White flare and perfect evenings. 2^nd July.

Between them the Diva and genoa are ensuring Zoonie makes good progress. Neither of us got much sleep last night. If we weren’t on waking watch, which was more waking than sleeping, keeping an eye on the Diva lest she got her skirts tangled up around some of the stage props, we were rolling about in the sleeping berth, getting tied up in the blanket and generally dreaming of a trans Pacific roller coaster ride. Wonder where I got that idea from.

A couple of days ago, when about equi-distant from the nearest shores, Rob decided to see if our old, out of date last December, flares do still work. Sitting on the downwind side so the flare would explode well away from Zoonie, he was there one minute and gone the next. With an almighty bang and whizz Rob disappeared in a cloud of pungent white smoke (“Are you still there dear?”)while the flare shot away into the sky, burst into a very bright light and sank slowly in the SW. Yep they do still work.

Had we been in the liferaft we would have sent it into the wind so it would drift back over us, giving a good idea of our position but we didn’t want that with all our precious gear hanging above us did we? The diva’s skirts aflame, oh dear me no.

So that was a bit of short lived fun.

For our evening’s entertainment, after a drink in the cockpit to watch the sun set and a simple supper, we slip the London Spy DVD into the computer and sit back to enjoy the on board entertainment with a little bar of chocolate. Well all the fresh fruit is gone!

The lettuce is now gone too, but we still have a tomato (wow) white cabbage, onions, spuds, and I found yesterday during a curious fridge rummage, perfect aubergines and avocados and a near perfect cauliflower.

We caught another tuna yesterday and last night, having marinaded strips of it in lime juice, I flash fried it and we had it with, yes you guessed it, the last of the cooked pasta. It was so tender, think I’ll do the same tonight.

During my watch while watching the diva’s performance I spotted a white light on the horizon. Another tuna long liner I guess. We sat in the cockpit yesterday as shoals of smaller, bream-like fish leaped from the water all around us for ages. I guess the tuna were chasing them and the fishermen were chasing the tuna. The fish finder software on their plotters shows them where the shoals of fish are.

4^th July

Since that sleepless night we have flown the genoa. The Grib weather files have manifested themselves with promised winds above 20 knots for most of yesterday and last night. We stayed down below most of the day as the seas had picked up to grand sizes, well they would with a fetch of 2500 miles to run across wouldn’t they.

Last night we slept better during our waking watches, wedged comfortably in the corner of the saloon, than in the berth where there is too much room to roll around.

Zoonie is rocking and rolling along with her kerchief genoa calling “Come on I know it’s this way”.

Two nights ago we had a ship, yes a whole ship, on a parallel heading to ours and travelling at 20 knots. The AIS didn’t give his name and destination. Rob said I should have called him up for a chat. Maybe next time.

At night Zoonie’s pathway is clearly set, the same as that of countless vessels making the passage over thousands of years. The upside down Plough to our right and the Southern Cross, confident and prominent amongst its peers to the left.

I have a quandary at present. We have read that no fresh fruit or veg are allowed into French Polynesia and I have lots of onions, potatoes, carrots, aubergines, an avocado and limes left. So I have asked Jane of Nora J, who helped us through the panama and has preceded us by a number of weeks, if this is still the case and what were her experiences on arrival in FP.

Both ways its quesadillas, as in The Nuevo Mundo Lima, for supper last night and tonight!

Every 15 degrees of Longitude west we put our clocks back one hour, so at the moment we are 9 hours  (120 degrees west) behind you and GMT and there will be one more correction before we make landfall at 135 degrees west. In French Polynesia we will be 10 hours behind you all.

At lunch time today we will celebrate being two thirds of the way across to Hiva Oa, Marquesas. Also we haven’t seen any pasta bugs for two days so that definitely should be acknowledged with a beer don’t you think!

It’s a bit lively for fishing at the moment. Don’t fancy filleting a fish on the aft deck with a nine inch blade knife in these conditions, could be more than the fish that gets filleted!

The wind is up in the mid 20’s now so we’ve just reefed the genoa. Maybe the grey clouds will bring some rain to clean salt off the windows, its certainly a Superclean service out here when it happens.