Weather Alert!: BEOWULF is underway, but the Dashews see the potential for severe weather. Find out the weather situation and how they choose to deal with it.
We’re finally at sea, having a lovely sail in moderate running conditions. Wind is from the SE, about 14 knots, and Beowulf is wearing her two big reachers – one ahead of each mast.
On board for this passage we have a passenger – our old sailing buddy Dave Wyman. Having just spent 11,000 miles bringing Beowulf’s sister ship, Kondor, from Australia to Florida, Dave felt he needed some more sailing.
We’ve just been studying the latest faxes from NMF (Boston). The 96 hr progs show some potential for severe weather development. The structure indicated is a semi-tropical low, being fed potentially by cold dry air from a continental front. All of this mixing up around 30N and 60W about the time we will be there.
The forecast indicates “developing gale”. That, by itself, is nothing of concern. But the risks inherent in this situation are not to be discounted. This is the same type of scenario which was present several days before the infamous Queen’s Birthday Storm. The problem is that if it develops ahead of schedule, we’d be caught in the middle. If it comes on schedule, we’d be in Bermuda. Since we do not like taking risks, and since St. Barts is a three hour sail to leeward, we are going to think on this, and maybe hang out for a day or two until things clarify themselves.
OK – We’ve thought and all are agreed to stop for the night, check out the faxes in the AM, and then re-assess the situation.
Posted by Steve Dashew (May 1, 2001)
