Position 09°18.2N 146°16.3W — Course 322° — Speed 8,5 kn
What an eventful day at sea! After a full 24 hours stuck in the doldrums, the calm held us captive. With the main and mizzen sails taken down to stop the flogging, we left the forestaysail and jib up to ease the rolling. It helped, but the ocean still moved beneath us like a restless dream.
Early on we noticed something odd in the mizzen — the peak halyard block at the aft end of the gaff had worked its way forward, creasing the sail. Not ideal, but with the ship lurching in the swell, it wasn’t safe to fix it just yet.
Celestial navigation brought its own drama. The culmination was taken — and while our longitude came out nearly spot on, somehow both instruments were far off in latitude. A recalculation is in order…
After lunch, we turned off the engine and dove into the deep blue for a refreshing swim. A perfect escape. Floris launched himself off the shortened jibboom. Michael and Bob took flight with enthusiasm, and Patrice captured a photo of the day — me, mid-dive. Michelle lingered the longest in the water, until the wind picked up unexpectedly and we were suddenly drifting at 1 knot and I had to ask her to come back on board.
The wind wasn’t strong enough to sail, so we motored on — until 22:00, when finally the breeze returned. By midnight, sails were back up. Mainsail reefed, mizzen reefed soon after — and still we’re flying close to 9 knots. What a relief.
The day was filled with passing showers. Some soft like mist, others full-on tropical downpours. The kind that soak you through in seconds. We’re rapidly running out of dry clothes, but hey — it’s warm, we’re smiling, and the wind is back.
All is well on board,
Jet
Previous Post
