Today is characterised by the incessant side to side motion of the boat. The wind has backed to due east, and has become very light, putting us on a downward run, but, though we are flying a wing on wing rig, are not “running” anywhere fast! Thankfully neither of us suffers from mal-de-mer, just annoyance at having our brains shook inside our skulls. Captain spent a part of the afternoon with screwdrivers in hand, going around and tightening everything up. I constantly raid our supply of clean sponges to stuff yet another one in between clattering, clanking, or clinking objects. The contents of the boat have turned into a surreal orchestra where each thing has a voice and rhythm of its own, all together sounding like a great band in the cacophony of pre-gig tuning session. This is typical of Atlantic sailing, but we never encountered these uncomfortable conditions in the Pacific before. We cheer each other up by sharing tidbits about the lovely anchorages and islands ahead in French Polynesia. We are anticipating revisiting favourite haunts, and taking time to discover new wonders. The sets of charts and four pilot books about French Polynesia are becoming well-thumbed, and earmarked with tiny sticky notes and comments. We have also started reading Melville’s excellent book Typee, about his sojourn in Nuka Hiva. Last time we were there we visited the ruins of his house, and are entertaining the Sweet Dream of going there again when this rollicking ride is completed.
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