All at sea

Fleck
Tue 5 Aug 2008 03:00
DateTuesday, 5th August
Noon Position 20:24S 176:31W
Hopefully you will see us on the map in the
clear Pacific Ocean, if there is any land just in front of us we will surely hit
it as I am at the computer, Hannah is doing mathematics holiday work, and
Olivia, having been on watch last night, is comatose on her bunk. We left Tonga
for Suva, Fiji, yesterday afternoon after the usual Officialdom, and last minute
shopping including enormous ice creams, plus supplies of white cabbage:
everyones' favourite salad item just now. The first night at sea has been
something of a surprise to the crew, who have not found the rolling motion of
the boat as conducive to sleep as they had hoped. I have been force feeding them
with sea sick pills just in case, but I think that they are just tired and
hot. Yes, hot: the weather has picked up a lot since Victoria left, and I have
all the sunshades up in the cockpit this afternoon.
Hannah got nearly 1000% in her maths test, but got
one question wrong as the general knowledge of the number of days in November
was required: she thought this most unfair! She is also an avid reader, and
needs more books, Conny! Olivia has a very charming log/diary which of
course I am not allowed to read, but has lovely doodles, drawings and
decorations. I found time for some painting at the weekend, but am getting rusty
for lack of practise. Liszt's Liebestraume is also sounding very rusty on my
Casio keyboard, and my German is going backwards. If Conny is to be seduced when
she arrives I will have to fall back
on sauerkraut rather than music, song and sparkling Deutsche. Maybe I
better get a bottle of wine as well!!
At least the good weather is helping us back into
our seaboots. We have about 10 kts of wind from behind, and quite gentle seas. A
little more wind is forecast towards the end of the week, which will help our
progress. I daresay we shall have the usual problem of a night time arrival, but
that presupposes a safe passage over the next 300 miles which is what I
shall concentrate on for now.
Fleck continues to look after us well. We have a
weed problem, as the antifouling is no longer working. This is slowing us
down a bit, especially in the current light conditions. The steering vane needs
new bearings but I hope they will last out until the end of this leg; and the
shower drain pump is broken: hardly a disaster, but it is awkward sponging
out dirty shower tray water into the washbasin as we roll
about! (our little shower tray is below
the waterline, so water can't just drain away: nearly everything on a boat turns
out to be complicated!). Now the weather is warmer again we should perhaps
return to cockpit bucket washing! The girls were sobered to discover that all
the water that we use has to be replenished somehow: In Tongatapu this meant
going to the Fishmarket every few days with our three Jerrycans: the only free
tap on the waterfront, but of course surrounded by fishbits: we use plenty of
water purifying tablets!. Our watermaker does not make water in sufficient
quantities for Olivias long hair! We will be OK at sea with full tanks for about
a week.
Sailors are always discussing their 'jobs lists':
some of those with older boats face permanent mountains of work, and of course
no sooner is one job fixed than another problem arises. We are lucky, touch
wood. It is always a shame to say goodbye to one group of cruisers, in
Pangaimotu anchorage we were especially sad to leave Elenka and Tristan in Vite
Vite, parents of Hannahs new friend, Lenos; we hope that they soon have their
engines running again.
Best wishes to all, from us
all
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