9 Jan: In the night we motor past a sailing yacht also heading west. It’s a bit eerie to see a lone navigation light with no AIS out here. He is clearly a die-hard sailor, flopping around in the swell… or maybe he’s the wise one, not using his diesel!
Dawn breaks to cloudy sky and dolphins playing, each one jostling for center position directly under the bow, whilst the more playful ones race off one side or the other, only to dart back a few seconds later. Ellie captures in a video.
At midday it’s a team effort to rig the spinnaker but wind is too light – no sooner is it full than the boat rolls and it collapses again. So Glen is still looking forward to the day when he can make this rather expensive item earn its keep. A lovely lunch in a warm sunny cockpit followed by a daytime snooze for Oana – previously unheard of “unless I’m sick” she usually says!
Late afternoon the trade-winds finally kick in: 8, 10 then 12 knots. So the donkey is given a rest and sails set for a run. The new gybe preventers, pole fore & aft guys, spinnaker sheet and tack lines all led aft work very well, but boy-oh-boy the side decks look like a jumble of organized spaghetti! Surely this is not what a majestic cruising boat should look like! But all seems worth the effort as we have 3 sails pulling us peacefully into a wonderful sunset. It feels like this is how it should be.