Pool Party!

Author: Mark
Date: May 3, 9am MST
Location: 10 00 S - 136 09 W
Conditions: 3-5kts @ 180T, 260T COG, 5.2kts SOG, 1m swell with 9s period

We had a great day yesterday! The kids played in the pool on deck while the ladies read and sunbathed in the afternoon. I went up the mast and serviced the track, fixed all but two of the Harken cars, and cut off 1m of the main halyard along with the two reefs to fix stress points. The main is now able to be used with 1 reef. Not perfect but doable until we get to Tahiti. I'm happy to have that project off the list. It was stressful knowing we had some good beam reach sailing coming up and I really wanted to use the main. Check.

We flew the spinnaker nonstop for over a week. In the process, we found out that the Seldon mount for the bottom block sheered a bolt and came off. While not critical, it does serve the purpose of preventing chafe on the spinnaker halyard. It is repairable, but disconcerting how this sheered. The load from the Parasailor can be high at times, so I suspect the bolt may have been slightly loose, causing some wiggle and then eventual sheer. I'll find out more from Seldon when we get decent internet to email photos.

We are highly frustrated in the fishing department. Every afternoon for the past three days, around 4pm we get a strike and a fish on the line. Yesterday was no exception. It was a monster fish of some sort. So big, that he almost spooled the large rod, and yes, unfortunately snapped the line. The break was on my 80lb line - not the lure or leader. I was ticked! Hopefully we will have better luck today. It's crazy we haven't landed a fish in a week. It's driving everyone nuts. We need to transplant Neil from s/v Escapade to give us a hand. I think I've lost the touch!

Our next updated will be landfall at Fatu Hiva! I could not be more proud of Sarah and the kids. They have been great on this trip. There have been days where we were tired and grumpy - but those were few and far between. Overall it's been great, and we're a day away from completing the longest single passage of our lives! This will be something we will remember forever.

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