Another day, another challenge. We’ve been making decent progress considering the conditions. The current and headwinds are a constant battle, and while the fishing boats are becoming less frequent, they still manage to pop up at the most inconvenient times. We are still seeing a fair amount of ships all heading towards Panama though they are becoming more spread out. The weather around the equator is notoriously unpredictable, and the past 24 hours have been a prime example. The wind seems to have a mind of its own, shifting direction constantly, which creates a choppy and uncomfortable sea. In fact its favourite direction to blow from is the way we are heading. Our only respite from the wind is when we head west, but then we’re fighting the current. It's a never-ending cycle!
There have been a few moments of respite, thankfully. The sky cleared up yesterday afternoon, allowing us to make some decent headway and we made 155nm yesterday - even if they were diesel miles at least we are moving.Thankfully, the sky is starting to clear after a night of clouds and squalls. We’re currently motor sailing with one engine and the headsail, hoping the wind will settle down enough to raise the main later this morning and pick up some speed. The though of getting to Galapagos is very exciting but what we are really looking forward to is leaving and having some down wind sailing towards Tahiti.
Life on board is a mix of wet, soggy, and sleep interrupted by the boat’s motion. But we’re hanging in there. The thought of escaping this weather and enjoying some downwind sailing across the Pacific is keeping us motivated. The thought of reaching the Galapagos is definitely keeping us going, but it's the promise of open ocean sailing and those glorious trade winds that truly fuels our excitement. We can’t wait to leave the equator behind and stretch Namarie's legs under a vast, open sky heading directly for Tahiti.