Day 10 Excitement

Time: 2021/07/12 03:56:48
Latitude: 37-29.99N
Longitude: 174-39.00W
Speed: 5.4
Course: 343T
Comment: Winds dropped early this morning so we motorsailed, almost due N. By noon the wind had filled in, the engine was off and we were sailing well, still heading slightly NW but getting closer to due N. Here's hoping the high passes to the east and we get some following winds that last another 2 weeks or so to get us all the way to Kodiak.


Here we are having now completed ten days since we left Hawaii. It was a big day!! As D already mentioned we finally are pointing more north than we have in a long time. We still would like to be pointing more NE, but I guess we will take what we can get. The seas were also fantastic today with barely half a meter of waves, all made perfect sailing conditions once we turned the engine off. Even determined that we could still raise the main sail above the third reef. So many firsts for Day 10 on this leg of the trip!!!

Speaking of firsts, since we were running the engine today we had our first hot showers on Maple. I truly can't recall the last time we used the inside shower. I was uncertain if the shower head or the plumbing would even still work, but work it did and it was fantastic!!! Personally I am not a fan of the mess of using the inside shower, but our days of jumping in the water to shower are behind us, So I guess I will have to get used to new routines, just as I have adapted to wearing multiple layers of clothing, I know I can do this!!

The other highlight of today was a pod of bottlenose dolphins came to play near Maple just after we finished dinner. It is the only wildlife entertainment we have enjoyed so far on this passage. The volume of floating garbage, including a rusty fridge, have sadly been the only things we have seen in the waters around us, so it was fabulous to finally see some dolphins. They did not stick around long, but the four of us loved the brief distraction.

The other positive about sailing north is the longer days!! I am loving that when my 6pm to 9pm shift ends, there is still daylight. With spending a few years near the equator, I am enjoying the longer days that the summer brings up here. So all in all, Day 10 was a fantastic day on the North Pacific for Maple and her crew!!!