We’re moving along beautifully, averaging 5 – 7 knots by the wind in our sails. Our hand-stitched canvas is filled as we glide along on a starboard tack, headed west. The sunsets and sunrises have been fantastic these past couple of evenings and mornings.
Ship’s work: With gusting winds, this morning’s watch spent a lot of their time sail handling! The rigging team, Vai, Anne-Laure and this week’s dayman rigger Tristan are busy changing out the tacks and sheets for the courses. Good to have new rope in their places. This afternoon the bosun and a few keen helpers will put the windlass back together after it received a minor overhaul. Braham, of Texas, is proudly polishing our brass foc’sle head bell, the bell is often used when heaving up the anchor to indicate the amount of anchor chain remaining out. Soon to be six-year-old Dawson has spent his early afternoon playing a healthy game of hide and go seek, as well as party planning for his birthday celebration this coming Sunday. Lunch was delicious edamame curry wraps with rice. During lunch, the gang on the Aloha had a discussion on how many more miles we had until Raro, what speed we were going at and what our speed has been averaging. It was a rather comical discussion, mostly due to the heavy winds, as it was hard to hear one and other. It resembled a set of grandparents attempting to discuss the day’s weather. On board the ship if you’ve misheard, didn’t compute or could not hear an order given you simply say “say again”. There were a lot of “say agains” at this past meal along with a lot of laughs.
From: Mangareva
Towards: Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Date: August 10, 2018
Noon Position: 22°18.6′ S x 143°28.7′ W
Course + Speed: WxS 1/2 S + 4.8 knots
Wind direction + Force: NWxN + 5
Swell Height + Direction: 3m + N
Weather: Sunny, partly cloudy
Day’s Run: 114.5nm
Passage Log: 114.4nm
Distance to Port: 910nm
Voyage: 7144nm
Sails Set: Main sail, foresail, lower tops’ls, upper tops’ls, mizzen topmast stays’l