Miles to go: 121 (approx 1 more day)
Wind ESE at 9 kt Seas 3'
Sailing S at 5.3kt - Full main, Full Genoa, Staysail
We had another good night last night and good day today. As of 8am this morning, we were making 6.5 knots and counting our chickens on arriving at Manihi in time to get inside the lagoon before dark tomorrow night. However, the wind slacked off during the day, and we couldn't keep our speed up without turning on the engine. Dave and I then had a heart-to-heart conversation of both the wisdom of motoring for 24 hrs to make it in before dark, and the folly of going in to an unknown place on the wrong tide at sunset. We decided NOT to start the engine, and just accept that we'll have to hang out overnight tomorrow night, just outside our destination, waiting for daylight. Under the current conditions (light winds and slight seas), it's no big deal to spend another night outside. It isn't worth risking the boat, or spending $200 on diesel fuel, to get in 12 hrs sooner.
The wind picked up a little this evening, boosting our speed again to the 6 knot range. Again tantalizing us with 'maybe we can make it'. We'll see, but probably not.
Dinner tonight was a delicious stir-fry, again served with the table up and real plates and knives and forks. We ate dinner in the cockpit and watched a spectacular moon rise. It's going to be another beautiful night in the South Pacific.
I just finished another good book. This one is Lost on Planet China by Maarten Troost--the same guy that wrote The Sex Lives of Cannibals. Maarten goes to China, travels around a lot, and writes an interesting travelogue and fairly insightful commentary on China today. Now I'm reading In Retrospect by Robert McNamara--a look back at the mistakes made regarding our involvement in Vietnam while McNamara was Secretary of Defense. My varied reading selection is a result of an outstanding book swap at the Rainbow Bay Marina in Pearl Harbor. The book swap was in the Laundry Room, so every time I did laundry, I had a couple of hours to browse the selection. The table and shelves were always overflowing with books, so I helped myself. No time to read while in port--I am now catching up. Unfortunately, my bag of fiction books is LOB (Lost on Board) somewhere in the V-berth, so I have been reading through the non-fiction selection.
Having plenty of time to read has always been one of the things I love about cruising--ever since spending summers on my Dad's boat cruising the Bahamas (many, many years ago!).
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At 5/19/2011 6:38 AM (utc) our position was 12°41.63'S 146°20.81'W
http://svsoggypaws.com/currentposition.htm
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