Rocket Science

Miss Molly 4
Bob & Peggy Wilkerson/Geoff & Merel Pettifer
Thu 10 Jul 2008 02:46
06:32.55S 127:38.96W

We had our second best mileage yesterday - 213 miles in 24 hours. And Miss Molly is still going like a rocket with "only" 750 miles to go. We cannot scientifically prove it, but it always seems that boats are really pacing up by the end of the trip - as if they are smelling the stables or, in case of Miss Molly, the fresh French baguettes. We seem to have lost our favourable current now though and we are hoping not to run into any counter currents.

The wind has slowly but surely been backing from ESE to SE to E. If this continues to NE we will have to gibe the whole downwind rig. Definitely a job for daylight!

No fish today, nor dolphins in the water or birds above it, although we have been seeing birds most of the days. The only continuing factor seems to be the flying fish, escaping out of the path of a galloping Miss Molly. It is getting warmer (particularly at night so no more double fleece tops) now that we are slowly pulling away from the Equator. We still have not seen any boats, but we found out by email that we have overtaken one of the other boats who left the Galapagos well before us.

Counting down,
Geoff & Merel