Smoking

0800 Position 11-43S 142-50WW. Days run 216 miles.

Yesterday morning the boys were successful in finding more local produce, including a breadfruit that they expect me to cook. I made the mistake of telling them that Lori has a recipe that turns this otherwise bland starchy fruit into something that tastes pretty good. Help Lori! How do I cook it?

Ua Pou is famous for its five lava spires. It was overcast when we arrived there so we couldn't see them in the clouds, but yesterday morning the sky was clear and there they were, five lava volcano cores sticking up into the sky in the middle of the island looking like whales teeth. We've read that the rock in these spires is not crumbly like the rest of the islands and that it is relatively safe for mountaineers to climb them. They sure are photogenic.

After the boys returned from their shopping expedition we got the boat ready for sea and were underway for the Tuamotus at 1030AM. We didn't have any luck this time as we passed the point where we had the big fish strike the day before. Once clear of the lee of the island the wind filled in from the east and we were off like a rocket. The wind was just aft of the beam, a bit further forward than it was for most of the trip down from California. It has been blowing between fifteen and twenty knots. It is not the most comfortable point of sail, and we occasionally get doused when a big wave smacks the side of the boat, but it is fast. We have averaged more than ten knots of speed since we departed Ua Pou. At this pace we will complete the 465 mile passage to Manihi Atoll in just over two days and arrive there sometime tomorrow afternoon. The weather forecast predicts more of the same, so we should be able to maintain good speed all the way in.

We've had to modify our watch system now that Longy is not here and we are down to four crew aboard. We are still doing two hours on standby and two hours on watch, but we are off duty for four hours instead of six which is cutting into our sleep time. I got off watch at 8AM this morning and was too tired to write and post today's blog. I'm doing it instead while on my noon to 2PM standby watch. Longy, we miss you!

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