We motor on through the night. I can’t believe we still have virtually no wind, although it does pick up a little so that the genoas, goose winged out, are just about able to fill with air and give us a little nudge along.
Actually, I think the term “goose winged“ should be replaced by “ray winged”. After walking beneath these ghostly fish in the aquarium thing in Sydney, I’ve realised that they are just what our genoas resemble and the term is much more nautical. I wonder if it will catch on?
There’s a little more shipping activity, although it is all in the distance, until the morning that is, when, just after I have gone to bed after my second watch, a huge container ship crosses our path just 1.5 miles ahead of us. I get up to watch it’s approach. Before we had the AIS Mike would probably have changed course a little just to make sure we weren’t heading for a collision . AIS told us that we weren’t and even though I stood there watching, urging Mike nervously to alter course just a few degrees, he watched AIS and stood his ground. I don’t know. The whole of the Indian Ocean and they have to pass that close.
Photo: Pacific Triangle crosses our path
The day passes in a hot sweat, a haze of reading and sleeping. I actually do a little bit of yoga and am horrified at just how stiff my joints and muscles are. Now that I have got the mat out I will try to remember to do a little bit every day, just to try to loosen everything up a bit. No wonder my back is in such a sorry state.
The Australian customs plane doesn’t overfly us today. I suppose that at over 300 miles from the nearest coast, they have passed us on now to some other authority or are we in International Waters?
In the late afternoon, the wind picks up sufficiently for us to turn the engine off. The silence is heaven after four days of droning. It doesn’t last that long, however, as Mike puts the engine on again after dark to charge the batteries. We also need to keep our average speed over 5.5 knots to make it to Bali during daylight on Tuesday. Getting that little bit of extra speed now (we motor sail at around 6.5 knots) might give us some time to sail later on.
Just before darkness falls I decide to do some housework. I have been meaning to clean some of the internal stainless steel for ages and today turns out to be the day for the light fittings and door handles to get a seeing to. God, I must be bored!
Our position is: 11 deg 40 min S, 120 deg 37 min E
Distance so far: 12550 nautical miles
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