We caught a small wahoo
yesterday. Also known as ono in Hawaiian, it was so sneaky that it took all the
line off the reel to the bitter end before we noticed it was on. By then it had
drowned and was quite a drag to reel in (we did not slow the boat). Today we
have had a couple strikes but no landed fish.

We were wing and wing sailplan in 8 to 12 kn breeze since
leaving Penrhyn yesterday. The wind is finally filling in as advertised to 15
to 18 kn and we are now broad reaching with full main and genoa.

The Cook
Island atoll of Manihiki will be off our starboard beam in a few hours but
we will not be stopping. Only the uncomfortable anchorage outside the lagoon
would be accessible to us. After the oysters in Penrhyn were wiped out by
disease in 2000, Manihiki
is now the center of black pearl production in the Cook Islands. We got our
fill of black pearls in the Tuamotus
and are keen to get to Vavau where temperatures are somewhat more reasonable.
We have taken to running the air conditioning concurrent with battery charging
by auxiliary generator during midday when pilothouse temperatures can reach
105F.

On June 12, 2024

1200 Cook Island Time

1500 PDT

1000 NZST (June 13)

Our position was:

10d19.1m S, 160d32.5m W

COG 238dT

Noon to noon: 151 nm