0800 Position 1-19N 133-16W. Days run 178 miles.
The doldrum conditions only lasted for seven hours. By 2PM yesterday the wind had filled in enough that we could shut the engine down and sail again. As often happens just south of the ITCZ though, the wind was blowing from the south, so even close hauled we were ten or so degrees low of our desired heading. It has been steadily lifting us ever since though, and at sunrise this morning the sky had cleared and we were close reaching at nine knots in flat seas and eight knots of wind heading straight for the Marquesas.
We had a pretty easy time of it getting through the ITCZ. The gribs say that conditions should be perfect for us the rest of the way to the islands with the wind slowly lifting us and blowing consistently but never more than twelve knots.
We've been watching the sea water temperature as we work our way south. When we left Newport the water temp was in the low 70s. Yesterday it got up to 85.5 but it has been on the way down ever since and is now 84.1. As we get south of the ITCZ we are starting to feel the effects of the cold Humboldt Current that flows north along the west coast of South America and then turns to the west just south of the equator. I'm surprised that we never noticed the effects of the equatorial counter current. We should be well south of it by now.
Hot water means hot air, and while it is pleasant on deck it is pretty warm below, especially when we can't open the hatches due to the rain or spray. I'm not sweating in my bunk, but it isn't exactly great sleeping weather. The temperatures should start dropping now as we work our way south.
Just as the sky was lightening for sunrise this morning, Rob and I were treated to a visit by a school of small dolphin over 100 strong. The largest couldn't have been more than four feet long. What a sight with Van Diemen screaming along in flat water, a full moon just above the horizon in the west, and scores of dolphins competing to play in the bow wave.
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Cool! I've never heard of dolphins that were that small.
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