The winds we had last night started to ease off and then steadily died away during the day, until we were motoring from around 1pm. This actually worked out quite well, as it gave the seas a chance to settle down. It had been pretty messy, with plenty of crashing and banging going on, although the upside was that we were making good speed during the night.
There was a long band of dark grey cloud to the south this morning that looked rather ominous, but it gradually dissipated as the day went on. Around 4pm, the breeze picked up again to 15–20 knots, but unfortunately it was coming from directly behind us, pushing us a little further south of the rhumb line than we'd like.
The forecasts are showing the wind picking up again in a few days, possibly with some southerly in it, which would be ideal and help us get back on track.
It is getting a little chilly, though. I wouldn't mind some more wind from the south, but I'd prefer not to have to dig out the jacket and hat again.
The GFS is still showing a low-pressure system developing near Fiji, although it keeps pushing it further back in the forecast. I’m keeping an eye on it, but I’m not too stressed about it at the moment. There’s still plenty of time for things to change, and as we’ve learned on previous passages this year, the forecasts can keep us guessing right up until the last minute.
All is well on board as we continue getting to know our latest ride, and we're making steady progress west.