Day 9:
As the Yellow brick tracker reveals at this point, our optimal track is straight to HI - A drag race to paradise! (A drag race we are not currently winning :( ) We lost ground last night and are 6hrs out of 3rd place. The boats ahead are sailing well, and there are fewer and fewer passing lanes left as we all enter the tradewinds and consolidated near HI.
The wind was very light all night, except when it blew 30+kts. Squalls piped up quickly with rain and wind well above the ambient flow. The first one of these caused a round up which again, blew off a sheet shackle quickly. Again it was taped - there is lots of wear on the hinge of the sheet shackles, perhaps that is leading to this issue, it is not one we've had before. In this case, as in the last, chaos follows, and we reset the kite 1.5 hours(ish) later. Meanwhile, light air reduced boat speed to a mere 5kts. The crew worked most of the night, dropping and raising sails, and little sleep was had. Some attention had to be given to a 9'x12' concrete dock that had been spotted by a previous boat near our current coarse. We passed 20nm down current/wind of it, to give it a wide berth (haha). Between that, and few other periods of light air, and you're quickly out-gunned.
This morning we are broad reaching toward HI at 8kts, the sun is out, its warm and beautiful. We invited Nemo for dinner again, and being the enthusiastic youth that he is, it wasn't long before he replied. If he was a 30" mahi mahi he will be featured at a dinner in his honor. Mahi mahi in the water are a two tone combination of iridescent blue and yellow. Alarmingly bright, almost neon. Once out, they change very quickly to grey and bluish. It's a strikingly fast change.
Onward we go, sleeping when we can, and sailing along in a beautiful ocean, on a beautiful day and a Bequitiful Boat.
-Bequia
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At 7/14/2012 12:11 AM (utc) our position was 38°06.27'N 122°16.02'W
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