Author: mtashby

Current Position: 19 21.248’S 172 03.930’E; Local Timezone: UTC+23; SOG: 7.3 kt COG: 234; TWS: 32 kt; TWD: 114; Distance to Waypoint (Vanuatu, Efata, Port Vila, 265): 235; Total Miles Sailed: 6338 nm;
Comments: The storm’s rain and wind arrived at 17:30. The wind is now coming from 95, making impossible to make a course for the waypoint. Unless the direction changes after the storm, I will loose latitude. At 18:15, the rain let up and I could actually see some small patches of sky in the distance. The 30 kt wind continued, but did veer a bit. I have made a habit of checking the shower sump for water and was shocked to see several gallons had accumulated in a couple of hours. I went on a search for the source. I reorganize the V-berth are so I could inspect the storage areas. The chain locker was wet, but not as wet as I expected, and there was little water collected. The drain is on the port (I put it in myself) and the boat was heeled to the starboard, so I expected a big pool of water there, but only found a few cups. It is possible that rolling had allowed it to drain before I inspected the locker. I found the screw-down latches on the forward hatch had vibrated loose, and combined with the loss of the canvas cover earlier, that could be a source, but the frame was only damp and there was no evidence that the items below it (mostly sails) had gotten wet. I opened up the forward compartment under the V-berth itself, but it was dry. If the chain locker was loosing water from anyplace but the drain, that forward compartment should have been wet. I then opened up the main compartment that has the bow thruster and secondary house battery bank, but it was dry. I had installed an emergency bilge pump in the bottom of it, but there was no evidence it was wet. This was a relief, because my friend Dylan had an Alajuela 38 and the metal bracket on the bow to which the dolphin striker is attached had been leaking through the hull and it was a major job to replace it. The lack of water in this compartment ruled out damage to the bow (I had heard the boat hit something some days ago). I then moved to the head. The cabinet beneath the sink was dry (no evidence of the sink/shower through-hull leaking. I opened up the compartment with the plumbing for the head, but it was dry. I couldn’t get to the through-hull for the head water supply (the heavy bins on the floor block it), but the compartment with the mast step was pretty dry … some water is suppose to leak down the inside of the mast when it rains because the sheaves at the top of the mast or open), but there was not enough water to account for what I was seeing. Also, I replaced the through-hull and ball valve for the water supply last year. The bilge in the galley was relatively dry, so water was not flowing from the stern forward across the baffles until the shower sump. I ran out of ideas. I put a bottle under the drain hose in the shower sump to confirm the water is coming from that hose. If it is, there is only two sources, the chain locker (which is wet) and the bow thruster compartment (which is dry). While I was typing this, the boat heeled over violently. I rushed to the cockpit to learn the block on the port side that supports one of the windvane control lines had busted free. The boat was out of control. I put the boat back on course and with one leg wrapped around the tiller, I lashed the block back into place temporarily, then I got some cord and secured it better. While doing this, it occurred to me I should check the pan of the shower (which is covered with a wooden lattice), but it was dry, so the head did not overflow (it shouldn’t because there is a check valve. Also, the “mud” in the shower sump did not smell. There is a little water coming out of the drain hose for the chain locker, but it does not look like enough to account for the volume of water I am seeing. Also, the clear drain hose is not dirty in the inside (although I suppose the mud could have been washed from the chain locker and the inside of the hose cleaned by subsequent fresh sea water. The bottom line is I can find no breach of the hull and the only source of water appears to be the chain locker. In another note, at 19:15, the wind is blowing from 85, forcing me S. The PW course has me loosing 90 nm of latitude, but I am hoping that won’t be the case. The mystery of the water has been solved. The cup I put under the hose for the chain locker had no water in it. The bilge pump in the shower sump has a check valve in it to keep water from flowing from the through-hull back into the bilge. The valve is leaking. It is a 2” hose that is perhaps 10’ long. It goes from the bottom of the shower sump as far as the top of the deck (behind the storage cabinets in the head) to form an anti-siphon loop before going to the same through-hull as the head (the liquids can never mix because of the way the hoses are routed). So what is happening is I am pumping the water out of the shower sump all the way to the anti-siphon loop, then it is slowly leaking through the check valve back into the shower sump. The hose volume must be several gallons. The temporary solution is to pump the water out of the shower sump into a bucket, thereby emptying the hose. The original water came from the chain locker (before I plugged the source with a rag). The sailing overnight was uneventful. The windvane kept the boat on the course plotted by PW. At 6:00 I downloaded a new GRIB and got the bad news. Over the next couple of days I was going to loose air. The ETA is now 15:30 on Friday, too late for the formalities. However, the boat speeds look conservative for the wind speeds predicted, so if I push hard there is still a chance. The current model has me jibing at 6:00 tomorrow. PW is on UTC+22 (Fiji time, because my iPhone received cell service there), the boat is on UTC+23 (Tonga time, because I said I was not going to change it until I got to Vanuatu), and Vanuatu is on UTC+21. It is 7:30 (5:30 local) and it is starting to get light. I can see blue sky for the first time in a couple of days. There are still storm clouds, but nothing that looks threatening. However, the forecast calls for 35 kt gusts today, so I will need to pay attention. I might need to furl the jib a bit more, but I want to make as much distance as possible today and tomorrow before I loose this wind. At 7:45, a fishing trawler suddenly appeared 10 nm S of me. It is the northern most part of a chain of them, like the ones I went through yesterday. They like to leave their AIS off and flip it on only when they are close (although they show up on the long-range PW AIS maps). Since 6:00, when I plotted a new course, for the past 6h I have been able to surprisingly