April 30, 2014 -

Very slow and smooth describes today.  We haven't made much ground, but it sure is pleasant and calm out.  So it's a trade off for sure.  I think I've traded in my victory on a 19 day crossing for a smooth run instead though.  This evening we basically have 300 more miles to go. That's not much progress for today, maybe 70 miles.

On the net this morning, we are in a day’s reach of a few boats.  We will all likely arrive within a day or two of each other.  No big events reported otherwise.

We are actively fishing today, looking for a big one!! - -Or a medium one. .   We got a bite this evening and we all ran out to see.  Courage was reeling it in, and the line snapped, almost at the end by the fishing pole, not the bit end.  So, we donated another lure to the war again today.  Good news is that we got a bite!  There's something out there!

It's the end of the month, so we restocked our food for another month.  We decided to pull it out of the bilge in front of Costco since the water pump for the washing machine stopped working and it's down there.  Not to mention that bilge pump has been working overtime.  So, since Courage needed to get into the bilge, we emptied half of it out (It has 2 months in there).  I love restocking in the middle of the ocean.  No money and minimal time and effort involved.  And we are lightening the boat every day that we eat.  I hear about the weight of the boat on a regular basis!

So, now that we are on our third month of our 10-month provisioning, I can see a few things that are too much or not enough.  In general, I'm very happy with what we've got.  We've done well with our fresh stuff, so I have too many canned veggies.  I also have too much pancake mix and syrup.  I have huge pancake mix bags for almost every month.  We have Sunday morning pancakes.  Making pancakes 4-5 times per month does not use up a large bag of mix.  I figured on extra so that in case we ran out of oats, we'd have some alternatives because boxed cereal is expensive, gets bugs, and is bulky to store and breaks easily if not protected.  Anyway, we'll need to have a big pancake breakfast for the locals one day somewhere.  Or a cruisers breakfast party??  I also have too much salad dressing.  We have stopped eating all raw veggies, like cabbage and lettuce, after some intestinal issues.  So, therefore salad dressing isn't as needed.  I have Italian and Caesar, so need to come up with other plans/recipes.  Open to suggestions.  We ran out of raisins earlier than we should have.  And we tapped into another month's ginger snaps for the crossing.  Ginger is good for nausea, so I figured it's OK to steal from another month.  We won't want them as much then as we do now.  Otherwise, I'd say we're pretty plush!!  We had some left over canned meats, so I need to get into the mode of using it, not saving it!!  Hard to change gears on that when it feels like such a commodity!!  Also very well off on popcorn, so we had it for snack today and we'll be having it more often.

Unfortunately, my soda cans stored in the bilge have been popping open!!  They are nicely stacked where they don't have pressure, aren't rolling around or anything.  We think though that when they came onboard they were left in the rain, saltwater, and sun for a day on the back swim-steps before being brought up.  This seems to have taken a toll on them.  Every time we open the bilge, a new set of them has exploded their caps!!  This time it's been awhile, so they were molded too.  Very nice to clean up!!  Guess I'll have to stop drinking soda?  Would be good . . .

So initially I was blamed for the washing machine pump going out.  Initially I'm blamed for everything though, so this is not unfamiliar.  Apparently I took a nap before the load of laundry was done.  I looked at it, thought it was done, considered putting it out on the lines to dry, but decided to go lay down during "quiet time" while I could.  The machine was not done; it was trying to fill up for the rinse cycle.  So I was blamed for the pump "burning out."  Fortunately on further investigation today, the wiring to give it power had corroded, so the pump wasn't even trying to give water in the first place.  Hmmm.  I have already declared that I am not to blame for the corrosion.

The bilge had a decent amount of salt water in it.  All of our bilge pumps have been running off and on throughout the past week.  I'm hoping this is related to the waves and motion rather than some new inlet for water!!  So, we're taking on water.  I'm told that the bilge pumps themselves are the leaks.  Since their outlets are made to pump the water out of the boat, when a big wave hits, the water comes in through them or some such things.  Hmmmm again.  Trust but verify!  Anyway, with that much water in the bilge, I can hardly take all the blame for the weight in the hulls.  And as far as the weight, in my defense, it's not like it's a purse and shoe collection for me.  "My" weight items are food for the family, spare sheets, blankets, and the kid's warm clothes.  I don't really feel a lot of guilt on this one.  Every cruiser couple I've me though I think has the same dynamics.  She wants it to be a comfortable home; he wants it to be a performance vehicle.  I've run the gamut of couples we've met and cannot think of the exception to this yet.  I'm sure it's out there, but I don't think I've seen it firsthand.  Every couple has a different balance of course, but the goals seem to be universal.

French for gummies went well again tonight with little bits of repetition at a time.  We'll get there!  Then homemade M&M cookies for dessert!  Chocolate chips were incredibly expensive in Panama and don't fare well in this hot/humid environment.  But M&M's, which melt in your mouth, not in your hands, do much better.

Anxiously awaiting a fish and/or land, but enjoying a very smooth sail until then!  Hard to complain!

Shannon