Wet wet wet

Our faith paid of handsomely.Half an hour before Gareth came on watch
the breeze upped a few notches.We raised the main to first reef and
furled the genoa out to first reef as well,turned the motor off and
since then we have been hurling along at 8 to 9 knots.What a
relief,saving diesel,building some extra time into our schedule.ofcourse
it comes at a price,squalls all around,windshifts,but generally doing
exceptioally well.Tonight just after 9 pm boat time with Malcolm on
watch the wind speed increased from 16 to 27 and we had to turn into the
wind,drop the main to second reef,furl the genoa to second reef and back
on track,all the while maintaining good speed.It was the first time on
this trip that I had to turn into the wind and shake a reef.With
assistance from Gareth and the deck light on,we made small work of the
operation.

Earlier today we let a lure out and shortly afterwards we landed a
yellow fin tuna.Malcolm did the filleting and 30 minutes later we
feasted on the freshest sushimi you will find anywhere.A drop of
wasabi,a slice of pickled ginger and soya sauce made it authentic,two
bowls of fish slices,one "cooked" with fresh lemon juice and the other
bowl as is.Gareth also had a slice or two aquiring a taste for all types
of things he's not used to on this trip.

I just returned from a substantial swell.Wind up to 27 kts from the stern
helming in order to prevent an accidental gybe,gybe preventer off in case
I want to turn into the squall should it get to wild,furling the genoa in
to storm gib size.A flock of birds chirping all around the boat with the
rain coming down in buckets,pitchdark with no stars in sight.Some of my
previous and current crewmembers will be delighted to hear I got
wet,thoroughly wet,drenched to the bone and loving every moment of it on
this winter solstice.Closer to nature I cannot imagine.The wind shifted
here,there,sped up,slowed down,the rained became a drizzle and for a while
we were completely becalmed.The wind has now started to settle in again
and giving us good miles.During the squall we were doing about 12 kts and
in the right direction.

Gareth woke me up on his earlier watch to look at a ship that appeared out
of his squall earlier on.About a mile away we could hear the motor and
smell the crude oil they use for fuel.Fortunately it was running in the
same direction.Sometimes when one goes into a big squall with little
visibilty it is wise to make a call on the VHF to all ships in the area.He
just wanted to make sure that we are OK with the big ship in such close
proximity.Another squall is coming over us and Gareth's turn to deal with
it,me advising him a little here and there about setting rudder response
and gain up,furling the genoa and sitting tight.

Well,as you can see we are having loads of fun out here.Our position
06*46'N/51*06'W,barometer down to 1009 for the first time on this
trip,humidity 95%,as in the heavens,so on the ocean,wet wet wet.Have a
super Sunday and take good care.