Thought I would give Dave a break and also make a post while I have easy internet. Today is my last day here in the states for awhile and I am currently in sunny southern CA. Santa Ana winds came through last night and while the yards are a mess, today is going to be a gorgeous one here in the 90s. I am flying out of LAX tonight to meet Dave in Hiva Oa tomorrow at noon. From one paradise to another - life is tough!
Thanks to my amazing husband who got the boat there safely after I chickened out. It is so wonderful to see him realize his 40 year old dream and to arrive safely without mishap. He has done the hard part and now we get to explore these islands over the next 90 days (why can't the French give us at least 120 days?). Also many thanks to the Borer family as they have been so gracious for opening their home to me. Love you guys!! So now I am off to do laundry while I have my final opportunity and next time I will be posting from the French Polynesia! Aloha!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Anchored in Hiva Oa
We made it! A beautiful anchorage here in Baie Tahauku near the town of Atuona. It is a bit small but pretty well protected. Currently, there are 15 boats here with room for a few more. I got lucky as several boats had just left before I arrived and I have a nice anchoring spot in about 15 feet of water. Trevor from Nakiska came over and helped me set my stern anchor as the boats are anchored close together.
It was interesting coming in as you can't see the anchorage until you're almost here and it is in a side bay off the large Baie Taaoa, or Traiter's Bay. There are lots of mountains around and thick forests of all kinds of green trees. One jagged peak is constantly covered in clouds. It is quite a change after being in Mexico for 6 months. There is a small store and fuel station here but the town is a good 45 minute walk away. When I went ashore I could barely walk as I was so used to the boat motion and the not used to terra firma!
OK, let's do the numbers:
28 days, 8 hours - total passage time.
2773 miles - distance sailed (straight line is 2700 miles).
4 knots - average speed, 98 miles/day
55 hours - total engine hours on passage (mostly in ITCZ).
40 gallons - diesel fuel used (less than half carried).
0 - major breakdowns, unless you count the water heater leak and blown water pressure hose (repaired underway).
Being in the South Pacific - Priceless!
OK, now it's on to my new list of boat chores and repairs!
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It was interesting coming in as you can't see the anchorage until you're almost here and it is in a side bay off the large Baie Taaoa, or Traiter's Bay. There are lots of mountains around and thick forests of all kinds of green trees. One jagged peak is constantly covered in clouds. It is quite a change after being in Mexico for 6 months. There is a small store and fuel station here but the town is a good 45 minute walk away. When I went ashore I could barely walk as I was so used to the boat motion and the not used to terra firma!
OK, let's do the numbers:
28 days, 8 hours - total passage time.
2773 miles - distance sailed (straight line is 2700 miles).
4 knots - average speed, 98 miles/day
55 hours - total engine hours on passage (mostly in ITCZ).
40 gallons - diesel fuel used (less than half carried).
0 - major breakdowns, unless you count the water heater leak and blown water pressure hose (repaired underway).
Being in the South Pacific - Priceless!
OK, now it's on to my new list of boat chores and repairs!
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Friday, April 25, 2014
Moon & Stars - Night 28
The last sliver of the moon has just risen, about 3 hours before sunrise. The sky is clear and the stars of the southern hemisphere are out in all their glory. The only constellation I know down here is the Southern Cross but I did see the Big Dipper for a while near the Northern horizon last night. This voyage has covered one complete cycle of the moon and is now coming to a close.
When the sun comes up I will begin my 29th and final day at sea! I am about 25 miles out from Hiva Oa and should see land at first light. Today I will drop my anchor in the South Pacific for the first time, the culmination of a dream I've had for 40 years. I guess I'll need to come up with a new dream for the next 40 years - how about going to the moon? Or to the stars? First, I look forward to exploring the many different islands of the South Pacific starting with the Marquesas. We may visit Fatu Hiva and Nuku Hiva in addition to Hiva Oa before then setting of again on the 450 mile passage to the Tuomotus. Some of these coral atolls that we may visit include Manihi, Ahe and Rangiroa. After that, it's off to the Society Islands - Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora ... We will have a 90 day visa for French Polynesia which includes all of the above island groups. But first I need to finish this passage ...
