We had been sailing through fog for most of the day but soon after that wind shift the skies cleared and soon we were doing 4.5 kt with a no. 2 jib on a comfortable broad reach in a calm moonlit sea. However, we knew that stronger winds were coming so we agreed to make a check every 2 hours throughout the night.
By midnight the wind had veered to NNW and strengthened to 20 kt. I rolled in some jib. The wind got stronger so I reduced sail again trying to keep the boat speed to below 5 kt. The boat could have comfortably done 6.5 kt but we knew that at that speed we would reach the GG Bridge in the middle of the night. It was a rough night. The wind speed was 25-30 kt with high following seas. By 2 AM I had reduced sail to only a few square feet but the boat was still moving at 5 kt. We knew that after dawn we'd have to do something to slow the boat even more.
Shortly after dawn I rolled in the jib to the area of perhaps a bath towel but we were still going to fast. I hove to, broadside to the weather, and soon we were making 2 kt to the east. We calculated that resuming sail at noon would place us outside the entrance to the bay after dawn.
This NW coast of the USA has lived up to its reputation of being rough this time of the year. I contrast this with the position of Jeff Compton sailing his boat Kaulila to the Marshall Islands. He reports flat seas, 4-8 kt SE-NE breezes, and he hasn't seen a 15 kt wind in a month.
The latest grib file indicated that we would find much calmer winds closer to the coast so our plan was to sail from 65 nm of the coast to 20 nm off the coast and pass between Pt Reyes and the Faralon Islands.
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