Thu Nov 28 2019 20:57:00 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time)
Everyone has a thing. You know, a thing that sets off your doubts and makes you worry if you are able to make the correct decision. Maybe you make any decision. Maybe you freeze. Maybe you worry about freezing instead of acting. This thing stresses you out and triggers every self doubt you have. This thing becomes a lightning rod, a conduit for the building stress and worry. Disproportionate in size to all other things as it grows and takes center stage.
Maybe you don’t have a thing. Apparently I have a thing. Right now, that thing is fishing boats at night. Oh, I’ve had other things. Sometimes I set out to conquer them. Somethings the thing fades away. Sometimes logic works. Sometimes it’s just getting comfortable with the thing; experience.
But right now, fishing boats at night are my thing. And it will have to be conquered with more time and experience. Sometimes fishing boats are lit up brightly at night, sometimes they are not. Mostly they are never on AIS. I can pick them up on radar. Maybe they answer a VHF hail, maybe they don’t. Will I end up too close because the dark messes with my distance perception. Yep, I have instruments for that, but I could read them wrong. Making the decision to go to port or starboard, between or around.
Tonight we were directly in line of a cruise ship headed from Puerto Vallarta to Los Angeles. so Graham very politely ask them to divert 5 degrees to starboard to we could have pass port to port. They very kindly did. Cruise ships are lovely all lit up. We passed 2 nm from each other.
The winds are blustery tonight. Changing from 12 knots to 28 knots in the blink of an eye. We are well reefed (sails made smaller) and Pulsar was built for this. She seems to thrive on it.
~Karri
S/V Pulsar 