Day 6 of the sail from Panama to the Marquesas.
So if someone had said to us 25 years ago that on our silver wedding anniversary we would be lurching around on a 58 foot yacht, 375 miles from the Galapagos Islands, 550 miles from the coast of Panama, 325 miles from the coast of Ecuador, oh and 180 miles north of the equator, we surely would have replied “your having a laugh aren’t you?” Turns out they would have been right! We have both decided its a pretty cool place to celebrate and reflect on 25 years of wonderful marriage!
So here we are then, looking out the window at fluffy white clouds in a blue sky, being tossed around as we attempt to sail upwind to the North of the Galapagos Islands. Were doing 8 knots right now though and that’s in stark contrast to the conditions we had only 2 days ago, totally becalmed and at the mercy of the wild Pacific Ocean, see picture below!
With no wind for almost 24 hours, all we could do was drift with the current and watch the jelly fish amble past!
Finally the wind picked up though and now we are racing along again. It started quite sedately with Force 3 winds on a flat sea but now has become quite boisterous. Still we are not complaining about 15 knots this close to the Equator.
Yesterday, Azimuth gained a passenger for several hours
Word must have got around because as it got dark about 5 of his friends attempted to land on the pulpit too. They squabbled with each other for about an hour and then 4 managed somehow to perch together in harmony whilst a fifth bird made our upturned dinghy is home for the night. He wasn’t bothered at all at seeing me as I went up to the mast at 4 in the morning to put in a reef!
Google Earth is working again on my laptop! So here’s where we are now:
I leave you with a picture of the happy couple on their silver wedding anniversary!
Reading glasses hey, its the only way these days that we can see the screen for the selfy!
Catch you again soon!
Dom & Ailsa on Azimuth