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20 May 2001

I have been drifting (ever) since dismounting(/taking off) the engine. A couple of times I have thought that now I'm just about to take off and had set(/made) sail - and every time I was let down(/cheated). My leg actually doesn't look all (that) bad. Maybe it's because I'm now finally able to keep it at rest.
 

 

Skøn morgen i Stillehavet

Beautiful morning at the Pacific Ocean

 


Se så at få den lampe slukket, solen er sgu da oppe.

Turn off that lamp will you - the sun is already up


I spent some of the afternoon pilk fishing. After a couple of hours I got a rise. But unluckily it was a barracuda and those you should(/ought) not to eat I have been told. There's supposed to be a greater risk of getting(/catching) the(/a) feared illness(/disease) because it eats all other fry, and especially those who live at the reef(s) should be dangerous. After another hour (of fishing) I caught a 5 kilogram tuna, which was just perfect. I ate some of it raw and boiled the rest of it (along) with (some) rice. Gradually I have acquired a taste for boiled fish. Something I earlier(/previously) never ate unless it was my mothers boiled codfish.


21 May 2001

Well, now I would really like a little wind. The last 24 hours has given me SEVEN MILES (an average speed of 0.2692307 knots/hour). With that speed I'll arrive in 105 days so I guess I have to ration (somewhat) heavily. I have shopped(/done shopping) for(/to last) 20 days and had expected(/counted on) 7 to 10 days of sailing.
The sea is sufficiently rough meaning I can't have my sails up(/set) without them flapping. Lots of times a breeze comes(/passes) by so I hurry in getting the sails up. And at the same instance they're up the wind has disappeared and they have to come down again. I think someone is pulling my leg. It was really tiresome last night. I do sleep best when Trojka is sailing. Then I seldom wake up, but last night I woke up all he time and set sails I don't know how many times, only to take them down a couple of minutes later (read = when I had laid down (again)).

I would have liked to do this trip in eight days. In that case I could have met Nat's mom before she travels back home in the morning of the 27th.


22 May 2001

If I had a little more experience as a sailor when I left Denmark, I would have brought along a spinnaker(/chute). But (as mentioned, edit) that was caused by my lack of experience and no knowledge of the Pacific Ocean. But just the name (Danish: Calm Ocean, edit) in itself is a hint of how things are.

The most "difficult" sailing I know (of) is a "light wind" sailing, and 90 per cent of the time (spent, edit) in the Pacific has been like this(/(/in this way).
Anyone can (/would be able) sail with a lot of wind, but after getting out into the Pacific I have learned even more concerning(/regarding) trimming of sails and boat. Gradually(/Eventually) I have perfected it to an extent that now I'm moving around the weight (water containers/bottles) (in order) to get the "perfect trim". It's just a rather tiresome(/laborious) way of sailing, since you always have to be(/stay) alert in order for it to sail to an optimum. Light winds also change (directions, edit) quite a bit(/lot). I'm more suited(/up) for rough wind(s) and a couple of ropes in the sails. Then the boat is D... stable and will go on sailing by itself for weeks and I'm back in the role I care much about(/for), just being (a) passenger who only occasionally(/from time to time) check if everything is in working order. But I have learned a lot in under a year. I suppose I was also forced to do that. I have sailed(/covered a distance) of around two oceans (full) of nautical miles, and I guess that would be the equivalent of 10 years of sailing back home. It's probably very(/only a) few who are sailing 1400 miles or more a year. And they won't head(/go) out when there's a strong breeze or more(/worse). Now I have tried(/experienced) the whole repertoire(/repertory), which you sort of have to, when you're out there.
But light wind sailing requires(/calls for) patience and that's not my strongest point. The last 24 hours have given me 65 miles. An average of 2.8 miles/hour. For some periods (of time), I have been obliged to sailing by autopilot. There simply hasn't been enough wind for my Windpilot. No accusing words about the Windpilot, it's been just(/simply) fantastic. But when sailing under 2½ knots, it really doesn't do much steering. Little Trojka is like a leaf on the water. I'm going by as low as 1 knot('s wind). Who's able to do that? Everybody else out here starts the engine when the wind drops to under 10 knots. But it's like running with a rotten egg between your teeth. It's possible, but bloody annoying.........

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From Esbjerg, Denmark to Tahiti aboard a Junker 22