Sri Lanka to Chagos - Day 4
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Tue 27 Mar 2012 09:36
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00:44.011N 74:24.548E
March 27, 2012
Back into the blue.
We escaped the clutches of the ITCZ just in time for the end
of Don's dead-of-night watch and the beginning of my pre-dawn watch at 4am this
morning. The clouds cleared, the stars came out and all was right with our
little world except the lack of wind.
We spent all of yesterday and most of last night surrounded by
a gun-metal gray sea with a solid mass of gray clouds overhead while
we dodged rain squalls that either ate the wind or twisted it in a
direction we didn't like (SW). No lightning though - harmless or
otherwise. Mostly, yesterday was an exercise in
frustration, which caused us to run the engine more than we would have
liked. We had a brief conversation this morning about the option
of stopping in Gan, Maldives for fuel (we are only about 120
miles away and could be there tomorrow). Then we came to our senses and
realized Harmonie is a sailboat - that, and it's so calm out here an extra
day or two in transit won't be a hardship. Plus, we did find a way to
shoehorn a bottle of champagne in the fridge to be consumed later today
when we cross the equator. Who needs Gan and more fuel when champagne and
three working sails are available?
With all that said, here are the embarrassing
statistics: we motored 17 of 24 hours and still only progressed
108 miles yesterday. Hence our resolve today to sail. And
sailing we now are. A respectable 5.5 knots in the right direction (SSW)
with a light WNW wind.
Big Events.
Can't think of a one. Oh - wait! We shared a beer
at lunch yesterday. Only day 3 and we had a beer.
Impressive.
Oh - and we passed the half-way point.
Major.
More tomorrow from the bottom half of the world.
Anne
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