Twenty-ninth day out
29 May 2013 | 00 44.36'S:159 32.44'W, On route south.. Penrhyn bound
Kevin, Rick, Pauline, Sue and Peter
God only knows what date we're in, as the international date line weaves back and forth around us. But what a momentus day! In Kiribati territorial waters it's 29th of May, 2013, and at 1038hrs (Honolulu time) today, we crossed the equator* But we're just about to sail into yesterday & the Cook Island's territorial waters, so really we crossed the equator tomorrow. And tomorrow in the Cook's waters, we will have crosed the equator yesterday, in real terms, but today, by the calendar. Doctor Who, eat your heart out! Spotted an orca moving at speed not long after our equatorial crossing. King Neptune on his chariot? Hope he was pleased with the splash of a good Australian merlot we sent his way as an offering and thanks for our continued safe travels. Further celebrations of the crossing involved timtams, a surprise drop-in of a Hawaiian hula dancer, and an all-too-elegant "high tea" of lemon & poppy seed cake, complete with glaze and lemon butter. Yum! Just settling down to our happy hour ritual of cheese & biscuits when we spot a couple of whales - humpbacks by the looks - cruising past, fins & blow spouts fading into the glare of a sun low on the horizon. Another warm and perfect day of sailing, averaging 7knts, on a comfortable beam reach in the SE trades! * Equatorial crossing position: 00°00.00' 159°37.935' W. 540nm to Penryhn, 3675nm travelled so far, from Marina del Rey.