There’s been a slight improvement in conditions. The current has eased off a bit and changed direction slightly, which is a small victory. Unfortunately, the wind hasn’t died down as predicted, but it has dropped a few knots and shifted a bit south, sitting at 18 knots apparent. The time between waves has increased and they are noticeably smaller, which is also a positive.
All these small changes have added up to a bigger win. We're now able to point the boat directly towards the Galapagos and still be around 25-30 degrees off the apparent wind. With the main sail sheeted in tight and a gentle push from both engines, we're making about 5.5 knots - exactly the right way. Running both engines is a bit of a luxury, but it’s essential to make miles the right way while we have the opportunity.
With 400 nautical miles to go, it suddenly looks a lot more promising. Of course, I’m not getting carried away, as things can change quickly out here. But for now, I'll take this small win!
There isn’t much wildlife around, which points towards the possibility of illegal fishing. At night, we seem to attract a couple of birds who for some reason fly alongside us on either side of the sails. As the cockpit is raised up, they are often at eye level, which is odd when you catch them out of the corner of your eye.
Yesterday, we covered 143 nautical miles, which isn’t too shabby. The downside is that only 50 of those miles were in the right direction. It’s also colder at the equator than you’d think. I was very close to digging out my jacket last night.
We also managed to transfer 400 liters of fuel from the water barrels we bought in France to the main tanks. Some purchases for this trip have been worth their weight in gold, and those water barrels are definitely at the top of the list. I was hesitant to buy them because they have such a large lid, and I was worried about fuel spills. Amazingly, we haven’t spilled a drop.