Author: mtashby

Current Position: 1 12.532’S 131 37.492’W; Local Timezone: UTC-9; HDG: 190; COG: 184; SOG: 2.2 kt; TWS: 5.2 kt; TWD: 085; TWA: 110; Distance to Waypoint (Hiva Oa): 679 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 2690 nm;
Comments: Note, the date and all the times in this report are local (UTC-9). About 10 nm after I crossed the equator, the surge shifted from NE to SE. this was not supposed to happen according to the models for perhaps 180 miles south or Tuesday at my location. The result was wind and waves that were perpendicular to one another, making for an interesting ride. My PredictWind forecasts are UTC-7, but I am in the UTC-9 time zone. It is currently 18:15 in UTC-9 and almost sunset. The wind is currently 11 kt. According to the forecast, the winds should drop down to single digits after sunset and to 5-6 kt by 3:00 local. I am staying awake with fully deployed sails as long as I have double digit winds, as I can make 5-5.5 kt on. However, if the winds drop to 5, the wind vane will not longer be effective and with the large swell the sails will flag. In that case I will drop the main, just fly the headsails, and basically drift in the direction of the wind, which happens to be toward the waypoint. Sunset was at 17:43 (UTC-9). As the sun set nearly due W, a an almost full moon rose nearly due E. At sunset the boat was doing 5.5 kt in 10.2 kt of wind. As predicted, the wind dropped to about 7 kt right after sunset. However, I was still able to make 4 kt due south, so I left the sails up and switched to the TillerPilot. There were no threatening clouds. At midnight I did a check and found 6 kt of wind. I relaxed the sheet of the jib to allow it to bellow and was surprised to get 4 kt with a COG of 170 and a TWA of 90 (thus taking full advantage of the staysail), due in part to very smooth seas. Once the boat was moving that extra kt, it made its own wind (TWS was 6 but AWS was 7.5), filling the mainsail, keeping it from flagging (which was keeping me awake). I had made more than half a degree S already, I could anticipate picking up significant winds again once I made it 2-3 degrees S, and could once again start making my way more W. I dozed in the cockpit, where it was cooler and the sounds of the rigging were not amplified as they were below deck. At 1:30 it started to sprinkle. However, the wind did not pick up and it did not look threatening. Radar showed a string of four squalls about 11 nm behind me (to the NW), but nothing in front of me. Since the prevailing wind was from the E, they were not a threat. The winds were variable from 1-6 kt the rest of the night. I woke at 5:00 because the boat had heaved to by itself, was pointed N, and not moving. I turned the boat around in 3 kt of winding the SE and made 1.5 kt, but I had to use the TillerPilot to keep on course,essentially towards the waypoint. There was not enough wind to fill the main and the rocking of the boat caused it to flag. Sunrise was 5:48. I dropped and bagged the staysail and lowered the main. I left the Yankee up to afford some stability. The wind gauge read 0-2 kt and the direction swung between 110 and 170. I was becalmed, drift in a 0.5 kt current from the SW, heading in the wrong direction. I figured my next move would be to deploy the asymmetrical spinnaker, but I would wait until I had a steady 5 kt. I could have of course fired up the “iron jib”, and I certainly had enough fuel to motor the 700 nm to the Marquesas, but I prefer the sound of the wind and waves. It was going to get very hot, so I opened up some portholes and made myself some tea. Note I made about 70 nm in the past 24h, but I will restart the measurement at 9:00 local (UTC-9), which starts at 713 nm. There is something bioluminescence in the water, maybe 10’ down, just drifting with the current like me. The wind speed slowly built to 6 and stabilized at about 150, a close haul to the waypoint. The wind is supposed to be closer to 110 and eventually 90, so I am holding out for that. The jib was interfering with the wind instruments so even though I rock without it being deployed, I have furled it in so I can see what is happening. Also, it is easier to raise the asymm without the jib in the way. I launched the asymm for the first time and experimented with it. I can get 4/5 kt out of 5-6 kt wind. However, the bowsprit extension I made bent and the some of the running rigging needs to be changed (the bow pulpit is in the way and might be damaged. I am going to remove the bow pulpit extension and use the holes in the bracket to rig a block for the tack line. Also, I need an adjustable soft lashing to attach the tack to the swivel because the fixed one I have is not long enough (the torsion cable gets twisted because it is not extended far enough). I need to reroute the continuous curling line and the sheet so they don’t come in contact with the stanchions. Finally, the elastic band for the block for the continuous furling line has too much stretch. It’s allowing the furling line to wrap around the outside of the drum. I need to lash the block with a shorter piece of elastic band. I will try to make the modification to the bowsprit in the morning, when I assume it won’t be pitching as much. By 14:00, I had steady 5-6 kt winds to the beam and could sail south at 2.5-3 kt. Hopefully by Monday I will be making good time again.

