We left Zihua just before noon, a bit later than planned due to the effort required to break free the stern anchor we set to keep Intermezzo's bow into the swell. We had just enough chain on the bow anchor to be able to back down and get on top of the stern anchor to break it free with the engines. With just a 1:1 scope, it took both engines ahead at 1,800 rpm to break the Fortress FX-37 anchor free, the stern cleat groaning a bit under the load. That's a good anchor.
Winds were light all day, so we motored, boosted by a favorable current I estimate to be close to 2 knots. Around 18:00, the wind increased, just like the PredictWind weather routing software said it would, and we hoisted the Code 0 and enjoyed a quiet dinner.
I didn't do much to celebrate my birthday today. Renee cooked me a nice birthday breakfast, which I thoroughly enjoyed eating but suffered from later in the day. My stomach is getting better, but I think it is still irritated and it definitely doesn't feel good after I eat. It wasn't until dinner time that I felt like eating anything. The worse thing, though, was that I couldn't drink the Lagunitas IPA that Hannah brought me which I have been saving for my birthday. As soon as my stomach feels normal again, I'm going to enjoy that beer immensely. We had decent cell service most of the day, so I also enjoyed reading birthday wishes via email and Facebook. Much appreciated, friends and family.
It was a good thing that we had to motor most of the day, as we needed to charge the batteries and make water. The solar panels aren't quite up to keeping the batteries fully charged in such hot weather, as the fridge compressor runs much more frequently. We're going to have to pay much closer attention to the batteries so that we don't diminish their lives by chronically undercharging them. I'm glad I bought that little booster gas generator.
Time to turn in for a nap. Renee has given me an extra hour before I have to start my watch. Nice birthday gift!
