09:14S 113:30W

 

24 hour run 163ml (slower than usual as we reduced sail because of squalls in the area)

miles to go to Marquesas – 1489nm

 

Yipee....we passed the halfway mark to the Marquesas this morning.  Only 1489miles to go so it’s all downhill from here. This hasn’t been the easiest of passages so it’s great to know half of it is behind us – the worst half hopefully.  As they say, if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger....we must be very strong by now!

 

Amazingly for this vast Pacific Ocean, we are in stone’s throw of two other boats – Southern Cross with Peter and Catherine on board and Outsider with Ian and Wendy.  Both sailing Australian catamarans, we met them in Shelter Bay Panama although Southern Cross had been on our Mag Net for many months....and like so many cruisers on the SSB nets we felt we knew Peter and Catherine long before we actually met them.  We left the Galapagos with Southern Cross and were in sight for two days. Now we’re just 30 miles apart while Outsider are 20 miles away.  It’s very comforting to know fiends are close by.  In fact because they are so close and we all passed the halfway mark we invited them over for a champagne brunch this morning....but spoilsports they are, they didn’t turn up –despite accepting the invitation!

 

That isn’t as silly as it sounds.  During our Atlantic crossing two years ago fellow Kiwi cruiser Alan on Tuatara launched his tender to take diesel to stricken yacht Egret which had lost its rudder and several boats diverged to offer support and help.  Good old Alan – a Kiwi in the truest sense of the word – not only offered the fuel but also offered to make a rudder out of timber he had on board and wife Jean even baked bread for them.  Conditions weren’t ideal so for Alan to ferry the diesel across was a supreme effort.

 

Kalle, the skipper of the boat we once worked on, once told us of a very calm Atlantic crossing they had many years ago.  They came across friends and so launched the  tender and went across for lunch, leaving their boat sailing along under autopilot quite happily.  So Outsider and Southern Cross – it can be done but perhaps not in these 20 knot plus winds and 3m seas.  Our conditions have eased a tad – the wind is still 20knots and the seas big but less confused.  We had a reasonably comfortable night and both slept really well on our off watch.  We’re still sleeping on the floor!  After 11 nights, night watches are getting a bit boring – there’s only so many times you can look at the Southern Cross while listening to Crosby, Stills and Nash (actually....Jimmy Buffet’s live version is way better – youtube it).  So last night David watched Ocean’s 12 and I watched The Diving Bell and Butterfly.  Made the six hour stint fly on by.

 

Thanks so much to all those people who are regularly emailing us.  It really is a thrill to see the inbox filling up.  It’s quite challenging being completely out of touch with the world when you are at sea – and these conditions are making us dig deep.  To know people are reading the blog, following our progress and prepared to take time to email us is quite humbling.  Thank you.