Current Position: 0 0.000 N/S 131 13.836’W; HDG: 182; COG: 188; SOG: 4.3 kt; TWS: 8.1 kt; TWD: 061; TWA: 124; Distance to Waypoint (Hiva Oa): 750nm; Total Miles Sailed: 2619 nm;
Comments: At 14:30, during a lull in the 12 kt wind, I furled in half the Yankee and put a reef in the main. I also left the staysail flying, which essentially blanketed the remaining Yankee. There was nothing on the horizon that was threatening, but given the number of squalls the last few days, it’s better to be safe and loose a kt of boat speed. The boat made about 5 kt with 11 kt wind nearly on the beam. The cargo ship I’d been following all yesterday finally passed me 10 nm to my stern right at dusk (17:45, yesterday). It was hot in the cabin, so I slept in the cockpit until after midnight, then moved to the cabin. I woke to the 1:30 alarm to find one of the wind vane control lines had come loose and the boat had rounded up to the SE. I changed the course to 185. The boat was doing 4.5 kt in 10 kt wind and was below one degree N. I woke up just before dawn there were no immediate threats so I unfurled the rest of the Yankee and shook out the reef in the main. I was doing a little over 5 kt in 9 kt of wind in a broad reach towards the waypoint. Sunrise was at 5:41. The 7:00 (corrected for the time zone) checked showed (877-782) 95 nm progress to the waypoint. This is the first time in a while I have not made 100 nm towards the waypoint in a 24h period, due to the facts that the winds are less as I approach the equator and I have been sailing about 25 degrees off the waypoint about half the time. The winds have been backing towards the north (currently 55 degrees) all morning, making it difficult to make progress south and still maintain boat speed. I am supposed to run out of wind tonight about midnight, probably until Monday. I would like to cross the equator before I do (not that it really makes any difference other than physiological). At 9:00, I am seeing clouds build to the east. Remarkably, the control line for the wind vane is frayed again in the same place. There must be a burr there. I passed the equator at 15:00 at W 131 13.836’ with 750.5 nm to go to the waypoint. There was something immensely satisfying watching the “N” turn into a “S”. I am in the South Pacific. I have been very lucky with storms today. I have seen several squall line pass in the distance ahead of me, but none threatened me. I really want to take advantage of the remaining wind. There should be a bright moon tonight, so I believe I will leave the sails deployed, doze in the cockpit, and keep an eye out for squalls. I can catch up with my sleep when I am becalmed. Finally, I have discovered that clock in the chart plotter does not automatically update the time zone (and although my iPhone has a GPS, it must be connected to cell service or the internet to update its time zone), and all of my log entries to date have been UTC-7, the time zone for San Carlos, MX. When I have a chance, I will go back to my previous posts and correct the times. This is really only an issue for the last couple of entries, when I entered UTC-9, as UTC -7 and UTC-8 in Mexico are the same time (just like Arizona and California are the same time this time of year). In the meantime, to avoid confusion, I will report the UTC time (and what I believe the local time is relative to the UTC time). All of the times in this report are in UTC-9.

