Day 51
07 May 2015
Alan
11:15 am local
pos: 9d 02 S - 130d 47 W
Big waves wind 20kts beautiful day
Wing and wing at 6.5 to 7 kts over ground
475nm from Bay of Virgins, Fatu Hiva. Still on track for the 11th, but we might have to slow down to arrive during daylight on the 11 because we have an ETA of 7pm (dark) on the night of the 10th-11th.
Last night we heard a huge metallic noise so we rushed on deck with head lamps and couldn't find anything wrong. So I thought maybe a flying fish hit the mast although i could imagine how their thump could be so metallic.
This morning I was sitting on top of the doghouse watching the beautitful swells of the Pacific. Nathaniel had given me headphones playing some Nocturnes of Chopin and somehow the music went really well with the experience. Then I played some old Emmilou Harris. After a while I notice that the upper part of the SSB antenna was missing! It's a 10' section that is pretty thin and it must have just snapped off. And that could be what we heard hitting the mast last night. I am glad we don't have to rely on the SSB! We probably could jury rig a make shift antenna (a long piece of wire works just as well) but I don't think it's worth the trouble.
Alan