Viking II departed San Diego with the Baja Ha-ha fleet of 160 to 190 boats. On board are Captain Erik, Jan, Jynene, Buffy, EJ, and Marilyn. We set out with a full main and the light asymmetrical spinnaker. Winds are light and the fleet soon scatters far and wide through Los Coronados Islas off the coast of Mexico.
Standing watch on an ocean going vessel is both a safety necessity and a legal requirement. We run 24 hours a day off shore with sails flying. Watch rotation is set to match the need with the skills at hand. I like short watches for novices as well as for experienced mariners to minimize fatigue. We set up a rotation that starts with two hours on the helm where the helmsman needs to be sharp and alert; next is two hours in the cockpit to be a resource for the helmsman in the event of a sail trim, etc … this is a time to relax and take in the scenery; finally the crew member is off watch … eight hours with our crew of six. Meals are cooked by the volunteer of the moment; dishes are washed by someone who did not cook (likely me).
Approaching Turtle Bay the wind slackens. We have had light wind and I am bored with our progress so I tell Buffy, my watch mate, that we are going to have a little fun … wing on wing. This is a dead-down-wind run with the spinnaker set to starboard and the main boom to port; it is unstable and hard to hold in a following sea. It is fun for an hour; we make about one more knot in speed; the setting sun suggests a more stable sail set into the night.
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