head due W, averaging over 6 kt. The winds have been steadily building and I am currently averaging 7 kt in winds that are gusting to 30. The increasing wind is starting to drive me further S, but nothing nearly so much so as predicted. The closest land in the Vanuatu chain is the small island of Futuna, which is about 150 nm due W. I will be jibing past it and eventually passing between the main islands of Erromango and Efata to get to the W coast of the latter, where Port Vila is located. It is 10:30 and bright and sunny outside with relatively few clouds. I have not seen the sun in days and I am finally generating solar. I have not made tea. The cockpit is not inviting with waves routinely crashing over the cowling. The winds are 28-31 kt and the boat is averaging 7 kt and sometime surfing up to 10 with the double-reefed main and half the Yankee on nearly a run. Because of the obtuse angle to the wind, the boat does not feel overpowered. The main issue is the occasional rogue wave that knocks her sideways, necessitating I go to the cockpit to straighten her out (because the windvane isn’t strong enough to overcome the wind). This has happened a couple of time in the past few hours. I got the “GRIB is 15h old” message at 10:30, which generally means a new one is available. There was not much change in the forecast or the route except I am to arrive an hour earlier (because I made up an hour this morning) and I am in a thunderstorm watch. It is 11:00 and cloudy again with a storm coming in behind me. Also, the long-range AIS data suggests I am past all the Chinese fishing boats. The proposed route is becoming simpler as I get closer … head as W as I can without loosing any more latitude than necessary, jibe to head N parallel to the chain of islands, jibe W between Erromango and Efata, then jibe N again to reach Port Vila. Huge waves developed by 13:00, some 15’, causing the boat to roll and pitch more than I have ever seen. It became dangerous to move around, particularly outside the cabin. The forecast was for this to continue the rest of the passage, although I imagine the effect will depend on the angle I am sailing to the waves. At 16:00, the boat has averaged 7.6 kt, the fastest I have observed, sometimes surfing at 12 kt. Still, the boat does not feel overpowered. I believe it will be time to jibe northward about 2:00. Because of careful management of the sails and windvane, I am going to end up 40-50 nm further N than the original PW route. Furthermore, it is taking less time to sail E. I am clearly ahead of the schedule I plotted at 6:00 this morning. That is remarkable because PW usually overestimates my efficiency during the day and underestimates it at night. I don’t like the idea of going on deck to untie/retie the preventer under these conditions, but I do not have much choice. I will take every precaution (helmet, double tethers, overalls, etc.) and of course I will pick the best opportunity (between gusts). PW says the rolling will decrease after the jibe. It is more dangerous not to have a preventer on. An uncontrolled jibe with these wind strengths would break something. I have not been able to cook today, but fortunately I cooked when I was becalmed near Fiji, so I ate the curried lentils and squash cold. The distance travelled on in the last 24h has been 370-235=135 nm. The total distance sailed was 6654-6498=156 nm (average 6.7 kt, similar to yesterday).

Current Position: 18 59.068’S 174 39.550’E; Local Timezone: UTC+23; SOG: 6.8 kt COG: 254; TWS: 27 kt; TWD: 116; Distance to Waypoint (Vanuatu, Efata, Port Vila, 265): 370; Total Miles Sailed: 6338 nm;
Comments: It is 16:20, right after I checked in yesterday. The storm that has hit me is not a squall. It is probably the storm front that is filling on the dead air that becalmed me yesterday. There has been sustained 20-25 kt winds for the past hour and no sign it’s letting up soon. After 90m, I see daylight on the backside of the storm, but no letup on the wind, which is still blowing 25. I had forgotten that I got almost no sleep last night while dealing with the reef, so I want to get the boat bedded down for the night so I can sleep too. I noticed that the gusts were coming in waves, and immediately when the wind dropped to 20 at 17:00, I rushed on deck and put a second reef in just as the wind picked up to 28 again. The boat is no longer overpowered and is performing well at 6.5 kt towards the waypoint. The forecast is basically what I see now (20/25) for the next 4d. Thursday during the day will be 13/18. Friday will be about 15 day and night with no real gusts. I only have to average 4.8 kt between now and Friday morning to be in a position to arrive at Port Vila then, provided I don’t have to stray too far from the rum line. There is a double line of 20 fishing trawlers strung out perpendicular to my route over a distance of 50 nm the I may encounter tomorrow about this time, but I do not see any other obstacles until then, so I may get a good night’s sleep. It is incredible how quickly the big seas build. It was practically flat and a couple of hours later there are 12’ rollers. I am back to sleeping on the salon floor. Because the wind had changed directions so quickly, the swell and the wind-driven waves are not aligned. Twice in the past two hours the boat has accidentally jibed despite the fact the TWA=140 because the wind/water is corkscrewing the boat. I am going to have to set short-interval alarms to check throughout the night, although the change in heeling will probably wake me up … or maybe not … I am quite tired. It’s 18:30 and I am going to sleep. It is 19:25. I have been asleep twice and in the cockpit twice in the last 45m. The windvane is struggling with the 28 kt sustained winds, first heading up causing the boat to surf at 8 kt uncontrollably abs then accidentally jibing. I am having trouble finding a sweet spot for the control lines and vane. For the next several hours, I got up every 15m to keep the boat on course. By about 22:00, the initial violence of the storm had passed and the windvane was operating well. Thereafter, I woke every 30m to check and make corrections. By 1:30, I was where I was supposed to be at 8:00, 7.5h ahead of schedule. I had been averaging 7.2 kt. I was about 60 nm from the last known position of the 20 trawlers, 8h away at this speed. At 2:00, I downloaded a fresh GRIB and long-range AIS tracking data. For the first time, the weather route predicted I would arrive Friday (14:30). Also, the trawlers had moved and were for now not in my path. The weather forecast had not changed significantly … good wind for the remainder of the passage. When I got up at 5:45, it was gusting 30 kt, as predicted. I made an