Getting back into the groove
Another day on the great blue railroad…we reeled in 150 miles on our beam reach in 22 hours. The day was hot, but we had to keep the cabin completely buttoned up to prevent spray from entering through the hatches. I tried to crack the butterfly hatch during the heat of the day, but ten minutes later several cups of seawater splashed down on our bed. The cockpit is continually doused by every tenth wave or so, so it’s kind of like being stuck between a hot and a wet place. Our consolation is that every day on this passage, we will sail a bit farther south into cooler latitudes. The nighttime temperature is perfect though, and I much prefer the starry night watch to the muggy days.
Taz is very proud of his new toilet skills, and he saves his urine like a dog marking many territories so that he can pee into his miniature potty as many times as possible. He prefers to pee standing up, and sort of clutches the wall as the cabin pitches back and forth in the waves. Now we can move on to #2 training!
It was a lazy day and I slept through most of it, peering out at the sparkling blue sea in between catnaps. We’ve got just enough wind to keep us moving along at high speed, where we can make 160 mile days with no drama. It’s perfect sailing except for the right-angle swells. I can tell Privateer is very pleased to be sailing the Indian Ocean–she’s made for exploring these exotic waters. Sails full and trimmed for beam reach. We continue on…
