Worrall Wind Update - Marquesas Bound

Day 26 - Sunday, May 2, 2010

UTC/Local -8: 1900/1100

Latitude: 04 50.947 S
Longitude: 134 05.638 W

Conditions: We awoke to another beautiful day, 82 degrees, 72 percent humidity. We have a 2 meter southeast swell every 10 seconds with 2 foot wind waves. We are on a course of 219, contemplating landfall in Fatu Hiva instead of Hiva Oa. We'll see if the winds are favorable and we can get there by early May 5, three days away. If we go to Fatu Hiva, we would spend two nights, sailing to Hiva Oa on May 7. Jessica is coming in on May 8 to Atuona. The wind is 15-16 knots and we are now traveling about 6 + knots per hour, still fairly close hauled to stay on a course of 219. If we decide not to go to Fatu Hiva, we will fall off for Hiva Oa directly and not be so heeled.

The constant heel is unbelievably tiring and irritating. Doing simple boat chores takes 4 times the time it would ordinarily take as we hang on, bump into everything, and position and reposition that what has just shifted or flown across the boat often making a mess bigger than the one we were originally trying to clean up. I'm hoping that I am using up 4 times the calories as most of our exercise is isometric and not aerobic. I need to reframe my mind to look at this as a challenge not an irritation, and chant my mantra, "It's about the journey, it's about the journey."

We continue to listen to Jack London's Sea Wolf. It seems more interesting now, and we are grateful to be on Worrall Wind and not on the Ghost. We are really looking forward to seeing land and making landfall. In an email from Abby, she said SPOT has not been working for a couple of weeks. I turned it off yesterday, changed the batteries, and turned it back on. Now that we are closing in on the Marquesas we may be out of the sattellte dead zone. Please let us know when you first notice that Spot is working again.

2200/1400
We just finished Sea Wolf. Another lazy afternoon passes us by. The wind has eased off a bit to 10 knots and boat has leveled up a little bit. What a relief. The downside of the this, is we are now moving slower. Hopefully this is just a fluke although it feels so much more restful.

All is well on Worrall Wind