Friday, December 9th
The wind eventually died and for a while we were motoring. It was a great opportunity to clean up, organize, and relax. Then we discovered, with the first opportunity to shower in a week, the watermaker was down! Troubleshooting ensued, including – did we run the watermaker using the new generator? Hank and Kem spent the entire day going over the system. Apparently the primer pump seized. All is well, and twice a day for 1-2 hours we happily listen to the generator and watermaker harmoniously humming along.
With down time comes the need to keep oneself amused. Out comes the offshore fishing kit and all the custom accessories. Yesterday we caught a decent sized (14 lbs.?) Dorado (?). The colors of the fish are astounding, at least to a New Englander. Grilled with Wicked Tuna Lemon Pepper Seasoning (thanks, Tony Andrews), it was delicious. This morning another smaller fish was caught, perhaps fish tacos for lunch. A fish book and a scale are good Christmas gift ideas for Ken.
Hot and steamy. The wind is back. We are sailing south 185 degrees on the easterly tradewinds we’ve heard so much about. Wind 12-15 knots, close reaching at about 7.5 kts boat speed, very pleasant. Expect to reach English Harbor in Antigua Sunday morning.
Steady winds, rarely have to trim the sails. Boat traffic is scarce. Night watches are now single 2 hour shifts. No engine, just the noise of Altair cutting through the water and faint snoring from down below. Moon, stars, a cup of tea and a cookie, my kindle. This is it.