adjustment to the windvane to put the boat back on course to the waypoint, perhaps the 20th time overnight, and measured the average boat speed during a 5m interval … 8.1 kt, the fastest I’ve measured for the boat. Over the last 5h, since charting the new course, I am ahead of schedule another 2h. At 6:15 I downloaded new long-distance AIS data and there are no vessels that are an immediate threat. My arrival is now scheduled for 10:30 on Friday. The wind has been backing easterly all night, making it increasingly difficult to steer a heading towards the waypoint. As predicted, my course is becoming more southerly and I am loosing latitude. I am scheduled to jibe on Wednesday morning. At 7:00 I eased the sheets as I am now closer to a run than a broad reach. There is not much more I can do without jibing. I have sailed a remarkable 100 nm on in the last 15h, since my check-in, averaging 6.7 kt. I apparently forgot to set an alarm at 7:00. It was 8:50 when I woke up. Although the sun had been up for 1 1/2h, it was still dark because of the storm clouds. One reason I slept so long was the wind had backed 10 degrees, stabilizing the course. I looked at the track and could see the backing of the wind had been happening gradually over the past hour, since sunrise. AIS showed a cargo ship 28 nm off my bow. I had seen it earlier on PW long-range AIS. It would safely pass my bow in about an hour. Despite getting up on average every 20m or so and not getting much sleep the night before, I felt rested. I have become an expert in power naps and probably slept 10h since going to bed 14h ago. I averaged my course and speed over 5m and was making 6.5 kt towards the waypoint. I had lost latitude all night as I struggled to stay on course. Now I was gaining, made possible because of the wind shift at dawn. The shower sump was completely filled with water from the chain locker even though I emptied it last night, about 14h ago. I will need to set an alarm to empty it four times a day and when in Vanuatu I am sewing a cover for the chain chaise to restrict water from getting in. The GRIB was 14h old, so I downloaded a new one at 10:00. Not much had changed except my arrival time (now 6:00 UTC+23, 4:00 local) and the fact I can expect at least 20 kt wind the remainder of the passage. Fingers crossed, but it looks like I will arrive in time to complete the formalities before the weekend. I will contact Customs on Thursday when I have a better idea when. The cockpit was a bit wet, but I celebrated with some green tea and shortbread cookies in the cockpit. I could even see a little sunlight peeking through the dark clouds. I tried to polish some fuel from the main tank to the day tank and have some water in the main. Probably came from the vent on the starboard side of the hull and the violent seas. Will wait for the engine to cool down, drain the water from the bowl, and hope the backup fuel pump isn’t damaged. As a further complication, a two parallel strings of fishing boats that didn’t appear to be a problem are suddenly upon me, 11 nm off my port and heading straight for me. It looks like I will outrun the string to the east, but not the one to the west. The lead ship, Hangton 116, does not respond to VHF. Right now, it looks like I will pass its stern. Fortunately, the visibility is good, but the problem is I do not know what it has in tow. The last thing I want is to get tangled up in fishing nets in these seas. I finally spotted the lead vessel with the binoculars at 12:10. It was passing 1 nm off my bow. It had several vessels in tow, but they were close to the main ship. It passed at 0.25 nm. My guess is it was the support ship servicing a couple of trawlers. The next “free” trawler was 4 nm behind it. I assumed the support ship was not towing lines or nets, but the one behind might be, so I steered my boat between the lead and following ships. Having dealt with the traffic jam, I went below to deal with the fuel issue. I drained the water out of the secondary fuel pump and the Racor water separator, but it is not pumping fuel. It may need to be primed (shouldn’t) but it is rolling too much to handle diesel in the engine room. I will fill the day tank using one of the Jerry cans on deck, which is probably a better idea until I figure out how much water is in the main tank. While in the engine room I noticed the water tank pump had shaken loose from its shelf and was dangling by its hoses. I put it back temporarily, but need to secure it better. When I got out of the engine room I noticed a fault light on the LP gas detector. I know exactly what happened, the water pump swung into the back of the detector panel and loosened one of the wires. It is really cramped to get to, so will have to deal with it at anchor. It is 13:30 and the shower sump was already full. That’s only 5h. Also, there was mud … apparently from the chain, although I was mostly in the ball at Vava’u. Maybe it came from Tahiti. It was relatively calm, so I went to the foredeck to see if there was something I could do about the water ingress. It was a good thing, because the dinghy had worked loose, the canvas cover of the forward hatch was off, and the staysail, which I store under the dinghy, was on the starboard side of the walkway on the deck. I brought the staysail to the cockpit, recovered the hatch, secured the dinghy, and stuffed a rag in the chain chaise (although I’m not sure how much help that will be). It had clearly been much more violent on the bow during the storm than I had realized. At 14:00, I prepared a meal, rather, I prepared some rice to go with the second-to-last meal I got from the Tropicana Cafe, Butter Chicken. I studied the charts as I ate. In contrast to last night during the storm, the windvane has done a good job today keeping the boat headed for the waypoint. This is unexpected because the PW route had me headed way S to follow the change in wind direction. I’ve already saved perhaps 25 nm S (and back again). This is part of the reason my arrival time keeps being pushed forward. The only significant issue are accidental jibes because I am close to running. In fact, I have noticed that me sitting on the port side of the cockpit is sometimes enough to cause the boat to jibe … which is pretty remarkable in that I weight 180 lbs and the boat 18 tons. I noticed the control lines I replaced on the windvane in Hiva Oa are already starting to chafe. I need to buy a couple hundred feet of the double braid in Darwin and make extra sets. It is 15:00 and another big storm is brewing. It could be a repeat of last night. The distance travelled on in the last 24h has been 522-370=152 nm (maybe a new record). The total distance sailed was 6498-6338=160 nm (average 6.7 kt).
