Month: April 2025

Current Position: 6 19.849’ S 135 39.469’W; Local Timezone: UTC-9; HDG: 211; COG: 215; SOG: 6.0 kt; TWS: ?; TWD: ?; TWA: ?; Distance to Waypoint (Hiva Oa): 289 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 3099 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. I was hit by a half dozen smaller squalls today, but many more much larger ones missed me. I managed to charge the main battery bank to 96%, mainly because there was relatively brief periods of sunshine between the storms and because I left most electronic devices off most of the day. The PredictWind weather routing has me arriving at Hiva Oa on Saturday morning.

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.
Sent from my iPhone

Current Position: 3 43.757’ S 132 48.908’W; Local Timezone: UTC-9; HDG: 216; COG: 228; SOG: 4.4 kt (not yet trimmed); TWS: 12.6 kt; TWD: 098; TWA: 117; Distance to Waypoint (Hiva Oa): 520 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 2863 nm;
Comments: I slept hard last night, waking up periodically to ensure everything was okay,, and adjusting the course a few times to try to reduce the rolling, which was severe at times. At one pint I furled in the jib, because it didn’t seem to be serving any purpose. I got up about 5:15, just before sunrise. The skies were well-lit by a near full moon. It was squally, but I was motoring under bare poles, so I was not particularly concerned. There was no evidence it had rained again after the shower just before dusk yesterday. I had left a large amount of climbing gear on the mast last night. At daybreak, I went forward to retrieve it. The halyards are a mess. It may take hours to figure out how to untangle them. I had to cut away a climbing runner to get to most of the gear. A major rain storm showed up while U was working. The only climbing gear left is a Prussik knot on one of the halyards that I had to abandon while I was climbing the mast because it had become jammed and I couldn’t loosen it while it was weighted. I’ll get to it when I sort out the halyards. My plan is to do that after the storm passes. Then, I will deal with the original problem, the main halyard that is stuck on the step. I think I can run a second halyard up it and pull from the bow to release it, but all the other lines need to be sorted out first. This is disappointing because I have great wind now. I continue to motor, albeit slower, to cut down on the rolling. Well, when it rains it pours … the day tank was down to 10 gal, so I was going to turn on the auxiliary fuel pump to fill it. I noticed more water in the Racor, so emptied it. When I turned the switch, the auxiliary pump did not come on. This is the second one of these pumps that has failed in the last couple of years, I have a spare, but replacing it requires taking the entire publishing system apart. I could reroute the lines to have the engine’s pump pull directly from the main tank, but I know I’m pumping water out of there and I am not entirely sure the pump is powerful enough to draw fuel through the system. With 10 gal in the day tank, I have about 10/0.6×5=83 mile range, more than enough to maneuver into Hiva Oa. Furthermore, I have 50 gal of fuel on deck that I can add directly to the day tank after filtering it through a Baja filter, so I am going to punt on this one and deal with it when I am at anchor. A bigger problem Is I noticed last night that I couldn’t furl in the last few feet of the jib. In the light of day, I can see that the Dyneema line for the running backstay came unattached from its storage point middeck and somehow got wrapped around the sheet for the jib forming what looks like a perfect Prussik knot that is too high to reach (because of the high cut of the Yankee). My choices are many, but I am going to try the simple one first, using a boat hook to try to slide the tangles mess along the sheet until I can deal with it. The good news is I untangled the jib sheet and running backstay line. The bad news is the Prussik line I abandoned yesterday miraculously wrapped around lower shroud. Now there is a knot on either side of the radar dome that makes it impossible to pull either end of the spinnaker halyard (what I was using as backup protection when I climbed the mast). It cannot be freed without climbing the mast . Since I won’t need the spinnaker for the remainder of the trip to the Marquesas, I will punt on this too. I untangled the static climbing rope I keep on the mast, which also serves as an emergency halyard. I will try to use it to run a line along the main halyard to the point where it is fouled so I can try to apply opposing force to free it. Well … the Prussik line (un)miraculously untangled itself from the starboard side and I was able to lower the spinnaker halyard enough to reach the Prussik and remove it. The spinnaker halyard is now serviceable and I untangled the staysail halyard as well. The static climbing rope is has a tangle it it. When get that out and the line stowed I will see if I can pull a hat trick and free the main halyard (the origin of this mess). I am not subject to seasickness, but staring up the mast for hours while the boat is pitching is disorientation. Also, the sun is nearly overhead, which is making it difficult to see what I am working on. Going to “nap” on the problem. I got up as a squall started to move in. I untangled the last of the halyards just as it started to rain. The main halyard was still snagged though. Effectively, I was right back were I started 24h ago, except the halyards are nicely separated and tied off like a spider web to keep them out of the way during the next step, which is freeing the man halyard. I stayed out in the rain and got a shower before heading to my berth for some more rest. It is noon (UTC-9). It took me five hours to untangle the halyards. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday morning. I did drink a carton of orange juice that was supposed to last until my next provisioning, and probably a gallon of water. I cannot seem to get hydrated. I ate a Cliff bar and a piece of chocolate before laying down. The storm brought heavy rain for an hour, but the wind did not exceed 12 kt. I am back under sail, but not without further drama. When the jib halyard got hung up with the backstay line and I furled the jib, the force pulled some of the jib out of the furler. I rounded up under power and tried to raise the jib, but the cord kept coming out of the slot because there was one spot that was slightly damaged. It took me 30m to get it raised again, in part because I was in the middle of a storm with 15 kt winds. I couldn’t leave it as it was or the sail certainly would have been destroyed. The situation is not perfect. I could not free the main halyard, and I wasn’t about to go back up the mast until I am in a sheltered anchorage. I had to use the spinnaker halyard, which wraps around the upper shroud. There will certainly be chaffing and the possibility of failure. When I have a chance I will lower the mainsail and check. It might also bee a good idea to add some anti-chaffing material. I put one reef in the main and will leave it like that. Sent from my iPhone

