We veered off course last night to keep the sails from flopping back and forth as the wind died down in 9ft seas, potentially adding another day to our trip. The squeaks, slams, and groans were unbearable. I tried to distract myself by staring up at the Milky Way, it was the clearest it’s been this entire trip. 

I sat at the helm longer than usual this morning, knowing the noises had kept Ray awake and he needed sleep. When he came up to take over, I got to work on lunch. Partway through, I managed to knock over the trash can, sending a month’s worth of plastic flying around the cockpit. I scrambled to grab every piece before anything went overboard. I stumbled, and the motion of the boat sent me flying into the metal piece protruding from the doorframe. Ouch. Thankfully, it hit my hip and not my head. I gave up on lunch and went straight to bed. 

During Ray’s shift, he noticed our main halyard had chaffed. At this point, we’re just crossing our fingers that it will hold until we arrive. Please cross yours for us, too…

Oh, we’re also down to 14 gallons of water. I’m ready to get on anchor. 

I woke up at 5pm and began prepping dinner. Ray informed me that he had switched the chart plotter to show local time in the Marquesas: it was actually only 1:30pm. So, we had an afternoon pot roast and mashed potato feast. Since I had just gained three and a half hours, I threw on a swimsuit and parked myself in the bean bag chair next to the helm. I kept watch and enjoyed the sunshine as we sailed at 7.5kn.

As I post this, we’re witnessing another beautiful sunset and soaking up these last few days with an empty horizon. We have ~200 miles to go, and are anticipating a Saturday/Sunday arrival. 

14 Responses

  1. Girl you bruise like a peach! Your poor hip is going to be the same blue/purple/green colors of the Milky Way. Y’all are so close – sending all the love!!!

  2. high low high low! nature is incredible everything on a boat breaks! the stars our the most beautiful thing we have ever seen, it’s easy to injure ourselves! one more day until you anchor! ?

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