We've got gas! 20:56.83S 156:14.85E
Moondance
Alex Belmont
Wed 26 Oct 2011 08:57
What's that story about why there are eight nights of Hanukkah (spelling?), something about one day's worth of oil lasting for eight? Luckily we should be in Australia - and easy access to a nice freshly baked pizza - within three days, maybe four. We'll see how long this little miracle of propane lasts...
The past couple of days have been some of the loveliest sailing one could imagine. After we got into the lee of New Caledonia the swell disappeared. Yesterday afternoon we were beam reaching at 5.5 kts, but Orianne felt like she was hardly moving. The wind got a bit light during the night, building again by late morning. We are once again gliding at 5.5 kts under full sail; Orianne is perfectly balanced with that effortless feeling of power all boats should strive for.
Bundaberg is just 300 miles away. The gps tells us we have sailed Orianne through 8,274 nautical miles of ocean. It sounds like a long way - and I suppose 8000-some miles is a long way to sail - but it has felt perfectly natural. I am of (of course) looking forward to landing in Australia, but I wouldn't mind another couple thousand miles of sailing. The night-watches have been especially wonderful; Orianne gliding along under the most crisp, slender sickle of a moonrise I've seen, a handful of shooting stars every minute, and finally the sun just clearing the horizon as I wake Kim to take her watch.