Larry's Version - Part III - Rough Seas

Buddi in calmer seas

One of the things that worried me about this sailing trip, was Buddi, our youngest daughter and Sun Conure.  I was afraid she would be freaked out with the movement of the boat, and if things got really rough, I knew I would be really busy, and unable to look after her.  We had hung her travel cage high up in the cockpit, just under the Bimini, and although she obviously did not like the sound of the engine running, and at first complained bitterly about it, she gradually got used to it.  As soon as we put her in her travel cage, she immediately stuck her little head into the wind, and seemed to glory in the fresh breeze and sunshine.  She watched the pelicans diving into the water all around us, and seemed to be amused by the clown calls of the sea gulls.  The way to know if Buddi is having a good time is to listen to her.  If you don’t hear anything, you can pretty well assume that she is having a good time.  When Buddi is not having a good time she is quite vocal about it, and there is no missing the point.  We had to be very careful in putting into the cockpit cage, because if the wind is blowing very much, as it so often was, she could be blown overboard.  If we happened to be underway at that time, it would be a real problem to get her back.  She would stay in her cockpit cage all day long, and at night when we took her down to her main cage, she would immediately get in her Happy Hut and go to sleep.  She was exhausted after a rough day at sea. 

Clouds come in...seas pick up a bit

 As we were approaching Puerto Escandidto the winds were howling upwards of 35 knots, and had been building all day.  Spray was coming over the side, and Buddi was in her cockpit cage.  Although we had left Agua Verde under calm conditions, and all day long the conditions had continued to deteriorate.  To get into Puerto Escandidto we had to pass along the outside of a large island called Danzante, then turn sideways into the wind for a short distance before running back south into Escondido.  The seas had built to an estimated 12 feet, and as long as we were heading straight into the wind we had a fairly bumpy ride, but not overly uncomfortable.  However when we made the turn at the end of Danzante, around the point, suddenly we had 12 foot waves hitting us in the side, and the rolling of the boat was most uncomfortable, and I could hear things crashing all around below.  I had taken Buddi’s cage down from the Bimini and placed it under the dodger for protection from the wind, but more from the spray.  I wasn’t sure how Buddi’s feathers would respond to being soaked in saltwater.  The only time that Buddi squawked or made a sound was when her cage rolled over on it’s side in a particularly brutal wave.  That is when I took her down to her main cage.  She rode out the rough water better than either Edie or I did.  We found that she was totally content with sailing, bad weather, rough sea, and even hurricanes.  She’s our little “sailor bird”.

Edie didn’t like the rough seas either, and experienced some fear that the boat was going to turn over, when a large wave would catch us just right and roll us over 30 degrees or so on our side.  I did not worry so much about turning over, but it is very uncomfortable to roll so much, and sometimes the forces are so great that just holding on to keep from being thrown about seems impossible.  Our boat is our home, and we have a lot of homey type stuff on board.  Part of getting ready for a trip is tying things down, and locking things in place, stacking and organizing things in such a way that things won’t move around much when the weather gets hostile.  I could hear the wine glasses clinking against one another, and sliding doors straining against their restraints.  When we left Agua Verde I had no idea that bad weather was to be a part of or day, although the weather reports had warned us of impending bad weather coming in the next day; I did not adequately prepare for what we were encountering.    We have two chairs in our salon that are free to move around.  I have bolts in the floor for fixing the chairs in place, but I had not secured them.  On top of thinking we were about to die, Edie took on the task of keeping the chairs from crashing about the cabin during the worst of the being tossed about.  Although it seemed certain that everything that we had stored in closet, or cabinets and drawers we about to be heaved onto the floor, at the end of the trip, most of the more important things remained intact, in place, and undamaged.  And thanks to the wrangling skills that Edie discovered she possessed, the chairs caused no damage either. 

If you notice, I have made no mention of Edie’s now famous sea sickness.  That’s because she didn’t have any.  The long time cruisers of Mexico know of a secret elixir that cannot be bought in the United States, which has the repetition of working wonders.  The medicine goes by the name Sturgeron, and was supposedly developed in England for use by the Royal Air Force.  It has virtually no side effects, and can be taken even after sea sickness is upon you.  But the best part about it is that it really works, and for our entire trip, Edie did not suffer from sea sickness.  I was very proud of her.  How many people could you imagine, would continue to try to battle a condition that had dominated her sea going life, virtually forever.  Congratulations to Miss Edie for her fortitude.   

P.S.  Before we left the States for this adventure we purchased a rail mount for our video camera so we could film ourselves and Milagro during rough seas; we have yet to get it out when needed so you'll find no pictures during our more exciting moments...not yet, anyway.