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When the sun comes up I will begin my 29th and final day at sea! I am about 25 miles out from Hiva Oa and should see land at first light. Today I will drop my anchor in the South Pacific for the first time, the culmination of a dream I've had for 40 years. I guess I'll need to come up with a new dream for the next 40 years - how about going to the moon? Or to the stars? First, I look forward to exploring the many different islands of the South Pacific starting with the Marquesas. We may visit Fatu Hiva and Nuku Hiva in addition to Hiva Oa before then setting of again on the 450 mile passage to the Tuomotus. Some of these coral atolls that we may visit include Manihi, Ahe and Rangiroa. After that, it's off to the Society Islands - Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora ... We will have a 90 day visa for French Polynesia which includes all of the above island groups. But first I need to finish this passage ...
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Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Company - Day 26
As I was listening in on the Puddle Jump Net last night on the SSB radio I heard some traffic on the VHF radio. I called back and it turned out to be another sailboat heading for Hiva Oa. It was a 57 foot catamaran and they went flying past me even though I was doing about 5 knots. They were an Australian couple and daughter passaging from the Galapagos and heading home to Oz. They came right up next to me and it was so strange to see another boat and other human beings after not seeing anything but water for over 2 weeks! We took pictures of each other in the sunset and I look forward to meeting them in HO.
We are still making good time, about 5 knots, and have been averaging about 120 miles a day for the last 3 days. We are about 320 miles out of Hiva Oa and may need to slow down a bit to time arrival for daylight on Friday. Of course, the weather gods may have different plans for us ... I am looking forward to the boat sitting still and being able to move about and function without constantly hanging on. Nakiska, the other singlehander that left about the same time I did is ahead of me and should be getting into Hiva Oa today. He promised to save me a spot in the anchorage! I have only run the motor for a total of about 40 hours so far and 30 of that was to get through the ITCZ.
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We are still making good time, about 5 knots, and have been averaging about 120 miles a day for the last 3 days. We are about 320 miles out of Hiva Oa and may need to slow down a bit to time arrival for daylight on Friday. Of course, the weather gods may have different plans for us ... I am looking forward to the boat sitting still and being able to move about and function without constantly hanging on. Nakiska, the other singlehander that left about the same time I did is ahead of me and should be getting into Hiva Oa today. He promised to save me a spot in the anchorage! I have only run the motor for a total of about 40 hours so far and 30 of that was to get through the ITCZ.
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Friday, April 18, 2014
SE Trades - Day 22
Can't believe it's been 3 weeks, time just flies by out here (not really). Finally have gotten into the SE trades this morning, 15 knots of wind and we're finally moving better than 3 knots! Actually doing 4.5 knots on a direct course to Hiva Oa (225 degrees), at this rate I might make it in before next weekend, 785 miles to go. Reminds me of a song: "On this wind on this heading lie the Marquesas. Got 30 feet of waterline, nicely making way ...". Ok, I modified the lyrics slightly ...
That's it for today, need to shoot this off before the sun comes up and ruins the SSB radio transmission.
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That's it for today, need to shoot this off before the sun comes up and ruins the SSB radio transmission.
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Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Equator - Day 20
Starshine is in the Southern Hemisphere and I am a shellback! We crossed over at 14:15 Zulu (8:15 AM local?). King Neptune and I shared a toast with some good 18-year old scotch! Man, that will really open your eyes early in the morning.
I finally had to turn on the motor this morning as the wind has been very light and I needed to run the watermaker (it needs to run every 4 or 5 days to keep the membrane clear). My last four 24 hour runs were only: 76, 86, 85 and 75 miles. Before that we were averaging a little over 100 miles per day. Ever since I got through the ITCZ (about 3 days ago) the wind has been light from the East. Hopefully it will pick up in the Southern trades here shortly.
