A bit tense in the Whitters camp. McQ asleep and oblivious. We're 30 miles from Amchitks Island, about 50 miles west of the ideal spot to push the stick forward and dive the veehicle into the mosh pit (how's that for a three tier mixed metaphor?) and the wind is building - now 15 - 20 apparent as we progress - and we're on the stbd tack, so working the damaged shroud. I've just put the 3rd reef in to minimise the stress, everything softly softly, trying not to pound. Shortish steep sea, not too difficult, water now grey olive greenish but seems crystal clear. Our chart tidal data is set to Sydney time (it would be wouldn't it, when everything else in the software is on UTC!) but if I've got it right, it tells us that the tide turns against us at around midnight tonight until about 0900 tomoz. This more or less correlates with Kimbra's data, (hers set to UTC - 10). and for a different tidal station. Seems to me, therefore, that we can get ourselves as close as we can by midnight, perhaps motor NE to get a better position and start going in around 0600ADT, on the last of the ebb. I think we'll have to motor unless we can get upwind somehow. Then it's all down to Huey and the Examiner.
Wish us luck!
I think I need a calming consultation - it's the Alchemist today.
A couple of hours later - calm prevails, the Alchemist has worked his magic, McQ up and cooking, wind easing, sea still olive grey - like volcanic glass - and I saw Berri's and my very first Puffin - tubby beast, very flappy and with THAT face - if not a puffin, then a guillemot or an auk? 24 miles from Amchitka Island, no spot heights on chart so don't know what to look for but it looks a bit like Lord Howe. Semisopochnoi to the north looks just a bit interesting too. The Plan is to plough on until something tells us to stop. As McQ says, a 50 mile wide pass is just like the Channel, but this one's a lot shallower.
