World ARC - Day 66 - 14th March - A day at the races
Nina
Steve and Lynda Cooke
Fri 18 Mar 2016 06:23
World ARC - Day 66 - 14th March - A day at the races
A second Monday arrives with rain, maybe they don't like Mondays in the South Pacific. There are two approaches to setting up the sails, either relatively forgiving but a little slower or less forgiving and quicker. Today we have no choice the wind is unusually changeable under grey skies so we have to make changes pretty continuously. The foresail is taken in, then let out, then changed sides and poled out several times an hour. The wind is behind us for a while then over our left shoulder for a spell before changing back again to behind us. Steve and Peter are enjoying themselves particularly Steve. Every so often we get rained on then the warm wind dries us off again. However all this effort to drive the boat pays off firstly with 24 nm in 4 hours then 41 nm in six hours. Some of the best distances recorded to date on Nina.
Because we don't know exactly what route we will be taking to Hiva Oa we have defined halfway is when the distance we have travelled is equal to the projected distance to go. At 10 o'clock
today we have 1,499 to go and exactly the same distance covered on the log. Originally we planned a swim in celebration but no one is keen to leap into these seas so we think better of the idea. However this is another milestone chalked up so chocolate biscuits serve to commemorate the event.
Portela is given a day off since the sea is too lumpy for fishing today. A tired but happy crew look forward to their bunks tonight after a satisfying day's sailing. The sails are also trimmed for as comfortable a night as possible.