Sent from my iPhone

Current Position: 18 59.068’S 174 39.550’E; Local Timezone: UTC+23; SOG: 6.8 kt COG: 254; TWS: 27 kt; TWD: 116; Distance to Waypoint (Vanuatu, Efata, Port Vila, 265): 370; Total Miles Sailed: 6338 nm;
Comments: It is 16:20, right after I checked in yesterday. The storm that has hit me is not a squall. It is probably the storm front that is filling on the dead air that becalmed me yesterday. There has been sustained 20-25 kt winds for the past hour and no sign it’s letting up soon. After 90m, I see daylight on the backside of the storm, but no letup on the wind, which is still blowing 25. I had forgotten that I got almost no sleep last night while dealing with the reef, so I want to get the boat bedded down for the night so I can sleep too. I noticed that the gusts were coming in waves, and immediately when the wind dropped to 20 at 17:00, I rushed on deck and put a second reef in just as the wind picked up to 28 again. The boat is no longer overpowered and is performing well at 6.5 kt towards the waypoint. The forecast is basically what I see now (20/25) for the next 4d. Thursday during the day will be 13/18. Friday will be about 15 day and night with no real gusts. I only have to average 4.8 kt between now and Friday morning to be in a position to arrive at Port Vila then, provided I don’t have to stray too far from the rum line. There is a double line of 20 fishing trawlers strung out perpendicular to my route over a distance of 50 nm the I may encounter tomorrow about this time, but I do not see any other obstacles until then, so I may get a good night’s sleep. It is incredible how quickly the big seas build. It was practically flat and a couple of hours later there are 12’ rollers. I am back to sleeping on the salon floor. Because the wind had changed directions so quickly, the swell and the wind-driven waves are not aligned. Twice in the past two hours the boat has accidentally jibed despite the fact the TWA=140 because the wind/water is corkscrewing the boat. I am going to have to set short-interval alarms to check throughout the night, although the change in heeling will probably wake me up … or maybe not … I am quite tired. It’s 18:30 and I am going to sleep. It is 19:25. I have been asleep twice and in the cockpit twice in the last 45m. The windvane is struggling with the 28 kt sustained winds, first heading up causing the boat to surf at 8 kt uncontrollably abs then accidentally jibing. I am having trouble finding a sweet spot for the control lines and vane. For the next several hours, I got up every 15m to keep the boat on course. By about 22:00, the initial violence of the storm had passed and the windvane was operating well. Thereafter, I woke every 30m to check and make corrections. By 1:30, I was where I was supposed to be at 8:00, 7.5h ahead of schedule. I had been averaging 7.2 kt. I was about 60 nm from the last known position of the 20 trawlers, 8h away at this speed. At 2:00, I downloaded a fresh GRIB and long-range AIS tracking data. For the first time, the weather route predicted I would arrive Friday (14:30). Also, the trawlers had moved and were for now not in my path. The weather forecast had not changed significantly … good wind for the remainder of the passage. When I got up at 5:45, it was gusting 30 kt, as predicted. I made an adjustment to the windvane to put the boat back on course to the waypoint, perhaps the 20th time overnight, and measured the average boat speed during a 5m interval … 8.1 kt, the fastest I’ve measured for the boat. Over the last 5h, since charting the new course, I am ahead of schedule another 2h. At 6:15 I downloaded new long-distance AIS data and there are no vessels that are an immediate threat. My arrival is now scheduled for 10:30 on Friday. The wind has been backing easterly all night, making it increasingly difficult to steer a heading towards the waypoint. As predicted, my course is becoming more southerly and I am loosing latitude. I am scheduled to jibe on Wednesday morning. At 7:00 I eased the sheets as I am now closer to a run than a broad reach. There is not much more I can do without jibing. I have sailed a remarkable 100 nm on in the last 15h, since my check-in, averaging 6.7 kt. I apparently forgot to set an alarm at 7:00. It was 8:50 when I woke up. Although the sun had been up for 1 1/2h, it was still dark because of the storm clouds. One reason I slept so long was the wind had backed 10 degrees, stabilizing the course. I looked at the track and could see the backing of the wind had been happening gradually over the past hour, since sunrise. AIS showed a cargo ship 28 nm off my bow. I had seen it earlier on PW long-range AIS. It would safely pass my bow in about an hour. Despite getting up on average every 20m or so and not getting much sleep the night before, I felt rested. I have become an expert in power naps and probably slept 10h since going to bed 14h ago. I averaged my course and speed over 5m and was making 6.5 kt towards the waypoint. I had lost latitude all night as I struggled to stay on course. Now I was gaining, made possible because of the wind shift at dawn. The shower sump was completely filled with water from the chain locker even though I emptied it last night, about 14h ago. I will need to set an alarm to empty it four times a day and when in Vanuatu I am sewing a cover for the chain chaise to restrict water from getting in. The GRIB was 14h old, so I downloaded a new one at 10:00. Not much had changed except my arrival time (now 6:00 UTC+23, 4:00 local) and the fact I can expect at least 20 kt wind the remainder of the passage. Fingers crossed, but it looks like I will arrive in time to complete the formalities before the weekend. I will contact Customs on Thursday when I have a better idea when. The cockpit was a bit wet, but I celebrated with some green tea and shortbread cookies in the cockpit. I could even see a little sunlight peeking through the dark clouds. I tried to polish some fuel from the main tank to the day tank and have some water in the main. Probably came from the vent on the starboard side of the hull and the violent seas. Will wait for the engine to cool down, drain the water from the bowl, and hope the backup fuel pump isn’t damaged. As a further complication, a two parallel strings of fishing boats that didn’t appear to be a problem are suddenly upon me, 11 nm off my port and heading straight for me. It looks like I will outrun the string to the east, but not the one to the west. The lead ship, Hangton 