I am about 950 miles from Hiva Oa. Hopefully, we can get there in 8 to 10 days but if the wind stays light it will be a little longer. At least I should get there before Gail on the 30th.
Cheers!
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I finally had to turn on the motor this morning as the wind has been very light and I needed to run the watermaker (it needs to run every 4 or 5 days to keep the membrane clear). My last four 24 hour runs were only: 76, 86, 85 and 75 miles. Before that we were averaging a little over 100 miles per day. Ever since I got through the ITCZ (about 3 days ago) the wind has been light from the East. Hopefully it will pick up in the Southern trades here shortly.
I am about 950 miles from Hiva Oa. Hopefully, we can get there in 8 to 10 days but if the wind stays light it will be a little longer. At least I should get there before Gail on the 30th.
Cheers!
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Sunday, April 13, 2014
ITCZ - Day 17
Have been motoring now for the past 30 hours, no wind to speak of - this is definitely the ITCZ! The ITCZ is actually north of the equator this time of year and marks the boundary between the NE trades in the northern Pacific and the SE trades in the southern hemisphere. The ITCZ is characterized by light winds (the doldrums) and lots of squalls. I spent several hours last evening dodging some very impressive squall lines. They looked like black walls of cloud on the horizon. They move generally East to West and show up very clearly on the radar so it's fairly easy to avoid them (if you don't mind going out of your way a little). I saw some lightning in the distance and had some rain but I think I missed the worst of them (so far).
I am currently at: 03 d 41' N, 124 d 48' W, about 220 miles from the equator. (But you knew that because 1 minute of arc is 1 nautical mile at the equator). I may have passed through the worst of the ITCZ as it was predicted to be around 4 degrees North Latitude. Soon the SE trades should begin to fill in, in fact, I now have a very light wind from the SE. The seas are still pretty lumpy even though there is no wind; there are leftover swells from the NE trades and now some swells coming in from the SE trades; this is truly an eerie "No Man's Land" here in the ITCZ. I have used maybe 1/3 of my fuel reserves to get through the doldrums but hopefully will be able to sail again in the next few days.
If all holds, I should become a shellback on Tuesday and I have a party with Neptune planned for the big equator crossing! Still about 1200 miles to Hiva Oa. All is well!
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I am currently at: 03 d 41' N, 124 d 48' W, about 220 miles from the equator. (But you knew that because 1 minute of arc is 1 nautical mile at the equator). I may have passed through the worst of the ITCZ as it was predicted to be around 4 degrees North Latitude. Soon the SE trades should begin to fill in, in fact, I now have a very light wind from the SE. The seas are still pretty lumpy even though there is no wind; there are leftover swells from the NE trades and now some swells coming in from the SE trades; this is truly an eerie "No Man's Land" here in the ITCZ. I have used maybe 1/3 of my fuel reserves to get through the doldrums but hopefully will be able to sail again in the next few days.
If all holds, I should become a shellback on Tuesday and I have a party with Neptune planned for the big equator crossing! Still about 1200 miles to Hiva Oa. All is well!
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Thursday, April 10, 2014
Starshine - Day 14
I got up early this morning after a good night's rest. My body has gotten in the habit of waking up every one and a half hours or so during the night. I get up, check our course, check the sails and scan the horizon (though I haven't seen any boats for days now). I arose for good this morning at 5:30; at least that's what my clock said. I haven't changed the clock since I left and with Mexican Daylight Savings time and probably passing through multiple time zones since I left, I'm not sure what the actual "local" time is. I do know it was 11:30 AM UTC and the beautiful waxing gibbous moon from last night had set and there were stars in the sky.
I haven't seen many stars lately as it's been pretty overcast. Yesterday there was lots of rain, some squalls and some calms. I motored for a couple of hours through one of the calms and then got a nice easterly breeze just before sunset. I decided to turn South and take advantage of the wind on the beam and have been making good progress towards the equator since.
