Day 19 (Tuesday, July 1, 2008) by Mike

Sailing with Dummies (Hawaii to Alaska Edition)

Our day began with a spinnaker flying and the boat skimming along and 10-13 knots. That’s fast for us! As soon as it got light out we took down the spinnaker, since the wind was increasing. We still kept our speed up.

Late in the morning we noticed a gearbox for the steering system was moving. They aren’t supposed to move. To fix this we lowered the sails to remove the pressure from the rudder. And bingo, three hours later it was fixed!

The temperature is noticeably cooler now. The water temperature is in the low 70s. The air temperature on the open ocean is pretty close to the water temperature.

Daily Cuisine:

Mike’s high-seas pizza parlor was open for business in the evening. The wind was strong, causing the boat to shift unexpectedly every now and then. After I put the first of two pizzas in the oven, I walked across the room to check the instruments. The boat shifted, and the second pizza slid off the counter and fell upside-down in the middle of the floor. The joy of cooking (sailing version).

Fishing Report:

This morning I caught a bill fish called a short-billed spearfish. It’s related to the marlin but thinner. This one was about five-feet long and only weighed 19 pounds. It looked like a skinny marlin with a missing spike, which is what I thought it was until I looked it up in the fish books.

Arts and Entertainment:

The boat ride was bumpy, which makes piano-playing a challenge. But we still played.