[password] Bri44angel
[position] 13 45.295S 148 06.731W
[speed] 5.5 kts
[heading] 030T
[weather] Winds ENE 22 kts; seas E 2m; 25% cloud cover; bar 1013, rising.
[status] After a day of gloomy skies and moderate winds (22-24 kts), it turned into a terrible, horrible, very bad, no good night! As we entered the channel between Mataiva and Tikehau Islands last night, we took started hand steering to better negotiate manage the somewhat narrow distance between the islands, and to stay clear of a small cargo ship that was transiting between Mataiva and Rangiroa, just to the east of Tikehau. Then the squalls came - one right after the other; five or six in all (but who's counting?) lasting 30-45 minutes each, with winds over 30 kts; still hand steering! When the squalls died out, we went to reset the Monitor self steering, only to discover the actuator shaft for the wind vane had come undone - and there was no way to fix it at night, in rough seas! So, we all three of us took turns hand steering the rest of the night, through occasional squalls and high winds. We hove-to at 0600 for some much need rest and repairs. We were back underway again at 1400, with much improved weather conditions, and renewed positive outlook! All is well on board Bright Angel again tonight - let's just hope it stays that way through the night!
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