You can see from the picture of the wind direction indicator at the top of the mast that we have the wind directly behind us today which in many ways is a very good thing. There are however a few problems. One is that even a small variation in wind direction can collapse our genoa which is not good for the sail, if it recovers means a few seconds without power each time it happens and there is a risk of the sail being damaged in the rigging. The solution to this is to use a long metal pole to prop the sail out to one side as you can see in two of the pictures. The reason that Johan is looking pleased is that getting the pole established is a hard trick on the front of a tossing and rolling boat with enormous forces on the lines.
The water has changed noticeably from yesterday when it was the green/brown that you get from sea mixed with muddy river water from the Mackenzie river. Today is is great to see the clear steel grey water of the Arctic Ocean.
Another problem is that the boat tends to turn more with the swell which is moving almost at the same speed as the boat. The auto helm is working very hard today to keep the boat pointing in the right direction and we are very glad to have it working again. This is much less of a problem when the wind is from the side.