Current Position: 15 34.095’S 142 20.881’W; Local Timezone: UTC-10; HDG: 187 COG: 190; SOG: 4.4 kt; Distance to Waypoint (Raroia): 25; Total Miles Sailed: 3835 nm;
Comments: I watched the large squalls I avoided late yesterday pass behind me in the setting sun. At dusk, I slowed the boat down to 3.5-4 kt to let some more squalls pass in front of me. As they did, despite being having only half the Yankee deployed and a double reef in the main, the wind picked up to drive the boat 7 kt. Sunset was about 17:15. Soon after that I passed within 15 nm of a small atoll, the only real obstacle between me and Raroia. For a change, the TillerPilot operated flawlessly, and I would have slept through the night if not for the 2h periodic alarms. The wind was stiff but the seas relatively calm, so I travelled at 5.5 kt with little sail, little heeling, and little rolling. One of the most pleasant nighttime sails. At midnight I went to the cockpit. There was no moon or clouds. I turned off the running lights for a minute and looked at the stars. I was headed straight for the southern cross. At 14.5 degrees south, I took note that it was cooler than a few weeks ago when I crossed the equator. The last course I plotted with PredictWind was at noon. Despite reducing sail and attempting to slow down, I was ahead of schedule for an arrival of 18:00, right after dusk, and perhaps 2.5h after low tide. The tide would be coming in through the pass. It is highly unlikely I will arrive before dark, and there is no way I am going to try to navigate through the unfamiliar pass in the dark, so I am going to have to make a decision tomorrow about where to heave to. There is a smaller atoll to the north of Raroia that needs to be avoided. The eastern side of Raroia is supposed to be treacherous … it’s where Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki raft arrived in Raroia after its 101-day journey from South America in 1947. I will need to heave to on the west side, where the pass is. The wind is supposed to die down tomorrow night and blow more northerly. I will need to check the currents, but it may make sense to sit bare poles NE of Raroia and drift south until Saturday morning. I note the S/V Trinity (the one that contacted me earlier in this passage) is anchored where I intend to, so I will reach out to it when I am within VHF range. Sunrise was about 5:40. It was partly cloudy without any immediate threats. As best as I can tell, there were no squalls last night. Despite relatively light winds and a minimal sail plan, I have still averaged over 5 kt overnight. A small squall passed behind me at 6:00, increasing the wind a bit and bringing a light drizzle. Because my instruments were down at 9:00 yesterday, I was unable to record my location or progress, so I have no point of reference for today, and by 9:00 tomorrow, I should be at anchor. About 9:00, there was a gentle rain and I rinsed off. I celebrated by eating the last apple I purchased in Nogales seven weeks ago. It was still in pretty good shape. I still have one from Cabo and another I bought in Hiva Oa. Unfortunately, I had to toss out 2 1/2 baguettes that were getting moldy after four days at sea. They looked surreal floating on the water. It is 14:00 and I am about 25 nm from the passage into the Raroia lagoon. I am about 10 nm from the waypoint that I intend to heave to. At that point I will contact Trinity. I will set periodic alarms tonight and move within 5 nm of the passage before daybreak (5:40), about 2h before slack tide. About 7:30, I will position myself close enough that I can study the water with binoculars before actually entering. I don’t expect there to an issue because the winds are supposed to be relatively light tonight, but sometime the winds can interfere with slack tide by driving water over the atoll.
Comments: I watched the large squalls I avoided late yesterday pass behind me in the setting sun. At dusk, I slowed the boat down to 3.5-4 kt to let some more squalls pass in front of me. As they did, despite being having only half the Yankee deployed and a double reef in the main, the wind picked up to drive the boat 7 kt. Sunset was about 17:15. Soon after that I passed within 15 nm of a small atoll, the only real obstacle between me and Raroia. For a change, the TillerPilot operated flawlessly, and I would have slept through the night if not for the 2h periodic alarms. The wind was stiff but the seas relatively calm, so I travelled at 5.5 kt with little sail, little heeling, and little rolling. One of the most pleasant nighttime sails. At midnight I went to the cockpit. There was no moon or clouds. I turned off the running lights for a minute and looked at the stars. I was headed straight for the southern cross. At 14.5 degrees south, I took note that it was cooler than a few weeks ago when I crossed the equator. The last course I plotted with PredictWind was at noon. Despite reducing sail and attempting to slow down, I was ahead of schedule for an arrival of 18:00, right after dusk, and perhaps 2.5h after low tide. The tide would be coming in through the pass. It is highly unlikely I will arrive before dark, and there is no way I am going to try to navigate through the unfamiliar pass in the dark, so I am going to have to make a decision tomorrow about where to heave to. There is a smaller atoll to the north of Raroia that needs to be avoided. The eastern side of Raroia is supposed to be treacherous … it’s where Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki raft arrived in Raroia after its 101-day journey from South America in 1947. I will need to heave to on the west side, where the pass is. The wind is supposed to die down tomorrow night and blow more northerly. I will need to check the currents, but it may make sense to sit bare poles NE of Raroia and drift south until Saturday morning. I note the S/V Trinity (the one that contacted me earlier in this passage) is anchored where I intend to, so I will reach out to it when I am within VHF range. Sunrise was about 5:40. It was partly cloudy without any immediate threats. As best as I can tell, there were no squalls last night. Despite relatively light winds and a minimal sail plan, I have still averaged over 5 kt overnight. A small squall passed behind me at 6:00, increasing the wind a bit and bringing a light drizzle. Because my instruments were down at 9:00 yesterday, I was unable to record my location or progress, so I have no point of reference for today, and by 9:00 tomorrow, I should be at anchor. About 9:00, there was a gentle rain and I rinsed off. I celebrated by eating the last apple I purchased in Nogales seven weeks ago. It was still in pretty good shape. I still have one from Cabo and another I bought in Hiva Oa. Unfortunately, I had to toss out 2 1/2 baguettes that were getting moldy after four days at sea. They looked surreal floating on the water. It is 14:00 and I am about 25 nm from the passage into the Raroia lagoon. I am about 10 nm from the waypoint that I intend to heave to. At that point I will contact Trinity. I will set periodic alarms tonight and move within 5 nm of the passage before daybreak (5:40), about 2h before slack tide. About 7:30, I will position myself close enough that I can study the water with binoculars before actually entering. I don’t expect there to an issue because the winds are supposed to be relatively light tonight, but sometime the winds can interfere with slack tide by driving water over the atoll.