May my enemies be cursed to sail the Java Sea for a thousand lifetimes!
Yesterday the wind finally picked up enough for us to get the mainsail up, and we spent most of the day sailing. We had to sail a few degrees off our course because of the wind angle, but it was worth it to make some good miles without relying on the engines.
As usual, the day involved weaving our way through the seemingly endless collection of enormous FADs, tug boats towing barges and commercial shipping that fills these waters. Interestingly, despite the number of fishing boats, the only wildlife I've seen in the last couple of days is a single bird, so I'm not sure what everyone is catching.
This morning we've stopped to make water and are hoping a bit more breeze arrives when the tanks are full so we can get the mainsail back up. Sitting stationary out here feels a little uncomfortable. There's a tug and barge in the distance, and part of me is convinced they're thinking, "Let's go and run that boat over while they're not moving." I'm keeping a very close lookout while the watermaker does its job.
The forecast is showing much of the same so we'll keep taking any sailing opportunities that come our way while working across the Java Sea - we're steadily ticking the miles off.
