enough to the beach to try to pick up a wireless network from one of the hotels and try to get all our Imaginecruising e-mail, else it'll have to wait until La Paz.