20 17.9 S 176 55.0E
Our 1st 18 hrs at sea have been a rather rude reintroduction to life at sea. The good news is our forecast has been accurate. The bad news is the forecast still shows brisk wind and building seas for the next 24 hrs. One prefers to ease into open ocean conditions gently, but as soon as we were out of the shelter of the islands of Fiji, King Neptune was waiting for us. We had anticipated placid conditions since we had poured ample amounts of Kava into the sea the last few days in hopes of mellowing out Neptune. Perhaps he figured out we were only dumping the grounds and sludge (stems and seeds?) from the brew we were preparing and is getting even.
Over night we had steady 20 - 30kt winds and 8 - 12' seas all on the port bow. Sunrise has brought us some moderation, we were both able to get some sleep, and we are pushing Oso to shorten the trip as much as possible. We are running at 1650 rpm and averaging around 9 kts. This is only 1.5 kts faster than our usual more fuel efficient cruising speed, but it takes a whole day out of a 1200 nm passage. I have reached for the throttle a couple times, but just can't make myself pull it back! Rock on.
