We are going well as we cross above the Gulf of Carpentaria and today marks a month since we left Marsden Cove and we approach the half-way point of our trip. We have sailed around 3000 nautical miles from NZ so far. The total passage is approximately 6000nm - That's around a quarter of the way around the world! We are hoping to maintain our current pace and reach our destination in a few more weeks.
Currently we have 11 to 15 knots of breeze on the beam, which is enough to push us along at over 6 knots, which is a good speed. We are hoping to maintain these conditions for the majority of the trip, other than potentially a few days of motoring around the equator. Harmony is performing well even with the 'pre-reefed' main sail that we have set up and is comfortable.
With 2 people onboard we do watches of 3hrs off and 3hrs on, which takes a bit of getting used to. Sure, it's nice to sleep longer, but we feel 4 hours is too long to be on watch. We prefer to have shorter shifts, so we can stay alert and fresh. And more crew means more group dynamics to deal with and I can go from being the skipper to being the entertainment manager. We take turns navigating, trimming sails, checking instruments, and keeping an eye out for any hazards and traffic.
The weather has been a bit of a mixed bag with showers and some light winds earlier until it picked up again. There are quite a few fishing boats around, but we are keeping our distance and avoiding any trouble. We haven't been attacked by any other animals yet, the only exception was a small squid that landed on deck last night. But I am checking for sea monsters lurking in the depths below!
Rhona - the head chef - has been creative in the galley during her free time.
