Saturday, September 19, 2009

ON OUR WAY TO ISLE OF PINES

We left Aneityum Island, Vanuatu, this morning at 6am. We have 190 miles to go to the Isles des Pines, the southernmost island of New Caledonia. Its an awkward distance, as it is almost too far to do with only overnight sail, but too close for two overnight's. Try figure that one out. Anyway, we are going to try our best to make it to our next anchorage before dark tomorrow night. As we left this morning we had a nice breeze and a rolly sea. Chantal's freshly brewed pot of coffee promptly fell over. Too make up for that I caught a nice 20 pound yellow fin just as we sailed into blue water. By noon the wind was messing us around, weakening and going onto our bum, couple this with a messy ocean, and you have an uncomfortable ride. The main sheet was snatching and jerking so badly that we eventually decided to drop the main and up with my mortal enemy, MR SPINNAKER. But first we sorted out the sock jamming problem, this we did by repeatedly hoisting and snuffing it, after each snuff we would find a new problem, lots of twists and turns, eventually its all sorted and the spinnaker sock snuffs smoothly. (Is that poetry?). But the wind was also not enough for the spinnaker so we stowed it away. Half hour later we tried the main again, but once again, more trouble than its worth. Is this starting to bore you? I hope so, as i am trying to illustrate the tedium that sailing is most of the time. Not to mention that its hard work man, hard work. Ahahahaha. Now we are motoring with only the headsail. Caught a nice Bonito which I threw back to swim another day. Josh and I strapped rapalas to the back of both black (baddy) and red Spidey (goodie), this transformed them into Barnacle Boy and Mermaid Man. The sea is calming down, probably cause there is almost no wind blowing over it. Our speed is down to 5 knots under one engine, at this rate we will arrive at the Isle of Pines tomorrow after dark. Not good. But between now and then, who knows what will happen. Hopefully a giant whale will swallow us and spit us out next to the Sydney Opera house. Or Quay 4 for that matter.