A Near Science Experience

We've decided to name our windvane after Nemo, our cat. They both move about the same amount, and until now they have been nearly equally productive members of the crew. Lately, Nemo has been taking over the steering for us full time, and that has been incredible. He still doesn't move much, but just a little twitch and he steers us around the squalls and then back on course - north-northeast. We are trying for an equator crossing close to 145 degrees west, as per the advice of our weather router. The more east we make now, the easier our lives will be once we are north of the doldrums and hit the northeast trades.

Last night, we had to reduce sail because we saw many squalls with strong gusty breezes, so we hadn't made as much headway as we would have liked. Tonight, we have been sailing with the two headsails in >20 knots of wind, and making good time. At about sundown, we were sitting in the cockpit, enjoying Nemo's company as he deftly maneuvered Columbine around the waves. All of a sudden, I noticed a tall antenna and a bright yellow buoy approaching off the starboard bow! It looked like the kind of stuff my physical oceanography friends would have put in the ocean, cluttered with gear that measures water characteristics like temperature, current speed, and depth. "Look, Glenn! Science!" It's a big ocean, but a small world, I guess. Nemo steered us well clear of that floating obstruction.

Our current position is 9 deg 29.9' S; 149 deg 13.0' W.