DAY 12 BLUSTERY CONDITIONS only 1180 nautical miles to go
POSITION 06D31.714s 119D 06.615w
Overall it has been a blustery 24 hours. The wind whistled through the rigging all night and the water rushed past the hull. During the day it is quite pretty with bright blue sea (when it is not dull and overcast) coated in hundreds of white caps. This morning the swell was very large-probably the biggest we have seen. The best thing about this weather-we have regularly been cruising along at around 8 knots and at 1 point last night reached 9 knots.
Sadly the generator has finally quit. We ran the engine for 1 hour last night and 2 this morning to charge the batteries. It is a method used on many boats-not everyone has the advantage of a generator. Ian is now convinced that it is the oil pressure trip switch. We are just above mid point on the oil dip stick and have been heelig over to starboard for many weeks. It is possible that he is correct. The problem-We need to get into the Lazarette to get new oil. We need to remove old oil and then replace with new oil. Try doing this in a large swell. We may put it off until tomorrow.
Generally we are surprised by the sea state. We anticipated smoother sailng in this part of the world. We have been looking at the weather post Marquesas-the wave height is half of what we are experincing. We look forward to sailing upright.
We are becoming so in tune with Fraway that we can guess within 1/3rd of a knot the speed and also relative wind angle. This is particularly useful at night as it avoids us using torches therefore maintaining our night vision.
We have not seen another yacht for more than a week now. Initially we ended further south of the Galapagos /Marquesa run than planned. We are back on that track line so maybe we will have company soon.
0 fish
last Spot was 2 days ago (29 June). Your adventure is as exciting as ever. I like bananas in moderation!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the generator. I now have the Marquesas marked on my Google Earth and am plotting your position. You are definitely going in the right direction! Which island are your heading for?
ReplyDeleteWikipedia has some interesting info about people connected with the Marquesas:
Paul Gauguin spent the last years of his life in the Marquesas, and is buried there (we went to an excellent Gauguin exhibition at the Tate Modern last year)
The Marquesas provided inspiration to Herman Melville, whose experiences in the Marquesas formed the basis for his novel Typee.
Robert Louis Stevenson visited the Marquesas in 1888, and wrote about his experiences and impressions there in 1900, in a book called In the South Seas.
Thor Heyerdahl wrote his book Fatu Hiva during a year-long stay on the island.
The island group is also mentioned in passing in the Crosby, Stills & Nash song, "Southern Cross".
The Marquesas Islands temporarily received an international spotlight in the United States when the 4th installment of the reality TV show Survivor: Marquesas was filmed on Nuku Hiva.