Wind

It's 3:00 am.  I just woke up to the sound of wind.  Really strong wind.

I am lying in the v-berth, somewhere in mid-sleep.  From my slumber I wake to the unnatural feel of the boat as it yanks against our dock lines; pulling and swaying - and suddenly jerking as the lines go taut - while the wind's force presses against the beam of our hull with all it's might.    It's blowing a consistent twenty knots, with gusts up to twenty-six.  I know this because I, always curious to see how my internal anemometer measures up, turned the instruments on to check.  Twenty-six knots and in a fully protected marina, no less.  Pretty impressive.  I would guess it's blowing at least thirty to thirty five out on the water.  Thirty to thirty-five is when things can get pretty interesting on the water, sometimes even scary.  If you have never been on a boat at sea in thirty-five knots, read this to get an idea.

It's gusty, and with every gust - aside from the afore-mentioned relentless jerking and swaying - the halyards are whipped into a frenzy; banging and clanking and vibrating off the aluminum mast sending an echoe all the way down to the deck.  Our bimini, which is fully enclosed at the moment - flaps angrily, slapping against our cockpit combing in defiance.  Our flag flaps so furiously I think it might rip to shreds.  The bucket we have tied to the lifelines drags and flops on the deck.  The entire boat shakes - actually shakes with each blast.  Mother Nature flexing her muscles.  And you wondered what I was doing up at this ungodly hour, psh.

The gusts are so powerful you can hear them all around the boat, howling like a banshee across the land in search of the low pressure zone it seeks.   Like a breaking wave's undertow, the force of this wind is obvious.  This is the sort of wind that reminds you just how powerful Mother Earth is.  Each time she pipes up, so does this cacophony of noise and reverberation.  It is something to behold and it's power impressive.  But, like everything, this too shall pass...

There's a whisper on the night wind, there's a star agleam to guide us...

And the wild is calling, calling....let us go.

Love,
Brittany& Scott