Day 138 Sailing

Position @ 1900 - S14º00 W165º49
While we may have avoided unpleasant head winds, we appear to have also avoided any significant tail wind as well. For most of the day, the wind was in the 5 to 10 knot range meaning that our boat speed was in the 4 to 6 knot range and most of the time it was more 4 than 6.
Rose Island is 305 nautical miles from Suwarrow and we departed Suwarrow at about 1030. If we can keep our speed up, we will get there during the daylight and can safely enter the pass into the lagoon. Otherwise we have two choices, hang around all night at a safe distance from the island, as we did on the way to Suwarrow, or bypass the island and go on to Pago Pago (pronounced pahngo pahngo, this on the island of Tutuila and is the capital of American Samoa). We will make that decision when we get near the island.
One other factor is if the other three boats that left before us are already safely anchored in the lagoon and they are willing to come out by dinghy and guide us in, we might trust that we can get safely anchored in the dark. If so, this would be the first time we have done that.
With no appreciable wind, no fish biting, no squalls and the autopilot doing the driving, there is not much to do except read, eat and nap. We did a book trade in Suwarrow and got about 10 new books. Most of them are done now. Also, we are low on provisions having run out of things like juice, meat, bread and fresh fruits and vegetables. These facts may also influence our decision about stopping versus pushing on. Pago Pago is a U.S. port that uses U.S. dollars and, according to the guide books, has the shopping conveniences that are similar to what we would be used to at home. The selection may be a bit more limited but the availability of familiar items and brands will be a welcome treat, particularly compared to the selection in French Polynesia.