The sun rose to a dramatic ocean. Big swells were criss-crossing like a physics experiment from 3 directions, occasionally meeting in synch with Aldebaran to give her occupants a good roll-over. Hang onto your tea cups!

Sabby was in the galley fixing up some lunch, when the crash happened. There was a brief moment of silence, then the screaming expletives began… “F*@k you Blender!!!”

Here’s Sabrina’s take on what happened:

“I never thought it would come to this, nor did I realize we were in a relationship… But after the mess he pulled today, Mr. Blender and I are through!

For one second I took my hand off him… I should have known better. But ever since the accident that left him with a broken base he’s so needy of attention all the time, plus he’s old and slow and sometimes smells of burnt motor. Not sure why or how I put up with him for so long, but I guess when you’re stuck in the middle of the Pacific with a freezer full of frozen bananas, he’s your best friend.

But after today, we’re done! He had the audacity to spill an entire pitcher of pineapple, guava, orange, yogurt and milk all over me AND the rest of the galley! It was a total disaster. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry, so I did both. ”

—-

Our mood on the “3 weeks at Sea” milestone was sober. Even though the wind dropped to a more comfortable 15 knots, we could only lay about groggily from mild delirium after a rough night’s sleep, and feeling sad about the casualties from the battle. Even our tea time conversation was markedly grumpy.

On the bright side, we had made excellent distance towards Pitcairn Island- sometime during the night we noticed it was now less than 100nm away! Just like that, we were within shooting distance to arrive on the late afternoon of April 30th, as hoped. That lifted our spirits.

The powerful winds and jumbled seas subsided as quickly as they appeared, down to a pleasant 10knots. Then after dinner (leftovers from yesterday: more of Sabby’s delicious sweet potato veggie burgers!), the wind fizzled completely and we awoke Mr. Isuzu from his slumber, just as the crew of Aldebaran was ready for sleep.

The Southern Cross and Scorpio shone bright on the night sky, guiding us towards our first land sighting in over three weeks.

ALDEBARAN POSITION
0900 hrs. April 30, 2017
S 24 55 W 129 14
Last 24hrs 140nm
Average speed 6.4kts
Distance to Pitcairn: 77nm
Wind 5knots NE
Boat speed 6.5kts (motoring at 1700rpm)
Heading 250 towards Pitcairn.

… we went by Ducie Atoll in the early morning and Henderson Island around midnight, each more than 30 nautical miles away, so we did not see them.