Murray and the Game of Inches

One of the featured entertainments for the crew, especially on late nights on anchor watch, was to watch the series "Game of Thrones". Haven't seen too many of the episodes myself, although I've read most of the books. Started the 5th book, but something happened to my Kindle, and the screen doesn't work right anymore. On watch with Murray Bright, we play the "Game of Inches." Murray is an expert with the sails, and is constantly checking and rechecking sail set to maximize our performance and stay with the course line. Often, his adjustments are a matter of inches, sometimes it requires changing the head sail to change our angle. Lately, as we haven't been able to sail our course line, we have been tacking to the the southwest and to the east to make our way towards New Caledonia. Steering on watch, we play the game of inches by steering as close to the wind as possible without luffing and inadvertently tacking. It's a challenge, especially in the black of a cloudy night to sense the moment when your speed drops...right before the luff. We listen for the flutter of the sails and the jingling of the reefing rings in the mizzen. It's been a challenge, when heading east, to break the 90 degree mark. Going east is great, and when our captain Greg woke up this morning and saw that we'd been holding 110 degrees, he felt like it was Christmas morning. Every inch of southeasting we squeeze out saves us time and distance in the long run. Murray has been exceptionally encouraging, noting our efforts to better the mark. Someone dropped a small coin on the mat under the sweep this morning, and if we were doing well, Murray tossed the coin back at us. Last night, our reward was a second round of hot Milo and a sizzzling fried malolo that was unlucky enough to land on the deck. This leg will most likely turn out to be the most difficult of my time on the waka, and will determine the fate of some of us as to whether we sail or fly. Those who are for sure sailing into New Zealand are praying for a fast run. If Tawhirimatea (wind god) is with them, they might actually arrive before I depart. A hui hou from the Coral Sea...

Things I will miss when this is over:
smooth night with lots of stars
Murray and Brendan, my builder buddies
fresh fish
seeing new places
the Faafaite girls
the Marumaru Atua men
night watch and hot Milo
the game of inches
Ikaika's hoe dance

Things I won't miss:
peeling dead malolo and squid off the deck
using my head in the corner of the bathroom to balance while I pull up my pants in rough seas
pulling buckets in rough seas or at high speed
bathing in cold, rough weather
the constant film of salt on everything all the time
being tossed airborne in my bunk as we bump along upwind
wearing foul weather gear constantly to be dry inside
getting wet INSIDE the wet weather gear