As I drank my early morning coffee, I sat in the companionway for a while enjoying the phosphorescence in the water. The boat wake produces myriad points of light that look like stars in the water due to the disturbance of the phosphorescent algae. It is mesmerizing to watch. The other night I was watching this luminous trail when several dolphins swam up along the boat. The phosphorescent trails of the dolphins looked like illuminated torpedoes tracing through the water and was an amazing sight I'll never forget.
A planet rose in the East this morning; I'm not sure which one but it was very bright. The light from the planet reflected off the water in a shimmering trail much like you see when the sun is low in the sky. I guess this is Starshine! I started singing the "Hair" song Good Morning Starshine, it just seemed appropriate... (luckily, there was no one within earshot!)
The latest check of my position shows me roughly 1350 miles out from PV and about 1450 miles from Hiva Oa. By sunset tonight I should be about at the half way point. My current position is: 08 deg N, 123 deg W and I'm traveling on a course of about 200 degrees True with a speed of 5 knots on a beam reach. Wind is from the East at 18 knots and I have a double-reefed main (one of which I will likely shake out this morning) and a partially reefed genoa. All is well aboard Starshine.
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I haven't seen many stars lately as it's been pretty overcast. Yesterday there was lots of rain, some squalls and some calms. I motored for a couple of hours through one of the calms and then got a nice easterly breeze just before sunset. I decided to turn South and take advantage of the wind on the beam and have been making good progress towards the equator since.
As I drank my early morning coffee, I sat in the companionway for a while enjoying the phosphorescence in the water. The boat wake produces myriad points of light that look like stars in the water due to the disturbance of the phosphorescent algae. It is mesmerizing to watch. The other night I was watching this luminous trail when several dolphins swam up along the boat. The phosphorescent trails of the dolphins looked like illuminated torpedoes tracing through the water and was an amazing sight I'll never forget.
A planet rose in the East this morning; I'm not sure which one but it was very bright. The light from the planet reflected off the water in a shimmering trail much like you see when the sun is low in the sky. I guess this is Starshine! I started singing the "Hair" song Good Morning Starshine, it just seemed appropriate... (luckily, there was no one within earshot!)
The latest check of my position shows me roughly 1350 miles out from PV and about 1450 miles from Hiva Oa. By sunset tonight I should be about at the half way point. My current position is: 08 deg N, 123 deg W and I'm traveling on a course of about 200 degrees True with a speed of 5 knots on a beam reach. Wind is from the East at 18 knots and I have a double-reefed main (one of which I will likely shake out this morning) and a partially reefed genoa. All is well aboard Starshine.
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Monday, April 7, 2014
1000 miles - Day 11
Today we passed the 1000 mile mark. Still doing better than 100 miles per day and now only about 450 miles from our intermediate waypoint of 5N 125W. Current position is 10 deg 40' N, 119 deg 36' W (smack dab in the middle of nowhere). This ocean just goes on and on forever and ever and I'm not even half way to the Marquesas! The total distance to Marquesas from PV is 2800 miles, then there is another 4000 miles or so still to go to Australia.
All is well on board. Cooked a nice meal of carne asada fajitas today. Cooking is quite the challenge, this morning I spilled ground coffee all over the galley and it took me hours to get it all cleaned up (but I did finally get my two cups of Joe!) The boat is still rolling through +/- 25 degrees or more with a period of about 5 seconds. The wind is still in the 18 - 20 knot range so I haven't taken the second reef out of the main yet. We are still wing and wing and I have not adjusted HAL or the sails in two days! It's getting harder and harder to make good connections with SailMail; it seems to work best early morning or late at night.
