Overnight into Monday, the seas settled down into a rather gentle roll. The wind died completely and we pootled at a steady 5kts, which was mainly due to a 2kt current, steadily pushing us along.
Sadly, the forecasted wind never arrived, so we were forced to turn due south to increase the apparent wind speed and go off in search of more wind which, thankfully, we found.
We’re currently sailing well, averaging 7kts, and using a full main sail and alternating between headsails. Although at one point, we had all three sails up and running, and working surprisingly well – a first for Two Drifters! Now if we can work out how to fly the Spinnaker at the same time we will look really great.
Meanwhile, on the bridge on night watch, the first couple of nights were cold and damp, with the dew giving us a good dousing from 11pm until sunrise. Although it’s now getting a little warmer and drier at night as we head towards Galapagos.
Skipper’s fix on our cabin creek worked wonders and we have both managed to sleep well at night in between our five-hour shifts.
At sunrise today, we were treated to a large turtle cruising past. He stuck his head out of the water, gave us a wink, then toddled off on his way; in his wake followed a pod of dolphins. We’ve seen whales in the distance, but are yet to catch one on the camera.
s/v Tourterelle are still within VHF range, so we’ve enjoyed some good chats with them. We’re all concerned about the potential need to ration on board supplies. While, we’re only getting the big headline news from emails, it sounds as if stockpiling groceries is rife. So, we plan to get more creative with the dishes we cook to eek them out, just in case supplies are scarce when we arrive in French Polynesia. Also skipper has started fishing with the lines going out at dawn and coming in at dusk. But nothing to report yet on the fish fron t.
We are already conscious of not turning our engines on unless necessary, as fuel on this 4,000-mile trip is precious, but even more so now, as it could mean the difference to us in travelling around the islands; especially if diesel is rationed or limited when we arrive.
And in other news…the on-board baking has begun; Monday’s special was homemade muffins, followed by banana bread on Tuesday! Also, the sea temperature has increased to a warmer 26.7c.
Total miles sailed in 48 hours: 275
Dates: Monday 16 March & Tuesday 17 March
Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.