I was on watch from 02:00 to 06:00. Around 03:00 I noticed the oil alarm on the STBD engine that we were currently running on was just on the threshold of alarming.
So I went down stairs to the engine room to check on things and discovered once again the seal around the oil filter was badly leaking and we had lost most of the oil into the bilge, so I went back up to the helm and started the port engine and when I reduced the revs on the STBD engine the oil alarm came on permanently, so I quickly shut it down.
I will sort it out later when the sun comes up. We passed through an area with some sea mounts where the depth went from around 300m to 20m that would be an awesome place to stop for a dive or some fishing. We also passed several tide gauges at Pee Shoal and Dillon Shoal and we could see a light on both of them in the distance.
Next, we passed close by the Bay Undan oil field and the Jabiru FPSO and there were dolphins riding our bow wave for many hours throughout night. The moon was nearly full lighting up the night and it looked incredible through the binoculars.
At one stage we passed what I assumed to be a small wooden Indonesian fishing boat. It passed about 2.5nm away and I could see a small light, but I couldn’t pick it up on the RADAR until it got at the closest point to us. He was about 150nm from the closest land in Indonesia.
We followed Venus, Jupiter and Mars all lined up in a row and I spent hours laying in the trampoline looking up at the start, watching satellites and falling stars. For many hours we had around six knots of wind and with the main sail up, it helped blow us along at over seven knots.
It was an amazing sight laying in the trampoline watching the sun slowly rise, as by then it was glassy calm and there were small sea snakes everywhere. I was very tired and glad to be relieved by Luke around 06:00. When I climbed into bed I immediately crashed out into a deep sleep.
I woke up around 09:30 and cooked sausages once again for breakfast as I am trying to empty the freezer so we don't have to throw everything away. It was hot and the ocean was glassed out so much you could hardly see the horizon.
We still haven’t seen another boat since leaving Rote Island, now 190nm behind us. I poured 80 litres of diesel into the fuel tank from four jerry cans and there are now 110 litres in the main tank. Next task was to clean up all the oil in the STBD engine room that leaked out of the oil filter. I spent the next three hours in the hot cramped engine room mopping up about five litres of dirty black sump oil.
I hate getting this stuff all over me and I also managed to get it on my bed and also flicked it on the nice white walls in my cabin. Finally, I got it cleaned up pretty well and I replaced the oil filter with a new one with hopefully a good seal and then I filled the engine with fresh oil. I decided not to touch both V-belts if they were still working OK.
I then went and checked the fuel filter on the port engine and discovered it was pulling a high vacuum indicating it was clogged up, so I replaced both engine fuel filters and spent another hour cleaning up.
By now it was dark and I was filthy, my back was hurting and I was extremely tired, so I took a long nice shower on the back step and cooled off. Luke cooked some lovely fried rice and after dinner, he went to bed leaving me to take the first watch. It was another beautiful night with the ocean glassed out and with a full moon lighting up the way home. I sat up for as long as I could and Luke came to relieve me around 10:00 and I fell instantly to sleep.
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