March 13, 2007 - Maldives to Oman, Day 2
by George & Merima

Hi Everyone!

We enjoyed a lovely day of sailing yesterday, but in the evening, the wind gradually faded away. Finally at 0045 hours we capitulated and started the engine, then motorsailed on and off until late this morning. Fortunately, the seas are slight, so it feels as if we haven't left the anchorage. Everyone was able to get a good sleep last night.

The weather is still stuck on beautiful, with mostly clear skies and light breezes. We've been sailing in 6-8 knots of breeze with the spinnaker up, making 4-5 knots. Not fast, but very comfortable and quiet. My guess is the wind will fade away again tonight so we'll be in for some more engine time. The good news is that the grib files are showing that we can expect, well let's say hope for, fifteen knots on the quarter starting in a day or so. That said, the grib files have been very dodgy since I've been tracking forecast versus actual winds.

The sea around us has been keeping us well entertained along the way. Merima reports that on her watch last night there was an incredible display of bioluminescence. Shipping traffic was nil last evening, but sea life has been abundant throughout the day. There have been plenty of flying fish, and large patches of activity where birds and tuna are feeding on bait fish. A couple of times we dragged the fishing line through with no luck. We did have one on the line this afternoon, but it escaped with a mighty fight before we could get it on board. Tim spotted a mahi-mahi chilling out in the shade of the spinnaker as we ghosted along. We also spotted a shark off the stern, or as Tim called it, "a man in a gray suit." Surfing lingo.

Otherwise, we're enjoying the ride, chilling out and waiting for the breeze to fill in. In our first 24 hours, we made it 153 miles closer to Salalah, aided by a nice breeze yesterday. The second day's run will be well shy of that due to the light airs.

Cheers, George, Merima, Kurt and Tim