Time: 2021/07/26 04:10:20
Latitude: 56-32.56N
Longitude: 152-25.82W
Speed: 4.1
Course: 10T
Wind_Speed: 4
Wind_Dir: NE
Barometer: 1020
Clouds: 10%
Visibility: 10
Air_Temp: 18C
Wave_Dir: NE
Comment: The wind died down a bit overnight so we began to motorsail, slowly towards Kodiak. After several hours of 2kt progress the wind shifted slightly to the NE and we were able to tack (back to Starboard) and head more N with improved speed. We have been making progress to our destination since this morning at 3kt or better and things are looking good for an arrival that doesn't involve us buying diesel from passing fishing boats. [Side bar from Janet: We have not seen any fishing boats, so who knows how long we would have to bob around out here if that was what we needed to rely on to get ourselves to land.] We dare not suggest an arrival time or day but we have less than 100NM to go.
Today was a much better day!! We all had showers. The sun shone brightly for us. We even were able to take off layers of clothing as it felt downright warm inside at 20C, with 18C outside. We have been asked whether we feel like we are starting to acclimatize to the cooler weather. I am not sure whether to be happy or depressed about the fact that I believe I have started to officially acclimatize. Today while wearing only a tank top, a pair of pants and no socks, I needed to crack open the door a little as I was feeling a little too warm. For perspective, up until yesterday, I was wearing three tops, one pair of pants and two pairs of wool socks, plus would cuddle a hot water bottle under a blanket all day. I think the fact that there is barely a lick of wind out here and the sun is shining did not hurt to help me feel warmer. So things are starting to look up for us here on Maple. Perhaps we have not made a terrible mistake after all. Now if we can just get the fuel supply to last for us so we can one day reach land, then life will be excellent!!
While we have friends during the course of their passage to Seattle have seen at least three varieties of whales, multiple times. What have we seen?! Birds, birds and more birds. For the last two days we have had a flock of some sort of huge sea bird that I have not seen before following us. I don't think they are albatrosses as I don't think they are quite that big, but they are a good size. I get the feeling that they are hoping we are fishing and will share our catch with them as they like to congregate behind Maple. And since we are barely moving, they will let us get maybe 10 or 20 meters away from them before they barely flap their wings and mostly run across the water to catch back up with us again. Yes, we are moving so slowly that the birds just need to walk on water to keep up. Anyway, that is the extent of the wildlife encounters for us recently. No whales, no dolphins, nothing else other than birds...oh and let's not forget the kelp.
Who knows what tomorrow's update will hold, stay tuned....
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