[password] D1nsdale
[status] :position 26 04S 169 49E
Great watching the lunar eclipse from the high seas this morning. It happened as dawn broke so the moon was low and huge and fraying slightly at the edges. Spectacular. Yesterday was all out squalls...spontaneously erupting knots of mayhem harboring wind demons that hurl challenges at you. From zero to 30 knots in about 10 seconds and everything on the boat goers ballistic, and then it is all back to a more ordinary ?very windy? in 5 minutes and back to zero in 30. Fun when you know how they work and have time to get the sails out of the way. They form in lines in the middle of intense high pressure cells apparently. We had them all across the horizon and were unable or disinclined to avoid 3. Then the doldrums again and we have been motoring all night, and will be till about lunchtime apparently. Power issues managed so far. Breaks down about once an hour and we reset and it works again. Hasn?t deteriorated, which was the worry. I am practicing my French for ?Its buggered, please fix?. Today we get to the trade winds and catch a ride all the way to where we want to be. It?s the last phase of our trip. Warm easterly wind at 12-15 knots rolling right around the planet in the tropical zone. Spinnaker is ready to go up and we are looking forward to a rollicking downwind romp to NewCal.
[END]