DAY 23: Sunday May 1, 2011
Position: 19 degrees 45 minutes North, 147 degrees 39 minutes West
About 425 miles to go…
As we were preparing to sail away from Punta Mita, we placed bets on our arrival date. That afternoon the breeze was fresh, and everything looked good for a very fast passage. Tim guessed April 29, followed by Jane picking April 30th, Jason (our would be stowaway who paddled out to see us off) chose May 1, and Lori went with May 2nd. Well, looks like none of us win. What will be our arrival date? Still not totally sure, but looking more like sometime May 5th. I know it says day 23 up top there, but we didn't leave til 5pm on day 1, and we stopped for more than 24 hours at Isla Benedicto. So we've really done about 21 days of sailing to date…not the fastest passage ever to Hawaii, but we're getting there!
We've been making good speeds the past few days, in the 6-8 knot range (there goes a 7.8!), but as seems to be the case this trip, we're not exactly on course, so we will have to make some tacks to lay Hilo. Yesterday we flew the spinnaker for the first time in a while… the winds and seas had died down so it was a perfect time for a nice downwind run. Then last night we ran with just our jib out and dealt with rainy squalls on and off (seems each crew person had their own personal soaking). Today we've had honking winds 15-20 knots all day from the NE, good for making progress, but seas of 8-10 feet make it very wobbly! We haven't seen any ships for days, just lots of blue blue blue (different shades) of water. I imagine that'll change as we get closer to Hawaii. We're starting to fantasize about the Laundromat and clothes that aren't covered in salt. Provisions are holding up well, we still have some fresh produce - apples, cukes, carrots, onions and tomatoes… just ate the last of the broccoli yesterday - it held up 3 weeks in the fridge! We'll want to use up the produce before we arrive or I think it may be confiscated.
I'm gonna let Lori tell you about our recent bird visitors/hitchhikers.
For days we have been all alone out here, not a sign of other life so to speak, so the other afternoon when a juvenile brown boobie bird landed on the overturned dinghy up on deck for a rest, it was a major event. We all took turns going up for a closer look and photo ops which the bird didn't seem to mind. Several hours later though, Tim, remembering of the 'gifts' the last boobie left on deck, decided that it was time for this guy to go… it was comical really, Tim up there flapping his arms and clapping and this bird defiantly spreading his wings and honking back at him(they sound similar to a duck)! He finally took flight. After Tim thwarted his many attempts at re-landing he flew off and Tim nestled into his sunny spot in the cockpit with his book. Some minutes later the bird was back, he decided to perch this time on the mizzen boom, and settled into preening…His tail end was aimed clear of the boat so Tim decided he could stay…and so he did…for nearly 2 days!!! We were all amazed by his lack of fear of us, as close as he would let us get to him. I suppose maybe he was fully aware of the point on the end of his beak and what it was capable of!?! He responded to the name of Jack, which seemed appropriate for a hitchhiker… He settled into his little spot back there, leaving a few brief times for feeding, never gone for more than 15 min, then back to his fastidious grooming…then yesterday an adult boobie who we later would call Magoo, began eyeing up Jack's spot. He appeared tired and his feathers looked ragged. It seemed as if he was having troubles seeing well too. Jack wasn't too keen on him swooping and would honk up a great ruckus anytime he got near. They went beak to beak in a few battles before , mercifully, Magoo realized that we had an unoccupied second boom!! After a few botched attempts at landing, he finally made it and hunkered down for the night. I can't tell you how sweet it was to have them both out there on the night watches, company of sorts. It was also quite impressive how they managed to hang in through the squalls, some with some heavy rains and decent winds! This morning they flew off, apparently feeling rested enough to move on. In exchange for a safe haven they provided us with a nice diversion from the otherwise unchanging sea scape, and it definitely boosted our spirits! It feels a little empty without them there!
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