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All is well on board. Cooked a nice meal of carne asada fajitas today. Cooking is quite the challenge, this morning I spilled ground coffee all over the galley and it took me hours to get it all cleaned up (but I did finally get my two cups of Joe!) The boat is still rolling through +/- 25 degrees or more with a period of about 5 seconds. The wind is still in the 18 - 20 knot range so I haven't taken the second reef out of the main yet. We are still wing and wing and I have not adjusted HAL or the sails in two days! It's getting harder and harder to make good connections with SailMail; it seems to work best early morning or late at night.
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Saturday, April 5, 2014
Rockin' and Rollin' - Day 9
We are definitely in the NE trades now. The wind is consistently over 20 knots and up to 25. I have taken down the mizzen and am sailing wing and wing with a single reef in the main and the genoa partly furled. Boat speed is over 5.5 knots and sometimes up to almost 7 surfing down the huge rollers. The boat rocks gunwale to gunwale with the passing swell with occasional water over the rail. It is a wild ride! Not doing much cooking now, in fact, just moving about takes two hands and lots of balance.
HAL is holding the course amazingly well and has only lost control a couple of times due to some large waves. In both cases, the boat rounded up a bit and backwinded the poled out jib but did not jibe the main. This was in the middle of the night and I noticed it because the boat stopped rolling as much and heeled over more on the starboard side. The boat forward motion slowed way down, the rolling was decreased significantly and was almost like heaving to. I may take a second reef in the main tonight to try to reduce the weather helm and the chance of rounding up.
I ran the engine for an hour and a half to top off the batteries and fill up the water so I should be good for several days of pure sailing excitement! This really is what it is all about! Reminds me of a song - "I was making for the trades on the outside. On a downhill run to Papaeete." (but I don't have 80 feet of waterline and Mike, it's "Starshine", not "Music", get it right!).
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HAL is holding the course amazingly well and has only lost control a couple of times due to some large waves. In both cases, the boat rounded up a bit and backwinded the poled out jib but did not jibe the main. This was in the middle of the night and I noticed it because the boat stopped rolling as much and heeled over more on the starboard side. The boat forward motion slowed way down, the rolling was decreased significantly and was almost like heaving to. I may take a second reef in the main tonight to try to reduce the weather helm and the chance of rounding up.
I ran the engine for an hour and a half to top off the batteries and fill up the water so I should be good for several days of pure sailing excitement! This really is what it is all about! Reminds me of a song - "I was making for the trades on the outside. On a downhill run to Papaeete." (but I don't have 80 feet of waterline and Mike, it's "Starshine", not "Music", get it right!).
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Thursday, April 3, 2014
The Art of Sailing Downwind - Day 7
Well, I must be nearing the trade winds as the wind has clocked around to the NNE and gotten a bit steadier. I was having trouble keeping the sails full and maintaining a course of 240 degrees so I decided to try sailing dead down wind, DDW, at a course of about 210 degrees. This will put me just about on my intermediate waypoint of 05 N, 125 W (about 900 miles away). This is the point often recommended for crossing the ITCZ and the equator. Once I get to the ITCZ, wherever it is, I will head due south and try to get through it as fast as possible.
One of the shackles on the main sheet came free today and so I scrambled to get the pin back in and get the sheet back in place. Apparently the wire holding the shackle had broken and the pin backed out. Luckily, I didn't lose the pin - I found it on the deck. After getting it all back together I used a new piece of wire to mouse it.
I decided to try going wing and wing DDW and the motion of the boat is much better as the swell is more on the stern quarter. Actually, I am now running wing and wing and wing. The mizzen is out to port, the main out to starboard (both with preventers) and the genoa is poled out to port. HAL seems to be holding the course pretty well but I worry about an accidental jibe in the middle of the night. The other issue I have been dealing with is chafe. The lazy jib sheet was rubbing against the staysail stay and was nearly worn through. Luckily, I have many spare sheets and I put another one on and made sure it wasn't chafing.
I also serviced one of the winches today as it got dirty from all our recent teak sanding and wasn't grinding well. After taking it apart and cleaning it with diesel fuel it now works great again.
