Past half way

Lochmarin
Mon 14 Apr 2014 22:34
07:35.8S 115:09W

After 10 1/2 days at sea we passed the half way point of what will probably be the longest passage in the entire circumnavigation, celebrating with a fruit cake. When we crossed the Atlantic Emma and Stuart from Amarosa sent us off with a mysterious package, not to be opened until the half way point, which contained a fruit cake and party poppers, and so a tradition was born...

We're making good time. We figured it would take between three and four weeks, so if we make as good time in the second half of the trip it will be dead on three weeks. The trade winds have been living up to their reputation: a steady 15-25 knots (with occasional squalls) from the SE or ESE, so we've been bowling along happily.

It's a strange feeling passing the mid point. It feels like we're no longer moving away from land, into the wide expanse of the ocean, every day taking us further away, we're now going towards somewhere, every day we're closing in on a new unknown place in the world.

Here, on board, at the moment, is the entire world. Yes, I know you all are out there but you don't actually impact much on this little bobbing space in an immensity of water right now. We only need to think of what's right here: keeping Lochmarin safely sailing in the right direction; keeping watch for other vessels (OK, I know, not very likely, but we did see one ship didn't we?), keeping us fed and rested, watching the waves go by.

But now I start to feel the world returning, that I should pull out those pilot guides again, grab hold of Charlie's Charts, read up on where we'll be, find out what we need to know. I feel I should be learning French ready to converse when we get there, should be sorting out that 'paper work' so the emails are ready to send when we get a regular internet connection, sort through my photos to clear out junk and have a 'Catch up pics' blog post ready to send... All the 'shoulds' are returning.

And I will do those things. But not just now. Just now there are some flying fish that have been waiting weeks for a boat to pass so they can show off their flying routines, it would be rude not to watch them.

Food:

Day 11: granola and yoghurt; pinto bean, beef and plantain stew with bread rolls; ham and salad sandwich.

Day 12: Canned lychees with yoghurt, toasted muesli bread; beef and mushroom stroganoff with baked potato (mushrooms were a mixture of canned and dried); fruit cake with apple compote; mixed bean and pimento salad on couscous.

You may have noticed a sort of theme. Last week was a 'chicken' week. This week is a 'beef' week. That's because at the start of last week I defrosted the chicken we'd got in the Galapogos. It turned out to be two chickens, minus the wings and legs. This week I've defrosted the beef we got. It turned out to be thin sliced stuff like 'minute steak' and a bunch of chopped up bones with meat on. Hence steak with pepper sauce, stew and stroganoff...

I have been waiting for 'fish week' to start. When it's been rough, or we've been tired we've not put the line out because if we could guarantee a nice two foot tunu it would be fine, but we might end up fighting in a huge 25 pounder again. We take the line in at night for similar reasons but that still leaves plenty of hours for a fish to have nibbled... with no luck. Pacific fish remain illusive.

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