Safiya South Pacific

Safiya
Harvey & Sue Death
Sat 22 Apr 2017 18:53
South Pacific crossing blog

Day eight of our 3000 nautical mile sail (3600 normal miles) across the
South Pacific Ocean, and all is well. We're all fit and healthy, and most
importantly, still speaking to each other!
We've completed over a third of our journey, having clocked up 1350 miles
and really feel as if we're making progress now. After a shaky start with no
wind for two days and lots of engine hours, we picked up the Trade winds and
have been under sail since. The winds are a consistent Force 4 to 5, and our
average speed is 8 knots (10 miles per hour). It's surprising how quickly
the time goes once you get into a routine, the day seems to fly past. I've
just about got used to living at a 45 degree angle - cooking and sleeping
are not without their challenges!
With a lack of any other news, nothing to see apart from miles and miles of
sea, and no fish caught (yet!), here is a typical day aboard Safiya.
We have breakfast at 9am as we listen to the OWR radio net. This is a twice
daily call via the SSB radio which is a very high frequency radio capable of
broadcasting up to 600 miles. One boat coordinates the net and we all call
in, in alphabetical order giving boat position and weather conditions. This
enables everyone to see where the rest of the fleet is and any upcoming
weather. It also gives a chance for general chat, sharing of weather
forecasts and problem solving. As we have barely seen any other boats since
we left Galapagos, it is nice to have some human interaction!
This takes about an hour and Harvey and I spend the rest of the morning
doing a bit of cooking, cleaning and maintenance. We also catch up on our
admin, emails and blog etc. Before we know it, it is lunch time!
In the afternoon we read, snooze, fish, play games etc (it's currently 20/16
to Harvey in the scrabble world championships, grrrr..!)
At 6pm we have another radio net, this time its informal. No positions, just
general chat.
Then its dinner time and I rustle up some culinary delight in the galley! It
has to be food that can be eaten with a fork out of a bowl in order to
prevent spillage.
Declan does the first watch from 9pm till midnight, then Harvey takes over
until 3am and my watch is 3am till 6am. After that I sneak off to bed for
another couple of hours. The boys wait for me to get up to get breakfast and
another day at sea begins....