Made 110 miles yesterday and on about the same pace today so progress has improved somewhat. This should continue to improve as the trades fill in. I've gone over 600 miles and counting! This makes this officially my longest passage, the previous longest was from the Bahamas to North Carolina with Chris on Faro almost exactly one year ago.
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One of the shackles on the main sheet came free today and so I scrambled to get the pin back in and get the sheet back in place. Apparently the wire holding the shackle had broken and the pin backed out. Luckily, I didn't lose the pin - I found it on the deck. After getting it all back together I used a new piece of wire to mouse it.
I decided to try going wing and wing DDW and the motion of the boat is much better as the swell is more on the stern quarter. Actually, I am now running wing and wing and wing. The mizzen is out to port, the main out to starboard (both with preventers) and the genoa is poled out to port. HAL seems to be holding the course pretty well but I worry about an accidental jibe in the middle of the night. The other issue I have been dealing with is chafe. The lazy jib sheet was rubbing against the staysail stay and was nearly worn through. Luckily, I have many spare sheets and I put another one on and made sure it wasn't chafing.
I also serviced one of the winches today as it got dirty from all our recent teak sanding and wasn't grinding well. After taking it apart and cleaning it with diesel fuel it now works great again.
Made 110 miles yesterday and on about the same pace today so progress has improved somewhat. This should continue to improve as the trades fill in. I've gone over 600 miles and counting! This makes this officially my longest passage, the previous longest was from the Bahamas to North Carolina with Chris on Faro almost exactly one year ago.
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Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Time - Day 6
Einstein once said every young man should spend some time as a lighthouse keeper in order to have lots of solitary opportunity to think and ponder the universe. Clearly, he spent a lot of time thinking, including postulating "Gedanken" - thought experiments. That's probably how he figured out most of his great theories by thinking about "what if ...". I've had lots of time to think too but I guess I'm no Einstein, I haven't discovered the Unified Field Theory yet - but I am thinking about time.
Out here, man-made concepts of time don't mean much; seconds, minutes and hours are meaningless. Time is measured in the progression of the sun through the heavens, the phases of the moon and the endless movement of the boat, the wind and the water. Time seems to just stop and short periods of time are indeterminate. Einstein proposed time is relative and he was right about that too (even if I am traveling a lot less than the speed of light!).
I apologize if I'm getting too philosophical but I once went to a presentation by Harrison Schmidt, the only geologist to walk on the moon. He talked for an hour about the potential to mine Helium 3 on the moon and make a profitable business. I don't remember any of the detailed technical aspects of his talk but I do remember at the end he asked for questions and one guy stood up (after lots of facts and figures) and asked a question from left field: "So what was it like to actually be on the moon?" Schmidt became much more philosophical and told how the thing that impressed him the most was how every time he climbed out of the LEM and every time he looked up in the black sky the Earth was just sitting there in exactly the same spot, never moving. That's what most of us came to the presentation to hear about and probably the only thing any of us remember (although his proposal was interesting).
Ok, now for the boring facts and figures:
I have traveled 490 miles in 125 hours for an average speed of 3.9 knots.
At this rate I will arrive in Hiva Oa on day 30 (but I really hope to pick up the pace once I get into the trade winds).
Sorry, I couldn't resist. After all I am passing over Mathematicians Sea Mount (really, look it up on the internet if you don't believe me).
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Out here, man-made concepts of time don't mean much; seconds, minutes and hours are meaningless. Time is measured in the progression of the sun through the heavens, the phases of the moon and the endless movement of the boat, the wind and the water. Time seems to just stop and short periods of time are indeterminate. Einstein proposed time is relative and he was right about that too (even if I am traveling a lot less than the speed of light!).
