Mystery Ship!
23 January 2018 | Pacific Ocean off Guatemala - heading to Chiapas, Mexico
Helen/Mark
This day found us with no wind and super hot too. We ended up taking down the jib and main sails and motoring with one engine as all the main was doing nothing but slapping from side to side. Still we were only making speeds of 3-4 knots. We are thankful for our bimini as well as our sun shades which made it bearable. Before lunch time we took a shower to cool off. I know the winter climate up north is unbearably cold, but sometimes the heat has the same impact for us. We took turns sleeping thru the day. Two small black and white birds found an opportunity to rest on the forward deck of our boat. With the jib sail furled, they were able to land after many attempts of flying round and round the boat. We thought they were searching for fish which tend to scatter when they hear our engine noise. Then there was no wind at all so we added the second engine to generate a breeze. After a couple of hours, the wind picked up enough to hoist the main sail and full jib. Our boat speed improved to 8+ knots with 15 knots of favorable wind. About this time, we spotted a cargo ship up ahead that did not look like it was moving. AIS had no information listed. We made good time with our speed and got closer and closer to the ship. About 5 miles away, our AIS identified the ship as the Strategic Vision and was listed as 'not under command'. This scared me as the boat was adrift and looked to be heading towards our rum line. We did not see anyone aboard but there must have been a skeleton crew. No one answered my call on Channel 16. We ended up motor/sailing past the ship with no issues. Our great speed lasted a few hours but now the wind has shifted, once again, to directly in front of us. Jib has been furled. We are motoring on one engine as we really needed the consistent higher speeds for us to get to Chiapas tomorrow. That means we have two more nights before our arrival. We now have 15 knots of wind directly in our face. That is why our speed is so poor, only around 4 knots. The jib is down and we are running a full main sail. For the first time since leaving Costa Rica, there are clouds forming closer to the Guatemala coast line. Other than there, it is clear blue sky and scorching sunshine. We are 26 miles off the coast. The seas are lumpy but not big, but making the boat rock. Saw a few birds, but nothing like yesterday's huge flock and saw a few dolphins and some jumping fish. Lots of miles and miles of ocean, that we are passing by. Checked to fuel at noon and have more than half a tank so we are doing good on that front. Helen's finger is improving and looks like she will survive.