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At 5pm on Tuesday 17th of March, we said goodbye to our guests on the swimming platform, pulled up the anchor and motored out of Wreck bay heading south. We had managed to re-provision much better than expected in Puerto Baquerizo. The market has a good selection of fresh produce and very good meat. There are several grocery stores and a small supermarket, which carry a good selection and are not too expensive. Bolivar, our agent, checked us out, he has been very good and to be recommended. He supplied us with a hand of bananas (about 60) for $6, which we hung upside down just forward of the mast. We had refueled, and set off with a full tank and six five-gallon jerry cans on deck, fastened to the guardrails.
There was very little wind and the sea was like a mirror, so no need for seasickness pills. As we passed Floreana, the most southerly island, we were treated to yet another wild life spectacular. Flocks of storm petrols and Nazca boobies were skimming the water and to crown it all we found ourselves surrounded by a pod of whales, spouting all around.
We settled down to life onboard, sticking to our usual watches at night, myself until midnight, Nancy and Jim 12 till 4.30am and William from then till morning. We passed the time reading, watching a few videos and playing cards or Mexican train dominoes.It was very calm for the first week, with little wind so we motored south towards where the trade winds were reported to be. However we couldn't use too much fuel, as we needed it for the generator, which we run each day for the refrigeration and water maker. We drifted with the current at night. This proved very uncomfortable as the boat rolled badly. I went on deck in the morning to find that the hand of bananas had come untied at the bottom and had been swinging to and fro against the mast. There was mashed banana all over the fore deck and front windows, about 10 bananas had been lost. William hauled buckets of seawater for Nancy and I to wash it off with. Not as bad as the previous mess, the bird guano on the bimini, bananas smell better. There was a minor crisis when the generator suddenly died.The engine's fuel pump broke. William rewired it but had to bleed the engine before it would start.
The trade winds kicked in at 9 degrees south at about 15 kts, it was wonderful to be sailing again, with the cruising chute and main. All went well for three days, until the halyard broke and the cruising chute fell into the water. A mad scramble by William, Jim and Nancy ensued and it was rescued with only minor damage, a small tear which I patched. I was in the bathroom and wondered what all the commotion was about.
Nancy and I are making a video diary of life at sea, to bore you all with when we return. William got his tackle out and he and Jim tried to catch lunch. Unfortunately they got more than they bargained for, must have hooked Jaws.The rod snapped impaling William's arm. I was videoing the action, so William's been framed. There was blood all over the teak but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a Band Aid and some TLC. He now uses the remaining stump, needless to say fish has not been on the menu.
We celebrated two anniversaries during the crossing, Nancy's 80th birthday on the 21st of March and William and I were married 30 years on the 24th of March. So it was chocolate cake and champagne.
We were heading too far south so we changed course and sailed westerly, downwind with the main and genoa poled out goose wings (wing on wing). The boat rolled more but the sea was slight. We had two days with heavy rain. Taking advantage of the free water, Nancy and I took rainwater showers, very refreshing. We have been wishing for more wind. Be careful what you wish for. On Good Friday evening we had a squall with 30 to 35 kts of wind and a gust up to 40 kts. We had everything out. The autohelm couldn't cope, so William took over and hand steered, his chance for a rainwater shower. In all the excitement we forgot to close the hatch in the stern cabin and our bed got soaked. The boat speed record for the trip now stands at 11.8 knots.
The bananas lasted three weeks, the final bunch all ripening together, so we made banana loaf. Nancy has made bread twice a week. The eggs we bought in the Galapagos and coated with Vaseline have lasted so we had boiled eggs for breakfast on Easter Sunday.
On Monday 13th April, Easter Monday at dawn William sighted land. We arrived in Fatu-Iva in the Marquesas at noon, anchoring in Baie Hanavave, Bay of virgins. The view is magnificent. We have spent 26.5 days at sea and I haven't been sick once!!
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