Tuesday, 12 Jan. 2015
Luna Quest
W. Eric Faber
Tue 13 Jan 2015 16:19
Daily run: 155 miles
The wind has picked up to over 30kn and Luna Quest is bowling along at speeds in excess of 8 knots, but yesterday was a great day for resting. The rig was firmly set and the 20kn of wind kept a steady course westwards under a cloudy sky, but no squalls of any note were experienced. A few flying fish landed on the deck, but otherwise the decks were dry. We may be one of the last boats in the fleet on our way to Santa Marta (Colombia), but we should make it before the fleet sets off again Tuesday next week for the San Blas Islands (you can find the itinerary of the World ARC 2015 on the web site of the World Cruising Club). We expect to arrive either Saturday of Sunday, just in time for a shower, a meal ashore and taking on fresh water. The fastest boat (an Oyster 65) is a 140 miles further west than we are and will probably arrive on Wednesday this week. She is reporting gale force winds and lumpy seas.
We hosted the radio net yesterday and after a successful completion of the morning roll call, I forgot to take the roll call in the evening, but this morning’s roll call reported everybody safe and well and nobody seemed to have taken much notice. We were very tired yesterday and after a delicious meal I turned in at 8pm and slept solidly till 3am when I woke up to find Julia fast asleep on the cockpit sole with cushions supporting any pressure points. Every now and again she had scanned the horizon, but since we left St Lucia, we have seen only one ship on the distant horizon. The new AIS (Automatic Identification System) is doing a great job watch keeping although one cannot be certain that all ships have their AIS switched on. I took over the watch at 3am and wondered at the bespangled sky with the Southern Cross clearly standing out over the southern horizon, while Orion hovered above us. As I am writing this email, Julia is back on the cockpit floor, catching up on sleep and sun bathing. I have been banned.
Eric