So far we have been lucky in this very instable weather zone. We were able to sail across the equator and up 07N , but now all we have is a mighty swell and no wind. We tightened the main and rolled in the
gib and let the Volvo do its job. Kalim the boat ahead of us had to motor for 10 hours...i say my prayers.
The sky is grey, it drizzles. The first rain we had this afternoon made me go out and make sure everything gets wet and the salt washes away. Unfortunately my foul weather gear is leaking and after only 5
minutes in the rain , i was soaking wet inside. OOOps we have a long way to go into rainy British Colombia. Just before we left i pestered Daniela to find foul weather gear for her. She was lucky, Rita a Swiss
friend gave her one she didn't need anymore. Her husband Dani wanted to give me some gear as well....but i said no...stupid me. Next time i see rain, i will take OFF MY CLOTHS, its warm enough at 27 C at
night. So i will always have a dry jacket. And when it really rains and its cold....i ask Daniela to deal with it. I cant fit into Rita's jacket..shit.
The new Kiwi prop we (it was actually Leo) installed is giving Yelo some vibrations at low rpms. So we cant do economy motoring here and must run it at 2300 rpm. Its working , we move ahead at 5.5 knots.
With Yelo hitting 22 years i wonder how long the Volvos will run. For years we only used them to enter a harbor, the rest we sailed. We might need them for a few days, if the North Pacific High gets to big
and there is no wind.
good news is : we sailed 1050 miles since we left 6.5 days ago that makes an average of 161 miles/day. If we can sail a 2950 mile course...its 18 more days. Lets not get to theoretical....we take the wind we get
and hope to get there safe.
I was happy to hear Sue's voice on the Polymag net. This is a short wave radio net for sailors. I am surprised how many sailors we meet around the world , and they still talk to me :-) and send their love to
Daniela. Its going to be weird to leave this community and be more on land in Canada. I'll be like a sea turtle on the beach: rather clumsy . We have been so long on a boat , i don't know the land people
anymore and how they live.
Our navigation tricolor light just died. Cant go up on the mast now . The mooring light will have to do. Nobody here, not even Chinese tuna boats.
The 12V charger for my Toughbook laptop smells like burned electricity. Got to get a new one FROM CHINA.
We still have mangoes, but slowly the fresh stuff goes. Today we were able to empty the 2nd fridge. Now its only one that needs all this power.
After a few hours of running, we saw that the engine that has the new propeller vibrates too much. Some kind off problem with the shaft or the ruder bearing. We can only motor with the Port engine for a
long time....boats boats boats
We have been motoring now for most of the night. Big seas that flap the sails to death and not enough wind to keep them in place. Its grey and drizzles. But no thunder or strong gusts. Kalim seems out of the
doldrums and found the NE winds. I am sure we get them soon. And the forecast looks good ; The NE is not so strong and even weakening. Lets hope its true