09:04:66S 139:01:10W
The Adventures of Sunboy the Sailboat
Al Sparkes and Deb Swain
Wed 9 Jun 2010 17:58
Current conditions:
Wind 12-15 knots ENE
Seas moderate, 2-3 metre swell predominately from the east
sea temperature 30 degrees C
Air temp: very warm, expected to be a hot, hot day.
Partly Cloudy
Distance covered previous 24 hours 170NM
What an exciting sight this morning, to see the islands of the Marquesas after 16 days at sea, came into view about 7.00am this morning with Nikki on the helm and Debs assist watch and me just hanging around looking good :)
We had a pretty cruizee day yesterday, did a fair bit of motor sailing to try and ensure we are able to make our anchorage during daylight hours and as such it places a fair bit more pressure and strain on the rudder which makes it just that bit more tiresome to helm and hand steer but of course every mile covered is a mile closer so no one is complaining. Debsy is very exhausted, still running herself ragged doing watches and most, if not all of the evening meals, tidying up and just being Debsy. We gave her a little bit of respite last night, covering the first half of her night watch from midnight to 3.00am. Tried and tried to get her to take the night off but no way was she going to have that, I think the words, "I'm not going to wimp out now" might have been uttered two or three times. But we were able to get her to have the second half of her afternoon watch off and she was able to lie back and read her latest Ken Follett novel and at the same time do a bit of sunbaking and had a nice foot and leg massage so she was a happy little camper after that.
She then turned around and made a delicious tuna bake for dinner which went down a treat. Just as dinner was being prepared we hooked a great fish, Lukey Bill fought it valiantly for about 15 minutes before it broke free, so we dont know what it was but from the length of line it peeled off the real and the amount of effort Lukey was putting into it, it was a very good size. A little while later, the reel screemed again and this time we landed another good sized fish, not exactly sure what type it is, maybe some type of tuna / bonito, it's fillets are in the fridge for dinner tonight and we will clarify what it is later.
The night watch was pretty uneventful apart from the 30 gazillion stars that adorn the sky. The air, as you would expect is just so clear and the skies are just so bright which makes it a bit easier to sail a course to rather than having to rely time and time again on instruments only. I think it was about 11.30pm Nikki was on the helm and I was catching a few zeds when she woke me up in a flurry telling me there was a big flying fish on the deck. I am sure she wanted me to rescue the poor thing but the choice between getting out of my nice warm sleeping bag and crawling along the deck to rescue some fish was an easy one to make, so of course the stiff as a board fish was dispatched overboard from the deck this morning. A lot of people cant wait for the morning to collect them off the deck and have them for breakfast but so far we haven't got enough to warant the effort. The flying fish have gradually become bigger and bigger as we came into the Marquesas and having one of these smack into your head in the middle of the night scares the crapper out of you as has happened to Nikki on this passage and Lukey and I when we crossed the Atlantic.
So now Lukey is asleep, as is Debs, Nikki is on the helm and Layni is having a quiet read. We have the champagne and beer in the fridge along with a few cans of cokes for the non 18 year olds to celebrate tonight. Of course every parent and husband is very proud of their family but I dont have the words to do justice to how I feel about what my family, and I include Luke in that circle, and what they have been able to achieve, not just since the auto pilot died but the whole passage. Each and everyone of them are just exceptional people who have gone about their business, taking care of each other, taking care of the boat in a no fuss, no bother manner, bloody legends.
So tomorrow I should be able to give you a bit of an insight into Nuka Hiva and how good it felt to have a decent nights sleep!!! Till then..................