Current Position: 17 08.323’N 116 45.342’W; Course: 223; SOG: 5.2kt; TWS: 14.8 kt; TWD: 041; TWA: 172; Distance to waypoint (Hiva Oa): 2088 nm;
Comments: At 8:00, the wind started shifting to the NE, making it difficult to maintain a heading of 260. I set up the TillerPilot for “Wind” mode and ran wind-on-wing, which points me directly at the Marquesas doing about 4 kt in 15 kt wind. This was about a kt slower than going west, but is actually resulting in more progress. There is also the advantage of following seas. Between my last two 9:00 progress checks, I sailed mostly 260 degrees. The wind was generally steady and I made good progress, 93 nm good to my waypoint. Later in the morning, I rigged my whisker pole for the first time to the jib. Properly shaping the foresail gained me an extra kt of speed. Since I can get 4.5-5.5 kts wing on wing I’m 11-15 kt wind, it may not be necessary to head west anymore, but rather I can head SW until I reach the ITCZ directly N of the Marquesas. I sailed all afternoon just east of Marquesas. Averaging about 5 kt. It was a much more comfortable sail. When heading W, the spray, heeling, and rocking made it uncomfortable to sit in the cockpit for very long, but after I began heading downwind, I spent most of the day in the cockpit reading. I marveled at how many species of seabirds I saw so far from land.
Comments: At 8:00, the wind started shifting to the NE, making it difficult to maintain a heading of 260. I set up the TillerPilot for “Wind” mode and ran wind-on-wing, which points me directly at the Marquesas doing about 4 kt in 15 kt wind. This was about a kt slower than going west, but is actually resulting in more progress. There is also the advantage of following seas. Between my last two 9:00 progress checks, I sailed mostly 260 degrees. The wind was generally steady and I made good progress, 93 nm good to my waypoint. Later in the morning, I rigged my whisker pole for the first time to the jib. Properly shaping the foresail gained me an extra kt of speed. Since I can get 4.5-5.5 kts wing on wing I’m 11-15 kt wind, it may not be necessary to head west anymore, but rather I can head SW until I reach the ITCZ directly N of the Marquesas. I sailed all afternoon just east of Marquesas. Averaging about 5 kt. It was a much more comfortable sail. When heading W, the spray, heeling, and rocking made it uncomfortable to sit in the cockpit for very long, but after I began heading downwind, I spent most of the day in the cockpit reading. I marveled at how many species of seabirds I saw so far from land.