Day 7- Two showers in 24hrs?

Time: 2200 Zulu (noon Hawaii time)
Position: 08-deg 44-min S 161-deg 16-min W
Wind: ENE6-7 Seas: ESE 5-6-ft
Avg. Course: 202 T
Avg. Speed: 5.0-knots
Rig: 80% and full mains'l
24-hr distance traveled: 120-nm
Distance to Suvarrov: 290-nm

Beautiful sunny day, consistent winds, of course it's time for an afternoon shower, whether we need it or not. Our second solar shower has finally given up- the hose to bag connection is leaking. When we pulled it out, it was sadly only half full. Happily, though, we figured that we might as well use it all up, so had the most luxurious underway showers ever. And in case you're worried, we have two more solar shower backups (2 1-gal herbicide applicators, filled with fresh water of course). Quixotic had made landfall, so at our radio check in, they filled us in on their entrance to Suvarrov, etc. We have looked up the tides there and realize that it is +1 more hour west- another reason for the difference in sun rise and set times we are seeing. We had a delicious peanut chicken satay with potatoes over pasta dinner. Then the winds continued throughout the night- with slight decreases, enough to raise the main to 2nd reef. Another blissfully moonlit squall-less night though there was more moisture in the air. Chris did another middle-of-the-night upload/download with successful propagation, and unfortunately the GRIBS forecast much reduced winds for the next two days.

By this morning, the winds decreased enough to raise the full main. We enjoyed potatoes and spbacon with the entertainment of a rainbow from a squall that had passed half in front and half behind us. Similar to the winds we have noted fluctuating between ENE and ESE, it was difficult to tell what direction the squalls were moving this morning. Although decreased in speed, the first few hours of Shawn's morning watch were pleasant. That is, until she heard radio traffic in another language and all of a sudden a large dark cloud mass, reaching all the way to the water, moved overhead. She had already pulled the main down to its 3rd reef in preparation, but at the last moment decided to drop it entirely and called Chris up on deck just in case. It turned out not to pack too much wind, but the rain was quite heavy. After finally reorganizing all of the cockpit lines and pulling the mains'l back up to 3rd reef, yet another squall moved atop us and we dropped the main again. The squalls today are moving distinctly different, more NE to SW versus previously SE to NW. Post squall winds were light enough to bring the mains'l all the way back up and winds have not yet filled back in. We clocked another great mileage day, but unfortunately do not expect the same for the next 24-hrs. Oh well, at least we collected a bit of fresh water from our mast funnel faucet and Shawn even got a second freshwater shower while collecting it, two in one day!

While underway we notice that much of our discussion revolves around nostalgia for landlife and what things we miss. Surprisingly, dairy products have topped that list today (i.e. icecream, butter, yoghurt, cheese, milk). We do still have butter, cheese and milk, but are in conservation mode and use them only sparingly. Chris has set up a third fan at the foot of our seaberth and it is divine. We are getting close to Suvarrov and therefore, are starting to prepare for landfall. We will make every attempt to get to the entrance during early daylight hours.