116, does not respond to VHF. Right now, it looks like I will pass its stern. Fortunately, the visibility is good, but the problem is I do not know what it has in tow. The last thing I want is to get tangled up in fishing nets in these seas. I finally spotted the lead vessel with the binoculars at 12:10. It was passing 1 nm off my bow. It had several vessels in tow, but they were close to the main ship. It passed at 0.25 nm. My guess is it was the support ship servicing a couple of trawlers. The next “free” trawler was 4 nm behind it. I assumed the support ship was not towing lines or nets, but the one behind might be, so I steered my boat between the lead and following ships. Having dealt with the traffic jam, I went below to deal with the fuel issue. I drained the water out of the secondary fuel pump and the Racor water separator, but it is not pumping fuel. It may need to be primed (shouldn’t) but it is rolling too much to handle diesel in the engine room. I will fill the day tank using one of the Jerry cans on deck, which is probably a better idea until I figure out how much water is in the main tank. While in the engine room I noticed the water tank pump had shaken loose from its shelf and was dangling by its hoses. I put it back temporarily, but need to secure it better. When I got out of the engine room I noticed a fault light on the LP gas detector. I know exactly what happened, the water pump swung into the back of the detector panel and loosened one of the wires. It is really cramped to get to, so will have to deal with it at anchor. It is 13:30 and the shower sump was already full. That’s only 5h. Also, there was mud … apparently from the chain, although I was mostly in the ball at Vava’u. Maybe it came from Tahiti. It was relatively calm, so I went to the foredeck to see if there was something I could do about the water ingress. It was a good thing, because the dinghy had worked loose, the canvas cover of the forward hatch was off, and the staysail, which I store under the dinghy, was on the starboard side of the walkway on the deck. I brought the staysail to the cockpit, recovered the hatch, secured the dinghy, and stuffed a rag in the chain chaise (although I’m not sure how much help that will be). It had clearly been much more violent on the bow during the storm than I had realized. At 14:00, I prepared a meal, rather, I prepared some rice to go with the second-to-last meal I got from the Tropicana Cafe, Butter Chicken. I studied the charts as I ate. In contrast to last night during the storm, the windvane has done a good job today keeping the boat headed for the waypoint. This is unexpected because the PW route had me headed way S to follow the change in wind direction. I’ve already saved perhaps 25 nm S (and back again). This is part of the reason my arrival time keeps being pushed forward. The only significant issue are accidental jibes because I am close to running. In fact, I have noticed that me sitting on the port side of the cockpit is sometimes enough to cause the boat to jibe … which is pretty remarkable in that I weight 180 lbs and the boat 18 tons. I noticed the control lines I replaced on the windvane in Hiva Oa are already starting to chafe. I need to buy a couple hundred feet of the double braid in Darwin and make extra sets. It is 15:00 and another big storm is brewing. It could be a repeat of last night. The distance travelled on in the last 24h has been 522-370=152 nm (maybe a new record). The total distance sailed was 6498-6338=160 nm (average 6.7 kt).

Current Position: 19 09.536’S 177 21.399’E; Local Timezone: UTC+23; SOG: 7.2 kt COG: 255; TWS: 21 kt; TWD: 160; Distance to Waypoint (Vanuatu, Efata, Port Vila, 264): 522; Total Miles Sailed: 6338 nm;
Comments: At the end of the day, the boat continues to average 5.6 kt exactly towards the waypoint. The wind is eventually going to shift from a more northerly to a more southerly track, necessitating a jibe, but I believe there is a chance I can ride this all the way to Vanuatu, saving a day and perhaps 150 nm. Sunset was at 18:34. A seabird joined me in the cockpit while I brushed my teeth, then left when the show was over. A new GRIB was available and downloaded at 21:00. It is now clear I can pass Ono while setting a course to the waypoint at 265. I an 28 nm from passing the W side of Ono. When I was within 10 nm of the atoll, I picked up cell service, and the wind started to wrap around, causing my course to shift more towards the reef. I stayed awake, adjusting the windvane to point towards the waypoint. It is 1:00 and the boat had slowed to 3.5 kt in 10 kt of wind as I am on the leeward side of Ono. I am about 10 nm from being clear of Ono, then I will turn more northerly for 15 nm or so to take advantage of what little wind there is, which is curving as it wraps around Viti Levu. After that, the wind should pick up a bit and I will jibe towards the layline and the waypoint. At 1:45, the wind died to practically zero and the windvane lost all control. To get out of the dead air, I fired up the engine and engaged the TillerPilot. I set a course for the waypoint, which simultaneously took me away from the island’s shadow and around its western side. The situation was not dangerous as I was six miles from the reef and downwind (what little wind there was). I just didn’t want to spend half a day here. It was the first time I had used the engine for propulsion since leaving Tonga and the first time I had used the TillerPilot in I-don’t-know-how-long. I had decided to reserve use of it for exactly this purpose. It took a little while to wake up the back-up TillerPilot. It is an older model and I think the logic circuitry is not as sophisticated, but once it learned its job it generally did fine, although it seemed to loose its place from time to time and had to be reset. It was clear ai was not getting any more sleep, so I made myself tea. After motoring for half an hour, I saw evidence the wind was picking up (boat speed increased while motor sailing, wing direction changed from the heading, wind speed increased from the boat speed, and headsail stopped flagging). I was about 30m away from 178E, a point where I thought it would be save to start veering more N, so I kept motoring., but minutes later the TillerPilot stopped working. I shut down the engine and discovered I had 6-8 kt of wind unexpectedly from the N, from which I could get 3.5-4 kt boat speed in a close reach nearly towards the waypoint. I knew this was an unstable situation, so