[password] Bri44angel
[position] 16 08.622S 148 58.841W
[speed] 6.4 kts
[heading] 024T
[weather] Winds ENE 17-18; seas E 1.5-2m ; 45% cloud cover; bar 1015.48, rising - +01.6 last 3 hrs.
[status] Our first night at sea was, as usual, a matter of readjustment, but went very well. We were cleared out by noon, at the fuel dock at 1300 (after their lunch time closure!), away from the fuel dock at 1400 with 430 liters bunkered, and out Passe Papette by 1530. We had to motor until almost 1800 to clear the lee of Tahiti, but then a brisk 18-20 ESE wind filled in, and we sailed for the better part of the night with just a staysail and reefed main doing 6.2 kts in relatively comfortable conditions; waves were about 2-2.5m just forward of the beam. this morning we are close reaching, but still enjoying a mostly comfortable ride! Tonight, about 2100 local, we should pass between the Tuamotus atolls of Mataiva and Tikehau, the last islands we should see until the Big Island of Hawaii - a mere 2800 nm or so down the track! For those of you drawing a straight line to Hawaii and saying "its not that far," bear in mind that we need to go a considerable distance east before we cross the Equator and then head back NW to Hawaii - our aim is to make that turn at around 05N 140W - so as to be able to sail the E-SE trade winds south of the Equator, and then the E-NE trade winds north of the equator! Well, that's the plan anyway; we'll see how it all turns out! For now, "All is well on board!" Cheers!
[END]