Location: Underway to Port Essington
This morning at 9:00, watch team, one’s heads perked up as the wind began to pick up. With 21 days of practice under our belts, the forward staysail and the main were quickly set. Those on the halyards sweated the sails to the top of the masts, the downhauls, and reefing lines were expertly eased, and the sheets were manned in order to make the raises go as smoothly as possible. Once everything was locked off, preventers were readied, and the helmsman began to fall off the wind, returning to our downwind course. Downwind sailing isn’t always easy, but everyone stepped up to the helm with confidence and soon mastered the art of steering by the wind. With the sun shining and the wind moving us along at a nice 6.5 knots, the crew of Argo had another wonderful day sailing the north coast of Australia, ticking away the miles on our longest passage to date.