All day we romped along on a screaming beam reach. The wind went from 16-22 knots, just perfect for our heavy boat. The only unfortunate bit is that the waves, which have had several days of over 20 knot winds to kick them up, are directly on the beam. It’s a very rolly, wet, ride. Occasionally we get a wave not quite in synch with its neighbors, that leaps at the bow like an unruly puppy. These waves tend to splash all over, just like a wet furry dog shaking itself. We are so happy for our silly “solarium” enclosure. The deck is getting a salt water bath, but we are snug and dry. At 17:00 the squalls started again. This is the third evening in a row that it has rained! The wind went up to 26 knots, so we tucked the reefs back into the main and Genoa. The wind clocked a bit to the east and we began what I term “dolphin leaping”, when we leap off a top of one wave and land with our nose in the next. Not a pleasant feeling. Very much akin to being the omelette in the pan as the chef flips it, only just our brains flip inside our skulls( and unstowed stuff flies about in the cabin). I wonder sometimes if sailors suffer from a sort of permanent, mild, concussion as a result of all the jerking around our heads get. That would be a weird scientific study. Captain loves this fast paced, “interesting” sailing. I’m ready for some plain ol cruising. It is starting to feel like I’m in a Volvo ocean race instead of a rally cruise. We are not using the engine at all, and had filled up with water at Port Villa, so we have not needed to run the generator to make water so there is no hot water. At 22:00 When I came up for my shift, Babsea had caught and passed us. Now we are following Babsea and Aurora B, but we hope to make it to Mackay by Friday afternoon.
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