Day 11 to FP - Getting Hit

:lat=-12.63:lon=-112.58:
Time: 2330UTC, COG 240T, SOG 7.0kts, Distance Remaining: 1438nm

No, Mark and I are not hitting each other (yet), despite the last days being
rough, uncomfortable, tiring, and moody. We have also not been hit by
dangerous objects, like containers, whales or other boats - touch wood - nor
by lightning. We've been hit by exhaustion after many sleepless nights, and
are not able to fight back. The only thing we want to hit is ourselves for
making some poor decisions about this passage. If there is one thing we've
learned, it is not to underestimate the Pacific Ocean, because she can hit
back hard. And, all out of left field - the south!
We've been hit by millions of waves in all kinds of shapes and sizes. They
attack us from underneath, causing incessant banging, trembling, slamming
and tossing, as well as "by air", from above. Massive towers of water have
come down upon us and our belongings. Wave after wave crashes against Irie's
side or stern and engulfs the cockpit, drenching everything in its path.
Victims include our bananas, plants, cooked meals and us. It's hard to keep
anything alive aboard Irie these days on the jerky motion of the ocean. Even
our spirits.
Squalls hit us too, but none too terribly bad (yet). They usually don't have
a massive amount of wind or rain in them and are short-lived, passing at a
high speed above the boat. What prompted this blog, however, is the invasion
of the flying fish. At night, we hear them hit the side of the hull. In the
morning, we gather them from the trampoline and the side decks. During the
day, we see them fly en masse above the choppy seas, heading for safer
areas, out of Irie's no-nonsense path. And, just a few days ago, they got
braver and "visited" us in the cockpit, after whacking Mark on the head
first. A scene of "The Life of Pi" comes to mind.
Another form of sealife made a direct hit, recently. We're not sure how he
managed or where his jumping talent came from, but a squid propelled himself
onto the mainsail. one third up! He was so stuck, that even hitting the sail
did not detach him. Both sea creatures are said to be good bait, but we
haven't had any success using them. Speaking of things that fly. How is it
possible that we still see birds, 1500 miles away from land? The fishing
must be good here, I reckon, even without squid or flying fish as bait. We
wouldn't know, because we are being chased by a sea too rough to allow us a
hit with fishing.