Spinnaker Run!
20 March 2018 | Pacific Ocean on route to Hawaii
Helen/Mark
Very slow sail overnight as the winds were light and variable. It changed directions from on the starboard beam, then aft and forward of the beam. After daylight, we set the spinnaker and it has done great. We made an average of 4.5 knots and at present our speed is over 5 knots. Seas were light all day. It's taken an effort to mind and trim the spinnaker all day. We also went thru our clothes shelves today. It was totally cloudy this morning, but then the sun finally broke thru. The clouds are maybe 10% at present time. Batteries were almost charged today. Mark measured some of our lines which we will replace in Hawaii. Even though the seas were more settled today, it was still a bit of a bumpy ride. The swells have increased in size as the day progressed. Mark was heard on the SeaFarer's Net and provided our location and course and information. 181 nautical miles to Hilo. Just when we thought we would already be there, the winds have slacked off, making our speed a lot slower than expected. This means two days to go. Mark is confident that we can do it. The sun is shining and will be setting within the hour. We started watching the first Harry Potter movie, but did not finish before we took a break for the Net. We enjoyed a pot of popcorn that I cooked up. I will be cooking dinner shortly as we dug out a meal from our freezer. And then our night shifts will begin, once again. I really wanted to be there today! We are thankful to be in good health at this point of our lengthy ocean adventure. We are eating well and have plenty of food and water onboard. Charabia is doing such an awesome job, especially the autopilot which steers for us. We will be dropping the spinnaker before it gets dark. The jib will fly overnight, as the wind is staying behind us. We had a much smoother ride today as the waves are directly behind us. It's a quiet, calm ride with our focus on counting down the remaining miles.