Day 26 - Click image for larger view
By noon Southern Light was simply drifting along with the ocean current in a few knots of wind. Fortunately that current was in the right direction. The wind instruments are mounted on top of the mast which creates false readings while swinging side to side.
As this ocean crossing jet zoomed Westward at high altitude my thoughts were with family and friends back in the rat race called civilization. I wondered what they would be thinking at this time. Out here on the big briny alone I had choices, many choices, silence was not one of them!
I've had thin skin all my life and keeping it out of the sun has always been tough. Sunscreens and hats were just not enough. I had to spend considerable time below in the cabin for protection. The sun's rays are reflected in all directions by waves. Every one of my 200+ movie collections got played over and over. Home movies were the best. Each time I'd see some little detail missed before. Still I pop up on deck every 15 minutes or so to scan the horizon for anything unusual. Whales, whales, whales, I never saw one, not one in 8 thousand nautical miles of voyaging!
Shearwater birds kept me company. I really enjoyed watching them dive through the clear blue water. They were visible 20' or 30' down until a wave reflection put and end to it but then they would fly back out of nowhere and land in front of our path. They would wait for Southern Light to pass closeby for the chance to snag a fish lurking around the underside.
Around this time my tidiness started to take a dive. It was so easy to fall into slacker mode during calm times, but I always kept the decks and cockpit cushions clear so as not to trip. Keeping to my safety self I almost always put the life harness on deck and clipped the teather onto something very secure. Many careless sailors never made it to their next port!
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Shearwater birds kept me company. I really enjoyed watching them dive through the clear blue water. They were visible 20' or 30' down until a wave reflection put and end to it but then they would fly back out of nowhere and land in front of our path. They would wait for Southern Light to pass closeby for the chance to snag a fish lurking around the underside.
Around this time my tidiness started to take a dive. It was so easy to fall into slacker mode during calm times, but I always kept the decks and cockpit cushions clear so as not to trip. Keeping to my safety self I almost always put the life harness on deck and clipped the teather onto something very secure. Many careless sailors never made it to their next port!
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