I realized too late that I should have gotten the GPS coords of the Pacific Gyres just for curiosity sake as well as to observe the state of the ocean around it. As of yet we’ve seen 2 plastic items, both white, floating along about 50m from the boat. I’ve also seen the frame of something wooded, perhaps a pallet, a bird perched upon one corners for a rest from the wind and waves.
It’s hard to avoid buying and using plastics in a country where health of land and oceans is a low priority, shadowed by the need to feed families and doing so with a low income. On Kayak, bags that we’ve saved that haven’t been ripped to shreds already due to their low quality have come in handy. Garbage bags, water proofing, organizing, food storage, hardware sacks are some ways we’ve utilized plastics that we’ve fastidiously collected. We aren’t producing much garbage at the moment, mostly paper towels soaked in paints from Brian’s shop for projects ongoing, empty canisters that are harmful for ocean life or cartons that don’t break down in salt water. Cans, organic material, and paper products are offered to the ocean, the ultimate recycler, as we are grateful for its vastness and turbulent nature, able to accept these items at a sustainable pace.
We are about 450nautical miles off the coast of Mexico, the varying winds are still coming from the northwest, and we are hoping to soon hit the trades, coming from the northeast, in order to push us southwest! Reasons for the delay in predictable weather could be due to a late start in the cruising season or a shift in climate patterns. Winds affect transportation and storm season, and changing weather patterns making predictions less reliable. Shifts in temperatures and pressure systems drive the wind and change sea levels and tides. I’m looking forward to see if these natural forces, changed by human nature, are affecting life for flora and fauna on land and sea once we reach our first destination.
Hitting the early part of the trades we’ll be traveling much quicker and hopefully make up for lost wind we had a few days ago.
At the moment, we’re sailing beam reach, 245-252 degrees. Up until now we’ve been shooting for 230-233. In a navigational lesson with the proudly humble Captain Underpants, the professor himself drew up a universal plotting chart to see how we can best take advantage of trade winds. First they come from the NW but as they shift to NE we’ll need to head west and try to cross the equator due south, at the recommended 132 degrees (World Cruising Routes, Jimmy Cornell). This would require a broad reach sail at about 252 degrees. After we’ve crossed the equator we shall see where the trades pick up.
@6pm
13° 45’ N
111° 48.5’ W
traveled 112nm
~3-5 ½ knots / hour
530nm offshore… ~ 1/5 our distance
Breakfast: Chilequiles
Lunch: Guac, salsa, chips, fruit
Dinner: Pasta with tomato sauce, beans and vegetables
Green in the Blue 