Received by Satphone - posted by Tess & Jeno

Blog by Mike
Happy birthday to me, yep out in the middle of the South Pacific and it’s my birthday. I was awake at midnight watching the stars and the pacific slip by and the realisation that I am now 57 years young, how did that happen so quickly? It was a nice night drifting along under gennaker at 5 knots with a south east breeze of around 11 knots. At 3 am the breeze dropped below 8 knots so it was bye bye gennaker and back to the iron sail. At first light I deployed the lures from the rods and the two handlines as it was safe to catch anything now we can slow down. 0630 was coffee time and Floss surprised me with a new novel to read, great timing as I had just finished the previous one and was mulling over what to read next. Floss went to the galley after our coffees to make me a birthday cake, well actually muffins but I opted for vanilla slices instead, I sat in the flybridge reading my new book. I was just on page one and the port reel went off, action stations, the critter was smoking line off as if it were on steroids. Floss redirected OOROO back east so I could retrieve some line from the depths, 500 metres later. No jumping that I witnessed so I called it as a 100 kilo + yellowfin Tuna. After 30 minutes with the reel mainly engaged in low I wrestled not a yellowfin but a big striped marlin to the surface, I estimate 125 kg plus. After trying to get some happy snaps we released him and he happily swam off, wow what a start to 57! After a shower it was time for a yummy birthday omelette for breakfast. The day has started out well and the lack of wind means we will most probably motor into the evening so we will redeploy the rods when we come to a 500 metre sea rise in four hours and when I have recovered, hopefully we can find something a bit smaller for the freezer. The weather prediction is for the wind to do a 360 around to the north east and possibly north west when we near Bundaberg. We just need 12 knots and we can raise the parasail but at the moment it looks doubtful. Also a big happy birthday to Ursula who shares the same birthday as me.

Time/Date: 12.00pm 26-10- 2017 (Mikes B’day.)
Current Position: 23 17.700S 159 50.220E
Current Water Depth & Temp: 2000m & 24.1 degrees, 500 metres soon.
Safety: All Safe, very smooth seas, a little too smooth. No new ship sightings, a very peaceful watch.
Wind / Sails:
• Wind – 5kts TWS (AVG), MAX TWS 21kts, MIN TWS 2kts
• AVG SOG 5.9kts
• Gennaker – 13hrs
• Genoa – 1.75hrs
• Main sail – 7hrs
Distance Travelled: 142nm
Distance Remaining : 403 nm (straight line)
Engine Hrs: 9
Where to now: Heading 262 degrees to Bundaberg Australia
Fishing and Wildlife: one Andy lure gone to the fish gods and one monster marlin photographed.
Meals: Four and twenty meat pies (found the pies in the supermarket at Noumea, yum), Fresh fruit, Steak and veggies, mars bars and omelette.