On Passage New Zealand to Fiji- Day 2
Macushla
Mark & Sue Owen
Tue 14 May 2019 23:39
The winds have gone from feast to famine and it has been hard work through the night to find enough breeze to keep Macushla moving along without resorting to the engine for assistance. A dark, murky, rainy night with very little visibility meant the world around me seemed to shrink to a radius of just a few metres, but the new day dawned with a glimpse of blue sky and I continue to make steady albeit slow (3 kts!) progress north. I will spend the day drying things out, airing the boat and catching up on some much needed sleep. I have not seen another vessel for over 36 hrs so feel a lot more comfortable about taking the odd nap. I have been using my new extra loud kitchen timer, purchased from a hearing impairment website, with it's 110 decibel alarm there is no danger in me sleeping longer than planned.
I will leave "Henry" on the helm, my trusty wind vane steering. He uses no power, eats no food and needs no rest. However he is not particularly smart as he only steers a course relative to the wind angle, which is great with consistent winds, but can prove problematic in variable conditions, when you can wake up to find yourself heading in completely the wrong direction, just as well I'm not in a rush! When I need precision I use his more needy playmate "Bob" the electronic autopilot.
But all well on board, a bit tired but coping okay.