Current Position: 1 41.834’N 130 51.842’W; HDG: 201; COG: 206; SOG: 6.2 kt; TWS: 12.4 kt; TWD: 092; TWA: 105; Distance to Waypoint (Hiva Oa): 845 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 2509 nm;
Comments: A massive squall passed in front of me yesterday evening at 17:00. This is in addition to the one that passed through a few hours earlier. It showed up as a line of downpours. At about 17:30, I was hit with a downpour that lasted about 20m. The rain was not accompanied with winds. In fact, the wind died to practically zero until the showers passed, then the wind picked up to 8-10 kt from 70 degrees, just like PredictWind had promised, albeit earlier in the afternoon. I was able to make 4 kt directly at the waypoint with half a Yankee and one reef in the main. The forecast was for similar conditions (gusts up to 15) overnight. However, I was surrounded by squalls so decided to fly reduced sail overnight. At one point I had three squalls (E, SW, and NE) around me and the wind direction was moving from N to E to SE, and back. The wind vane was useless. I set the TillerPilot to 200. I was up until midnight as strong squalls hit the boat every hour or so. The boat never felt overpowered, but I did routinely see 25 kt winds at the peak of each squall. Half the Yankee and one reef is about right for those wind speeds. Nonetheless, I stayed awake to make sure the TillerPilot was not overwhelmed. When it is, an alarm goes off on the TillerPilot itself. I wait to see if it can recover (for the alarm to turn off). If does not, I step in and manually change the course to reduce the speed (and hence the power needed to steer). The storms stopped about midnight and the skies became relatively clear about 1:00. Average winds of 12 kt continued all night from 70 degrees, sometimes gusting to 18, and I maintained a COG near the waypoint (206). At 4:00, I spotted Crux (Southern Cross) for the first time, just off the port bow. Venus, Saturn, and Mercury are all aligned due east, and they are all appropriately aligned with Pisces. About an hour later, the wind dropped to about 8 kt, still from 70. At 6:30, I unfurled the rest of the Yankee in 9-10 kt winds and made 4.5-5 kts. It will be time for the asymmetrical spinnaker soon. I will fly it in daylight hours when the winds are less than 10 kt and there is no chance of gusts greater than 12 kt. But, as long as I am making 4-5 kts with the Yankee, I am satisfied. Sunrise was at 7:39. I have confirmed I am in the UTC+9 time zone. At 8:00 I shook out the first reef in the main, completely unfurled the Yankee, and raised the staysail. I was able to make a satisfying 5 kt on a beam reach in 7 kt winds with a course directly to the waypoint. The 9:00 checked showed (1000-877) 123 nm progress to the waypoint. It is almost a cloudless sky this morning. In this diagonal course, I am about 160 nm from the equator. The forecast is the wind will disappear just before I reach the equator and I will be becalmed Saturday. This is what people envisage when they think about sailing … clear skies, blue water, calm seas and three sheets to the wind with the sunrise over your left shoulder. At 13:30, I could see clouds building on the eastern horizon. Up to now, winds have not exceeded 9 kt. I have all three sails up. My sail plan is to furl the Yankee if necessary and leave the staysail flying and put one reef in the main if there is a threat. I am currently doing 5.2 kt in 8 kt of wind. It seems I have outrun the first squall (it will pass to the north) and the second squall passed in front of me (to the south), although I had to slow the boat down to allow it to do so. I can see now that a string of storms have passed to the south of me already. I will need to reduce sail tonight as I will not be able to navigate around them in the dark. The wind strength and direction were affected as I passed the backside of the squall. The speed dropped to just a few kt and the direction oscillated 90 degrees. I had to use the TillerPilot to keep me on course. After the squall was well-passed, about 16:00, I had the best winds of the day 10-12 kt, and made 5.5-6.2 SOG. I feel good that I continue to make way under sail, especially now that I am well-within the ITCZ, but I am realistic that I will likely become becalmed, probably this weekend.