Current Position: 2 45.853’ S 132 2.760’W; Local Timezone: UTC-9; HDG: 182; COG: 185; SOG: 5.3 kt (motoring); TWS: 8.3 kt; TWD: 034; TWA: 145; Distance to Waypoint (Hiva Oa): 599 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 2786 nm;
Comments: Sunset was at 17:48. The full moon rose at the same time from the east. Although it has been quiet for the past 36h, I could see what appeared to be a squall line ahead of me on the horizon just as it was getting dark. The sky is otherwise cloudless. As expected, the wind, what little there was, disappeared when the sun went down. Without circulation, the cabin became unbearably hot and stuffy. I motorsailed almost S 2 degrees because the forecast suggested a pocket if wind would develop there tomorrow. When I arrived, about 2:00, the water was glassy smooth, but with swells that rocked the boat. I lowered the main but left the jib up for some stability, and lashed the tiller to the port. I “slept” in the cockpit. The forecast was for light 8-10 kt breezes beginning in the early afternoon, about 12h. Once I was back underway, it looks like I will have good wind for the rest of the trip. About 2:00, it had cooled enough to go below. There has been zero wind the past 24 hours. I am floating in the definition of the doldrums. I was awake most of the night because of the heat and rolling of the boat. I fell asleep about 4:00 and woke at 6:00, just after dawn. I could immediately feel something was different. The sea was still glassy smooth from hours without wind, but a 5 kt breeze had returned, along with squalls. A large squall was passing in front of the boat. I resisted the urge to raise the sails, knowing what wind there was coming from the storm and was unstable in speed and direction, and I was right. The forecast is for little wind the rest of the morning. Then, fingers-crossed, enough of an easterly breeze to sail south to where the real wind is. I am going to do some work on the boat this morning. I need to stow stuff in the cabin and get it ready for heavy seas again. Also, I think there is some water in the day tank. I am going to swing the boom over to the port to tilt the boat in the direction of the drain valve and remove some of the fuel/water. I was correct. In addition to water in the Racor filter, there was water in the secondary fuel pump filter and a small amount in the day tank. The engine seems to be running smoothly now. The tiller lashed to the port side, the boat is slowly rotating clockwise, like a merry-go-round with an infinite horizon. I have drifted 4 nm in the wrong direction in the last 5 hours. There is obviously wind towards the waypoint as there are a steady stream of squalls passing by. I need to bleed the rest of the air out of the fuel line anyway, so I’m going to motor towards the squalls (can’t believe I’m write that). Yesterday, I restarted the measurement at 9:00 local for the UTC-9 time zone (713 nm to waypoint). The progress in the last 24h was (713-636) 77 nm, most under power. The wind gauges are of no use while motoring. I am making my own wind. But I notice as I make my way SW (214) towards the waypoint, the mirror-like finish of the water starts to take on ripples. The breeze was sporadic and not enough to sail. At 10:00 it started to sprinkle. There was a rainstorm to the east. I still had the jib up, but the main was stowed in the sailpack, but the zipper needs to be fixed, so I lashed the sailpack closed just in case. I was hoping the rainstorm hits me so I can wash some clothes … and myself., but it passed to the stern. Since I was running the engine, I did something I don’t get to do very often … make ice! I was on a course to the waypoint, but after studying the weather forecast, it makes more sense to head due south because if I motor this afternoon I should hit 3 degrees S around dusk and pick up some wind that will allow me to head S overnight before turning SW tomorrow morning. I finally got some wind, but when raising the mainsail, the halyard got stuck on a folding step at the top of the mast that I use when I am working on the mast. I tried for an hour but could not free it. I have spare halyards forward, but none aft. Thinking I had no choice, I prepared to climb the mast. I carry specialized equipment onboard for climbing the mast, and I have done it dozen of times, even on the water, but never on a pitching boat in the middle of the ocean. I got halfway between the spreader and the top (maybe 4/5 of the way up, and had to turn around as I was being thrashed to pieces. Normally going down is easy and quick, but because of the pitching of the boat, I had to basically retrace my steps. When I got to the bottom I was exhausted and apparently passed out on the foredeck, still in my climbing gear. Next thing I remembered was being woken by a rain storm. As I made my way back to the cockpit, I noticed half the sail had spilled out of the sailpack, apparently because I had knocked the cables free. I fixed the cables, but was too tired to flake the mainsail. I just threw a rope around the boom and quickly lashed the sail. I’m the meantime, I think I have figured out how to free the halyard without climbing the mast afaik. I will try in the morning and will motor tonight. I need to sleep.

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.