I stayed in the cockpit to monitor changes. At this course and speed, it would take at least 2h to clear the reef. Finally, at 4:15, after a period of motor sailing, I seem to be out of the shadow of Ono, but as expected, the wind has died down to 6 kt with occasional gusts of 10. The boat is only going 2 kt on a board reach at 285 (20 degrees off the waypoint). I could get more speed by turning further N, but that would just put me in the shadow of the big island and in a poor position for future wind. The wind is predicted to pick up later today and really start to blow tonight. In the meantime, I am going to cook and rest. It is 7:10 and starting to get light. I am seeing Ono for the first time. I didn’t realize how tall it is … explains why I have been in its shadow so long. I downloaded a new GRIB at 8:00. Not much has changed. I will be floating along at 2-3 kt. I’ll see some sustained double-digit winds this afternoon. About midnight I’ll start seeing gusts around 20. By dawn I will see sustained winds in the low 20s and gusts approaching 30. On Tuesday the those winds will increase by 5. On Wednesday, decrease by 5. The same on Thursday. Winds will decrease to 10 with 15 gusts on Friday. So, I will loose most of today, make up time the next four days, and have an average day on Friday. I have 550 nm to go. I will probably know by midday tomorrow if I have any chance of arriving on Friday in time to check in, but if I have four 125 mile days, it is possible. I will have the Yankee unfurled and the main unreefed today. I will put a reef in the main at dusk, then furl in part of the Yankee when the winds pick up in the early morning hours. Tuesday will be a day for two reefs and half the Yankee. I tried for 2h to fine a sail configuration that would move the boat, including wing-on-wing, but the wind was very light and the direction unstable. The sails flagged with the swell and just would not catch the air. The forecast shows stronger winds developing west, but not where I was floating until tonight. Knowing if I had any chance of completing the formalities in Vanuatu on Friday, I had to make some progress today, I decided to motor sail until I caught up with the wind. Otherwise, I will certainly spend the weekend on the boat in the quarantine anchorage. The PW course had me going NW 25 nm and then SW 25 nm in the light winds over a period of over 16h, whereas by simply motoring E 25 nm at 5.5 kt, I could reach the same point in 4.5h, saving half a day. While running the engine I made water and cooked. Because I was motoring, the boat was not heeled over, making it easier to cook.!I left the main (but furled in the jib) to stabilize the boat from rolling. I set a course for the waypoint to make the most progress on, even though it looked like I might catch more air if I headed northward. Since the wind will eventually come from the SW, I prepared the cabin to heel to the starboard. I prepare a curried squash and lentil dish in the pressure cooker. I had to watch the TillerPilot carefully because every hour or so it would get lost. Despite its unreliability, it allowed me to work on other tasks. Most of the prep work for cooking was done in the cockpit so I could keep an eye on the course. About 13:15, I felt the first winds blow perpendicular to the boat and saw its effect on the boat’s speed. I stopped the engine so I could measure the wind speed and direction … 9 kt from 144. I turned the engine off, unfurled the jib, and replaced the TillerPilot with the windvane. The wind was variable 8-11 kt from about 169. I managed 4.5-5 kt in a beam reach towards the waypoint (264) after trimming the sails. It was 13:30 and my plan to motor to wind had apparently worked. I had motored about 22 nm and saved perhaps 4-5h of sailing NW then SW. The seas were still calm, which is why I could achieve the speed with single-digit wind. The only thing strange was the direction of the wind, 160. I was expecting 100. I enjoyed a bowl of curry in the cockpit while I downloaded a new GRIB to see if forecast gad changed. It had not. I believe the effect I was observing was because I was right on the edge of the dead air and new air. I studied the overnight forecast and it has not changed. Winds would build overnight to 20 with gusts of 25 and by morning 25 with gusts of 30. No doubt the big seas would be back as well. The AIS map was somewhat alarming. There were about 100 fishing trawlers between my location and Vanuatu, most of the chain type. Navigating them would be like coral reefs that move. I took advantage of the calm seas to tidy up the foredeck and organize things in the cabin. It is 14:30 and a big wall of storm clouds have amassed upwind. The CAPE is relatively low, but the clouds look menacing. What concerns me is the wind is on the beam and I am displaying all of my sails. With the present single-digit winds, that is not an issue. But if there is a 30 kt gust in those storms I risk a knock-down. If I had rode out a few of the storms today and knew what to expect, I would be prepared, but there have been no storms today and this is clearly a new front. I just readied all the lines at the mast, so I can reef in two minutes if I have to. At the last minute I decide not to take any chances. I put the first reef in the main, round up, and furl in one-third of the Yankee right then the wind picked up to almost 29 kt, driving the boat hull speed. I took over for the windvane and steered downwind into a broad reach to further depower the sail and the boat is nicely under control. I am surrounded 360 degrees by squalls like these, so it seems my plan to reef before dark has taken place early. I wasn’t satisfied with how much I furled the Yankee, so I rounded up a second time and brought in about half the sail. I was doing 6 kt in 14 kt wind in a close haul towards the waypoint. As the storm Passed the wind shifted to a beam reach. The boat feels balanced now. Before dark, in between storms, I will put a second reef in. I had gotten the solar shower out to get cleaned up, but I suspect Nature will bathe me tonight. A second wave of wind arrived with the rain, gusts to 25 kt. The forecast is inaccurate. Everything seems to be coming 12h early. As soon as the present storm passes, and that may be awhile, I am putting the second reef in the main. The distance sailed on in the past 24h was 614-522=92 (which is good considering I was sailing perpendicular or not at all a good bit of the time). The total distance sailed was 6338-6229=109.

