Half our way to Cuba!

It’s Saturday morning and we have begun the second day of our passage to Cuba.  At the point when we had been underway for 24 hours, we found ourselves about 50 miles from Great Inagua and about 75 miles from the eastern most point of Cuba.

Earlier today I spoke with Chris Parker, the weather router, and asked if he would recommend that we skip Great Inagua and just keep going to Cuba for a total nonstop run of about 350 miles.  His recommendation was to continue on and head directly for the Windward Passage as he feels that we will enjoy moderate winds behind the beam that will carry us all the way to our destination on Sunday afternoon.

For the first 24 hours we motor-sailed as the wind was just too light and clocked in direction from SE to SW and ultimately settling in to the 10kt NE wind we are enjoying now.  Pandora sails well with apparent wind near 10kts with the larger forward sail, the Code Zero.  It’s a huge light sail and can’t be flown in more than about 14kts apparent.  As I write this we are sailing along on a beam reach with about 8-10kts and are doing between 5-7kts through the water.  Fortunately, there isn’t much current to speak of so we are making good time and staying near our target speed of 6.5kts SOG much of the time.

Last evening was uneventful and Brenda stood watch for about half of the night, by herself so I could get some rest although it was pretty warm down below with the engine running.  This is the first time that Brenda has been underway for more than 24 hours and I have to say that she is doing great.  The fact that it was a clear evening with no moon made for some fabulous star gazing, one of her favorite pastimes.  At one point I came up on deck to check on everything and found her tipped back in her chair listening to music while watching the stars set on the western horizon.  That passed the time nicely for her and although she’s a bit queasy now and then, she has a great attitude.

After a hot 24 hours of being underway we both felt pretty grubby so we took showers in the cockpit this morning.  With Brenda reclining in one of the adjustable deck cushions, I washed her hair and then she showered out in the breeze.  Me too…  We both feel very refreshed. It’s very private out here as there is absolutely nothing within 40 miles of us in every direction except an occasional ship heading north from the Caribbean.

I have to say that I am still a bit surprised that we expect to arrive in Cuba on Sunday after so many months of preparation and to be one of the few American’s doing so by boat legally after more than 50 years is a big deal.

Brenda appreciates this and has been very supportive all along the way.   She wrote a funny post yesterday afternoon while we were underway (that’s a big deal in itself) that’s worth reading.  You can see it here. (put in www.argoknot.com link here)

Yes, this is a big deal and I am so pleased to be sharing it with Brenda.  Who knew, way back in Highschool, when we first met, that we’d be doing this together now.   And, speaking of Highschool, we both wish that we’d taken Spanish as it sure would have come in handy on this trip.

Indeed, we are very close to arriving in Cuba and after all the planning and setbacks, I’d argue that we are WAY closer than half way there.