Current Position: 5 09.573’ S 134 24.688’W; Local Timezone: UTC-9; HDG: 192; COG: 205; SOG: 4.4 kt; TWS: ?; TWD: ?; TWA: ?; Distance to Waypoint (Hiva Oa): 392 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 2997 nm;
Comments: At 17:20, just before dusk, I am got hit by a large storm with 20-25 kt winds. I furled in half the jib, left one reef in the main, and adjusted my course due W to slow the boat down. It looks to me like it will be like this all night. Looks like somewhat lighter winds W until Wednesday, the. The opportunity to head S for a better angle on the Marquesas when strong winds are expected Friday. At 3:15 I got hit by a squall with sustained 25 kt winds and gusts to 30 with heavy rain. The boat handled it well. The wind vane kept the boat more-or-less on course. There was significant heeling, but the boat did not feel out of control. The first one was followed by a series of more, perhaps a half dozen. It’s 7:00 and there seems to be a break in the squalls. I am being hit on the beam by very large (8-10’) waves, but I am not rolling much because the boat is heeled over in 20+ kt winds. I am taking the opportunity to hard boil some eggs. I have not had anything but a couple of power bars and tangerines since Sunday. Don’t like heating the cabin up any more than it already is, but I need some protein. I didn’t get under sail until about 17:00 yesterday. As of 9:00 this morning, I have made about 84 nm, which is an average speed of 5.25 kt. According to the weather forecast, the wind was supposed to be lightening up, but I’ve had pretty much 20+ kt winds since 2:00. By 9:30 the wind has shifted to 120, making it a beam reach to the waypoint. The boat is doing 6.5-7 kt in 18-20 kt wind. Midday, the wind instrument failed. It was no longer reporting wind speed or direction. The instrument is located on top of the mast and is connected by a single cable that plugs into an interface dongle, which itself is plugged into the NEMA2000 network. The other instruments on the network are functioning. I have disconnected and reseated the connectors I have access to, and exchanged them with NEMA2000 T-connectors that are known to be working, but no luck. The problem must either be the connector at the top of the mast or more likely the instrument itself. I do not have a spare instrument. Of course, I know the wind direction and approximate speed, so there is no problem sailing, but it is an inconvenience. I just passed the 3000 nm mark, the distance I have sailed from San Carlos. About 400 nm more to go. At 14:00 I was hit with a strong squall. It was more than the wind vane could handle, probably 30+ kt winds. I steered by hand for a bit, changing the course to be more downwind to slow the boat and reduce heel. Eventually, it was too much for me as well and I heaved to. The boat came to a stop and was well-behaved as the front of the squall passed with heavy rain. During the maelstrom, the temple of my glasses broke (everything on a boat is already broken, you just don’t know it). Fortunately, I keep a spare pair at the navigation station. I was heaved to for about 15m, then began sailing again in perhaps 15 kt winds. At 14:45, 45m later, I was hit by an even larger squall. Again, I had to heave to. The worse of it pasted in 10m. I have had water come in through the chain locker when waves come over the bow, sometimes several gallons. There is a drain hose that runs from the locker to the shower sump, where there is a bilge pump. The pump works, but for some reason the float switch is not, so I need to operate it once a day manually if ai have had heave seas. I double checked that the water was coming from the chain locker because the same hose is connected to a bilge pump in the bow thruster/battery compartment underneath the V-berth. I checked that locker and it is dry. When it was clear the storm was going to be around for a bit, tired and wet from dealing with so many, I just left the boat heaved to for a half hour, rested, and got something to eat. Unlike many modern boats that have fin keels and do not heave to easily, Aegir-Ran with its full keel is very well behaved.
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Comments: At 17:20, just before dusk, I am got hit by a large storm with 20-25 kt winds. I furled in half the jib, left one reef in the main, and adjusted my course due W to slow the boat down. It looks to me like it will be like this all night. Looks like somewhat lighter winds W until Wednesday, the. The opportunity to head S for a better angle on the Marquesas when strong winds are expected Friday. At 3:15 I got hit by a squall with sustained 25 kt winds and gusts to 30 with heavy rain. The boat handled it well. The wind vane kept the boat more-or-less on course. There was significant heeling, but the boat did not feel out of control. The first one was followed by a series of more, perhaps a half dozen. It’s 7:00 and there seems to be a break in the squalls. I am being hit on the beam by very large (8-10’) waves, but I am not rolling much because the boat is heeled over in 20+ kt winds. I am taking the opportunity to hard boil some eggs. I have not had anything but a couple of power bars and tangerines since Sunday. Don’t like heating the cabin up any more than it already is, but I need some protein. I didn’t get under sail until about 17:00 yesterday. As of 9:00 this morning, I have made about 84 nm, which is an average speed of 5.25 kt. According to the weather forecast, the wind was supposed to be lightening up, but I’ve had pretty much 20+ kt winds since 2:00. By 9:30 the wind has shifted to 120, making it a beam reach to the waypoint. The boat is doing 6.5-7 kt in 18-20 kt wind. Midday, the wind instrument failed. It was no longer reporting wind speed or direction. The instrument is located on top of the mast and is connected by a single cable that plugs into an interface dongle, which itself is plugged into the NEMA2000 network. The other instruments on the network are functioning. I have disconnected and reseated the connectors I have access to, and exchanged them with NEMA2000 T-connectors that are known to be working, but no luck. The problem must either be the connector at the top of the mast or more likely the instrument itself. I do not have a spare instrument. Of course, I know the wind direction and approximate speed, so there is no problem sailing, but it is an inconvenience. I just passed the 3000 nm mark, the distance I have sailed from San Carlos. About 400 nm more to go. At 14:00 I was hit with a strong squall. It was more than the wind vane could handle, probably 30+ kt winds. I steered by hand for a bit, changing the course to be more downwind to slow the boat and reduce heel. Eventually, it was too much for me as well and I heaved to. The boat came to a stop and was well-behaved as the front of the squall passed with heavy rain. During the maelstrom, the temple of my glasses broke (everything on a boat is already broken, you just don’t know it). Fortunately, I keep a spare pair at the navigation station. I was heaved to for about 15m, then began sailing again in perhaps 15 kt winds. At 14:45, 45m later, I was hit by an even larger squall. Again, I had to heave to. The worse of it pasted in 10m. I have had water come in through the chain locker when waves come over the bow, sometimes several gallons. There is a drain hose that runs from the locker to the shower sump, where there is a bilge pump. The pump works, but for some reason the float switch is not, so I need to operate it once a day manually if ai have had heave seas. I double checked that the water was coming from the chain locker because the same hose is connected to a bilge pump in the bow thruster/battery compartment underneath the V-berth. I checked that locker and it is dry. When it was clear the storm was going to be around for a bit, tired and wet from dealing with so many, I just left the boat heaved to for a half hour, rested, and got something to eat. Unlike many modern boats that have fin keels and do not heave to easily, Aegir-Ran with its full keel is very well behaved.
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