[password] rachel25
[gulfharbour]
synopsis:
rollcall: on
updates : on
[position]37 57.262s 171 26.939w
[status] On passage to Valdivia, Chile from Auckland NZ. We celebrated the turn of the year at midnight with Laphroig Malt and Christmas Pudding. We 3 must have been the first people in the world to see the New Year as we were but 3 miles west of the date line. Now it is the 31st of December again and we await New Year ....it will have to be more Laphroig but no Christmas pud left.
Yesterday started with a flat calm and sunshine. In case the crew thought it might be time for relaxing I wrote a good long list of maintenance jobs down in the log. Also, completely by mistake managed to awaken Lucas an hour early....he didn't complain.
So Lucas and I spent 6 hours dismantling the windpilot clutch which had been slipping. It is cunningly designed with screws behind the the spokes of the wheel so it can only be done with the wheel held still (while the boat goes round in circles) and required an allan key to be ground down to get in behind the spokes. Anyway all good and Lucas took a swim afterwards to cool off. Ana meanwhile was checking every piece of fruit and veg for signs of rot. She found a few and these were put in the "immediate eating" bowl. We are now in the "eat just in time" routine with the menu being driven to some extent by what is just past it's best.
The wind came back in the afternoon and we had a wonderful flat water close reach into the New Year.

[speed] 6.7kts
[heading] 105 true
[weather] Wind 15 - 20 knots. 1.0m waves. Sky 50% cloud cover. Bar 1027.
[END]