Saturday, July 16, 2011

Day 3 of Our Passage to Suwarrow

We had spent a significant amount of time yesterday dodging squalls - the wind and rain storms that pop up out of nowhere that can be either a few hundred meters across or several kilometers across. The really bad ones have lightning in them and those we run from. The others can be anywhere from refreshing annoyances to hair-raising. It seemed like we were getting one almost every half hour yesterday and I sensed that the morale amongst the Rutea crew wasn't as high as it usually is. So, in between squalls, I raced down below and made a batch of banana-nut muffins in record-breaking time. To get an idea of what that's like, imagine your kitchen is bolted to a roller coaster and you're trying to bake. Anyway, the muffins came out great and I was able to present to Ruthie and Corie some hot, sweet, buttery muffins just after we'd been through yet another downpour. Morale is an important issue on a cruising yacht and one easy way to bolster it is through food.

The passage last night was pretty good with a beautiful full moon and only a couple of squalls. We made good time with the genoa poled out to starboard and the main double reefed. The wind was from the ENE between 15 and 20 knots and the seas were only about 2 meters.

I had a scare with the genset raw water pump (the one I replaced - at great expense - in Tahiti) but I think we had just got some air in the intake and the pump lost it's prime. It appears to be working OK now but I'll scream if I have to replace that pump again!

We've got about 48 hours to go before we get to Suwarrow. I'm really hoping we can make it in during daylight hours as the pass would be difficult/scary to try to negotiate in the dark. The thought of heaving to for twelve or so hours is unappealing to me. Besides, the wind forecast for Monday is 25+ knots and seas over 3 meters. Yuk!

Please remember that your emails are a highlight in our day. Even if it's only one or two lines; even if it's only about what the dog did today; we still enjoy hearing from you. Our best wishes to all.
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At 7/16/2011 9:27 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 14°54.84'S 157°32.25'W

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