Cleone - En Route to the Tuamotus - Day 2

 

It's downwind on the port tack, just like the old days!

 

Sun's shining, Chris was cooking last night, Will steering and the Skipper sleeping.  What could be better?  After chatting to friends en-route, and reading various e-mails from others, we have now decided to head for Fakarava, giving us the option of calling in at Kauehi on the way if conditions are reported as being good there.  We are slightly hampered by our lack of an anchor windlass - we don't fancy hauling up 100m of chain by hand!  So we will look for shallowish anchorages, and try and devise a way of not having to heave and ho too much.  We will let you know how we get on.

 

Yesterday's drama was the deck-wash, which was not producing sea-water on demand.  It took the skipper 5 minutes to realise that the pipe had come off, and he was filling two food lockers, the drinks locker and various other places with salt water.  As a consequence, the galley light blew up (it did not like salt water in it) and lots of tins are left without lables.  What a mess.  And although the deck-wash is again washing the deck and not the inside of the boat, the galley light has a gremlin which is continuing to elude the skipper.  Meanwhile, great sailing again, batteries recharging, 334 miles to go, Norfy steering and Will in his bed, so things cant be too bad!