Angel of death

As the weather predicted, the wind started building yesterday afternoon,
and the swell increased accordingly. With our twin headsails up we were
surfing at 17.2kts and the wind gusting up to 27 knts. I waited for the
wind to calm down a bit and at about 2am this morning gave the
instruction for the headsail to be dropped. Steven and Eduard fitted
saftey harnesses and secured themselves on the bow while Nick was ready
at the mast to lower the sail at the given moment. Surfing down waves at
great speed, bouncing up and down and side to side, it does get slippery
out front and can be deadly dangerous if you take any chances. The
motion is rodeo rollercoaster, the mission simply to drop the sail. I
backfilled the loose genoa and with some considerable effort we got her
down,furled her and packed the sail away. With the wind picking up tp 30
kts we had two mooring lines tied together and ready for deployment
behind the boat as well as a drogue to slow us down should it become
necessary. The long lines we tie to the center of our stern and tow this
line behind us. It keeps us running down in a straight line, not
venturing out too far when surfing down the huge swell from behind. We
now are sailing with a small bit of genoa out, enough to keep us going
in rhythm with the elements around us.

Yesterday I did a small alteration on one of our lures and had it out
for a while. The flying fish lures did not last long. A big marlin moved
in to have a closer look at our newest offering and I called the boys
out. I would bring the lure in quick with the marlin in hot pursuit,
hoping that he would try and whack it. Ten meteres from the boat I would
let the lure go slack again as marlins mostly first stun their prey and
then go in for the kill. Everytime the marlin moved in close he would
open two blue fins just behind his head, attack mode, and in the
sunlight it formed an awesome image, an angel of death. I am sure this
is the last sight many a bonny and flying fish see before they are no
more. The last time I pulled in the lure I felt him hitting at it and
tried to hook him but no luck. He must have felt it as we did not see
him again.

'Oil on Troubled Waters' From the seamanship practise of spreading oil
to calmthe waves. It is frequently done in rescue or salvage work where
a little vegetable oil spread from the windward has a remarkable effect
in modifying the seas and thus reducing the risk of accidents. Our
position at high noon today was 11*39'N/076*01'W. We are 260nm from
Panama and looks like we will arrive there on Tuesday morning. Thanks
for the comments. Just another day at the office.

Captain Paul