Sunday dawned clear and bright - a lovely day for sailing.. Although boats weren't supposed to move into position for the start until 1030, quite a few started heading out of the marina by 0945. We waited for Papillion, the 65 foot cat just astern of us, to leave first so that we could more easily exit. While we were waiting we ran out to the mini-mart to pick up a couple of bottles of champagne to celebrate the half-way point, but they were sold out; we had to settle for Spanish tinto roja (red wine).
We cast off about 1130. We had reason to appreciate being in the lagoon rather than in the main marina, as there were many, many boats trying to exit at the same time. The start line was very, very crowded as all the boats were jockeying for position. It got even more crowded when a large, ocean-going ferry had to get into the harbor. Although Chris had said we were going to hang back at the back of the pack, his natural competitiveness crept through and we ended among the first 25 or so boats across the line.
It was amazing how quickly the crowd thinned out. Within a couple of hours there was plenty of room to maneuver, and by nightfall you could only see a dozen or so boats.
Hakuna Matata is taking a more westerly course than most of the boats. Time will tell whether it was a good strategy. We launched our spinnaker as soon as we had maneuver room after the start, and dropped it at dusk. It is doing very well for us so far, and gives us about 1.5 knots more speed downwind than just using the genoa. Winds have been relatively light, but were consistent until around midnight when they really dropped. When the wind drops, so does our speed.
Last night was our first rotating 3 hour watch schedule. It's a big, dark ocean out there! For the first few nights either Chris or Gareth are standing watch with those of us who have minimal night watch experience. Graham had galley duty this first evening and we ate a good meal of sautéed pork cutlets, hash-browned potatoes and red cabbage with apples.
We made it through the night fine and Monday, 11/24, is a beautiful sunny day. Winds are still relatively light and probably will be for several days. Seas are only running 3-5 feet and this boat is so stable that you can leave full glasses on the table without spilling a drop. No signs of mal-de-mer (seasickness) among the crew.
As of 1300 on the 24th, Hakuna Matata has made 130 miles; only about 2700 to go..
.Ken, Chris, Gareth, Graham & Liz