[password] caesar

[position] 27 29.172s 179 12.991e

[status] 1700 hrs 22 May 2018. After being at sea for 4.5 days I must report a depressing observation: we have seen absolutely no dolphins. When Leilani and I first sailed from Hawaii through the S. Pacific, we were greeted daily by sizeable pods. When we sailed on the Oyster yacht we managed in 2002-2003 from NZ to Fiji, New Caledonia, Brisbane, and back to NZ, we saw dolphins almost daily. When we sailed from Hawaii to NZ in 2010, we saw some dolphins. Sailing between NZ and Fiji these past 3 seasons, we saw occasional dolphins in small pods. So far this year none sighted. Do you get the picture? And what do you guess is the reason dolphins are diappearing. In the Pacific it is primarily Asian (mostly Chinese) fishing fleets. They use nets that are miles long which indiscriminsately scoop up everything in their way. Dolphins are considered trash catch. By the time they arrive on board they have effectively drowned, and then are chucked over the side. So next time you sit down at a restaurant to a fancy fish dinner, at least give a moment of silence for the dolphins who didn't make it. That's my enviornmental / political statement. Otherwise all is good here,

[weather] Today was overcast with 100% cloud cover all day and continues now into the night. Wind was very light E and we motored most of the day. This afternoon about 1600, wind picked up to 9-12 ktrs E and we have been sailing at a stately 4.5 - 5.5 kts. Anticipated arriving Minerva on Thursday, but with slow sailing, we probably won't get there in daylight. So we'll slow down Thursday to arrive Friday morning. Call me "chicken", "scaredy-cat", but going into a reef in the middle of the ocean at night is not my cup of tea.

That's all for now.

Cheers
John & Leilani

[END]