It finally calmed down last night and we both slept well. In fact, it was very pleasant this morning too, and up until a few minutes ago was flat calm. The forecast is calling for another day of winds, but I hope it'll calm down sooner.
I want to re-caulk the chainplates before the next rain, probably Thursday, but would prefer to do it when things weren't bouncing around. Not only does that make it a neater job, but it gives the caulk time to set up.
Dinghy watch:
I haven't done much to the dinghy lately, but did attempt to order a new sail last week. I'd gotten an email from the maker saying they were back in stock and tried to place an order, but they dropped the ball and didn't ship it, so I cancelled the order yesterday. I can't sit here forever waiting on something that may or may not be on the way.
However, I did talk to another outfit the sells kits. They'll also assemble them for you, but the lead time is much greater, so I'll have to wait till I get to Houston before placing an order. I like the idea of making my own sails, so I may try to gen up something out of some old scrap canvass and see how it goes.
I still need to rip the 1x2 oak strips down for the gunwales, but may wait on that as well. In any case, I need to wait for a calm day so I can make a straight cut.
Radio watch:
I've been taking daily position reports from Mike, WA9DOS, as he crosses the Atlantic singlehanded. He should make Grenada this weekend. I was a little surprised that I was the one normally hearing him, but I think it has more to do with my antenna than anything else. I also had a check in from Steve, VA7SKM, last night, who's down in the Straights of Magellan, 5,700 miles away. That my longest contact to date.
A lot of the other net control stations use beam antennas that concentrate signals, both receive and transmit, in a particular direction. If they aren't pointing in the right direction, they won't hear a weak signal. However, if they know where to point, they can work stations I can't hear. I use an omnidirectional antenna, so I hear pretty well in all directions. I personally think that's the best way to run a net, but not everyone agrees.
I also only run the standard 100 watts. That way, if someone hears me ask for check ins, I'll probably hear them as well. A lot of stations run amplifiers, up to 1,500 watts, and can be heard half way around the world. Combining that with a beam antenna, they get a lot of stations trying to check in that they can't hear unless the happen to be pointed at them.
This can be very discouraging, and I've given up even trying to check in with some stations because, although I hear them quite well, I know from experience they'll never hear me. They generate huge pileups, large numbers of stations trying to check in all at once, which makes it even more difficult for weaker stations to be heard.
During those times, I keep off the air and listen for maritimes. If I hear one, I'll put out multiple calls trying to get the attention of someone with a stronger signal who can notify the net control station. It doesn't always work, but usually I can get in relatively quickly, however it has taken up to 15-20 minutes a few times.
Key West watch:
I'll probably be ready to move this week, but may stay here a while longer. I've heard reports that the Keys are getting very crowded, and I'm not thrilled about that prospect. I fixed the broken mounting bolt and painted the portholes, so other than some caulking and repacking the stuffing box, there's nothing keeping me here.
Unfortunately, this isn't a great place to sail -- too shallow. I don't really want to go down to the Bahamas either, so I'm not sure what I'll do, but I have at least another month to kill before I can continue on to Houston. I suppose I could go sooner, but who knows? I don't want to sail in frigid temperatures again.
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