Phuket to Sri Lanka - Day 8

Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Sun 11 Mar 2012 05:48
6:19.916N  82:08.869E
 
March 11, 2012
 
Another day, another day sail and night motor.  We had a serene sail yesterday afternoon ghosting along in a light 5-8 knot NNE breeze with at least 1 knot of favorable current.  There was a little trauma last night when the moon didn't arrive on schedule and Don had to do an hour of his first night watch in complete darkness.  We realized later the moon had done this on purpose just so we could admire our first completely clear view of the stars.  We'd never realized the moon was so unselfish before - stepping aside like he did to let the stars be admired for a while.  Somehow we suspect the same might happen again tonight, but for a slightly longer time.  Hopefully the clouds will cooperate and steer clear of the area.
 
This passage really has been too good to us.  It has been a little hard on the engine (82 hours so far), but Don and I are holding up extremely well.  Usually we arrive at our destination hollow-cheeked with belts pulled in an extra notch and dark patches under our eyes.  We'll never forget arriving in the Marquesas after the 17-day sailing romp across the Pacific, dressing for dinner and watching our pants nearly fall off after pulling them on.  Everyone in the World ARC had a similar experience.  Pounds melted off during that passage.  Not so this time.  Unless something changes, we will arrive tomorrow (Monday) morning bright eyed and ready to take on the Sri Lankan clearing in process (complete with military escort, lots of officials and lots of paperwork).
 
Distance Covered:
138 miles.  The 1 knot of favorable current helped make this number more respectable than it might have been.
 
Ship Watch:
None until we were about 70 miles east of the Sri Lankan coast.  Then the fishing boats started popping up.  On his early morning watch, Don had a couple pursue us - going miles out of their way to try and sell us some fish.  The rest of today and tonight should be very interesting as we weave our way through the fishing fleet close to the southern coast of Sri Lanka.  We have been advised by other boaters to stay close to the coast in order to avoid the very busy shipping lanes further out.  Close to the coast is fine, but we are expecting a fishing boat minefield.  At the moment, we are 20 miles from the coast, but closing fast, so we should be up close and personal with more of the fishing fleet soon.
 
Equipment Failures:
None.
 
Big Events:
Laundry.  Yes, a load of laundry was run yesterday afternoon during our lovely sail, and clothes hung out to dry on deck.  Yet another sign of a calm passage.
 
Expected Arrival:
Tomorrow morning.  We'll send a quick update to the blog after we arrive.
Anne