Windy has been quite reliable in helping us track the recent low pressure systems in the Arabian Sea, helping us reach Goa in record time and well ahead of bad weather!
We set off on Sunday morning, loaded with goodies from our guests (old and new) and their parents! We were off our moorings by 1030 and past Khanderi by 1400! The winds were easy and the ebbing tide saw us off to a pleasant start. For a change the Murud fishing troupe decided to keep away and we did not snag a single one. Kaustubh (Jack) and Heta (Sparrow) settled down quickly, enraptured by the storyteller (Captain).
A starlit sky and cheery winds had us on a close reach well into the second day. We crossed Ratnagiri at 1600 and were delighted at our progress. The cherry on top, literally, was a glorious pink sunset.
Ratnagiri was home to a good friend of Antara and we missed him as we crossed Pawas Bay.
The gathering darkness brought out an infestation of boats, nets and trawlers. And we got caught in a fishing net almost immediately. A neat team op ensured that we swiftly chopped off the offending strings with no damage to the propellor. The trawlers insisted on flashing these immense, blinding, white lights at us. We retaliated with our Maglite torch, slaying the lights with our laser sword, hah!
Then the winds picked up and we had an anxious Skipper scanning the horizon as he ruminated over reefing the main.
We had no choice but to put in two reefs when the winds gusted to over 17, touching 21 at one point.
So we were lucky that Dilip spotted the ship ghosting towards us. Since both its AIS and VHF were not traceable we had only the navigation lights to go by. At our closest point of approach there was about half a mile of water between us. It was the first time Antara needed the radar for collision avoidance!
The strong winds had us clipping at over 6nm, helping us cross Vengurla Rocks in the wee hours of the morning. That and the distance from shore meant our guests will need another sail to get a glimpse of the Rocks.
Within sight of the Goan beaches by early morning, the southerly winds demanded several tacks to get us home. We were alongside at the Captain of Ports jetty in Panaji at 1400. Well sailed, Crew!
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