I should really set the scene.

These blog post get written on night watch, usually either just before or just after midnight. Why is anyone awake I hear some of you ask?

Well, we tried to anchor and get some sleep bit was was hard to carry around 3000m of chain to get the anchor to touch the bottom, so we have to keep moving. I guess we could put out a big sea anchor which would hold our position, or we could just take down the sails and drift while we all get some shuteye. Or even, as many short handed sailors do, leave the sails up, set the auto pilot and simply go to sleep anyway. So why not do that?

One reason to keep on moving during the night is that we spend half our time at the equator at night… so if we only actively sailed during the day then our total trip time would go from 30 days to 60, which is a tough sell. And then if you are moving you should really try to keep a good watch for other boats and ships. It is admittedly very quiet out here, hardly Piccadilly Circus, but we have seen a ship or two (on radar) and another couple of yachts on the horizon. So it is not entirely inconceivable that two sleeping boats could get a little closer than desired. So we keep a watch and we keep moving.

Anyway, that is why were are up writing blogs in the nighttime.

It is full on dark out here, the moon is waning, half full (do pessimists say half empty?) and so it’ll rise right after midnight and set right after lunch. As a land person I never really connected the shape of the moon and the time of day/night that it rises and sets, but now I do. So at 10pm there is no moon yet, with a slight cloud cover and all the lights off are off, except the navigation light at the top of the mast so sleeping sailors could see us.

There is a strange effect when sailing at night, everything sounds more exaggerated, either the boat sounds like it’s going really fast or, as is the case now, it sounds like it’s going way too slowly. Admittedly we are only going 4knots, a moderate ‘trying to get to the cashier before the other guy but don’t want to look like I’m running’ speed. But it feels and sounds like we’ve completely stopped.

Dark, quiet and that lovely summer evening ‘shorts are ok but I’ll take a fleece’ temperature. Sitting up on deck, feet up on the opposite side of the cockpit, laptop balanced on my lap and slightly uncomfortable. We debated buying one or two of these lovely reclining padded chairs which we’ve coveted and enjoyed on friends boats, but space is always an issue not to mention the cost. So we’re using a mix of foam cushions we got from J2’d many moons ago, great but firm. And falling apart woollen filled cushions which were rescued from ‘near’ a bin (Mia denies that they were actually IN the bin) and then laundered, stitched and recovered – they are also great but now very very soft. The end results is combination of the seating which is comfortable for about the first hour of the three hour watch. I’m now coming up to two hours and they are no longer comfortable.

So I think the scene is well and truly set. Which is good as little else happened today.

School – Mia and Teo did some.
Food – Mia put together a risotto type lunch and Tina a nice Black Been burger pita type dinner.
Fishing – I made more lures, I changed them, I pulled them in a put them back, the fish laughed. Books – Tina finished Ready Player One Mia has the final chapter in her hands. Wind – There wasn’t much, so we motored a lot.
Weather – It rained, so we watched movies (Tina has now seen Empire Strikes Back)
Boat Jobs – Jon sorted out the selection of electronic charts he has for the Pacific Islands.

It was not the most inspired day on Itchy Foot, but the mood is still good. More excitement tomorrow I’m sure. Oh and the boat stopped leaking, well, more actually it leaks from a different place now, but the first place stopped leaking – progress!