The Third Day at Sea

On Tuesday March 10, we said farewell to all our friends in La Cruz and took Bravado out of her slip all the way over to the fuel dock. There we got rid of our last Mexican pesos by filling her up with diesel and left for the Marquesas. That day three boats sailed out: Hipnautical, Apple and Bravado. The winds looked favorable and we covered a good distance. We had one problem though, the engine was not taking in or spitting out any cooling water. So Ewout spent the first two days down below in the engine room. The second day we decided that if the problem was not resolved by 6pm, we would return to La Cruz. There is enough wind that we can sail, but we need the engine for our watermaker and fridge. Luckily, Ewout and Gerbrand discovered that there was an air bubble trapped in the system and they resolved the problem.
In the morning we check in with all the other boats that are underway to the Marquesas. It is really good to hear the voices of the other crews and to know that you are not alone out there. As the Puddle Jump (that is what the run from Mexico to the Marquesas is called) coordinator said: the Pacific Ocean is really really really really BIG.
In the first 40 hours we covered 326 nautical miles (out of 3000), if this holds up we should be there in three weeks. The crew is doing fine. The children are all a little seasick ranging from very mild, Eltjo, to medium, Jet, to somewhat more, Hein. Give it a day or two and they will be over it. All adults are well, Gerbrand has been standing watch from Day 1, which is quite remarkable. It is fabulous to have an extra crew member and doing only one watch at night.
We'll keep you posted.