Position: We are about 80nm South of Coco Island (Isla del Coco). This island is situated due west of the Panamanian coast. In the body of the Pacific Ocean known as the Panama Basin. It is owned and managed as a nature reserved by the Costa Rican government.
4 12.65N 86 36.00W
*Note: I am told you can copy and paste these coordinates into google earth and it will show you where we are.
Mileage:3249nm – 3241nm= 8nm if we were able to sail in a straight line south west, which we are not.
Number of miles to go: 3241nm to go of approx. 3850nm We finished tacking SSE now, and heading West again, so it will appear like we making miles again. It is the nature of sailing to wind.
Fish count: The count remains at 3 Mahi Mahi, 2 Cero and 6 tuna. One Marlin that we were happy got away! Too bumpy and squally to enjoy fishing today.
WRITING IN THE OCEAN
They saying goes ‘What is written in the sand will just blow away’. Does the saying hold try for writing in the Ocean? I read once about a guy sailing circles in the middle of the Ocean. I think he was trying to beat a record for the longest time at sea? Any way, part of the story described how he amused himself adjusting his track to write peoples names in the sea. I look at the track the humans have put us on and I see a whole lot of ‘Z’s. Anyone’s name start with a ‘Z’ because we are half way there?
MOVED SOUTH
As you guys know we are trying to sail South West in South West winds. The ‘Z’ patterns come from the humans tacking back and forth. When the winds go a bit more South we can get some Westerly, but get pushed further and further north. So the humans ‘bit the bullet’ and turned South. Of course the track ended up being a little more South East and they had to give up a little of their Westerly progress to get a little more South. Stay tune, we may yet be in contention for that guys record for the longest time at sea! We are now down to 4′ above the equator.
JUST SAILING ALONG
What can we do but keep sailing along. No worries. We will go West or South as the winds let us and wait to see the trade winds fill in. A low pressure system is passing over us, so we have had an over case wet and gusty day again. I am doing my best to get around the boat while it is so heeled over all the time. This sailing to wind stuff is rubbish for us dogs. The fact I have ‘four wheel drive’ is my saving grace. I do pity the humans in the galley though. That cooking thing looks much harder than me trying to keep a leg up in bumpy seas.
OH, ONE MORE THING. I HAVE NOT HAD THE HEART TO TELL THE HUMANS THAT THEIR LOVELY ENCOUNTER WITH ‘NATURE’ YESTERDAY HAS LEFT ALL THE SAILS COVERED IN S^*T!
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