Bad Winds, Sloppy Seas

The last two days have been a trial. The wind has either died or is coming from the wrong direction (due south) and changes direction constantly. It also is raining off and on. We have to close the overhead hatch in the main cabin when it rains which really heats things up down below. The weather forecast is for La Nina (opposite of El Nino). In a La Nina, the ocean water temp is higher than normal near the equator and it really weirds out the normal weather patterns. There is almost a 600nm stretch with little or no or pure flukey wind with rain squalls. We have motored more than I ever would have imagined, and we have been trying like crazy not to.

One bit of excitement today - a boat ahead of us has asked for a helo to medevac the skipper who has a pinched nerve in his back and is in serious pain. We helped get the info to a stateside contact who passed it on to the US Coast Guard who will pass it on to the French Navy in the Marquesas. They are too far out for a helicopter though so they may have to tough it out the last 400-450nm.

We are just going through each day with our normal routine except doing lots of sail changes trying to milk some headway from the wind. We actually can't sail south which is where we need to go. Maggie Drum is a great boat but does not sail to windward very well at all.

We are also trying to learn the new constellations in the night sky when the clouds are not out. The Southern Cross is a dominating sign of our southern progress and it points to due south like Polaris does up north. The stars out here are brilliant even at sea level with the high humidity. No smog!