Half way
Gudrun V
Axel Busch
Tue 11 Sep 2012 10:31
The afternoon continued to be a great for sailing. Calm sea, blue sky, light wind, steady progress. This is how I imagined the Pacific. So there definitely are nice sailing days here.
At 2pm I passed 10nm north of Aitutaki and heared some yacht traffic on the radio, but didn't sea anybody. So far nothing but sea, clouds, and very few birds.
After nightfall the wind picked up a little and I changed the gennaker for the genoa. I almost forgot, I'm so used to just let the parasailor up because it can handle pretty much anything. Now we have 20kn of wind from the SE and I have the genoa out and the main in the 2nd reef. Should have been ok for the gennaker, but better safe then sorry. Also, on a short downwind trip like this I like to keep the main-sail always reefed. Makes the whole trip so much more relaxed then having to turn into the wind "all the time" to reef and unreef, and I'm still fast enough.
Got an email from S/Y Jotys, Pierre and Lili, who Liz and I met diving in Fakarava. I met them again in Bora Bora and they left for Niue one day ahead of me. They've decided to stop over in Palmerston to let the trough pass. I read up on Palmerston and it doesn't say nice things about the anchorage with anything but an easterly swell, and it's going to be southerly. So thank you, but I'll try my luck at sea. I've tied my anchor so tightly to the bow it'll take me two days to untie it anyway. But maybe my info on Palmerston (from the south pacific crossing guide) is outdated and they have now moorings somewhere nice?
Anyway, for now the plan is to sail on. Let's see what the weather forecast says later today. Btw, passed the half-way point today, yay! 517nm to go