DAY 6 WE ARE NOT ALONE

DAY 6 WE ARE NOT ALONE 2260 nautical miles to go

 

Another routine day.  The batteries were getting really low so we decided to run the generator all day.  It started and ran perfectly.  We switched it off at sunset.  This morning tried to start generator-no luck.  It took 1 hour and a lot of diesel on Ian before it worked.  We do not have a great deal of confidence in it starting again.  We will run it all day and maximise its use.

 

Overall yesterday the weather was really nice-a gentle swell with 10-15knot winds.  The wind angle seemed more on the beam so we put the sails out and ran on a beam reach.  We have left the whisker pole up so that we can switch configurations quickly when required with minimum time out of the cockpit.  By the end of the day we were under full sail at 7 knots.  During the night a squall came through.  We had to reef the sails but it required Ian getting out of the cockpit in the dark-he always attachs a lifeline to avoid going overboar.  He said it was a little uncomfortable outside the cockpit at night and so we have adjusted the lines to prevent this situation happening again 

 

The big event today happened just before sunset.  We were lying in the cockpit reading a book in the gentle breeze.  Suddenly the radio crackled into life.  It was another yacht calling us.  They had seen our sails.  The were Australians.  Sailed all the way from Slovenia headed to Tasmania.  They were going to cross our track as they were skipping Marquesas and headed to Tuamatos.  We searched for a long time and then spotted them on the horizon as the sun went down.  We did not see them in the dark as they crossed our path and headed away(ships passing in the night).  It was a great morale boost for all and a reminder that we still need to keep a good watch.

 

Sheryl made a great vegetarian pasta for dinner out of the vegetables reaching there end date,

 

4 squid 2 fish  The other boat had 30 squid land on their deck-they made a great meal from them.