***Life on board***
It was a slow day today. The wind has been variable and shifty from a generally Easterly direction but shifting 5-15 degrees at times to the south or to the North away from ENE. We have changed tacks multiple times today to try and keep the boat "on course" with the shifty wind. We all got lots of sleep and being on watch was to try and keep in the shade and daydream.
It was a TUNA day (no we didn't catch one) I made a pot of grits this morning and tried it out with a can of tuna dumped in. Gross!...you may say, but it as actually not half bad. Then for lunch/dinner Adam and I made a tuna salad (tuna, mayonnaise, mustard, pepper) to be eaten on tortilla shells, which are not gone, and also a tuna casserole with macaroni noodles. In an effort to conserve water, Adam baked the casserole with no added water from the tanks and instead used only the drain-off from the cans of tuna to reconstitute the noodles during baking. It worked quite well and even the noodles tasted like tuna.
I have made great strides in manufacturing the hammock which I began work on about a week ago. The "laying down" part is nearly complete and the final end (where it all comes together) will soon be close at hand. I can't wait to go relax in my new hammock.
In the evening we knocked out a couple more episodes from the BBC series "The South Pacific". These movie files are in HD (and thus very large) and Will was anxious to delete them from his computer so we can do more work on some new EYE videos that should be forthcoming.
***The Boat***
With the burden of laptops, chart plotters, lights, and I-pods, our battery bank is down to 68.4% today.
***Communication***
Checking in with the Barefoot net we learned that our friend "Dignity" was experiencing similar light and shifty conditions mostly out of the ENE. Although the swells are well reduced from days past, it is pretty astounding how much even the small swells can get the boat a-rock'n and even throw things across the cabin when we crest several swells at just the right angle.
***Weather***
Shifty and Variable all day mostly out of the ENE with 2-5 swell from the ENE. The temperature during the day has been in the mid 80's in direct sunlight and the high 60's at night. Recently the days seem to have gotten a little hotter but perhaps the decrease in wind could account for this. Sky was mostly clear today although the night brought a small dark cloud that lightly rained on us for about 30 minutes.
Position (7:00pm):
10 deg 29' S
132 deg 06' W
Alan and the Crew