The Misery Worsens

09/13/02 – Friday the 13th

    Last night was very likely the most miserable night of the passage (so far).  We decided not to tack, as the other course provided no advantage over the current one, though both courses were terrible.  At the end of Eric’s watch (start of my 2000 watch), the wind shot up above 30 knots, and we decided to take the 3rd reef in the main.  Through the night the wind varied from 25-35 knots, sometimes going up to 40.  The seas were exceedingly rough, and the boat was tossed all over the place, all the while heeling between 20 and 40 degrees.  I have never experienced so much difficulty moving about in the boat.  The biggest challenge was using the head, getting slammed into the wall with my pants around my knees.  Care had to be taken to pump the head as soon as possible, lest the contents spill out from the extreme heel and bouncing of the boat.  We tacked a couple of times during the night, and finally settled on port tack, which is where we are this morning.  The most frustrating thing is, with all this suffering, we are making very little headway towards Cape Town.  The wind is coming right at us from the direction of Cape Town, sometimes at gale force.  I am losing my mind, but there is nothing I can do but hang on.