***Life on board***
We made good progress today but are being pushed farther and farther south so at some point we will have to make a turn and head more westward for our destination. The wind direction and swell have made it difficult if not impossible to hold a straight line course for the Marquesas which is a little hard to explain since it is downwind from us. Should be easy right? Well it mostly has to do with the fact that the mainsail casts a "wind shadow" on the headsail when you sail very deep downwind and that causes the headsail to Luff or Flog which can tear it to shreds and must be avoided. So we have to "head up" and thus end up just off of our course (too far south in this case). Our choices are to gybe and do the same thing the other way or to sail "dead-down-wind" which can be dangerous in large swells if the boat turns too much to one side. It could cause us to broach which would be bad.
Not as many flying fish today. Perhaps they are regrouping for another attack. Lots of sleeping was done by all aboard. Adam made some rice and peas and corn in the pressure cooker which we have been munching off of for most of the day.
***Communication***
Checked into the net this evening. We are the furthest boat to the south and out of the westward current by all accounts further north. But at this point, it would be a full days sail due north to get back into the current (which is around 1 knot at most) which would not be worth it.
We received an email from our old friends Asia and Alek onboard "Mantra Asia" who we met in the San Blas and helped transit the Panama Canal. They are on their way to the Marquesas for the second time after turning back with Wind Generator and Engine problems which they were able to fix in the Galapagos. Perhaps we will see them in the Marquesas.
***Weather***
It was overcast for most of the day and is also a bit cooler in the evenings enough that i wore my foulie jacket on my watch. We had a wind shift from the East for a few hours but it returned to SE in the later afternoon. We will see what wind the night brings.
Position (11:00pm):
09 deg 28' S
120 deg 01' W
Alan and the Crew