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July 26, 2000
Solomons to Australia voyage - Update #8
Lat/Long as of 12.00 hrs local time
11 degs 18. 21’ S
155 degs 48. 27’E
Day 9. Wind ESE 5-10 knots. Heading 170-180M
We finally got our break about 24 hours ago in the form of the wind backing further up the compass to ESE from SE and at times today even east, allowing Moksha’s nose be held at a more or less constant due south. The resultant 25 miles pedaled south and as many west has put us back below the black clearing line for Cairns on the chart (see pic) and in a favourable position to pass east of the islands of Rossel and Tagula on the eastern tip of the Louisiade Archipelago. (We’d have to work hard to end up on them now.) Along with the ESEasterly came a calmer sea and even occasional breaks in the cloud to give the sun a look in, making for (relatively speaking) paradise pedaling conditions. April even managed to get out on the rear deck without hurling and comb out her long, blonde hair. I’ve offered on numerous occasions to do her a favour (and for the rest of the crew living in a space where blonde hairs somehow integrate themselves into every aspect of life aboard) and cut it all off with the dividers (actually a pair of scissors). But for some strange reason she declines every time. Granted, the dividers are a little rusty.
The salt sores are beginning already – a record for any voyage. This is undoubtedly related to the amount of salt-water exposure we’ve had in the past few days. We both have the beginnings of infected sweat pores on the backs of our legs, arms and buttocks. The next stage if we don’t tend to them is for them to flare up into full-blown boils – excruciatingly painful. So we’ve been trying, in between bouts of being soaked by incoming waves into the cockpit, to clean and neutralise them with fresh water and Aloe Vera gel – another one of those miracle substances like duct tape that constitutes a must for any trip away from home.
Jason
Posted on July 26, 2000 2:23 PM