“We have just passed over the Tongan Trench one of the deepest places on earth. I’m not much of a fisherman but maybe it hasn’t exactly been the greatest place to catch fish? I’ll just have to keep trying! The overcast skies have been making for some dark nights out here.

The sky and sea are completely black with no way of telling them apart. It’s completely pot luck whether or not I get a face full of spray when I stick my head out above the dodger for a look around. But even if I do get un-lucky and cop a wave, I can’t say it really bothers me. Normally I’ll just laugh or squeal, even if I’m half asleep!

So it’s all going well and at this pace, we’ll be passing Samoa in the next few days and from there it really is a clear run to the equator.”

You have to wonder about the fixed mast on a monohull.  If you look at cats, even oceangoing ones, the mast rotates and brings the narrow front edge into the wind, thereby creating the necessary curve for more efficient sailing.  Jessica is doing around 7 knots but with rotation, she’d conceivably be doing 10-11.

You can see from Orange II below, the round the world record holder, how rotation works.  On a monohull and fair enough, the mast is sometimes stepped on the keel and so rotation is impractical there.  However, most mount the mast on the deck these days and so there’s no real excuse in this multihull sailor’s eyes.

Anyway, best of luck to her as usual.

Filed under: Leisure & travel