21h00 UTC 17 May
Course: 255°
Distance covered last 24hrs until 18h00 GMT: 155 nm
Distance to Marquesas: 899nm
Position 08°56' S 123°53' W
Well the winds up and so are the seas. We have been having some fun and games. In one of the rain squalls we had a massive wind change and gybed. The boom took down our tent over the cockpit that we use for shade. When the boom gybed back the shackle that holds the main sheet on flew off. (These shackles are fastened with pliers and then get a zip tie through then to prevent them coming off). Trying to retrieve the boom when running in a rainsquall is not the easiest of party tricks.
Later while we were running with the jib poled out we needed to gybe. We furled most the jib away in the process. Unfortunately what was still free formed a wrap around the forestay and slowly wound its way to the top of the forestay as the flogging bit of sail unwound the furled sail and rewound it on at the bottom. Of course these things always happen in the dark. At least it was full moon last night. It took forever to get it all free.
Today it was really rough and hanging on was the order of the day. Sleep tonight will be short as you get bounce clean out of any dream every few minutes. We are putting in a second reef and having a conservative night tonight, everything is set and the Aries is steering, so hopefully it will keep up with the wind changes and we will not have to make any changes. Tomorrow we will correct the course. We are still heading to far south and may need to gybe and head a little more north as we are level with the islands now. If there is more southerly direction in the wind we will be able to head up on a broad reach, but the grib files have the wind from the east. OK so we only have to pole the jib ....
Oh well we will see what tomorrow will bring, till then...
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