Nine days out from Bali, the Picton Castle is now over a thousand miles deep into the Southern Indian Ocean. Just now we are about 65 miles south of one of the few islands hereabouts, a lonely atoll called Cocos Keeling. An Australian possession I was thinking of putting in to for a bit on the way towards Reunion. But being Australian this requires Australian visas and one of our fine crew was denied same. Onward.
This a big ocean to be sure. Another 2,500 miles before we can spy Reunion Island. Lots of ocean, so lots of seamanship, steering and sailing, sailing ever westward. Rachel is learning to rope a sail, tricky business. Dustin is teaching rope splicing to the new gang. A whole bunch of booby birds alighted on the spanker gaff span last evening (now 11 days out from Bali). They must be denizens of Cocos Keeling Atoll not too far away out on a flyabout. The next day they were gone. And did not return.
Lots going on aboard. Rachel and Dirk are roping a new lower topsail made from Duradon. This sail will be roped with fibre rope along the head but wire for leech and foot proper square-rig style. Bosun Line and her gang are overhauling mizzen turnbuckles, one getting replaced. Workshops are coming along with a review by Chief Mate Dirk and myself on safe working aloft practices and dos and don’ts with harnesses. Now, about to do a workshop on making seizings with fibre twine. Followed by one on stoppers and how to handle lines under great strain.
The day is cloudy and warm yet sailing along just fine at more than 5 knots, sometimes 6+. The next day comes in fair and partly cloudy and just beautiful. Plenty flying fish dashing out of our way and some seabirds soaring about overhead. Stun’sl booms getting scraped for new varnish. Steel engine room steps getting overhauled and painted up on the well deck. Donald is making bread in his galley, all is well with the world.
Days have been a mix of cloud and blue skies, light winds and fresh winds. A few squalls with a little push in them but nothing intimidating – but we train for squalls anyway. Get royals and kites in when squalls are still far away, take in the main and spanker for steering and fall off, not one but two or three points to get the winds well aft, test the strength of the squall before resuming course and setting sail again. And sea room we have plenty of hereabouts. And we take full advantage of that fact. Squall response ability is very important, oh, yes, it is.
We will be halfway to Reunion in a couple days. We ran out of salad today. But still eating well. Always do, thanks to Donald.