Since we started this journey, the waters we have sailed have been at a pretty much constant temperature. This is about to change, and we find ourselves dreaming of what new experiences shall come from that.
It’s been roughly a month. We covered a tad more than 700 miles so far, and left two states on our wake. And yet, water temperature has hardly changed, around 56F (13C). Quite chilly.
Interestingly enough, just some 70 miles from where we are now, sea temperatures will start rising steadily as we progress south.
NOAA has a comprehensive site where they publish real time data from buoys along the coast. These buoys float at fixed places on the sea, tied to moorings, and are equipped with equipment that reads a number of data, including sea temperatures. They also relay the info realtime to NOAA, who then publishes it on their interactive site —> www.ndbc.noaa.gov.
Today I took a look at select buoys near each one of our stops so far. As you will see below, sea temperatures are ranging from 55F (12.8C) to 58F (14.4C). At these temperatures, Pesto becomes a fridge. Everything near the hull gets cold – like our drinking water and our beds.
Just some 70 miles south from where we are now, sea temperature will rise to 63F (17.2C) – think of that. After 700 miles sailing on stable 55-58F waters, all we need is 70 miles – less than 10 hours at Pesto’s speed – to gain a staggering 7F (4C) ! Impacts to our life shall range from more comfort onboard to a new set of wildlife around us, and – most importantly – milder weather and improved sailing conditions (so we hope …).
And once we have covered another 700 miles, we will be in San Diego, near the border with Mexico, sailing on waters at 72F (22C) … by then we should be swimming !!!
For now, all we can do is to dream about it.
Have a nice weekend !