December 10, 1200 UTCDistance to go: 1,592nm
Wind and waves: NE 12-15kn, 1.5-2m
Sails: Main and genoa, wing and wing
I almost broke my toe banging it against the wall when Seb called out for me to come outside. Bad things are reputed to happen in threes so after our leaky oil filter and broken main sheet and block we must have been due. Yesterday we were cruising at a comfortable (and very fast) 7-8 knots with the halfwinder when it suddenly collapsed and sank slowly into the water. Seb and I detached the snubber and pulled it in and then coaxed the huge sail out from underneath the boat where it was caught between the keel and rudder - no small task in bumpy waves. Luckily neither the relatively fragile sail or snubber was damaged. Further inspection led us to a chafed/ sheered through halyard. Unfortunately we cannot figure out the cause of the break and are reluctant to hoist the halfwinder again using our reserve halyard. As such, we are cruising along at 6 knots with the main and genoa out wing and wing. It is a little less comfortable and a bit slower but it keeps us on course and we are making good progress.
Other than this setback all is well on board. Emma and Macsen seem to have settled well into the routine and we try to keep their days (and ours) filled with a variety of activities to keep them busy. The days pass fairly quickly and it is a really cosy atmosphere and we are really having fun (more than I expected). We saw our first boat in three days last night when we came within three nautical miles of a well lit fishing trawler, amazing in the middle of this big ocean.
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