Sailing on good weather and fair winds between the frequent showers upon crossing the North Sea

As the day starts, the sun rising on our Portside contrasts with the dark squalls growing on Starboard. From then on, scarred black clouds here and there pepper the horizon, their wry bellies ready to burst with rain and possibly wind shifts. A situation that lasted for the whole day, with the light squalls catching up with us and stealing the sunny weather now and then. Occasionally, rain and a rainbow across the sky as a dark cloud rises on our windward side, announce the moment to bunt-up the Skysails and Stand-by the Downhauls of Flying Jib and Upper Staysails.

Then, the fair windfield from a NW-ly direction blowing 15 to 16kn often shifts and increase up to 25kn, at the end not much of a troublemaker flurries, but better be ready to face their unpredictable behaviour.

One final word-and this is the most critical of all. This ship lives off the wind- wind is to us what money is to life on shore. Always scan the windward horizon. Always keep in tune with the feel and heft of the wind… and don’t forget that a sudden squall could lay this wagon down so she’d never get up, no matter how hard you prayed

Sterling Hayden. Wanderer

 

Luckily, today the showers just gave us small wind changes and a refreshing time, while sailhandling and climbing aloft or on the Jib boom furling some of our canvas, and soon died down giving way to clear and sunny weather.

Like that the day went along enjoying good sailing on a Southerly course under the fair winds, that got us 152nm closer to Friesland during the last 24 hours, all combined with a variety of calms and frequent light squalls; at times braced a couple of points sharper on starboard tack, at times yards pulled more square, rolling on the following winds and seas.

Prompt arrival to the Dutch coasts, from where we sail just about 110nm away at the afternoon change of watch, made for start some of the preparations for the landfall. One of the rubber boats was put together, inflated and suited with its outboard engine (in case the destination ports are too busy for mooring now that the shipping and sailing tourism seem to take off again). Safety nets along our main deck were stowed away, not expecting strong winds neither rough seas in the last bit of our crossing from the Norwegian lands.