I apologize if I'm getting too philosophical but I once went to a presentation by Harrison Schmidt, the only geologist to walk on the moon. He talked for an hour about the potential to mine Helium 3 on the moon and make a profitable business. I don't remember any of the detailed technical aspects of his talk but I do remember at the end he asked for questions and one guy stood up (after lots of facts and figures) and asked a question from left field: "So what was it like to actually be on the moon?" Schmidt became much more philosophical and told how the thing that impressed him the most was how every time he climbed out of the LEM and every time he looked up in the black sky the Earth was just sitting there in exactly the same spot, never moving. That's what most of us came to the presentation to hear about and probably the only thing any of us remember (although his proposal was interesting).
Ok, now for the boring facts and figures:
I have traveled 490 miles in 125 hours for an average speed of 3.9 knots.
At this rate I will arrive in Hiva Oa on day 30 (but I really hope to pick up the pace once I get into the trade winds).
Sorry, I couldn't resist. After all I am passing over Mathematicians Sea Mount (really, look it up on the internet if you don't believe me).
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Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Solitude - Day 5
Up until a day or two ago, there was lots of chatter on the VHF. I keep the VHF on channel 16 with the AIS alarm set to 5 miles. Even 200 miles out you could hear nearly constant communication between ships (especially the Mexican fishing boats who sometimes even play music over the radio - mucho obnoxious). I was surprised as I always thought VHF was line of sight - but one night I tried called Trevor on Nakiska and he answered; we compared positions and he was 60 miles away. The horizon is only about 15 miles so apparently the VHF signal can transmit much farther than line of sight, especially under the right conditions. I had to check today to make sure the radio was still on since I haven't heard any chatter for quite a while. The AIS alarm has not gone off for days. I must be really getting out there, it is very quiet.
Last night I saw the New Hegri Moon right after sunset. This is the first sliver of a new moon and marks the beginning of a new month to the Muslims. I once worked a proposal for the Saudis to build a satellite to take pictures of the New Hegri Moon but it never got off the ground. I'm not sure what it signifies but it is apparently very important to see this in the Muslim faith. (Wish I had internet to learn more).
There is still some wildlife out here, even if there are no people. A pod (or family) of 3 dolphins stopped by this morning and rode in the bow wake for almost an hour. I even layed down on the bowsprit and felt like I was swimming with them as they glided just a foot or two below me. We looked at each other wondering what the other was doing way out here!
Many sea birds still fly around as well. I'm not sure what they are, they are smaller than Frigate birds but bigger than seagulls (where's that internet?.) They are various shades of white, gray and brown and they often just circle the boat many times. One finally took a break and landed on top of the mizzen mast for a while but at least did not leave me any guano in the cockpit this time!
Had no wind for a while around 4 this morning so ran the engine for about an hour to top off the water and batteries and make a few miles (and stop the sails from slatting). Have a nice 10 knot breeze now. Passing well south of Socorro island and over 350 miles out. Another 3 weeks (?) or so to go. Looking forward to the trade winds in a few days.
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Last night I saw the New Hegri Moon right after sunset. This is the first sliver of a new moon and marks the beginning of a new month to the Muslims. I once worked a proposal for the Saudis to build a satellite to take pictures of the New Hegri Moon but it never got off the ground. I'm not sure what it signifies but it is apparently very important to see this in the Muslim faith. (Wish I had internet to learn more).
There is still some wildlife out here, even if there are no people. A pod (or family) of 3 dolphins stopped by this morning and rode in the bow wake for almost an hour. I even layed down on the bowsprit and felt like I was swimming with them as they glided just a foot or two below me. We looked at each other wondering what the other was doing way out here!
Many sea birds still fly around as well. I'm not sure what they are, they are smaller than Frigate birds but bigger than seagulls (where's that internet?.) They are various shades of white, gray and brown and they often just circle the boat many times. One finally took a break and landed on top of the mizzen mast for a while but at least did not leave me any guano in the cockpit this time!
Had no wind for a while around 4 this morning so ran the engine for about an hour to top off the water and batteries and make a few miles (and stop the sails from slatting). Have a nice 10 knot breeze now. Passing well south of Socorro island and over 350 miles out. Another 3 weeks (?) or so to go. Looking forward to the trade winds in a few days.
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