***Life on board***
We are making fine progress, albeit still a little southward, toward Marquesas. We put a reef in the mainsail which seems to alleviate some of the wind shadow problems that that headsail was seeing.
Lots of sleeping and reading (of course) today. Adam baked a peach cobbler in the oven which tasted incredibly just like peach cobbler! not that I doubt Adams cooking ability but I do doubt that we had ALL the proper ingredients for a peach cobbler so well done Adam. It was delicious.
Being on watch still means hiding from "the wet" as it has been pretty choppy on top of the swells for the last few days so that does not help. Sometimes we get a big dumper that nearly breaks right next to us and either send a big splash of water into the cockpit (and sometimes on top of YOU), or it breaks midships and washes over the dinghy and, if the main hatch is not closed, right down onto the cabin floor YIKES! We usually always keep the hatch slid closed but sometimes we forget and of course that is exactly the moment the ironic forces of the sea choose to SEND THE WET! Fortunately we only get one of these about once or twice a day and then only under perfect splashy wave conditions. Usually it takes a couple of waves combining at exactly the right moment to get water high enough to come over the rail.
In addition to the wet and all of its nuances. We have also discovered a weird growth about the ship that has manifested itself in the corners of the deck near the scuppers where water continually flows and also in an area on the side of the hull about 1 foot above the waterline (apparently also where water is constantly splashing up onto. The grown in the scuppers is just an rather indistinct slimy film but on the side of the hull there are clear orange and yellow circles of growth and also some bigger mushroom like structures the biggest being about 2 inches long and a dark red color from what I could tell. It had some kind of base attached to the hull just above the water line with a stalk and then some kind of a ploom at the top. Perhaps some kind of muscle creature. There are quite a few of them in various stages of growth.
***The Boat***
We ran the engine up to operating temperature today so it does not feel left out and really to make sure that it is still working fine (it was). When done, we closed the water intake and exhaust exit sea cocks just to be safe. The starting key is clipped to the handle of the water intake seacock so that the engine cannot be started unless the water intake is opened or at least not until someone takes it from the handle (and hopefully opens the valve!). Otherwise the boat is doing fine, no problems. Knock on wood.
***Communication***
We checked into the Barefoot net today again with our position as always. Also, today I learned that "Barefoot" or the "Barefoot Route" is another name, apparently of German origin, for the "Milk Run" which is generally the name of the cruising grounds that stretch across the Pacific from Panama to the Torres Straight.
We also heard from our friends on S/V "Tahina" who just left Isla Isabela in the Galapagos and are now heading for the Marquesas. They were very light on the radio but then again they are nearly 2000 nautical miles away.
***Weather***
Wind today has been mostly our of the ESE and around 12-15 knots with 8-10 foot seas. Occasionally we line up just right on the front of a swell and ride down the face very fast sometimes hitting 10.5 knots in the burst. It has been partly cloudy today but overall a nice day.
Position (6:30pm):
10 deg 45' S
122 deg 37' W
Alan and the Crew