Wollongong Abeam
Digiboat's "Product Testing"
Simon Blundell
Thu 5 Dec 2013 02:01
34:41.20S 087:44.96E
2303z 04/12
Breeze eased
throughout the day yesterday to 10-12 kn but witrh the close hauled angle (NNE)
we still maintanined good speeds, sometimes around 9kn but averaging 7-8 for
most of the day and a daily run around 190nm. Sunny periods but mostly overcast,
seas still exceptionally flat. Today the breeze is dieing off as we approach
the eye of the high system, so probably be a few hours motoring coming up.
Once we get through to the other side we'll have the trade winds back blowing up
the Aus coast side of the ocean from the SE at 15-25kn, so expecting a fast
broadreach sleigh ride that should take us almost the whole way up to
Bali.
With the calm seas
and easy sailing there's not much "work" to do onboard but we manage to fill our
time regardless. Rod and I generally host an aft cockpit meeting in the morning
towards the end of our Dog Watch (FYI sunrise around 3am at present) which
cycles through Movie Club, Book Club and Philosopher's Club. Most of the daily,
and occassionally the World's, problems are resolved through these sessions.
Ryan ends up with extra books to add to his newly learned reading talent,
and usually the nightly movie is chosen at this time - although there does seem
to be a recurring theme with these when our morning Movie Club has no guest
attendees Jennifer Aniston and Katherine Zeta Jones and Elizabeth Hurley seem to
feature almost exclusivelky in our selections. When Kay is in attendence there's
a strong vote for Sean Connery. I've been searching my movie disk for Entrapment
(which I'm sure is somewhere amoungst my 5,000 collection) then all our
eye-candy requirements will be satisfied.
On Luc and Robbo's
late night watch last night, Robbo was introduced to House of Thrones and the
two of them almost punched out the entire Season 1. Robbo stayed on for a
couple of bonus episodes after his watch.
Just had to fire up
the engine as the breeze died off to 4-6kn from the NW. The main is holding so
now motorsailing in line to Indo and no longer have the Aus W coast ahead. It's
just been noted, but still undecided if it deserves a rum nip, we have 60 nm to
go to Sydney's latitude (1°), so we're currently motoring up the coast with
Wollongong off the stbd beam.
SJB