Into the Frying Pan

And there we were…..

I had just awakened from being off watch with the boat obviously riding on serious water.
 Pam was at the helm.  When I had gone below two hours earlier it had been dark with winds from our starboard aft quarter blowing 12 – 15 knots.   I had been sleeping on the floor of the saloon wedged between a center bench and the port settee so I would not be flung from side to side by the waves pushing the boat.  The sun was up as was the wind blowing a strong breeze at 22 – 27 knots.  Waves had come up too.  Eight foot waves seemed to come in sets of three about ever ten minutes with 4 – 6 footers marking the time between the big fellas.

We were in the North Atlantic rounding Frying Pan Shoals, south of the Graveyard of the Atlantic having left Beaufort, NC bound for Charleston the evening before.  Even though we were 30 miles offshore we could see the red navigation aid marking the end tip of the shoal three miles off our starboard side.

   

Looking at Pam she had a firm grip on the wheel focusing on how to best steer Grace in these conditions.  I asked her how she was doing as it was clear it took much concentration keeping Grace pointed in the right direction.  Her reply was she was fine and wanted to continue at the wheel.  So for another hour and a half she continued on gripping the wheel guiding all twenty thousand pounds of Grace to surf the waves.  We frequently hit speeds over nine knots.

Pam Watching for the Next Eight Foot Wave

Upon sailing far enough beyond Frying Pan Shoals the winds dropped down to a fresh breeze and the waves settled down to a “gentler” 3 – 5 feet.  On the Beaufort scale a fresh breeze are winds 17 – 21 knots.    Pam spent from working behind the wheel for nearly four hours, relinquished the helm to me.

Daybreak South of Frying Pan Schoals

Shortly after I had taken over I saw a fin pop out of the water only a few feet directly in front of the bow.  Dolphins!  My heart rate went up.  We had dolphins playing with us.  Spectacular! We would see their dorsal fins swiftly converge from the sides to pass Grace.  Magnificent!  They would swim mere inches from the side of the boat and then veer off for another pass at us.  Fantastic!  I was so excited that I was shouting, “Look over there!”  Stunning!  Then, to cap it all off, two dolphins leapt in unison five feet out of the water across the very front of our bow!!!  Breathtaking!  Although we waited for the next display, their final leap was their way of saying good bye and have a safe voyage. 

Dolphin in Beaufort, NC Harbor

Dolphin Playing in Beaufort, NC Harbor

And there we were, starting another day on our adventure. 

Have fun – We are

Jeff