At around midnight we had another encounter with our
non-responsive fishing buddies. The same two Korean boats, the Okyong and the
Dongwon (hilarious names) we encountered yesterday had somehow got ahead of us
and set their gear right in our path. Although not good at answering the radio,
they were very good at marking their net with five AIS buoys allowing us to
avoid any issues with a slight course change.
Our conditions have stabilized but with slightly more
wind than the 15 kn forecast. Since it was all hands on deck to deal with the
Koreans, we also tucked
in a reef at around midnight with no loss of boatspeed. We still have the
same wind and seas this afternoon and are making good progress. A favorable
equatorial current is adding at least a knot to our speed yielding 9 -10 kn SOG
while beam reaching with genoa and reefed mainsail.
A few days ago one of our gaggle of wayward
sea birds disabled the B & G masthead unit that gives us wind direction
and speed. We happened to catch sight of the likely suspect, a tattered petrel
sitting atop the rocking mast trying to hang on. As part of prepping for this
cruise, we replaced the masthead unit that was previously broken off by a bird
with the spare now damaged by another bird. These units for the 38-year-old
instrument system are hard to get. Fortunately there is a company in the UK that
makes aftermarket parts that are even better than the original B&G. We got
a new spare and are now glad we used the old spare first. We are not however
(ie unlike
Ellen MacArthur) going to the top
of the mast to swap it out while underway. This was all to say that we are
now sailing the traditional way, looking
at the water, Windex
and telltales
for wind speed and direction. At night the Windex has its own light and we make
full use of Interlude’s foredeck, spreader and cockpit LED floodlights while
changing and trimming sails. The masthead unit will be repaired or replaced at
anchor (<800 nm to go!)
On May 28, 2024, our position at
1200 Interlude Time
1200 PDT
0700 NZST (May 29)
was:
1d33.7m N, 149d29.7m W
24 hr noon to noon: 215 nm
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