18´31.7S 033´36.1W course 201´ speed 7,1kn
Early in the morning, as the sun was rising and my watch was nearly ready to be handed over, porridge on the stove and bread in the oven.. We spotted a small tear in the mainsail just below the gaff. The patch with the eye in it, made to lash the sail to the gaff, had a rip just below it. With a steady wind, we decided to keep the sail up a little longer, prepare the new mainsail first and then get the old one down. Also, with watch handover, we would have some more hands to help us carry and unfold the mainsail, because that is not easy with just two persons on deck!
In the end it took us an hour and a half to get the old one down and the new one attached and back up! The new mainsail went to work straight away and it felt like it gave us an extra knot or so! But that did not last very long. In the afternoon we were rocking and rolling so badly that we had to start the engine and get a little more speed to keep the sails full. At first we could keep them sheeted out.. but then the wind disappeared completely and we sheeted everything in.
The weather report had shown the decrease, and so we knew it would come back during the night.. so sails stayed up. In the evening watch, around 21:15 the engine was turned off and we are now under sail again. Making good headway.
Our new weather report is coming in as I write this. It is getting more and more exciting to watch it as we will soon sail out of the trade winds and out of the tropics.. different weather is ahead, with changing winds, variable in strength and direction and so our plan becomes more and more fluid. We have 2326 miles to go on our direct course line, but this is most likely going to be more.
Today is also our halfway day! Celebration plans are forming and invitations will be send out soon. Maybe another Mocktail party, maybe with some snacks and music, hopefully with a nice sunset!
Halfway is also easy to see if anybody wants to change watch and have a different feel of the day. But right now it does not seem like anybody is up for a change. Routine is set in and is very comfortable.
For dinner I tried making chorizo and shrimp Paella for the first time in my life. And realized, I don’t think I have ever had Paella before… so it was hard to taste if it was a succes, but judging by the empty pots and the happy crew, it was tasty enough even if it wasn’t a real Paella!
All is well on board,
Jet
