Weather: Finally, last night the clouds cleared just in time for sunset. We had a clear, star filled night and I awoke this morning to blue skies with a few puffy clouds to keep me company - Yay for the solar shower... Oh, and the wind practically died, so sorry for the wind generator (and our sailing speed - currently down to around 3kt). Last night, sunset was on my watch and I got to see the "green flash" a phenomenon that for years I thought was imagined, about as real as fairies and other human invented beings, but I researched and discovered it true; you need clear skies and a good unobstructed view of the horizon (so being at sea is perfect). Last night was indeed the perfect conditions and there it was. I woke this morning all chufffed, and shared this with Kyle - oh, he said, I saw one at sun rise too - so we both got a little mini green treat now the sky has cleared.
General Comments: Sending and receiving email yesterday took several attempts (and many precious sat phone minutes). Each day the email exchange has been taking longer than expected, and we are eating through our minutes so fast we'll run out before we get there (we have setup a system to top up from offshore if necessary, luckily). I think I finally realized the problem - SKYPE was still active. Before an offshore passage, I spend considerable time setting up the computer for off shore mode; making sure it won't try and update Windows, removing any virus checkers, etc , so hopefully the ONLY internet activity should be my sending and receiving emails for 6 minutes a day. I completely overlooked a Skype session that was active and hidden... Grrrr... So I guess I pay the stupid tax. Hopefully our future email exchanges will be back to normal now, and our minutes will last.
A relatively uneventful day (a relief over the previous day). We spotted a barn swallow way out here and don't expect his fate to be a good one. At first he looked as though he wanted to land on Footprint, but he eventually flew off, hopefully to another boat. In the middle of our evening meal, we were visited by dolphins again :-). Kyle and I both watched them from the bow for the 20 minutes they played there.
Food: We are snacking more than eating properly (which probably explains why we don't loose weight on a passage like the rest of the world seems to), but last night I made a favorite of Kyle's - potato soup.
Progress: Yesterday we made 152 nm, So far on this trip we have traveled (through the water) 989 nm, and have 1759 nm (straight line) to go.
General Comments: Sending and receiving email yesterday took several attempts (and many precious sat phone minutes). Each day the email exchange has been taking longer than expected, and we are eating through our minutes so fast we'll run out before we get there (we have setup a system to top up from offshore if necessary, luckily). I think I finally realized the problem - SKYPE was still active. Before an offshore passage, I spend considerable time setting up the computer for off shore mode; making sure it won't try and update Windows, removing any virus checkers, etc , so hopefully the ONLY internet activity should be my sending and receiving emails for 6 minutes a day. I completely overlooked a Skype session that was active and hidden... Grrrr... So I guess I pay the stupid tax. Hopefully our future email exchanges will be back to normal now, and our minutes will last.
A relatively uneventful day (a relief over the previous day). We spotted a barn swallow way out here and don't expect his fate to be a good one. At first he looked as though he wanted to land on Footprint, but he eventually flew off, hopefully to another boat. In the middle of our evening meal, we were visited by dolphins again :-). Kyle and I both watched them from the bow for the 20 minutes they played there.
Food: We are snacking more than eating properly (which probably explains why we don't loose weight on a passage like the rest of the world seems to), but last night I made a favorite of Kyle's - potato soup.
Progress: Yesterday we made 152 nm, So far on this trip we have traveled (through the water) 989 nm, and have 1759 nm (straight line) to go.
2 comments:
Microsoft Network Monitor will show you the internet traffic to and from your computer. Surprisingly for a Microsoft product, it is free to download and easy to use. It would have shown the traffic from the hidden Skype session, if you had used it while prepping your computer for offshore mode. You probably should use it to check for even more nasties that may be lurking as background processes on your computer and sucking up your satellite phone minutes.
Scott
Gemini Catamaran Split Decision
hi guys! i'm so happy to be reading your posts again (i was away for a few days in florida) and hearing about your journey. thanks for all the details - what you're eating, your dolphin and bird visitors, the weather, the boat particulars, and of course most importantly, kyle's unfortunate foot odor. :)
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