Day eighteen brought a more substantial hope than that for the disembarkment of our disliked house guests. A breeze had started in the morning and we were now awaiting to be able to turn off the engine and sail again. In the morning, the wind was just giving us a nice push adding to the motoring and we were making good speed like that. The afternoon brought a promising wind and we finally turned off the engine for good, not just for the usual liquids check. It wasn't as steady and strong as we had hoped for but we were making some speed and enjoyed the quiet that spread over the boat even though it somehow left me with a feeling of not getting anywhere. It is the same strange sensation you have when coming from a long drive on a highway going into an urban area and having to slow down some. It just feels unbearably slow the first while.
Mid-afternoon, there was another exciting event. Another ship. We hadn't seen any ships for days now, the last had been a fish trawler by the Seychelles, and the sight of the freighter passing only about 500 meters off us was indeed exciting given that context. In small letters it red AN LONG JIANG below the Asian symbols on the side, but we were not able to identify its origin. Its cargo, all sorts of trucks, was shining brightly in the sun. On the ocean, ships passing each other takes time. From the first sight until the freighter disappeared in the distance it may have been close to half an hour or even longer. Its no different than two cars passing in a deserted area, just in slow motion. You carefully examine the other and start guessing at its origin, destination, and its inhabitants. Encountered during an otherwise uneventful day at sea, this was the headline news.
Well after nightfall, our hope for a change in weather conditions was dimmed. The wind calmed again and our engine roared back to life. Again, we were motorsailing, but a slight hope remained, this dying breeze might signal more wind still to come.
captains log:
breeze from ESE, make good speed
making good speed motor-sailing, wind ESE 5-6kn
1200 S0°57 E67°57
1600 offE, AN LONG JIANG opp at 500m
call the kids
2240 restart E, SE 2-3kn
offE for 15min
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