Finally after a day of puttering around the open seas, with confused trade winds and washing machine like swells, we're finally moving. Since about six this morning the SE trades have settled in, gradually picking up in intensity throughout the day and finally settling in around 15 knots in the afternoon. The boat was moving at a steady 6-7 knots in and around the afternoon as well. My watch fell between six and nine in the evening and the winds really started to pick up then. At around seven
thirty the winds picked up and settled in the 20 knot range, and with both the genoa and the main sail working the boat was cruising in the high seven to eight knot range, with Natasha keeping the boat as steady as she could on the broad reach point of sail!!! The winds got up to 23 knots and the Genoa was rolled in. We're now sailing under the power of the lone main sail, but still trucking along at around 7 knots!
The new crew is beginning to see what it's like to sail in the open sea with the waves slamming the boat side to side, although today seems to be more gentle than most of the days on the Hawaii - Fiji trip. But, that doesn't mean a lot of spills, breaks, and a fair share of green faces didn't occur. Actually today was one of the worst of all. It all started in the can locker. We had placed a massive jar of olives in there after we had opened it a week or so ago. I was reading in the main salon
and heard Cress releasing profanities in the galley while staring at the broken jar leaking all over the locker, pouring out into the galley and all over the locker and floor below. Bob, Cress and I were just finished cleaning the over whelming olive smelling mess (by the way I HATE olives) when Dennis' fishing rod started going nuts. Lure one was gone! Within a matter of seconds the fish had ripped the 40 lb test line faster than we could get to the rod, and by the time we got there the line,
lure and a chance at some fresh dinner was gone! Oh well, we had another line in the water....well, that one was gone too! Big fish I guess. So far, one olive spill and two lost lures. Finally, Cress and I were making some pasta for dinner. I went up in the cockpit to get away from the hellacious heat of the galley only to hear the rubbermade container filled with pasta slam to the floor, releasing the green, red, and yellow spiral pasta all over the floor! Well better than olive juice! And
of course, as I'm writing this we have Rita in the galley spilling her tea just to top it off! Luckily enough no one got sick today but a lot of us were certainly close! Thanks Stugeron!!! I'm sure there was more today but I can't think of it. The good news is we're moving along at some good speeds, and we're only two more sleeps from Tanna, Vanuatu and some live volcano action!
Talk to you soon, Matt
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