Sailing plans are largely driven by wind and waves and one’s attitude towards life.  Planning and preparation are major factors contributing to how this trio of factors interact in favourable ways.  So the photo depicts a generally desirable following sea which we experienced for nearly the entire trip from Juan de Fuca to San Francisco, except for one night and early morning.  The wind built to 30 with gusts to 40+ and the seas built to 7 metres or more.  Wanda did her very best under these conditions and was mostly successful with the occasional broach.

Eventually we decided to hand steer and during the skipper’s spell at the wheel, “the wave” washed over the side of the boat.  Peter was swept across the cockpit but as per normal was tethered so did not exit the cockpit as 3 of the 4 cushions did (if anybody sees these please pick them up for us).  The worst outcome of this event however was the large amount of the wave that found its way through the dorade vents into the cabin.  The perversity of nature caused the water to exit into the cabin in locations that could cause the most damage, most notably over the radios and other electronics at the nav table.

The most negative component of this event was that the influx of water was preventable.  On the skipper’s two year old “to do” list is a notation – “find way to block dorades”.  Regrettably this was not done and the consequences are mostly chagrin regarding the perversity of nature; irritation (particularly just after the event while watching large amounts of sea water slosh around inside the cabin) and discouragement while cleaning up the mess and finding new areas hit by sea water over a several day period after the event.

Somehow the skipper did not adhere to the rules of boat preparation when prioritizing the “to do” list. These are, in order of priority: 1. keep the water out; 2. make the boat go; and 3. make the boat pretty.  Fortunately, experience is the best teacher and the “to do” list has been re-prioritized!