We spend half of Saturday morning at immigration trying to get our exit documentation, and the rest provisioning: fresh fruit and veg from the marvellous market, where silent women sit cross-legged displayng their produce in neatly packed one-dollar bags, and last minute cheese and tortillas from roadside tiendas. On the way back to the boat David pops into an internet cafe to check the latest weather models, only to emerge hours later declaring that we might be best off leaving straight away. Apparently the windless forecast is worsening and a pattern of convection travelling south west is emerging which is travelling about the same speed as a boat. If we leave right away we might be able to get ahead of the rainy, windless conditions associated with it.
So we quickly check everything: water tanks, diesel, spare water, emergency grab bag, and finding all in good order apart from the spare water tanks which have leaked a little, we pull anchor at 5:15 and set off to sail the 3048 nautical miles to the Marquesas. We’ve only got enough diesel to motor about 700 miles, so we seriously hope the wind will kick in, despite the forecast. We’re reckoning that it will take somewhere between 21 and 28 days, and it feels strange to leave land knowing we might not get off the boat for another month.
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SV Bob The Cat 