Current Position: 3 21.194’N 129 48.055’W; HDG: 179; COG: 185; SOG: 4.5 kt; TWS: 11.4 kt; TWD: 035; TWA: 147; Distance to Waypoint (Hiva Oa): 963 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 2389 nm;
Comments: After examining the weather forecast and seeing no clouds windward, I decided to take advantage of the last of the wind and use the full Yankee and unreefed main overnight, setting the wind vane for 185. The boat speed was 5-5.5 in 12 kt wind with gusts to 15. I set 2h alarms. At 1:45, an hour into a two-hour alarm, I was awaken because “the boat didn’t feel right.” The control lines for the wind vane had come free and unguided, the boat had adopted a natural beam reach easterly. It must have just happened because the log (recorded every 15m) did not show a deviation from my 185 course. I was awake about an hour. The moon-lit sky was partly cloudy but did not show any threats, so I went back to sleep. I woke up about 6:30 with the flagging of the jib. The winds had backed to the north like they have been in the morning and the winds were less, 10 kt with gusts of 14. I was able to get 4.5 kt on a course of 165 without the waves causing the sails to flag. Sunrise was about 7:35. I believe I am still in the UTC-8 time zone (same as the west coast), but I should be crossing into the UTC-9 zone soon. I suppose I will know when the sunrise is an hour earlier. It’s going to be a good day for making water. The solar panels are already producing 5 Ah, I’m in the black, and it’s only 8:15. I ate the last of the Dorado last night, so I’m trailing a fishing line today. The 9:00 checked showed (1116-1000) 116 nm progress to the waypoint. I am surprised given how relatively light the wind has been in the last 24h. It was a good call to use all the sails last night. The boat never felt overpowered. I don’t expect to make that much progress today. I am approaching the doldrums (about +/- 3 degrees). It is strangely satisfying to look at the distance to the waypoint and have it be three digits (and now it shows 1/10 nm increments!!!!). By mid morning, the wind had veered more easterly (45) allowing me to make better progress towards the waypoint (185). It’s been the same pattern for several days. The wind vane is perfect for these variable winds because you can trim the sails for a particular wind angle (130) and the course is adjusted automatically. Some heavy clouds developed windward mid morning too. Perhaps the pattern will be broken and it will be sunny this morning and cloudy this afternoon (the opposite of what it has been). I will hold off making water until the batteries are fully charged and the fridge is cold. It is incredible how quickly the cloud cover came in, and it looks like nasty weather windward. I checked on the radar but I don’t see anything worrisome within 36 nm. It seems that the paddle wheel detector is not calibrated correctly. I used a three-point correction curve (0, 4 and 8kt). I changed the middle correction to be closer to the SOG. There was some drizzle about noon, but no significant rain. The wind in the afternoon was variable, largely driven by the storms, gusting to 17 as they passed, and then backing off to as low at 10 after they passed. I left the sails fully deployed to take advantage of the last of the wind. The boat never felt overpowered. After the storm passed, the wind dropped to 7-9 kt with an angle of 40-50 and a boat speed of less than 3 kt. The sails were unstable to the waves, so I changed the course to 160 and gained speed to 3.9 kt. If the wind shifts to 70 as predicted, I will be put back on a southerly course. As I was hoping, once well-clear of the backside of the storm, the wind picked up again to 10-12 kt and I was able to steer 180 at 4.5 kt. By 14:00 it was sunny, the batteries were 98%, and I had plenty of energy to run all the electronics, fridge, and make water. At 15:00 I was unexpectedly hit by sustained 25 kt winds for 30m. The skies were sunny, but I could see in the distance a large squall that was going to pass in the distance in front of me. I thought it was much too far away to impact me, but I was apparently wrong. I was able to furl half the jib and put the first reef in the main. “Bandit”, a boat that left Cabo a day and half before me, sent me a message this morning that they were hit hard by a squall last night. Although the winds have backed down to 13 kt, it is close enough to dusk that I am going to leave the sails reduced overnight. I note I am now including Course Over Ground (COG) as it is a better measure than the Heading Over Ground (HDG) for the direction of the boat.

