John Log 5 – A Swim in a Pond

A high pressure system moved further south than anticipated and we were stuck in it for the better part of two days. We burned off about half of our remaining diesel supply motoring through these doldrums.

Its sure easy to see where sailors in the old days would have found this tough to endure. Glassy seas, no wind, no movement without the motor.

The calm seas made it easy to see more wildlife. We saw many more sea turtles and even took a slight detour at one point to circle one and take a few pictures.

We stopped for 1/2 an hour at one point for a quick swim and rinse with fresh water. Two showers in almost two weeks!

With the engine running, power consumption isn’t an issue and so we watched a movie in the evening. David and Tni equipped the cabin with a 17″ monitor attached to the chart plotter to make it easier to work with the digital charts. A side advantage is that it can be plugged into the computer for watching DVDs and they brought a supply with them. We watch Inside Man with Denzel Washington. It was a pretty good movie.

On the second day of this two day doldrum, I took advantage of the calm seas and made pancakes for breakfast. I had to ad-lib the recipe a bit, but it came out fairly tasty. I didn’t have milk and used water instead, with a bit of non-dairy creamer to add some creaminess :)

Some time during the 2nd night of glassy seas, the wind finally picked up out of the north and we switched back to sailing.

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