10:57.8S 100:45.3E 290 miles covered, 237 miles to go
We are just over half way from Christmas Island to Cocos Keeling. The start of the passage was a continuation of our arrival at Christmas Is, with good winds and current pushing us along at 11 to 12 knots. First we lost the current and then the wind died away so now we are plodding along at 6 to 7 knots, due to arrive in the early hours the day after tomorrow.
It is actually quite lucky that we have slowed down because yesterday the prop shaft brake on the port engine failed and the prop started freewheeling. This is only a problem when we are sailing at over 10 knots through the water, when the prop spins rapidly enough to unfold completely and then the transmission starts to complain. It is too dangerous to work on the spinning shaft at sea so it will have to wait until Cocos Keeling for investigation. I think the brake plunger is just rusted up so hopefully some prising and WD40 and will sort it out until we get to Mauritius. We don't want to have the shaft spinning all the way across the Indian Ocean.