Position Reports

April 14, noon: South 37deg,19min, West 157deg,09min. Bashing to weather under staysail & reefed mizzen.

April 13, noon: South 38deg,31min, West 157deg,58min. All well.
(Today Mark wrote that receiving emails over the ham link is ok, but transmitting is difficult. So, posts may be limited to position reports until further notice.)

April 12 We're motoring along just past midnight on a flat sea, the gale two days ago just a memory. Saturn is in Leo. Scorpio is brilliant. Mintaka set hours ago. It looks like we'll be motoring for a day, or so, while a new high moves east from NZ. I'm trying to position ourselves to take advantage of it when it catches up to us.

That gale was quite something. I doubt it was anything more than a basic gale, but I was impressed. Those seas, under a full moon, were quite the sight. Unfortunately, we did suffer a bit of damage, but I learned a lot from it all, and will be much better prepared next time. Some time after deploying the drogue, during a routine inspection, I found that the bridle lines had both crossed under the trim tab, and were in danger of chafing. During the attempt to free them, the trim tab was carried away. That was a real loss, both because of the work that went into it and its utility. Well, we reverted to sheet-to-tiller steering. We also had a zipper tear away from the dodger -- only stitching, easily repaired.