Day 5 Repairs at sea

What does b.o.a,t, mean?
Mark says that cruising is just another word for “fixing you boat in beautiful locations.” and “boat” means “bring on another thousand (dollars)”.
Two days ago, we tried to “fly” the spinnaker, which is a very thin fabric sail that is attached to the very front of the boat, and balloons out even in very light wind. It is used when the wind is low and the boat is sailing away from the wind.
The spinnaker is stored in a sock and is deployed by hoisting it to the top of the mast and pulling off the sock. We proved that this can be a tricky maneuver and managed to put a 5 foot long tear in the spinnaker in the process.
Today the winds were calm again so we got out the sail tape and the sewing machine and patched the tear. (see photo page for pictures). By the time we were done, the wind came up again but we are ready the next time the wind slackens.
We have two radios on board, a marine VHF and a ham radio. The VHF is on 24X7. Channel 16 is monitored by coast guards around the globe and is the emergency channel. Channel 22 is the agreed-upon “hailing channel” for the South Pacific. We are always tuned to channel 22 where we can hear our name if anyone wants us. Several times a day, we hear calls from No Regrets, Golden Lion or other puddle jumpers who have not left yet. Everyone wants to know each other’s position (lat long) and the wind and wave conditions.
The ham radio has a longer range and follows more the protocol of amateur radio community. Every morning there is a “net” call where a moderator asks participants to check in with their position and any news. These are very handy ways to find out who is in the vicinity and also to compare notes on the best heading to find the wind.
At 8:15 every morning there is a detailed weather report with a forecast for the next 6 days.
In addition, we can send and receive e-mail via the ham radio. One very important e-mail every day is a weather map showing wind and current conditions in the entire Pacific Ocean. This report comes from a U.S. Government agency and is provided for military and commercial ships.
So can you find us on your map? Look on the side for the latitude and longitude markers. You will find us at 17º50’N and 109º55’W on a bearing of 200º SW. We expect to pass Soccorro Island tonight and head for an Equator crossing at about 130ºW longitude.