The “no wind” of the low-no wind area got us.

We just put the sails down and are drifting. Position will only be changed by the current.

Let’s see what will be tomorrow!

Since days we are hampered in our sail to Gambier Islands by a low-no wind area.

First we sailed dead West. When the conditions changed we sailed again directly to the Gambier Islands. However we expect to get less wind on the direct course and changed course a bit more south; this is what we could see in the wind forecast.

When this evening the new wind forecast was downloaded, we were surprised. The more southerly course we selected turn out to be not so anymore. This we went back on the direct course to the Gambier Islands.

1427 NM to go.

In the pursue of wind one can make errors.

We are now 35 days on board, sailed a bit more than 2600 NM.
Experienced plenty of days in the doldrums, where we were pushed back by the current many miles.
We also had great sailing days with 159 NM day distance. Then, on our direct and fast sail towards Gambier Island, the destination of this sail, we got suddenly blocked by a huge low-no wind area, which forced us to go dead West. Now we are again on the pursue of wind in SW direction.

Distance to waypoint (DTW) is right now 1437 NM, and I decided today that I will, from now on, countdown the NM.

Life on board got in routine but also changes are coming up.

Everyone had it’s tasks as a crew member, and everyone has it’s own personal tasks. Nobody sits around and is bored. During meals we all gather around the table. When we are very hungry, or the wind tries to cool down our food very fast, there is silence and everyone gets the meal on the stomach. But once the plates are empty, conversations and jokes start.

In the last days, the last fruits became a topic and what kind of fruits do we get at Mangareva, the main island of the Gambier Islands.

Also what kind of vegetables can we get there and how long can we keep them on board before they start to rot. Also how do we have to cook and eat them.

As to our knowledge right now, we will get bread fruits, yams and taro. From a very good friend from the Philippines I learned already the most important things about these vegetables.

Everyone, is in a good mood despite that we will have to go through a 2 – 3 day low-no wind period

We are always in the pursue of wind!

At sunset, when we needed to get the gennaker down, we had almost no wind. When we dressed up MaRe in her night gown, the wind didn’t push the mainsail strong enough that the battens flipped to the leeward side.

We studied the lasted forecast again too see if it makes sense to keep the sails up and be patient.
The ECMWF and SPIRE models forecasted a bit more wind after about 2 hours. Could not imagine that such a detailed forecast will work. However the wind came. Thus, we sailed all night with 2 – 3 Bft towards our WPT “GambierReef N”.

It was not fast sailing but we made many miles good.

Thanks dear wind for performing as forecasted.

… the monkey with the tin tool for stealing our wind. The wind forecast indicates winds up to 10 KN. But the wind doesn’t follow the forecast.

The reason for that is the monkey with the tin tool, who stole the wind, which was forecasted.

Some sailors say that the forecast is poor. No that’s wrong. The forecasted, but not showing up wind, is always been stolen by the monkey with the tin tool.

Or, am I wrong? Am I already too long at sea?

Blue sky, almost only a few small clouds. Most likely alto cumuli.

The sea appears deep blue. After a few days with not much wind, the wind waves are max 2 meaning max 50 cm height. The swell still exist but is very low 1 m maybe, and rolls towards us from E.

It’s incredibly peaceful. On our sailing island all the issues of the world are shut off. No war. No environmental issues. No banking crisis, etc.

Slowly I can understand Bernard Moitessier, who sailed non-stop single handed 1 1/2 times around the world. He gave up the award for the fastest single handed circumnavigation at his time. He was weeks ahead of the next follower when, already in the southern Atlantic, he turned around to continue his sail to French Polynesia to live a very simple life there.

… but we can change sailing directions and adjust sails.

As mentioned in a few narrations back we sailed for a while dead west to escape from a low-no wind area. When we looked at the latest wind forecast last night, we got the idea that tomorrow, thus today, it could be better to change heading again. This morning’s wind forecast showed the same and Vili our weather consultant in CH recommend the same. Thus, we set the gennaker just in the first daylight with the sun still behind the horizon. Now we are again on direct course to the WPT “GambierReef N”. 1530 NM to go. Run MaRe, run!

Today and tomorrow we should have about the same wind. Less than 10 KN TWS. But this gives us typically up to 5 KN of STW.

The 25th will be a crucial day with winds close to 0 or even 0.
But maybe the wind doesn’t follow the forecast and blows stronger.

Let’s see! I regard my glass as half full!

Perception plays an important role in decision making of humans. Perception dominates often the reality and is built on what reaches us through filtered channels.

I learned some people have the idea that there is not much to be seen and experienced in the Gambier Islands because they are the most remote ones in French Polynesia. However, for us on board of MaRe and SY Katinka, just 150 NM behind us, it is the very interesting thing to see how people live there.

It will be culture experienced directly and not made for tourist shows in hotels Papete, Tahiti.

In my narration, or in modern words in my “blog” of 230421_02 Alone, I wrote “Night watches are lonesome hours.”

A very good friend responded by email (skipper-cat-mare@myiridium.net) that I’m wrong because there are the waves, the wind and the star around me.

I have to say that she is right. Although I was thinking of alone in the sense that both crew members are sleeping in their cabins and I’m alone at the helm station.

The waves, depending on their size i can hear and feel them. Thus, I’m not alone.

The wind for which I developed a special sensitivity is around me. My hair, my beard and my skin feels when the wind changes. My eyes confirm it later when they look at the instruments staring at me all night long. Thus, I’m not alone.

The stars above are special. A few constellation i can recognize just by looking up in the sky. For others i use the StarWalk2 app a friend introduced to me a few years ago in Croatia. Thus I’m not alone.

Perception is the key element. How do we perceive things versus what they are.

Today, Tjasa broke the tradition of a minestrone MaRella for lunch. She just decided by herself, without having a crew meeting, to replace the minestrone MaRella by a special “egg-soup”. This was the first break of the procedure as every day.

And then, and this was really the big break, she replaced the compulsory tiramisu by a bar of chocolate. Also the Ritter Sport, 74 %, dark chocolate is an excellent one, it’s not “tiramisu a la Tjasa”. This tiramisu is so special, that a break of the same procedure as every day is really a act of sacrilege.

When I asked her why the break in our procedure as every day, seen simply replied, she had no time because she must read again “La deuxième sex” by Simone de Beauvoir.

Where is this world going to?