Cocos to Rodrigues (Part 2)

Rob and Bob preparing to pole out the genoa

Beautiful sunset

 Lots of birds - more successful at fishing than we were!

During the roughest part of the trip we resorted to watching a movie.

Bob with a fish on - the big one got away!

Lots of squalls on the horizon - we managed to get hit by our fair share!

Bob and Carol reading during the calm first half of our trip.

Cocos to Rodrigues

 May 28-30 2016

Day 7 

Another reading day. My e-reader has bit the dust, but I can borrow Rob's and we have an old one from Norm and Nora. We also like to have lots of hard covers as you can trade them with other sailors. It has exposed us to some interesting, and occasionally poor, books that are not promoted in Chapters at home. As well as sailing books and manuals and books on travel and on climate change, here are some of the authors we are reading now.

On the ereaders, Atwood, Ken Follet, Elizabeth George, Tom Clancy, John Le Carre, Maisie Dobbs series by Winspear, Pilgrim and I am Pilgrim
Book exchange finds- Kathy Reichs, a forensic anthropologist working for police in Quebec
Wilbur Smith, historical novels
John Burdet, detectives in Bangkok, unique!
Paul Theroux, travel
Buddhism proganda
Moitessier, sailing
The No1 Ladies' Detective series, a Botswana detective

The higher winds that were to start Sun pm began on my Sat evening shift. No reading, just reefing, taking things out of the rain, and watching the heading.

Day 8 Sun May 29

This was supposed to be a light wind day and we had expected to motor. We are happy that forecast was wrong. Except for getting out of the anchorage we haven't had to use the motor. We have been traveling over 7 knots with a reef in both sails. We covered 159nm yesterday-a record for this passage. Overnight we crossed the halfway mark. The time zone is +6 UTC, but by Mon we are at +5 UTC, the same as Sri Lanka. It is interesting to see the sunset, sunrise, and moonrise change a bit each day as we travel west and south. It is also cooling off some, especially overnight.

Day 9 Mon May 30

We are in to the heavy weather now. Since Sun night, it has been blowing over 20 kn, with one squall after another during the day. But it is the rough seas that are making it the most uncomfortable. We have had a few bites on the fishing line. By the time the last one got near the boat only the mouth was left. We think we need stronger hooks.

Day 10 Tues May 30

I can't believe it is already the last day of May! It is still blowing and wet. The first boats on the net will be arriving in Rodrigues tomorrow. These are the ones that didn't stop at Cocos Keeling.