Current Position: 11 53.408’S 155 58.758’E; Local Timezone: UTC+21; SOG: 6.0 kt COG: 285; TWS: 25 kt; TWD: 137; Distance to Waypoint (R1, Raine Passage, 262): 696; Total Miles Sailed: 7829 nm; Engine Hours: 173 Estimate Fuel: 59+11+50
Comments: I tried to download an updated long-range AIS map and instead of giving me everything within a 300 nm range, it only gave me the cargo ship that just passed me. I tried again later and got the same thing. The wind has picked up and veer. I have noted the cooler, more southerly winds bring the squalls and rain showers. It has been sunny all day with winds 18-20 from 110. Now I am seeing gusts in the mid-20s from 125 and the sky has filled with dark clouds. Easterlies = dry/light winds. Southeasterlies = wet/strong winds. It is 16:00 and it has started to rain. I decided to bring my fishing line in for the night. I could see why I didn’t get any bites. My favorite lure is missing its skirt. It either fell off or something ate it. I must have caught a half dozen big fish with that lure. Will have to try a different one tomorrow. I am keeping the shirtless lure because my Marquesan friend taught me how to make skirts out of fish skin. He even gave me some to try. I have been fighting a 1.1 kt current from the SW, so there is a discrepancy between my boat speed and the SOG. At 18:00 I was finally able to download the long-range AIS data. The only significant development is a string of trawlers 30 nm W and 5 nm S of me. They seem to be headed S. The problem is my boat tends to drift S when it heads up in gusts. I should reach the longitude of the trawlers in 5h and at that time will have to determine if action is needed. At 21:20 I sailed past a “navigational buoy” 10 nm to my S. It was part of the trawler fishing system. I spent some time in the cockpit at 1:00. The full moon had risen early, about sunset. It was eerily orange then casting a strange color on the water. But now it was bright white and it almost seemed like daylight. As predicted, the wind had veered to 125 and was blowing consistently stronger, but unlike when it was coming from 110, the course towards R1 was easily managed, and in fact the boat had made progress N. It is 5:30 and I got the best nights sleep in days. I did not have to adjust the windvane or sails even once last night. I was able to set 2h intervals. I have averaged 6.2 kt over the past 14h, directly towards R1. I am on track for another 140-150 nm day. It is 6:20, almost dawn, and the wind is blowing consistently from 130-135, as predicted. I can afford to adjust the windvane to a broad reach, decreasing the flagging of the jib in the waves and increasing the boat’s speed (6.4 kt avg.), and still make some distance N. The southern tip of Tagula Island is at 11 40’S and 185 nm away. I should reach it by dusk tomorrow. The latitude of Tagula is almost exactly that of Raine Island. I am currently at 12 01’S. My main reason for trying to stay as far N as possible after Tagula is because that is where the wind will be. I am going to see some 28 kt gusts today. I am showing about 75% of the Yankee and have one reef in the main. It may be necessary to put a second reef in. The morning looks nice. There are very few clouds and the full moon is still high in the sky. While it started out sunny, by 8:00 the storm clouds had moved in. I will be hit by a squall soon. It started to rain at 8:15. I see three distinct squalls around me. At 9:00 I was hit by an intense squall with 30 kt winds from 100. I had to hand-steer for about 20m. During the squall I also landed a small yellowfin tuna. When the winds dropped to the low 20s, I put a second reef in the main and the boat regained control. I was hit by another 30 kt squall at 11:30, but the boat handled it much better under reduced sail. I put the waypoints into the chart plotter for the anchorages I am considering on the way to Thursday Island. They are spaced approximately 20 nm apart so I can move slowly through the reef during daylight hours if I find that necessary.
Great Detached Reef: 11 44.569S 144 03.379E Pearson (Topaz) Reef: 11 33.586S 143 42.857E Collette Reef: 11 13.480S 143 21.328E (Shives) Reef: 11 03.200S 143 04.081E Wyborn Reef: 10 47.980S 142 43.980E York Island: 19 40.800S 142 31.630E
The distance sailed towards R1 in the last 24h was 842-696=146 nm. The total distance sailed was 7929-7777=152 nm (152/24=6.3 kt avg.).
