Where are those trade winds when you need them?
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Thu 22 May 2008 23:47
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14:49.561S 155:11.856W
Oh, the elusive wind. Just after noon
yesterday, it started shifting around so that we had to alter course by quite a
bit to keep sailing. Because we were heading almost north instead of
west, it took us nearly twelve hours to make just twenty-seven miles good toward
our destination. This morning, Don was convinced by his crew that unless
we turned on the engine and pointed the boat back on course, we would be sailing
for weeks before we reached Suwarrow. We are now motoring loudly (it's
always a shock to turn on the engine after a nice, peaceful day of quiet
sailing) west toward Suwarrow with the light wind almost directly on our
nose. Just where are those easterly trade winds, anyway?
Yesterday, as the wind was shifting around causing
us to head further and further north, we discovered our email was not
working. On top of that, our water maker decided it was tired and refused
to make water, and before we left Bora Bora, Don discovered that one of our
autopilots didn't want to turn on. This is more like it. This is
what living on a boat is all about, and what most of the other rally boats have
been experiencing right along. Random failures of essential systems.
Essential systems being anything that is life sustaining (like the water maker)
or attitude sustaining (like email). After a short bout with depression
last night, a new day arrived this morning and our email and water maker
miraculously returned to life (the water maker had some air in it - probably
caused by the boat heeling yesterday while sailing in the wrong direction, and
who knows what was up with email - it's always a mystery). So, aside from
the fact that we are still down one autopilot (good thing we have two) and
having to motor, things could definitely be worse. Besides, I suspect that
Don the super maintenance guy will most certainly have the misbehaving
autopilot up and running again after he spends some quality time with it in
Suwarrow.
The Maloneys got home safely and reported that gas
prices are up to $3.97/gallon in East Aurora. We can sympathize. We
paid over $4 per gallon for diesel in French Polynesia and are currently
listening to it being sucked up at a rate of one gallon per hour by our noisy
engine. I suppose if we get really desperate, we can always sail north and
arrive in Suwarrow a few days later than planned. Unfortunately, you can't
do the same in a car, can you?
Anne
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