Tasman Sea, (Lat 40 03S, Lon 155 27E), Course 80 degrees (compass)
Wednesday 29 January 2020
The sun went down, the sun came up … just as we’d expected. Likewise, the wind died down as forecast, till it was reluctantly necessary through the night to turn on the motor in order to maintain an average speed of around 6 knots
Although light, the wind remained from behind, enabling us to continue our straight-line sailing. Dry decks and pleasant conditions meant that I could carry on the tradition of my father in wearing my slippers for much of the day.
The absence of bread to make our breakfast-toast meant it was time again to knock out a couple of loaves, which were cooling on the galley bench by 8:00am.
The day started out cloudy and grey, but this soon gave way to a sunny sky with the occasional albatross gliding effortlessly by, rising and falling in harmony with the regular 3 metre swell
There is sadly nothing to report in the fishing department. Other than we persist, now with two lures astern in the vain hope of achieving success. Surely two hooks in the water must be better than just the one.
Jodi and Jorge excelled themselves in making a vegetable kind of lasagne for lunch and a burrito ensemble this evening. All eaten in the cockpit, with not a drop of wine spilt, unlike last night. The sea has definitely calmed off a bit. Although it was never high. Just a little confused, with a side-chop helping to create an occasional roll making it necessary to definitely place things down on one of those grippy rubber maps.
During the day, we set the staysail, that small jib closest to the mast. Maybe I just like seeing three sails set, but we all agreed that it gave us an extra boost in speed, with the wind still coming in over our starboard stern quarter. That said, the wind made a definite shift after dinner tonight. Relocating itself to South-Southeast (SSE), just forward of the beam, but still 60 degrees or so from the bow. It’s the first bit of wind so far with any sniff of east, although it’s only around 10 knots and so we continue to have the engine chugging away in the background.
Our latest forecast reveals the wind moving and strengthening to the north west, in the next 24 hours, helping us to continue on our comfortable way, ideally, all the way to New Zealand.
John completed his work modifying the shower plumbing today. A plan long on the list, with parts purchased years ago to tackle the job, John’s persistence over several days has seen the hot and cold shower lines, re-plumbed to behind the walls, with the nozzle and hose neatly installed for maximum convenience. Great work John!
Meanwhile, Jim puts his sewing skills to the test in his effort to restore and raise the nav table stool, using fabric and foam salvaged from an old saloon seat cushion. It’s still a work in progress but the fine weather is very much in favour of completion soon.
By my rough reckoning we are now around 500 miles out of Westernport, with Picton still approximately 900 miles on the bow; that’s around 6-7 days away.
Smooth seas fair breeze and straight line sailing
Rob Latimer
NZ2020 