We're still pushing onward, though not quite as fast or in the exact direction we'd like. But hey, that's all part of the adventure, right? I was hoping the wind would shift as predicted in the GFS forecast, but unfortunately, the opposite happened – the forecast changed to match our current conditions!
The biggest hurdle at the moment is the current. We're battling a 1.5 knot current pushing us east as we try to maintain a course of around 330 degrees, around 43 degrees off the apparent wind. Despite this, we're still managing to tick off some miles towards our destination and keeping a positive outlook.
This is what adventure is all about – pushing through discomfort and frustration. Adventure isn't sipping mai tais by the pool; it's about persevering and doing your best in challenging conditions. When I think about the incredible feats of past adventurers like Bligh's 3500nm open boat journey or Scott's expeditions to the South Pole, it puts our minor inconveniences into perspective. A bit of rain, interrupted sleep, and mild frustration about our course seem trivial in comparison.
For those of you following our progress on the tracker, you might have noticed we tacked around 2am last night. This was partly tactical and partly circumstantial. When I came on watch, there was a stationary fishing boat a few miles ahead, and I could see its light intermittently. As we got closer, more lights and AIS targets started appearing. It became clear that they were turning on their lights and AIS only as we approached. Gradually, even more lights came into view, and I noticed a glow on the horizon that corresponded to a shallow area ahead. It was obvious we were heading into a dense concentration of fishing boats. Even though the timing wasn't ideal, we had no choice but to tack and head away. Dealing with fishing boats is challenging enough in daylight, let alone at night!
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