Comments: I tried to download an updated long-range AIS map and instead of giving me everything within a 300 nm range, it only gave me the cargo ship that just passed me. I tried again later and got the same thing. The wind has picked up and veer. I have noted the cooler, more southerly winds bring the squalls and rain showers. It has been sunny all day with winds 18-20 from 110. Now I am seeing gusts in the mid-20s from 125 and the sky has filled with dark clouds. Easterlies = dry/light winds. Southeasterlies = wet/strong winds. It is 16:00 and it has started to rain. I decided to bring my fishing line in for the night. I could see why I didn’t get any bites. My favorite lure is missing its skirt. It either fell off or something ate it. I must have caught a half dozen big fish with that lure. Will have to try a different one tomorrow. I am keeping the shirtless lure because my Marquesan friend taught me how to make skirts out of fish skin. He even gave me some to try. I have been fighting a 1.1 kt current from the SW, so there is a discrepancy between my boat speed and the SOG. At 18:00 I was finally able to download the long-range AIS data. The only significant development is a string of trawlers 30 nm W and 5 nm S of me. They seem to be headed S. The problem is my boat tends to drift S when it heads up in gusts. I should reach the longitude of the trawlers in 5h and at that time will have to determine if action is needed. At 21:20 I sailed past a “navigational buoy” 10 nm to my S. It was part of the trawler fishing system. I spent some time in the cockpit at 1:00. The full moon had risen early, about sunset. It was eerily orange then casting a strange color on the water. But now it was bright white and it almost seemed like daylight. As predicted, the wind had veered to 125 and was blowing consistently stronger, but unlike when it was coming from 110, the course towards R1 was easily managed, and in fact the boat had made progress N. It is 5:30 and I got the best nights sleep in days. I did not have to adjust the windvane or sails even once last night. I was able to set 2h intervals. I have averaged 6.2 kt over the past 14h, directly towards R1. I am on track for another 140-150 nm day. It is 6:20, almost dawn, and the wind is blowing consistently from 130-135, as predicted. I can afford to adjust the windvane to a broad reach, decreasing the flagging of the jib in the waves and increasing the boat’s speed (6.4 kt avg.), and still make some distance N. The southern tip of Tagula Island is at 11 40’S and 185 nm away. I should reach it by dusk tomorrow. The latitude of Tagula is almost exactly that of Raine Island. I am currently at 12 01’S. My main reason for trying to stay as far N as possible after Tagula is because that is where the wind will be. I am going to see some 28 kt gusts today. I am showing about 75% of the Yankee and have one reef in the main. It may be necessary to put a second reef in. The morning looks nice. There are very few clouds and the full moon is still high in the sky. While it started out sunny, by 8:00 the storm clouds had moved in. I will be hit by a squall soon. It started to rain at 8:15. I see three distinct squalls around me. At 9:00 I was hit by an intense squall with 30 kt winds from 100. I had to hand-steer for about 20m. During the squall I also landed a small yellowfin tuna. When the winds dropped to the low 20s, I put a second reef in the main and the boat regained control. I was hit by another 30 kt squall at 11:30, but the boat handled it much better under reduced sail. I put the waypoints into the chart plotter for the anchorages I am considering on the way to Thursday Island. They are spaced approximately 20 nm apart so I can move slowly through the reef during daylight hours if I find that necessary.
Great Detached Reef: 11 44.569S 144 03.379E Pearson (Topaz) Reef: 11 33.586S 143 42.857E Collette Reef: 11 13.480S 143 21.328E (Shives) Reef: 11 03.200S 143 04.081E Wyborn Reef: 10 47.980S 142 43.980E York Island: 19 40.800S 142 31.630E
The distance sailed towards R1 in the last 24h was 842-696=146 nm. The total distance sailed was 7929-7777=152 nm (152/24=6.3 kt avg.).