Current Position: 5 27.741’N 129 17.307’W; Course: 180; SOG: 4.2 kt; TWS: 12.2 kt; TWD: 035; TWA: 125; Distance to Waypoint (Hiva Oa): 1086 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 2256 nm;
Comments: Sailing was perfect last night. The wind blew steady about 15 kt and I made 5 kt speed due south. The skies were once again cloudy in the morning. With evidence of showers around me. The 9:00 checked showed (1217-116) 101 nm progress to the waypoint. Given the lighter winds and the loss of an hour or two of sailing yesterday due to the electrical issue, this is about what is expected. The seas were relatively calm, so I made a big breakfast. I had to shut down unnecessary electrical devices because it does not look like I will generate much solar power this morning. Fortunately, I ran the wind vane all night, so that saved 5-8% of my batteries. By 10:00 the wind had veered more easterly, like usual, and decreased to 13-14 kt, giving me 4-4.5 kt speed at a course of 190. It started drizzling. By 11:00, the wind was blowing 14-16 due east, so I adjusted the course to the waypoint at 204 and made 5.5-6 kt on nearly a beam reach. Once the squall passed; winds shift to the north and dropped to 12-14 kt. Winds were relatively light the rest of the day, sometimes as low as 10 kt. I tried to sail wing on wing, but the rocking was severe as the wave direction did not correspond to the wind direction. I could sail almost as fast, 4 kt, with just the jib on a pole, and the boat did not rock as much. By late afternoon, the wind had veered back to the northeast. I could sail just off the wind south at about 4.5 kt with an unreefed main and full Yankee in 13 kt wind. I plan to use the asymm when the winds reach single digits.

Current Position: 7 15.730’N 128 57.777’W; Course: 191; SOG: 5.1 kt; TWS: 17.5 kt; TWD: 035; TWA: 133; Distance to Waypoint (Hiva Oa): 1188 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 2142 nm;
Comments: At 23:00, I was awaken “because the boat did not feel right. The wind has shifted from the northeast to almost due north. Since I was using the wind vane, the course had shifted from 185 to 150, more than 50 degrees east from the waypoint. Since I had planned to change course in the morning anyway, I jibed to 230, 27 degrees west of the waypoint. Rather than reset the preventer, I hauled in the main sheet and relied on the 230-180=50 degrees to prevent an accidental jib. The boat was riding better because the waves were still being driven by the earlier northeasterly winds. When I got back into the berth, I felt something slick on the floor. A bottle of shampoo had fallen, the cap broken, and several cups had been deposited on the floor. Fortunately, it was cornered by the heeling of the boat and the only thing it got in was one of the floor mats (which I tossed in the cockpit to clean with seawater in the morning. I checked the weather, but there was no indication the wind was going to shift as much as it did. The wind shifted again at 4:00, now nearly due east. I jibed and set a course of 202, directly at the Marquesas. The TillerPilot struggled so I used the wind vane. I downloaded all the weather models (not just the ECMWF), but none predicted easterly wind thus far north. Given the instability of the wind, I set alarms at 30m to monitor the course. By 5:00 it started to drizzle and the wind had shifted back to the north. As I suspected, the variability of the wind was a local effect … a small squall. I set the wind vane to a TWA of about 140 and decided to let the wind take me where it may. When it was light enough I could see I was surrounded by disturbances. At 7:30, I jibed again and put the boat on a good heading of 250. It was raining and it looked like a bigger squall might be developing behind me, although it was too dark to be sure. The sun came up almost directly astern and peeked through the clouds to produce a rainbow that I sailed through. There are fewer cargo ships/tankers at this latitude, but many more fishing trawlers. I count 6 on my course, but all days away. The 9:00 checked showed (1343-1217) 126 nm progress to the waypoint. Given the gyrations of last night, that is not too bad. There are two large squalls to my stern, but I believe they will pass to either side of me. Nonetheless, I can anticipate a day of shifting winds. Winds are steady in the low 20s propelling the boat on average 6.5 kt, and with expected morning veering, I expect to see a more favorable course. At 10:00, all navigational and autopilot electronics when dead. I was in the middle of rigging the boat for wing-on-wing and the TillerPilot was controlling the boat. It took me an hour to hunt down what went wrong. It was an in-line fuse for the NEMA 2000 network. The fuse that protected the circuit apparently came with the connectors (I did not supply it) because it was unmarked. I could tell from the diameter of the wire approximately what the fuse capacity was, but I had to experiment, starting low, all while the boat flopped around. I got a fuse that worked, but it blew when I turned on the TillerPilot (which draws energy from the NEMA 2000 network. Finally, I found that 10 amp was about right (the entire circuit is protected by a 15 amp breaker). By this time, everything was a mess. I had access panels open, the tools then electronic equipment were out, and stuff was tossed aside to gain access to what I needed, so I didn’t rerig the sails and instead put the stuff away, made myself a cup of tea, and laid down in the cockpit to cool off. By the way, I don’t absolutely need the electronics to get where I am going. I have the GPS devices onboard and a compass … which is how I got back to San Carlos last year without an engine. I can’t express more strongly how important it is that I have either built or rebuilt almost everything in the boat. “Everything on a boat is already broken, you just don’t know it.” As dreary as it was this morning, I was surprised how bright and sunny it was in the afternoon. I had plenty of energy to make water. The clouds have started rolling in, I imagine for another night of squalls.

