Thursday 18th May 2023 - across the Equator....
11pm Just adjusted our course to head directly towards the Marquesas on 238T, now that we're crossed the Equator and negotiated the ITCZ - or most of it.... Sat in the cockpit to enjoy a partly clear sky - bright stars and the Southern Cross quite high and clear to see.
We had a 20kt squall this morning soon after I'd finished trying to decide how best to cope with a failed first reef - the knot at the tack/luff cringle had failed and the remainder of the line inside the boom ended up jammed ,so I could not take up on it to hold the first reef point down near the boom end...
In light wind and forced to fly a double-reefed mainsail, we're not making as much speed as we should - but we are heading in the right direction now!
I'll try to organise a first reef system outside the boom tomorrow. This evening was spent celebrating our Equator crossing - our eleventh single-handing in Nereida!
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