So many stars!

Gudrun V
Axel Busch
Wed 12 Sep 2012 10:15
Wednesday, 2012-09-12, 0:00, 19:34.866S, 163:07.098W, COG 255, SOG 6kn, Wind 13kn E

The night sky far out at sea is always special, but tonight it's extra extra special. Exceptional visibility, no clouds above, and no moon. Absolutely amazing view of the milky way. Took about fifty photos (5D mk IIII + 24mm.1/10s, f/1.4, iso 25.600) and I'm surprised how well a few of them turned out. Motion blur being obviously the biggest problem on a sailboat.

Had full main and gennaker up all afternoon, trying to catch up some of the miles I've lost due to my autopilot experiments. I debated briefly keeping the gennaker up at night, but then brains won over balls (this time at least) - safety first! It's my last down-wind sail after all, and it can't take as much wind as the parasailor. But I like the gennaker a lot. Can't sail as far downwind as with the parasailor, but it's a lot quicker to get up and down, and faster in light winds or on the beam - same area but no hole.

On the menu today was burritos for lunch and chili on rice for dinner. Complete with fresh coleslaw salad, sour creme, and cheese. Yummy! But I almost decorated the galley with sauce after the gimbal thingy of the stove seized and the thing stopped swinging. Next wave and the pan started sliding. I was looking away, cutting leech, heard it sliding and just caught the handle of the pan before it slipped from the stove. Lucky. Looks like I have to take the whole stove out to fix the gimbal. Not sure if I want to try that at sea, might dump it on my foot accidentally. Have to use the small pan now, the big one's too wide for the "rough-sea-brackets".

390nm to go!