French Polynesia to Suwarrow Passage – Day 3

Date: Thursday, September 27th 2018 Time: 17:00 UTC Location: 14° 39.87 S, 158° 07.26 W COG 286° T SOG: 6.0 kts Distance to the Suwarrow: 304 nm 24hr Distance covered: 122 nm
It is so mellow out here that we have been in anchorages more uncomfortable than this. Santa Barbara and La Cruz, MX come to mind as much bouncier than our current sea state. I’m trying not to get too used to it as there is more wind on its way which will no doubt make things a bit more active below.
Not much to report for today. Night watches really are beautiful with the moon starting to wane and more and more stars appearing each night. We haven’t seen much wild life beyond some birds (Brown footed Boobies and Red-billed Tropicbirds we think) and only one other vessel, a large Taiwanese fishing boat. So, we know there must be fish but we haven’t had any hits yet.
The girls are doing well, Isa has been reading a ton and stays above decks most of the day as she has been feeling on the edges of seasickness. Adelaide runs around all over, vigorously getting her schooling done so she can watch a movie. We put up the cockpit shade during the heat of the day (which makes it feel even more like we are at anchor) so that we can all sit in the cockpit and read or work on projects. I’m fighting off the cold that the girls had when we left Ra’iatea so I’ve been trying to get a bit more sleep.
Even with the girl’s ages they don’t quite understand why I sleep so much. They ask over and over, “Mom, why are you sleeping all the time?” Of course it is because my watch schedule is smack in the middle of their main sleeping time. Cameron is up when they head to bed and he is up again when they wake up. My watch is 11pm to 4:30am so they don’t see much of me unless they are having a tough night. Most days I sleep till about 10am and the girls must remain quiet. I’m not sure if they miss me or if they are just annoyed at having to be quiet but, sometimes they sneak into my cabin and touch my hand to see if I’ll grasp their hand back and crack open my eyes.
The girls have been keeping their own watch in the morning. Cameron lays down for a quick rest in the salon when they wake and Adelaide and Isa are responsible to look out for traffic and let him know if something funny goes on with the sails or direction. Adelaide was on it this morning when the wind got behind the mainsail and the boat started heading around into the wind. The preventer kept the boom from jibing and Adelaide woke Cameron up right away and he was able to pop the engine on and get the wind on the right side of the sails easily.
That’s it for today, this is SV Banyan, signing off

5 comments

  1. Lauralee and Josh - sv Osprey from Guaymas says:

    Love reading your blogs. Loved this one especially about the hand touching. So beautiful! Sail on my friends!

  2. Sandy says:

    Dick and sandy,novices,sailed from honolulu to Maui with two seasoned sailors. We were to leave at sunset so packed our gear the night before, taught school all day, then drove directly to the harbor. At midnight we Finally hoisted sail. Inside of 30 minutes the “sailors” began drinking and soon thereafter slid silently into the cabin. “Just stay to the right of Molokai lighthouse”, were the only slurred instructions.
    Adelaide you have more experience than I!
    But funny thing about new challenges.
    I have loved that night for the rest of my life! Green plankton shone like an airstrip thru the darkest hours,leading directly across that empty sea to Molokai & Maui. The moon rose like a comfortable friend. Confidence replaced uncertainty. May all your sailings go well too…

  3. Courtney Cammarano says:

    “…sometimes they sneak into my cabin and touch my hand to see if I’ll grasp their hand back and crack open my eyes.”

    This sweet image brought a smile to my face.

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