Day 76 – Balancing act, Sea Bed

15 May, 07 – 23.40    
15.5076N,50.2937W
(A short post today as I am quite tired.. A longer one will follow in a few hours. )

The sea has been fairly high all day with a few rain clouds overhead.
As I write this it's 11.40 at night. The wind has picked up considerably. Somehow it always seems to do so at night. The waves have gotten a bit fiercer since sunset and the boat is rolling from side to side in the choppy sea. Rain clouds overhead and a clear sky in the horizon.
I am sitting inside, on the starboard side of the cabin, just by the entrance. Opposite me is the panel with the VHF radio, the barometer, and electrics for controlling the water maker, radar etc. This is the widest point of the cabin 1.5 meters. The boat is rocking back and forth as waves hit the sides instead of the stern (because I don't have the rudder out). Trying to get any work done on the laptop while rocking back and forth is quite a challenge I have got my leg extended to the opposite wall for stability and the computer on my lap and my neck against the ceiling, because its too low for me to sit up straight.
So there you go - now you know what a circus performance it is to update this everyday :)
Mileage has been just below my target of 15 miles per day. The wind has been fairly consistent. Usually the wind and waves line up, but for the past few days the waves have been very confused – coming at the boat from different directions.
I've been trying to look around for an explanation. I spent some time looking through the charts I had on board and came across the hydrographic / topograpic chart of the area. My current position places us above a ridge called Researcher Ridge, with the water depth varying vastly between 563 meters and 5125 meters (5.125 km) over a very small area. Thats a massive amount of water being displaced upwards and sideways by the ridge.
I'm not sure how big a part this plays in influencing the surface conditions. Still, its quite amazing to see such a variation in the sea bed below and imagine mountain heights as I row over.
A bit stressed but in fair spirits.
I've been getting a lot of messages from school kids from all over. Thanks. It helps brighten up the day out here,
Stay tuned,
B
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Balancing act to update the website

Topography under the boat - Researcher Ridge

CEV Image of undersea mountain