The Cell

The Crossing — Day 17

After evading the electric storm around 9N and 122W, we were more west than we had initially planned on crossing. We decided to go with 123W as it was before the 125 mark to cross the ITCZ.

We first we encountered the darkest of clouds that felt as if we were heading into something ominous. That feeling couldn’t be more than right.

Initially we were hit with rain squalls and some windy moments that were to be expected for the nature of this area and system. The wind went completely slack and all the while seemed to calm. But what was to come next was at a whole different level than which we anticipated.

A line of white passed from the southeast horizon directly towards us, slamming us with wind and heavy rain. The droplets of water skimmed across the cockpit horizontally and breezed across the surface of the water creating a sheer gray layer on the sea. The wind gusted into the 30s relentlessly and although we had only a reefed main up, we were heeled over to a significant degree. There was an incredible amount of water falling from the sky. Our heading changed from 190 degrees (south) to 260 (west) and we were still feeling overpowered. This lasted for hours. Although our hands and feet were soaked to soggy digits, we couldn’t leave our helm stations as the weather was too volatile.

Eventually the rain subsided but left residual waves of all different directions creating a chaotic seastate. Bashing into waves, getting hit broadside, waves over the aft quarter. We tried surfing the swell by hand steering but got bounced around like a rubber duck in a bath. When we would try to speed up, the period between waves were too short and we would run into the other. Too slow and we were being tossed around. We had to compromise to be reefed enough to not be over powered but still heeling at a considerable enough angle that felt like the waves would knock us down. Looking at the horizon in all directions it was apparent this would be a long ride with no end in sight but we both knew, “this soon shall pass.”