Day 44 The second passage

Back to sea
Position 9º35 X 141º30 (as of 0500 UT on 4/19)
Passage - It was strange to think that a 450 mile trip across open ocean was no big deal. We had learned that the autopilot only works when the main sail is reefed and the jib furled. Remembering back to our first passage we also recalled that by deploying the staysail, we could limit the hull’s reaction to the ocean waves. These two factors did not eliminate being tossed about but our experience with this environment made it easier.
We also had more experience with provisioning for sea passages. Rather than trying to cook every meal, we stocked up on hard boiled eggs. Using a hint from Golden Lion, we cooked several pounds of mini hamburgers and put them in the freezer. With these ingredients and the fresh vegetables we were able to purchase in Oa Pou, we could put together a reasonable meal without spending too much time in the galley. The combination of hunger and a good galley lashing is bound to lead to seasickness eventually.
Time - We changed our clocks by one-half hour. Of course there are theoretically 24 times zones circling the globe with the starting zone passing through Greenwich, England. This is called the “Prime Meridian” or simply Greenwich time (also UT for universal time or Zulu time). Each time zone is related to UT by a plus (if you are East) or a minus (if you are West). San Francisco standard time it UT - 8 or 8 hours behind Greenwich time. Honolulu is UT - 10 or two hours later. Most of French Polynesia is in the same time zone as Honolulu but Isles Marquises are just far enough East to make sunrise and sunset occur too late so their time zone is UT - 9½. At first we had trouble believing that there was a time zone that is a half hour from its neighbors but this one is.
Radio net - At 0500 UT every day, the Puddle Jumpers in this part of the Pacific sign on to the SSB (single side band) ham radio frequency 8.188 Mhz. This way we can check on each other, learn what is ahead, chat, and generally catch up on each other’s activities. We report our position, the weather, waves, ship sightings and anything else of interest. We know that Dirigo caught a big tuna, Surprise got their rudder repaired (did you know FedEx delivers to Hiva Oa?) Far Niente is on their way to Manihi, Dream Keeper arrived in Fatu Hiva, etc. It is nice to keep in touch with this interesting community of travelers.