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July 5, 1999
Hawaii to Tarawa Voyage, Update #65
Day 63. Monday 5 July 1999 0259 GMT
Wind E 3-4. Heading 230M
Latitude: 01deg 33.712N
Longitude: 179deg 19.648E
I think at last - touch wood - we are now out of the 'box' of adverse winds and currents characteristic of the ITCZ counter-current. Yesterday put us back on track for mileage. And if the wind keeps up a steady 15knots from the east for another few days we should be able to take some sizeable chunks out of the chart.
An early morning rainstorm had me barreling out of the rat-hole and laying out pots and pans on deck to collect precious drinking water. While the wind and current is with us, time spent on the pedals is crucial. Any short cuts - like catching rain to save having to spend time pumping the same water on the PUR desalinator - are welcome. I've cut my meal breaks in half and honed down all non priority activities of the day to give precedent to westward progress. The only periods that remain untouched from this economy drive are my 6.5hrs for sleep (fatigue = mistake) and writing the update which sometimes takes longer than all my meal and tea breaks put together! The reason for this I believe is that writing a daily update (like any journal writing for that matter) performs an emotional catharsis. As if in the absence of a human being here on the boat, I at least have something - a computer - to confide in.
Back to the grind...
Jason Lewis,
The Moksha motor
Posted on July 5, 1999 5:34 AM