Flat Water, Zero Wind and Minimal Current

Well, it's fantastic to be leaving Tual behind and setting our sights on Sorong! The journey is slow but steady, with the wind hovering around zero knts so let's just say it's "calm" today. It is great to be heading in exactly the right direction but a shame to be motoring, especially since we're totally reliant on the generator to keep those electric motors humming. It's a bit nerve-wracking, to be honest, as we keep a close eye on that recent repair and hope it holds out for a while longer.

The thousand or so nautical miles from Port Moresby to Tual were a real test of our patience and a bit of a grind – mostly battling wind and current. So, I'm incredibly happy to be moving in the right direction now, and I am ready to call 4knts a decent speed! It's truly disheartening to be pushed further and further away from your destination by a strong current, watching that VMG (Velocity Made Good) dwindle down.

Right now, we're navigating around a group of fishing boats about 5 nautical miles ahead. With some incredible foresight (or perhaps just plain luck!), they've managed to cast their nets right across our direct route to Sorong. So, we're making a slight detour to port to give them a wide berth. The AIS (Automatic Identification System) is an absolute lifesaver in these situations – I can't even see them with the naked eye yet. The downside is that you can become a bit too reliant on it. Every now and then, you get caught off guard by a fishing boat without AIS – or even worse, a tug and barge!

Yesterday, we encountered a large pod of what appeared to be false killer whales. Sadly, they were all heading in the opposite direction, swimming straight towards the massive collection of floating debris in Tual. It's a sobering reminder of the impact pollution has on our oceans.

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