Thanks to Elon internet is becoming an increasingly expensive game, so there is a moment of horror when you open the laptop and see the message Update ready to install. The immediate thought is, how big was it, and how do I stop that happening again?
The wind dropped to almost nothing yesterday around 11am, and we motored for several hours. If you look at the GFS weather forecast and spot a blue patch between Tahiti and Fiji, that's pretty much exactly where we were.
With the engine running and the boat moving, we took the opportunity to fill the water tanks and get some laundry done. It's always good to catch up on the domestic side of things when the conditions allow, especially when the forecast suggests we might be a little busier soon.
The weather models were looking a bit dramatic, with the ECMWF showing gusts of up to 35 knots. After the last passage, when we had very similar forecasts with a huge high-pressure system sitting east of New Zealand, I'm a little cautious about what might be coming our way. So, when the breeze started filling in yesterday evening, we pulled the main up with the second reef in and prepared ourselves for a blustery night.
As it turned out, the night wasn't quite the ordeal we'd prepared for. We had winds of up to 25 knots at times. There have been a few squalls around, but they seemed avoid us, leaving little more than a light sprinkle of rain on the deck. The wind is sitting at around 20 to 25 at the moment and its a comfortable ride as we have the wind over the port quarter.
The important thing is that we've made good time since sunset, sitting at around 7.5 to 8 knots. That's a decent pace, and with the breeze doing its job, we're making good progress towards Fiji. I'm keeping a close eye on those forecasts to see what comes next.