At 11:55 PM Mexico Time on Wednesday, April 4th, we crossed the halfway mark between Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Hiva Oa, Marquesas, French Polynesia. We've covered 1,371 miles as the crow flies, at an average speed of 6.7 knots. More than that when you consider the twists and turns we took to take advantage of or avoid weather.
The weather prediction models have been amazingly accurate, and our passage has unfolded as we planned.
Other than a few minor rigging issues early on, the trip has been relatively trouble-free. We’ve all got our sea legs now, and everyone is well-fed and well-rested.
John, Mike, and I stand regular scheduled watches. I have the 8 to 12, John the 12 to 4 watch, and Mike the 4 to 8 watch. That gives us four hours on and eight hours off for plenty of rest. Pam and Joan rotate in the galley, keeping all of us healthy and fed.
This is my first long ocean passage in over 20 years. Many of the old feelings have returned: the daily rhythm of watch standing, navigating, and sleeping; watching the unending beauty and vastness of the huge ocean all around us; sensing the way the boat moves through the changing sea states; the constant, nagging pit of worry in my stomach as my mind cycles through all of the boat’s systems, their status, and what might be going wrong with them right now.
Many things are new. Starlink, for one. What a game-changer. Real-time satellite images, on-demand weather, convenient communication with our buddy boat, and our weather router, talking with the kids, FaceTiming a friend, calling your mom on Easter, keeping up your Wordle streak. Just amazing. Kudos to Gwynn and the SpaceX/Starlink team. What a gift to the world!
PredictWind weather forecasting and routing. What these kiwi software gurus have created is truly remarkable. Twice a day we get updated numerical weather models. Their magical algorithm takes those models, the performance factors of our boat, where we are, and where we want to go and figures out the fastest and most comfortable route. We compare this with our own analysis. Then, once we have a plan we send it to our weather router, MetBob in New Zealand for his blessing. This system is the secret to our passage success thus far.
We also have the ability to make copious amounts of freshwater, and we do it every day. We keep the tanks full. That encourages everyone to have a hot shower when they want one, and it keeps us with 200 gallons of water if the water maker fails for some reason.
We gybed south this morning to cut across the ITCZ (intertropical convergence zone, aka the "doldrums" an area of light wind, lightening, and otherwise squally weather) as quickly as possible. In the next day or so we'll alter course directly to the island. With good luck, we will make landfall in Hiva Oa sometime in the morning of April 11th.
Meanwhile, the boat is moving fast. The crew is well-rested and well-fed, and spirits are high.
Excerpts from the Ship’s Log:
It's Go Time!
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Port captain, immigration, and customs arrive at 10am to stamp our passports and see us off the dock.
Spirits are High
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
All is well. Making great miles on a fast broad reach. Tri tip hoagies last night. Butter chicken tonight. Double reefed main, full Solent, 1/3 daggers. 6’ quartering seas, short period so a bit rolly. Bright sun. Absolutely spectacular sailing.
Making Miles
Thursday, March 28, 2024
All is well. Turned in a 192 nautical mile day yesterday. Presently sailing 8 knots in 12-15 knot winds. Back to a full main and the Code 65, 1/3 daggers. 4’ beam seas, longer 8” period so a more comfortable ride and a good nights sleep last night. Bright sun. Absolutely spectacular sailing.
Windseeking
Friday, March 29, 2024
All is well. Another great 180 nautical mile day yesterday on a fast beam reach.
Ran dead downwind all night under twin headsails and no main. Code 65 set to port and the code zero set to starboard using the main boom as a whisker pole. 3-4 knots in light winds. 1/3 daggers. Slight following seas. On the rhumb line for the Marquesas.
The wind has faded as forecast. We will motor a bit this morning to get further down the track toward the Northeast trades. We expect those on Saturday.
Pasta Bolognese, hot showers and a good night sleep last night.
We left within 30 minutes ahead of our friends Mark and Karen aboard Chaos. They passed within 2 miles of us yesterday evening. Nice to be out here with another boat close by.
Chafe has been our main issue. A strong breeze takes its toll on the running rigging. Today is a good day for repairs.
The Calm
Saturday, March 30, 2024
All is well. We are presently motoring in light air and a slight quartering sea with a high overcast. It’s warm. No more jackets.
Yesterday we sailed through the day under the symmetrical spinnaker (no main) in light air and a slight sea. Delightful sailing.
