10:26.23S 46:55.14E

COG 225T

SOG 6+kts

Wind SE18kts

Sea moderate

Weather Sunny

Today the joy of ocean crossing has returned. We are romping along in trade wind forecast to be 20kts with gusts up to 30kts. In fact we have about 18kts from the SE and it doesn’t waver. I am no longer worried that the rig might fall down or something else mechanical fail. Either might happen of course but I am not going to waste energy worrying about it and instead concentrate on enjoying the ride and getting to the edge of the compression zone 60nm ahead. The gribs show the wind reducing to about 15kts by 1700 today and then we are in the clear. So we are pressing on and concentrating more on speed than protecting the rig. We still have three reefs in the main and two in the genoa but this has been enough to keep us at up to 8kts. 

It hasn’t always been like this. Earlier in the week we hadn’t noticed that the cockpit wind direction indicator had stuck on 30 degrees on the port bow. The same thing was showing on the plotter. Thinking we were hard on the wind that was indicated SSW we headed much further west than necessary. It was only when the wind speed readout also failed we realised that something was seriously amiss. Sometimes it pays to look out of the cockpit window!

Last night we passed Assomption Island. We didn’t think we had come back to the east enough for us to leave the island to starboard as originally intended. As I took over the night watch from Annie the wind started to rise significantly and the sea state to build. By 0400 we were only five miles from the island and heading straight for it. At least that was what the plotter indicated, but are the charts always accurate? We needed to reduce sail to allow us to sail around the top of the still unseen island, double check our position on the iPads, keep out of the way of the cargo ship coming up behind (and which I could actually see the lights of). I thought some help from Annie would be required but she was out for the count and not responding and, given her lack of sleep generally, best catching up. And then I remembered the radar! Three minutes later and there was the island, shimmering yellow on the screen and exactly where it should be. By this time the wind was pretty strong (25+kts?) and some big waves were coming through. A foaming hiss is all the warning you are likely to get of a big one and whomp, we were lifted up, tipped over and screwed down into the trough, clinging on and hoping nothing was washed off the deck or the rail. When we righted there was a strong smell of diesel so I knew the spare containers on the forward side deck must have taken the brunt of the wave. Except when I looked there they were, still lashed together and snug against the rail. Odd, there was neat diesel running down the side deck by the cockpit. And then I looked behind me and there was the container I had filled at the last minute and stowed within the pushpit, tucked into the corner. It had been washed under the rail but still held to the boat by its securing line. This was the source of the side deck diesel. Safely re-stowed in its “secure” position we were back on course when, blow me, exactly the same thing happened a second time! Again we had recovered when the next big wave slammed into the side and drenched the cockpit! After all this I discovered Annie still sound asleep and blissfully unaware in the morning of anything other than a lovely peaceful night!

This morning the wind must have been 30kts and 4m waves were coming through. Both scary and exhilarating. I videoed from the cockpit when things had settled down a bit and, as ever, it gives the impression of a millpond with a few ripples. Judge for yourself on Facebook when I post it.