Less than a day to the Coral Sea
12 August 2012 | N 'N:E 'E, Solomon Sea
David
The Solomon Sea has still yet to give up a sunset or sunrise in the 10 days or so I/we (including the time with Adam) have been sailing on it. Today it is dark and grey. And we still have those nasty steep 1 metre waves. Yarramundi just launches off each one crashing down on the other side. Sounds and feels terrible and probably the reason she now has 3 leaky hatches and one leaky port hole. Thankfully not near the computer/ chart table. I try not to think of keel bolts and remind myself this boat was built in 1988 when they did things proper. These conditions make it terribly hard to prepare meals too so have been keeping them very simple and eating while sitting on the floor in the galley as it is the lowest and therefore most stable place in the boat.
At current speed will be out of here and into the Coral Sea in less than 24 hours. Forecast is for 15 to 20 knot SE winds. That is very nice! Providing there is not too much current we should be able to make it across the 460 n.miles on one tack at 228 degrees and without the motor. And I am hoping in less than 4 days. Nice change to have the wind on the side and motor off instead of dead ahead full (noisy) revs. Can't even watch a movie it is so noisy in here. I am estimating we'll only have 110 litres of fuel left by the time we get into the Coral Sea so need a good wind angle or it is Cooktown (to the north of Cairns) we come. I've really had to throttle these last 15 hours or so as sailing yesterday made very little ground. Despite earlier measurements I think the fuel consumption is still about the same as it was before the repairs when at full throttle.
Well rested for a busy night of lookouts but have a stiff back and would love a massage right now.....and cessation of those 1 metre waves so I can have some of the nice Australian muesli I bought in Kokopo without it flying all over the place.
David
PS: Need to correct a comment in yesterday's blog. I wrote that I was told most of the shipping going between Australia and Asia goes through the Jomard Entrance. I meant eastern Australia. Oddly, I have only seen 2 ships on AIS/Radar in the last 48hrs.