The calm conditions allowed us to fix everything we broke over the previous few days. Reefing lines. Charging socket in Mike and Joan’s room. John (aka “sparky”) is amazing at fixing stuff.
We stopped for a few minutes for a “swim call”. Diving into the 84F cobalt blue pacific is wonderful. The closest land is straight down.
The crew is well fed and well rested and spirits are high.
The weather is exactly as forecast and we are expecting the breeze to fill in later today and we will be a sailboat once again.
—Jim
Running with Jack and Jill
Sunday, March 31, 2024
All is well.
We have been flying along dead downwind under our twin headsails, Jack and Jill, at 7 to 8 knots in a 12 - 15 knots of breeze since yesterday afternoon. Daggers up.
The wind continues to be exactly as forecast and the weather models agree with our weather router MetBob. We are aiming for a “gate” at 9N 126W to gybe south for the equator.
Our decision to depart on Tuesday and invest in a day of motoring through the calm is paying off with a comfortable, fast passage.
We should make landfall on the night of April 10th depending on how things go in the inter tropical convergence zone (aka the doldrums). It’s a dynamic weather area so things change frequently.
Last night we enjoyed movie night in the cockpit. John brought his video projector and we projected it onto the aft sunscreen. Fun times. TopGun Maverick.
The galley is whipping up Easter Brunch.
Happy Easter
—Jim
A Bumpy Ride
Monday, April 1, 2024
All is well. We are screaming along on a broad reach under double reefed main and solent. Daggers up. 20 - 25 knots winds and 6’ - 8’ moderate seas.
The quartering seas roll underneath us and yaw the boat around making for a bumpy ride. It can be challenging to move around inside the boat when the sea conditions are like this. But the speed is worth it.
Yesterday afternoon we turned west as planned to remain north of the squally weather to the south and to get us to the optimum place to turn south for the equator. We running west on a lane between rainy weather to the south and stronger winds and bigger waves to the north.
The repairs we made to the reefing setup seem to be holding up well.
Pam woke up to find a dead flying fish on the couch in the saloon. He’d flown in through the open port light which we keep open for air. She was NOT happy.
The flying fish are pretty cool to watch but their air navigation leaves something to be desired. We find them all over the deck in the morning. Along with the small squid who somehow also get tossed onto the deck.
—Jim
Fast and Loud
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
All is well. We are presently running downwind in 25 - 30 knot winds, wing on wing with a double reefed main and the Solent poled out to starboard with the spinnaker guy. 1/3 daggers. 8’ quartering sea with a short period.
We ran like this all night with a few scattered showers. The rain washed off the salt and some of the bird poop. The aerial assault by the boobies has been relentless.
When the boat speed goes over 8 knots (and we are surfing up to 14) the experience changes. It gets loud and challenging to move around. Outside the roar of the wake requires raised voices. The wake from the hulls comes together with an occasional wave to “thump” the underside of the bridge deck. Inside it’s like sleeping in a bass drum during a sound check.
But we are not complaining. It’s better to be going fast than slow. We are expecting lighter winds tomorrow.
We are headed to the gybe mark at 9N and 127W when we will turn due south for the equator.
Before we left our dock neighbors Rod and Deb on The Buffalo gave us a chunk of fresh yellow fin tuna they’d caught. Evers from La Cata Del Mar texted us their tuna tartar recipe which our galley crew used to whip up an amazing dinner in very challenging conditions.
—Jim
Freight Train
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
All is well. We are stilling running before high winds of 25 -32 knots under a double reefed main and the Solent poled out to starboard. 1/3 daggers. 10’ quartering seas.
We turned in a noon to noon run of 210 nautical miles. A record for us.
We call this freight train mode. When the boat surfs down a big wave you just hang on.
At night it is darker than the inside of a cow. Overcast with no moon or starlight. You can’t see anything in front of you and yet we are blasting along at over 10 knots. It’s not unlike night instrument flying. It doesn’t do any good to look out the window so you focus on the instruments.
When the gusts hit from the squalls we point the boat a bit more downwind to reduce the apparent wind and that causes the boat speed to rise which makes quite a racket.
Despite all this the galley served up a hot chicken chili with a salad made from the last of our fresh lettuce.
Wind and seas should begin to abate this afternoon.
Go, Roam, go!!!
—Jim
