Phosphorescent night

Easy trade-wind sailing conditions continue; all that's required is the occasional tweak on the wind-steering gear, a slight adjustment to the sails, and infrequently a change of sail pattern from reach/broad-reach to a down-wind goose-winged rig. Feels like we're being spoilt – long may it last. Last night was particularly spectacular; no moon, but clear star-filled skies and at sea level, Kika cutting a blazing phosphorescent trail through the dark water.

Without the sailing to tax us, we have time to read, clean, maintain, fish and cook; all of which we spent sometime doing today. Copying Mata'irea we put more than one line out today. Just as we finished processing our first tuna, the other line shot out. The fridge is again full with two medium tunas. As our fresh stores come to an end we're discovering all sorts of hidden delights squirreled away in our lockers; spinach preserved in a jar, likewise for jars of peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, chillies, capers, gherkins. Most of them date from our time in French Polynesia in 2006 or even before then, in Panama. Perhaps in a couple of years I'll come across the fish stew I made yesterday in the back of a locker somewhere.

Mata'irea are planning to overtake us tomorrow. They've been slowly gaining on us for a week, and are planning to take advantage of our carefully calibrated 130 mile days designed to put us at Raine Island reef-break at day-break on the 7th by blasting along and crossing the reef, just before sunset on the 6th. We'll see. Be great to see them though, especially as they've offered us some of their spare flour. Should be fun; mid-ocean flour transferral.

Position @ 19:00 (GMT +11): S12deg 12' E149deg 09'
Distance to Raine Island Entrance: 302
Daily run: 132