This section encompasses a collection of stories and
passage notes written while underway during the first leg of Voyage
Two of Pacific Bliss, the 3252 nautical mile passage from San
Diego, California to Atuona Harbor in the island of Hiva Oa, Marquesas,
French Polynesia.
_____________________________________________________________
March 30, 2002
19º26.8' N, 122º44.5'W
Wind: 16 Knots True, F5 NNE
Speed: 7 Knots
Trip Miles to Date: 989
Hangin' in There
That moonrise and moonset in my last entry was the last we saw; it
has been 85%
to 100% cloud cover ever since. Tonight, as I get off my 6-9 PM watch,
the sky
and sea are an inky void, with the horizon only barely discernable after
one's
eyes are adjusted to the dark. What a dampening effect on night watches!
I
did see Orion peek through last night, his belt sparkling with diamonds
and his
sheath at his side; then he was gone. Tonight, not even one star has
managed
to break through the void.
The ocean temperature is warmer now; we are well below the Baja/Mazatlan
latitude; in fact, we will hit the tropics today! There are signs of
it
coming: this is my first night on watch with only my Pacific Bliss
sailing
jacket-no under-the-chin cap, no mittens, no fleece top and socks. It
is
amazing how just one degree of latitude makes such a difference here.
With
this continuing dreariness day and night, I look forward to the sun
of the
tropics, even more than the warmth. We had only that one day's lounge
on the
net-that was it.
We doused the spinnaker early this morning, and shortly thereafter
came a wind
gust of 27 knots. Yesterday afternoon, we had raised the spinnaker,
and
decided to leave it up during the night. Ray says that Pacific Bliss
hit a
boat speed of 19.6 knots at one point. Our average for the 24-hour period
was
7.4 knots (177 miles) a great improvement over the puny 88 miles (3.7
knot-average) of March 28th, two days ago.
The spinnaker makes for a much more comfortable ride in these following
seas;
even so, Gunter worried the night through. This night, the groan of
the
rigging at the boom and the occasional fill and flap of the main will
keep us
awake!
makoko reported on tonight on our private Vin Rouge Net that
they blew out
their "balloon." So prudence pays. We have no back-up for
our beloved
spinnaker of many colors.
We have gone through the delicious stew, cake, and cookies prepared
for us by
our daughter-in-law, Sabine, so we have begun to cook on board. I made
a pasta
marinara sauce, which lasted for two evening meals, with fresh pasta
and a
fresh salad (using pre-washed greens from Trader Joes) each time. Tonight
I
made ratatouille, over risotto, and topped with Feta cheese. I also
boiled
eggs for Easter Sunday.
I finally got around to updating and printing the provisioning and
spare parts
lists today. I also downloaded the last camera chip, and prepared a
computer
slide show of our bon voyage party, and showed it to the crew.
With close to 1000 miles of our passage completed, I report no problems
on
board. In fact, Gunter and I are very happy with our crew selection;
both
Armin and Doug are easy-going, responsive, and attentive. Doug has become
a
right-hand man for Gunter in managing the sails and repairing Pacific
Bliss.
Armin-now over his cold-sits solidly at the helm hour after hour, pacific
as
the ocean. Doug has also become our fisherman-in-charge. Yesterday,
he
unpacked and sorted out the gear; today, the line is out.
Doug at Spinnaker 
|
