We departed on Sunday December 9 from Kosrae bound for Pohnpei in the FSM after bringing trash to shore and then taking a look at the Lelu Ruins. Given enough $, this national treasure could be maintained, but now it sits fallen to ruins. (Ooops, no pun intended.)
Motorsailing to gain on Cape Halgren, we ultimately sailed past it and safely out to sea before losing our wind the following morning. For two full days we battled calms and squalls and current. Many times Carina acted like a toddler confined to the clutches of an old aunt...she wiggled and squirmed and was just not happy. Large swell slapped us down and threw wind from her sails. We groaned continuously with frustration as we tried to keep the sails full and Carina moving at least west.
GRIBS continued to promise tradewinds so we stubbornly stuck to our rhumb line even if we drifted NE during some periods with the 1.5 knot adverse current. Squalls occasionally terrorized us.
Winds finally arrived on Tuesday midday and we've been sailing along nicely since. It is a thrill to see Carina breezing along taking each wave like a gazelle leaping over a bush. Last night the breezes were warm and the bright starlight cast a warm glow over the sea. If the winds hold, we should be able to pass through the reef at Pohnpei later today. Everyone, including the patient fat cat, would like that.
At about nine thirty local time last night a deep draft vessel, the Mt. Victoria, passed us on an exact reciprocal course to our own, going 9 knots. We sailed a bit south of our rhumb line to allow it to pass about 2 nm to starboard.
At 12/12/2012 and 19:34 UTC (GMT) our position was: 07°00.54'N / 158°53.16'E.
We were traveling 288T degrees true at 6.0 knots.
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