Current Position: 8 44.205’N 127 57.310’W; Course: 195; SOG: 6.0 kt; TWS: 18.8 kt; TWD: 050; TWA: 138; Distance to Waypoint (Hiva Oa): 1294 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 2012 nm;
Comments: I left the sails as they were (most of the Yankee and one reef in the main) overnight because the wind/waves were supposed to be similar overnight as they were in the afternoon. But, I had second thoughts as the waves built a bit and there were a few gusts that gave the TillerPilot a fit. Rather than trying to put another reef in the main on a pitching deck, I decided to let it play out, figuring I could mistrim the sails if I had to. It turned out it was fine and the night was uneventful. I set the usual two hour alarms (rather than one hour intervals when I have shipping traffic or unstable weather). Between the 5:00 alarm and 7:00 when I woke up, the wind backed to the north 10 degrees (has been backing to the north in the morning and veering to the east in the evening), so sailing efficiency was reduced. I changed the course to 180 from 185 and corrected. There are more clouds today than yesterday, but it should still be a good day for solar. Waves seem to be in a shorter interval, but the seas are relatively calm. I have been following the ECMWF weather model, which I have found to be most accurate offshore. That model shows the wind veering to easterlies as I approach the ITCZ and has me jibing west for a day tomorrow before returning to a southerly course. Below about 3 degrees north, the course would be essentially straight at the Marquesas (about 204). However, I have found the weather in the ITCZ to be very unstable, so I expect the plan will change a half dozen times. My 9:00 check showed I made (1478-1343) 132 nm on in the last 24h, about the same as yesterday. About 10:00, stronger 26-28 kt gusts developed with 20 kt continuous wind. The gusts caused the boat to round up. While the course was set for 185, it the gusts exceeded 165, the boat would gain speed to 7.5 kt and lock into a beam reach. The TillerPilot did not have the physical range or strength to bring the boat back to course. It helped to change the course closer to a run, but the headsail would flag with the waves and I ran the risk of an accidental jib. Ironically, the wind vane does a better job because it has more of a range, and it had no problem keeping the boat on course during the strong gusts. But, I could see the port control line was only hanging on by a few core strands. Turns out, there was enough of the 1/4” Spectra line that I could cut away the frayed part. Unfortunately, the frayed part was on the end near the servo rudder. I contemplated stopping the boat to work on the wind vane, then decided it would be better to have it under control while sailing. The control line was held in place by a simple stopper/slip knot, so I tied myself off the back of the boat so I could get hold of the line and pull enough through to cut off the offending part. It was actually easier than it sounds and probably took ten minutes. The wind vane is good as new. Next chance I get, I buying 50’ of 1/4” Spectra because I don’t have any onboard. The ocean became angry in the early afternoon. I fixed half the fish I caught yesterday, but it was a challenge to cook. Also, it is becoming warm in the cabin during the day because I am approaching the equator, and cooking just makes warmer. I prefer to sit in the cockpit, even if it means getting splashed from time to time. By mid-afternoon, the seas had calmed down, but clouds had moved in. The winds are becoming more easterly as I go south.
Sent from my iPhone