Distance in last 24 hours: 95 nm
Distance to Hilo, Hawaii: 3507 nm
Position: 11 59.85N
Longitude: 095 18.12W
COG: 260M
SOG: 1.0 - 2.5 kts under sail
Wind: 4 kts NNW
Seas: glassy calm
Weather: 30% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1010.4 mb
Sea Temperature: 89 F
Samadhi V continues to be becalmed. All of us are hoping for a change soon.
Our weather router suggested that we bear off from the GC route on the chance there might be a few more kts of wind a little to our south. Given that this would be at least a 50% increase in windspeed over what we've been seeing the last few days, it sounded like a good idea to us.
We changed course around 1500 UTC yesterday making for 11 50N by 100 00W. So far, there's been no change in conditions. Each time we thought the wind was freshening, it died almost as soon as we could get the big genoa set. We remain vigilant and try to take advantage of the wind when it is around. We have been doing a lot of 20 minute sails.
We spent some time talking about during the "age of sail" when ships would be becalmed, sometimes for months. It's difficult to relate to the kids just how different things were for the early explorers and navies. Tales of scurvy and throwing horses into the sea seem quite distant as we drink refrigerated fruit drinks with ice and we top off our water tanks with our desalinator. Predicting the weather meant looking outside, not contacting a shoreside professional over satellite for assistance. The one thing we all agree on is that we would rather be here aboard Samadhi than one of Drake's ships!
It was another day spent largely in the kitchen and trying to use up pineapple. Phillip made two different yeast breads, one batch of white loaves and one cinnamon-pineapple-filled sweet loaf. The boat never smelled so good! Kelly cooked up a large batch of bolognese sauce while we've got the extra electricity to allow use of the big fans. Phillip's garlic bread provided a delightful accompaniment. We tried cooking a test batch of the yellowfin tuna with rice and seasonings in the rice cooker. The result was edible, but an insult to the fish which ended up dry and chewy. We finally finished the yellowfin tuna soup, which remained delicious even when reheated! As there are still several pounds of fresh tuna, I am sure there will be further tuna cooking experiments.
Mid-morning brought the sounds of an engine not aboard Samadhi, and Nicholas called out for us to "come quick". We were greeted to the sight of a US Navy E-3 flying low overhead. We got on the radio in case they monitor maritime frequencies and asked for a couple of rolls. Whatever the reason, the never turned back, but kept on towards southern Mexico.
The boobies have left for parts unknown, but yesterday afternoon we had another avian visitor. Some sort of little swallow decided to hitch a ride aboard. We have no idea what it's doing so far from land, but we're happy for the company. I was clearly exhausted and only the tiniest bit wary of us. For a long time it perched at the companionway opening as we all passed inches away going and coming. Before long, it was accepting food and water and climbing onto our fingers. Shortly after nightfall, it flew off. We'll see if it appears on the lifelines later today.
In the glassy water, it's much easier to see the flying fish surrounding us. Samadhi will occasionally scare up schools of them ahead, many gliding for well over a hundred meters before plunging back to the depths. We've also discovered what we call "mosquito flying fish" which are almost too small to see when there's even the slightest ripples in the water. Great packs of them fly up from alongside and scatter, except over hundreds of inches instead of meters like their big brothers. Maybe that's what our little friend the swallow has been after.
We found a cracked circuit breaker on the generator's DC circuit. The plastic case of the circuit breaker had succumbed to heat and vibration of 21 years of life in the engine room and split. With the split case, any vibration could cause the circuit breaker to trip, even without any wires attached to it! We didn't have a spare 10 amp 12v breaker, so Phillip created a harness that accepts a 10 amp blade fuse (which we have lots of). The fix worked flawlessly. We can order another breaker in Hawaii.
The adverse ocean current is less now than it has been, at times venturing on favorable. If we don't get some wind soon, we'll likely secure the engine, put out the flopper stoppers (to keep us from rolling much), and bide our time. Let's all think windy thoughts and maybe it won't come to that. The forecast shows stronger winds arriving in a few days, so we aren't worried.
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