Current Position: 19 27.317’S 178 55.631’E; Local Timezone: UTC+23; SOG: 6.0 kt COG: 265; TWS: 18 kt; TWD: 60; Distance to Waypoint (Vanuatu, Efata, Port Vila, 265): 614; Total Miles Sailed: 6239 nm;
Comments: According to PW, I was supposed to jibe about 17:30, when the TWA backed to 81. I jibed at 16:30 with a TWA of 82, putting me on a course of 295 (waypoint 266), better than predicted. There was no use heading further S if I didn’t have to. The TWD is supposed to shift to 70 by morning (and eventually to 65 as the wind dies down). I will be presenting more sail as the boat slows down to 4.5-5 kt. I am actually looking forward to getting off the rollercoaster for a while. While the seas are not exactly following yet, it is much more comfortable, especially as I can get off the sole of the cabin and back in my berth. I stayed awake until 22:00, 4 1/2h after jibing. However, the distance traveled was closer to what was expected at 1:30, a period of 9h. I was averaging 6.1 kt, whereas PW expected half that speed. Because I was moving so fast, the boat was not giving the wind time to back, so I was heading further E than expected. If this continues, I will need to jibe again before reaching Ono. Further, if I keep up this pace, I will reach Ono by Saturday evening rather than Sunday morning. That jibe may need to be taken well before I reach Ono because of the expected change in wind pattern. It is 23:00 and the wind is now from 70, so I am headed pretty much towards Ono. LI downloaded a new GRIB and weather route near midnight and the rest of the passage is looking better than previously suggested. The route has me jibing now to avoid Ono, but I believe I will wait until morning and see where I stand. I got an e-mail from Ertan Beskardes, one of the 5.80 racers who left Vava’u on Sunday for Fiji. He expects to arrive tomorrow. He said he lost his outboard in the waves. Must be brutal to be in a 19’ boat that probably does not weigh much more than twice the weight of my rudder. I have averaged 6.2 kt since 16:00, but I expect to slow down soon. Indeed, in the second half of the night, I averaged 5.6. By 7:00, I was averaging about 5 with 18 kt wind still at 85. The reason I slowed down is because I was nearly in a dead run trying to clear the W side of Ono. I pulled up a new weather plan and it confirmed what I feared. I was not going to clear Ono on the W and would have to pass it on the E. I was trying to avoid Kadavu Passage, the strait between Ono and Viti Levo, because it is fairly narrow, crowded with marine traffic, and will require multiple jibes at night. I accepted my fate and set a course for 300. I just noticed I crossed the ant-meridian and am officially in the Eastern Hemisphere. Winds were from 85 at 16-18, so I unfurled about 75% of the Yankee. I was reluctant to show more just now because although daylight, it was raining and I could not make out the weather. Also, I had seen some gusts of 25. I was averaging 5.2. I shook out the second reef at 8:00, which gave me an average speed over 6 kt. The sea conditions are much improved. I took advantage of the relatively calm state to inspect the foredeck but found nothing out of sorts except a strap that needed to be tightened on the dinghy. Although the cockpit was still wet from the rain storm, it was the first time to was comfortable enough to enjoy my tea outdoors. It was nice to be in a broad reach and not have to fight the wind and waves with accidental jibing. There were storm clouds 360 degrees. It does not look promising for solar. If the weather holds, I should be on the E side of Ono by dusk. As the sun gets higher in the sky, I see some patches of blue sky … and another squall headed my way. This is shaping up to be a perfect day for sailing. The first drizzle falls at 8:30. The storm brings 25 kt gusts from 45 degrees and 7 kt boat speed. The temporary change in wind angle as the squall passes drives me 40 degrees off course and directly towards the waypoint. If only this would keep up I’d be in Vanuatu in five days! The spray, drizzle, and cold wind finally drive me out of the cockpit at 8:45. I drank the second half of my tea below deck, studying the charts for the Kadavu Passage. It will be non-trivial. The PW course brings me dangerously close to underwater reefs. I will use the Navionics charts to create a series of waypoints to weave through the passage. Figuring I’d better be well-rested tonight, I laid down at 9:30 to sleep. A new GRIB was available at 11:00 and I downloaded it. Once again, PW suggested I pass S of Ono. To make that possible the TWD had to <70, and it was 68. The challenge was the air was dying S of Ono and if I didn’t keep up, I would be stranded on the windward side of the reef. However, favorable winds were predicted by midday tomorrow. Since I was arriving on the weekend in Port Vila anyway, I certainly had at least a day or two to spare, and to avoid the Kadavu Passage, it was worth the chance, so I jibed as recommended at 11:10. I was only making 4.7 kt, but this is a short jibe, perhaps 6-8 nm. It looks like the wind is going to fall to single digits midday tomorrow. If I make it around the W side of Ono by then, I will be in the clear, otherwise I will be bewinded near Ono for perhaps half a day. This is only 75 nm in 24h, so if I can average 3.5 kt I should be fine. After 10 nm, I jibed again, towards the W end of Ono, now about 67 nm. I completely unfurled the Yankee, left one reef in the main, and was averaging 4.6 kt in 14 kt wind from 72 on a heading of about 285 (WPT=264). I believe I will reach the W edge of Ono 1-2h before dawn. It is close enough that I may need to make one more jibe when I get there. By early Monday morning, I will be in 20-25 kt winds again for most of the rest of the passage. The distance on in the last 24h was 724-614=110 nm. The total distance was 6239-6106=133 nm. At present, remarkably, I am averaging 5.6 kt directly towards the waypoint with 19 kt of wind … better speed, more wind and a better heading than predicted … and it is sunny. Life is good. After all the gyrations of the day in dealing with Ono, everything appears to have turned out well, in part because I paid close attention to changing conditions and capitalized on them. It looks like I may be in a good position in the morning to avoid the dead air that is developing S of Fiji.

