Friday morning of the long weekend! Greg wakes me for the 6AM shift and I make instant coffee and head topside. It is chilly, we are still under motor power - ARGHHHHH, the doldrums (when there is no wind) are starting to take its toll on me. I want to get home and every time it looks like we are making progress, something comes up to delay our arrival. We have 526 nm to go. I have done calculations that it is 4 days (Tuesday) at 5 knots and Monday if we can get 7 knots of speed, but the wind is not blowing well; and not blowing in the right direction (coming due west right now). It is supposed to turn and give us south west winds - pushing us east - but when will that happen?
I settle in with my iPad and philosophize about life.
I stand on deck in my shorts, bare feet (standard since we left Bermuda), t-shirt, hoodie and wind breaker for the next 4 hours. I break to make coffee when I wake Yves at 8:15. Yves does the radio thing - nothing really new except we should have no wind on Monday. He makes pancakes for us around 10.
Water, water everywhere. This ocean is really big!!!
We see a couple of turtles floating in the water. So funny to see life sporadically in the middle of the ocean like that.
I use all my powers of concentration to get the wind to turn and pick up - I want to get to Flores on Monday, not Tuesday or later. I am convinced it will turn. We discuss options as to motor or sail the spinnaker or genoa. We wait as the winds keep shifting back and forth a bit. At 2 we set the spinnaker as the wind has shifted enough (thanks to me) and Yves steers as it is too much for auto pilot. We are doing 4-6.5 knots. I have such new respect for wind. I used to just take it as it came, no my plans, and life, are at it's mercy.
I make lunch - Chef Boyardi Ravioli and Lasagna (we are getting short on supplies).
Greg and I dream about steak and other meals we might have once we get home respectively.
The afternoon is spent with Yves and Greg steering and reading books. I try to nap, but just can't fall asleep.
The winds die down to around 5-6 knots and we slow to around 3-4 knots. Greg makes dinner, chicken on rice with carrots. We share some stories and good conversation, have tea and a wee bit of chocolate. Yves and I clean up.
We decide to take down the main sail for the night and after that I try and sleep for my midnight watch.