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11/14/2006: "Cyclone Xavier"

24 hours into our crossing the low had a name. Cyclone Xavier. Initially travelling at three knots south east we were beating into three metre seas and making five knots on our course to fiji. Then Xavier sped up. All the best weather men and women said that it would move south and then west, away from us It didn't. We had a tiger on our tail and we knew it. Day three and Xavier is moving at 15 knots straight at Chaotic Harmony. We were 220 miles ahead but in the dangerous quadrant. We carried full rig and lay off to make the fastest speed made good toward fiji. Beating at nine knots boatspeed into three metre waves was wet and wild. Fortunately this was the stuff Chaotic Harmony was made for. As times that was how I felt also. A nervous anticipation, a bit scared, exhilerated, challenged. Tactics were needed when we sailed into a convergence zone and had no wind but big seas. Engines, direct line to safety and every bit of speed we could muster. When the wind piped in we used it. Xavier did not falter in his course, crossing our route only after we reached the magic Fiji isles. As if in frustration of not being able to catch us the Cyclone fizzled into a tropical low and backed off, finally headiing west.