Singing seas

Date:June 11, 2016, 4 a.m.
Position:16 25.00 S, 163 47.00 E

All sails are set and drawing today as we whoosh down the waves, wing-on-wing. There’s a perfect 20-knot breeze on our tail, and we are surfing along at 7 knots, with occasional 10-11 knots showing on the GPS. Privateer is singing her offshore symphony. Everything she’s built to do, she’s out here doing it! We’ve got the Yankee sail poled out to windward, Mainsail on port tack, and Storm Staysail sheeted in tight to act as a stabilizer. We like flying the Storm Staysail all the time because when we sail through a squall, all we have to do is roll in the Yankee and we’re instantly ready for 40 knots of wind. The Monitor is keeping us pegged on a 150-180 degree wind angle, doing her incredible job of steering the boat day and night while allowing us to focus on the passage and rest up.

Taz had a pretty happy day today too, despite the fact that his fang-teeth are just starting to poke through his gums! He’s been chomping down on fingers and toys to relieve the pressure. He’s also getting pretty good with his throwing arm. Today while doing the usual hurl-every-single-toy-out-of-the-berth routine he flung one of his blocks across the cabin and nailed me right in the groin–ouch!! His vocabulary is expanding, to the point that we’re a bit creeped out at how much he understands. Beyond the usual “dinghy” and “boat” and “moon”, he’s pointing across the sea and saying “horizon”. Each day we understand a bit more of what he’s trying to tell us, and when we make a connection he clucks his tongue, which is his method of expressing satisfaction.

We’re falling into the routine here and the days and nights fly past in a blur. Each day seems so short at sea (when the weather is good) and we are happily bounding across the Coral Sea. The boat has a bit of a roll due to the down-wind angle, but Kelsey and I agree that while it’s annoying, it’s far better than heeling while smashing to windward. At sunrise today about a dozen dolphins swam with the boat for about an hour. I found a large flying fish on deck, and about 1/3 the way up the main it looks like we may have been inked by a squid. I’m not sure if they can leap out of the water that high, but we do have a nasty ink stain there. Our hull got inked in Vanuatu as well. Kelsey baked the perfect pizzas for dinner tonight. All in all, a great day to be out here on the sea.

Leave a Reply