Day 4
20 May 2016 | Very Pleasant
Rod
Friday, May 20
It has been quite a lovely day for sailing. This morning, we were finished with the passing of Bikar. With these islands behind us, we switched from the electric/hydraulic autopilot to the wind vane. Our beloved Wind Pilot. It steers for free in that it doesn't require any electricity - only the wind. We like the electric for its accuracy when in congested areas, but for the open sea, it's the Wind Pilot. Now, we do not have to run the engine for an hour each day for charging the house batteries. The solar and wind generator can easily handle that.
We've been entertaining ourselves by looking at some numbers. When we left Mexico for the Marquesas in French Polynesia, the distance was 2750 miles. We checked our distance from Dutch Harbor and, what do you know, it is 2750 miles. So, effectively, we now have the distance equivalent of that trip before us. It took us 24 days, and we expect this trip to take about 30. Since we have been out four days now, add that to the 24 and we have 28. A pretty close estimate. Now, this can all change. On the trip to Marquesas, we ran out of wind and had to motor through the doldrums. We may well have some doldrums on this trip, but then again, maybe not. We shall see.
For dinner this evening, we had charcroute (I know I miss-pelled it). It is a French sauerkraut with little sausages. The last of our cans we bought in Wallis. It was good. Thank you France! Lunch was a salad, so we are eating well here on Proximity. The menu thing is boring to read, but many have asked "What do you eat on passage?" So, this is for you who asked.
Ok, enough for now. The sailing conditions are beautiful. The seas come and go. A little bumpy now, a little smooth now. The wind angle we want will put us on a heading straight for Dutch Harbor. We had just that for most of the day, but like last night, the wind has changed direction, and we are now heading well north, but just a tiny bit westerly. We want easterly. Those winds are in the forecast. Soon.
We send our best to everyone, and we will report again tomorrow. Oh, and don't be afraid to comment on the blog. It's there for you too!
Rod and Elisabeth, "Your Rock and Roll Argonauts" "Les Pirates d'Honneur"