Location: Ceran Sea, Indonesia
My first wake-up today was still dark. Watch Team Two call me because of a passing ship on a potential collision course. It is visible on the radar and on the horizon as two little lights, one white and one faded red, about four miles away. Since we’re motoring and see their port (red) side, we are the give-way vessel. Shall we turn? Slow down? After observing for two long minutes, it seems the bearing to those distant lights is slowly changing, so we’re not on a collision course. They should be able to pass a good distance in front of us. Let’s keep our speed and course for fifteen minutes. If there is still a doubt after that, we’ll still have ample time to turn away. Indeed, after fifteen minutes, the ship had already passed in front of us, and we were clear. Before going back to sleep, I watch a distant thunderstorm, probably twenty miles away or more, and ask to be woken up if it gets closer. The sky clears, and the sunrise at 6 am is gorgeous. The wind settles on SE, and we spend the entire morning raising our sails. Yesterday, before leaving Wayag, we used our time for snorkeling until the last possible minute, so now we take longer to rig a reef in the Main Sail, as well as connect the halyard, which we used yesterday to raise Kackie up for the spreader reef watch. By lunchtime, we can finally turn our engines off and glide effortlessly on a slight sea. For three minutes. As if the engine switch turns the wind off, too! Oh, well. I check the weather forecast again: it is proudly windy for the rest of the week. See evidence (A) in the photos. I look out again as the sea flattens and our sails hang powerlessly. As the students meet in the salon for Oceanography class, I reluctantly turn the engine back on1450 RPM. I scan the horizon for cloudy clues of upcoming weather. Nichts. I take the helm from Gabe so he can give the Nav Master class. When he’s done, The students emerge from the salon. First, Will is hanging his towel to dry on the lifelines. Then, Kylie and Sidney. They stare at the flat sea in disbelief. Austin is head-chef today. His dinner is a home-style Hawaiian feast, well deserving of the multitude of compliments he harvests from the hungry crowd. The daily squeeze question is, “What is your earliest memory?”. Some of us remember primary school, some remember kindergarten, and even earlier. Addy says her memory is either a memory or a dream. She is not sure. Gabe asks her in which century it takes place.