A beautiful day in many ways, but also a hellish day. Just after lunch the wind got so weak, we could not keep the sails filled any more. We started rolling and the sail started “wacking” and flogging. We put in one more gybe to see if that course was easier on the waves, but it only took us 30 min to realize it was not. So we took all sails down and started the engine. But without any wind over the deck, the heat is extreme. Steering for 30 min in the sunshine is the absolute max, the sun is warm, the UV is strong and heat stroke seems just around the corner. So when we were taking down the sails, we took little water breaks in between as the 12 to 16 watch worked hard to stow all the sails away and keep the deck clean.
For our practice in Astro navigation it was a very nice day though. Taking the hight around 10 in the morning with a pretty calm ocean and bright shining sun. Then again at meridian passage just before lunch and another hight at 14:30 for a LOP in the chart. It’s fun as we have the time and the weather is good.
We have another 65 miles to go to an anchorage on Moorea for a last paradise day, before heading into Papeete on Tahiti. So this will most likely be our last night watch. The stars are shining at their brightest and the Milky way is showing off. Without moonlight all the stars possible seem visible. It really is a beautiful warm night.
A friend of ours (Krista) has send us an amazing mail with pointers for our stay on and around Tahiti, so we will try and follow up on the good advice. Particularly looking forward to the marketplace at 5 in the morning as the sun is rising!
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