May 25 25 21 S 155 21W
Yesterdays noon to noon run was 233 nautical which translates to a 9.7 knot average for the period. Distance traveled as of 0800 today is 1815 nautical. Current weather is scattered clouds, barometer 1020, winds SSE at 16 and waves 1.5 meter from the SE. We are on the backside of an occluded front which was to produce 25 to 30 knots from the south but there doesn’t appear to be anyway that is going to happen. We are on the north eastern edge of a high pressure system that is moving slowly so our nest wind shift will probably be the southeast trades. Engine revs still at 1650 and other key parameters remain unchanged.
I managed to thoroughly screw up yesterday’s post. The day was May 24 – not May 25 and our arrival date in Papaeete at current course and speed is Tuesday – not Monday. Shocking – I don’t know what day it is and I am blasting away toward Tahiti but don’t know when I’ll get there. Not very seamanlike – or is it?
We have been at sea now for 9 days and the departure formalities in Whangarei are long past. We still have a two day run to Tahiti – yesterday it was 3 – and plans for our arrival are still, for the most part, premature. So we are left with life at sea where the routine of one day flows pretty much into the same routine the next day. Weather and the like may change but life aboard really doesn’t. The key parameter by which remeasure our day is watch keeping which has little or nothing to do with the day or date. Quite refreshing actually not to worry about such things. A good buddy of mine has a saying that when you are retired, you only know which day it is on fat paper day – Sunday’s when you get the fat newspaper. Similar logic seems to apply (and it is a good redeeming argument on paper anyway).
Our typical day runs something like this starting with my watch at 1600 to 2000. Generally everybody is up by 1600 and we eat dinner around 1900. After my watch, Roger is on and I go to bed. Steve generally lies down for a few hours in advance of his midnight watch. Roger goes off at midnight and goes to sleep. Steve wakes me for my 0400 watch and then he goes to bed. At 0700, Roger generally gets up for his 0800 watch. Steve wakes up around 0900 and everyone is generally up until after lunch. In the afternoon, both Roger and I try to get in an hours sleep before our watches. At the end of watches there is generally some small talk. Fortunately, both Roger and Steve are great company and we enjoy our time together. A boat in the middle of the Pacific filled with people who don’t tilt well would be pretty awful.
Dinner last night was Mahi saviche. Cubes of fresh Mahi cooked in fresh lemon mice in the fridge too which was added diced peppers, cucumber, avocado and unsweetened coconut cream. Same was served with jasmine rice. Just TOO good.
Shabby failed to produce last evening so we are out of Mahi. Before sending him out this morning, he got a rather stern talking to about his proud lineage and obligations.
Cheers