Are we there yet?
Gudrun V
Axel Busch
Thu 22 Mar 2012 16:54
Yesterday afternoon more of the same: Barely 4-5 kn of wind, sailing/drifting along slowly. Liz reading in the cockpit and I fiddle with the lines trying to squeeze out every 1/10 knot. I pull the GoPRO camera another time up the mast for more photos and movies. 4pm the wind dies completely and it gets incredibly hot. Liz starts mentioning that it's getting kind of boring now, and I jump into the water to cool off. And yes, there is a ladder on the boat, and I can reach it from sea-level. And I also trail a line behind we I go into the water.
At 18:43 we drift across the equator. We open the present from Mark and Liesbet for that occasion and then we eat all the potato chips that came out, among other things. Thanks guys, you're wonderful! Then we sat in the cockpit with another Gin Tonic, talked, and watched an(other) amazing sunset. But this one was really special. An hour after dark the wind came back, oh joy. Parasailor up and we sail along again. 30 minutes later the wind shifts to the beam: parasailor down again, genoa and main-sail up. We sail along with 6kn on a flat sea. The boat makes almost no noise, only a very low swishing. It's like we're floating.
2am the wind is gone again, but the fog is back. We drift for three more hours, then I start the engine. What little swell there was is dying down, and the sea is taking on an oily look. It's hard to make out the horizon as the sea reflects the sky almost perfectly and blends into it. I always wanted to see this so I'm glad it's happening on the last day. Camera out, click, click, click :-). Ok, I got the photos. Can the wind now come back please? It really doesn't look like it, I'm afraid we'll have to motor the last 75nm to Academy Bay, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos. Have to slow down though or we'll arrive in the middle of the night.