Day 10 s/v Sila Galapagos - Easter Island Passage

The wind has died way down and we are looking at a very slow weekend of sailing here in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully we will be back at it sometime Monday with wind the rest of the way to Easter Island. One feels very much like Goldilocks on ocean passages, constantly hoping for just the right amount of wind - neither too much nor too little. Large area forecasts are typically correct broadly and are very variable locally; if we are lucky, we will have a tad more wind than forecast and can eke out reasonable mileage for the next few days in spite of the light airs. So far we have been getting along fine today, so maybe we will sneak through the lulls. If we get a really calm spell, the boys will probably want to swim, although they are in for a surprise as it is notably colder here at 18 degrees south than the same latitude in the Northern Atlantic (or Caribbean Sea really, as we are at the same latitude here as Jamaica in the northern hemisphere.) Air temp this morning was a record cold for us in at least 9 months: 15ºC (59ºF) and the water temp was a comparably balmy 18.5ºC (65ºF). - Christopher

A few more pears, two grapefruit, five apples, enough salami to liven up a snack plate lunch, one-half of a pound of cheddar, and about a dozen onions. That is the extent of our remaining fresh food ration. At this point in the passage, it requires a little more creativity to make a delicious meal, unless of course Porter catches another fish. Last night we had Sila Pizza (basically one big calzone baked in the big pyrex) with onions, tomatoes, the last of our bacon, and chic peas. Tonight, one of us will have to get inspired by some of the canned food on board. Perhaps we will eat the last of our canned beans and pork from Portugal, which has a more delicate flavor and a lot less sugar than the American version. Now I am looking forward to an afternoon swim in the sunshine and deep deep water!- Molly

We have been running the engine off and on for the last 24 hours, which gives Sila a considerably different feel. With the wind died down, the ocean feels much more calm and creepily quiet. I think all of us aboard Sila are excited for the return of the breeze! Today, we welcomed back the sun which had been away for a few days, and are thinking about a swim. I certainly have never taken a dip in 3,000 meters of water before! - Pete

The wind died down a lot so we are barely sailing along. Last night Mama woke me up for an hour. We used an app on the iPad called Starwalk to pick out constellations. I am completely new to the Southern Hemispheres stars. We picked out Delphinus the dolphin, Pavo the peacock, and pegasus. Unfortunately the clouds moved in before we could see more.- Porter

I can't think of anything to say. I'd rather not write anything than just say that... but my Dad made me. - Jack

Day 10 Stats/Info

0600 local (1200z) AUG 1 2014
Fix 18*11.7's 102*5.2'w
Heading windward/southeast of Galapagos-Easter Island rhumb line, cross track now 9nm (banking a bit for later when the wind looks to veer south.)

Wind 128T variable F4, very light last 18 hrs variable F2-4, motored a few hours
100% clouds (for last 24hrs)
Off and on drizzle
E-SE swell, nominal

0600-0600 Local (12z-12z) 24 hour run approximately 116nm (mean speed 4.8...)

664nm to go, @ 4.8 knots 5.75 days to go, guesstimated arrival now August 6th or 7th