Half Way There

0800 position 21-15S 172-09E. Days run 209 miles. Just past the halfway point of the passage.

The wind continued to die off as the morning progressed yesterday. Shortly after noon Van Diemen's boat speed dropped below seven knots so we turned on the engine to give the sails a hand in moving us along. By 4PM the jib started collapsing in the waves so we rolled it up and continued on motor sailing with the mainsail only. The wind died off completely during the evening, and shortly after midnight filled in from the west at about six knots. It wasn't quite strong enough to sail, and it was from the wrong direction. It has been slowly backing toward the south and increasing since then, as forecast, and we are hoping to be able to turn off the engine and sail soon.

This wind pattern was predicted in the forecast before we departed Fiji, and once the breeze fills in from the south it should keep blowing from that direction for a day or so. Anticipating this, we have been hedging our bets and have been sailing well south of the rhumb line since we left. We are now fifty miles south of the direct route from Fiji to New Caledonia and our positioning should allow us to ease sheets and sail faster and more comfortably once the southerly fills in than we would be able to if we were further north.

We've seen a bunch of commercial vessels on the AIS during our passages but we don't often see other sailboats. Late yesterday morning we passed the 49 foot sailing vessel "Aclyone" which was a mile to the north and headed in the same direction. Rob recalls seeing her somewhere earlier in the trip.

The seas have been flat enough to allow us to make full use of the galley, and with little to occupy our time the crew has been creative in the kitchen. Zappa and Marie made egg sandwiches for our first lunch at sea. Rob made a chicken pasta dish for dinner that night. I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast yesterday and a salad for lunch and Geoff made grilled lamb chops, roasted potatoes, and green beans for dinner. Nobody is hungry aboard the good ship Van Diemen.

The calm conditions have also allowed for lots of socializing. These Australians are a bunch of characters and all know how to tell a good story.

We see some strange stuff out here. Yesterday afternoon we passed through some current lines and came upon a patch of chocolate brown water that looked like sugar cane field waste. It was a couple of hundred feet wide and stretched off toward the horizon to the south. We were more than 250 miles from the nearest land at the time.

I am pleased to report that the fishing has improved. We've had four strikes, three hook ups, and landed two small aku on the Corstorphine lure collection. With a little fine tuning we are confident that we will soon be landing larger and more delectable species.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com