Vanuatu

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Rough coming and going...

This is a parting shot from Musket Cove, looking toward Vanuatu 450nm to the west.

We don't have any sailing pics for the simple reason that it was the Passage From Hell and we didn't want to risk ruining the camera just to shoot evil seas we'd just as soon forget. The winds were light at first, but suddenly jumped to over 40 knots. The autopilot resigned from the crew owing to its inability to influence our direction as we desperately tried to shorten sail. The admiral therefore had to fight the wheel while the capt struggled to get enough sail down to regain control. Way too much adventure.

The rest of the passage was exceptionally miserable, with constant boarding seas filling the cockpit and seeking any leaky hatch to stream into. The floor (OK, cabin sole) was strewn with debris and coated with seawater, with no respite, such that we simply gave up attempting to bring any order to the chaos. The admiral was sick the whole time, so nutrition was limited to Pringles and Beanie Weenies. Fortunately, the torture was only 3 days, but it felt like 3 weeks.

So, having suffered vicariously with us, please join us as we do more pleasant things in Vanuatu South.

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