ENDURANCE

The wind has been strong (20-25kts) and the waves big (8-12feet) for the past 2 days. I spent some time yesterday before the wind really built up trying to clean the boat because it is getting pretty wet and still smells awful. Because the waves are breaking over the topsides even the tiniest hole is dripping water. I have been able to keep the electronics safe but I now have what seems like about 10 leaks over my bed.
Last night my ship's radar went off about 11pm. The ship wasn't using usual red and green running lights. This light set up helps you to know which direction the boat is going. This ship only had two white lights so I couldn't tell which direction it was heading. There was a lot of lightning around although it wasn't very close to me if counting seconds between the light flash and thunder is accurate. It was pretty eary to be watching out for this ship by the light of lightning. The seas have been confused, coming from different directions. Sometimes 2 waves will come towards each other and slam together. At night when they hit there is a spray of phosphoresence that goes everywhere including on the boat. It is really awesome. I finally got back to bed at 1am. I slept til 3am when my radar alarm sounded - another squall. I am getting very fast at reefing and can get all the sails reefed (shortened) and set in 2 minutes. It used to take me 15!
I slept through the radio net today but I did speak to Moana later this morning. They have caught the first fish. To make things worse it was a 40 pound Yellowfin Tuna. They have so much fish they can't eat it all before it will go bad. They have stopped at the island of Gizo in the Solomon Islands for a week.
Today I had sustained winds of 25 knots for most of the day. I had a squall hit me with 35 knots gusting to 40 knots. I ran up on deck to secure some lines. I didn't have time to put on a shirt. The rain was coming sideways and felt like pins hitting my skin. Before I was able to reef for this squall I was nearly knocked down because I still had so much sail up when it hit. I caught a lot of this on film. I don't know if it can capture how intense it really was though. At one point today I had water in both windows; one side because of being heeled over and the other side because of a huge wave smashing against it.
You could say it has been a rough week. I am so tired and I have to be extra vigilent because there are islands and reefs all around me. I am considering going hove to (Daveh will explain) so I can get some sleep. I have to wait until I am clear of some nav hazards first.
On a positive note, I ate some freeze dried food that my Grandma sent to me in Majuro. It was terriyaki chicken and rice and it was great. I have also been eating power bars and soup trying to keep up on eating because the weather is going to be pretty much the same for awhile as far as I can tell.
Mom says she has asked a lot of people to pray. Thanks for that. The seas have laid down this afternoon so I am hoping to get a good nap before some serious navigating tonight.
Cheers,
Zac