Galápagos>Marquesas 08-08-2011 (Day 5, 01:00 U TC (09-08)): DTF 1722nm (03:09.0S 110:47.0W)
Aquamante
Vries Peter Pons
Tue 9 Aug 2011 01:46
Track: 1218nm
Trip: 1132nm
TWS: 8-16kt (13-16)
TWD: 120-150 (140-150)
TWA: 110-140 (130-140)
AWA: 80-130 (100-110)
HDG: 240-290 (280-290)
COG: 240-290 (270-280)
Drift: 245 at 1.2kt
Data average over last 24hrs and between () is now.
This morning at 6.00 local we clocked 208nm/24h, mainly thanks to a 6h run
of some 60nm yesterday morning (a 10kt average)! Later yesterday evening we
got less winds until midday today. A good opportunity this morning to set
out a trolling line, which so far on this trip we had not done, and see what
the Pacific aquatic life us had to offer. Trolling is ideal at some 5-7 kts
of speed, whilst we were consistently doing more than that. If you catch
anything at a higher speed, it is very hard to get it in. Sport fishing
boats with trolling lines cruise at 5-7kts, and, once a fish is hooked, they
are able to follow the fish, if it is a big one, to keep the line from
breaking and tiring the fish. This is quite impractical for a boat under
sail, the most you can do is lower the sails and /or turn into the wind to
reduce speed. With really big fish you're simply too late, and lose lure,
line, reel, rod and/or man, depending on the weakest link and how much you
want to hold on to your stuff.
Half an hour later we caught a beautiful gold coloured mahi-mahi (dorade)
with our priceless rosy squid lure we got as a present from Gijs and
Annemart at our farewell party, and which has been extremely successful,
even though so little of it is left (mahi mahi seem to nibble on it before
they really strike, so much of it is nibbled off in the two years we've used
it). Daph set out to clean it, and cut nice filets off it, whilst I washed
the whole aft deck down to get the blood off everything. For lunch we had a
lovely Thai mahi mahi curry, and then it was time for a nap, as it had been
a busy Monday morning at the office.