Current Position: 20 16.235’S 179 13.221’W; Local Timezone: UTC+23; SOG: 6.9 kt COG: 226; TWS: 26 kt; TWD: 85; Distance to Waypoint (Vanuatu, Efata, Port Vila): 724; Total Miles Sailed: 6106 nm;
Comments: A small squall hit me at 14:20 (as I was checking in yesterday) and caused an accidentally jibe. There was light rain and a few gusts, one of one when combined with an ill timed wave caused the jibe. I went to sleep at 17:00, an hour and a half before dark. Still trying to shake off whatever I picked up in Tonga. I woke up at 17:40 because one of the control lines on the windvane came loose, causing the boat to head up and the sails to flag (the sound of which awaken me). The wind direction shifted to due E (90) about 19:00. It was getting dark, so hard to tell if it was squalls, although there were certainly squalls in the area. I had to adjust the windvane. The wind was supposed to shift more easterly tonight, but early in the morning and to 100. It wasn’t supposed to shift to 90 until tomorrow afternoon. I did not have much choice. I had to head further S as jibing N would have put me on a collision course with the atolls to the E of Fiji. I set a course for 235 (waypoint 260). At 21:30 I got up to adjust the windvane. Normally, the depth recorder reads “- – -“, because the depth in these waters is 6500’. But, the reading was 198’ because I was passing over an underwater mountain (that was on the charts). I am trying to pass between the northern atoll Ogea and the southern Vatoa. I woke up at midnight and was headed straight for the latter, about 33 nm away. I adjusted course to try to pass north of it, probably about 5:30. It is tight enough that I will probably have to hand steer past it. At 3:30 at ship appeared 31 nm off the starboard bow, but it appeared to be stationary. I passed 16 nm N of Vatoa at 4:30. Depending on when I jibe, there should be no more land ahead of me for at least 400 nm. I woke up about 6:20. The boat was on the PW course doing 6.5 kt in 22 kt wind on a course of 220 (waypoint 265). I downloaded a new GRIB. Unfortunately, the forecast over the next week had not changed significantly, so I am going to get some dead air in a couple of days. I continue on this course until dusk, then jibe directly towards the main Fiji island of Veti Levu. As I reach the island Ono just S of Veti Levu Sunday midday, the air dies down. I have dead air 24-36h. Since the course brings me back to the layline for Port Villa, it seems like the best choice. Before the end of the day, I need to prepare the cabin for the jibe (so stuff does not fly across the cabin). The best part about jibing is that I will have following seas for the next few days, making it easier for the windvane to steer, and the waves will decrease as the wind dies down. It will be an opportunity to do some cooking. Dawn came and the boat was doing 7.2 kt in 26 kt of wind on a course of 220. The skies were partly cloudy and squally like yesterday. The seas were unchanged … angry and confused. Twelve more hours of this punishment and I will be able to jibe. I didn’t make tea yesterday, but did this morning. Despite the fact waves are coming over the cowling, I am determined to get some fresh air. The tea was made with soy milk that had gone off, so I didn’t finish it. I went below for about 30m and made breakfast with the yogurt, muesli, honey and banana I had gotten at the Tropicana Cafe. By the time I went back to the cockpit at 8:30, the boat was enveloped in a massive squall. The wind is blowing hard enough that they can come upon you in half an hour without advanced warning. Fortunately, the CAPE is low and the storms are low-energy, although the shifting winds mess with steering. I compare the actual course with the PW course at 9:00 and it is spot on. If this keeps up, I will jibe about 16:00. No vessels or obstructions within 50 nm, so I got some more sleep. At 10:00 I was waken up by sustained 35 kt winds from 75 than caused the boat to round up and head almost due S. I made an adjustment to the windvane knowing I’d probably be back up in 10m to change it back. The boat was averaging 7 kt, sometimes surfing down the waves at 10 kt. While I was up I turned the engine on to run the fridge and put a charge on the batteries. This will not be a day for solar. At 10:30, a Chinese fishing boat suddenly appeared on the AIS on my port side only 5.5 nm away and heading straight for me. They must of only now turned on their AIS, probably after seeing me on Radar. Its course and speed were variable, like mine, due to the wind and waves. At 5.5 nm the collision alarm went off and I turned on the VHF. The seas were big, probably 12’, making it difficult to spot the vessel. It may have been undertaking some maneuver as the speed kept changing from 2 to 9 kt and the direction from perpendicular to parallel my course. To further complicate matters, a squall was coming in, which will reduce visibility. Something was strange about the pattern. I expanded the AIS and it was actually two vessels on different courses. About 1 nm out, one of the vessels stopped and the other continued to head for me, passing my stern at 11:15, missing me by 0.25 nm, but not before splitting in two, leaving one half behind. It was a chain of fishing boats that were in the process of dispersing. Sometimes there are as many as ten of them in a chain. Following this check-in, I will wait until just before dusk, about 18:00, and then jibe. I have put on my swimming trunks because I expect the cockpit will get pooped as I turn downwind. The next land obstacle is Ono, which I should reach Sunday morning. However, fishing boats are thick between here and there, so I will need to remain alert. The distance travelled on has been 837-722=115 nm (more than I expected given how far off the waypoint I have been sailing). The total distance sailed was 6106-5966=138 nm (average 5.9 kt).

Current Position: 19 03.240’S 177 03.255’W; Local Timezone: UTC+23; SOG: 6.4 kt COG: 245; TWS: 23 kt; TWD: 116; Distance to Waypoint (Vanuatu, Efata, Port Vila): 837; Total Miles Sailed: 5955 nm;
Comments: At 16:20, right after I checked in yesterday, I spotted on the AIS the vessel “Sea Harmony” 13 nm behind me doing almost 9 kts. Its course kept changing, weaving back and forth, suggesting it was a sailboat using a windvane. As I suspected, it is a 52’ sailboat. I got up an hour later. The boat was doing 6.4 kt in 22 kt wind. There was a squall off the port side, upwind, and it did not look like I was going to outrun it. The wind was cold. It was a good call to reduce sail. It was shaping up to be a rough night. Sea Harmony was still 11 nm behind me. I went back to the berth, but did not fall asleep because it became calm after 10m. The wind had dropped from 22 to 10 kt and the boat was doing 4 kt. It was raining lightly. The leading edge of the squall was sucking the air out of my sails. I knew in a bit the wind would build, but I was confident I was presenting the right amount of sail. A few minutes later I could hear the wind coming. 24 kt drove the boat 6.5 kt. Sunset was at 18:10. I looked around and spotted more squalls in my path, but I was not concerned. They do not appear to be particularly energetic. Sea Harmony is still 8 nm behind me. It appears she will pass 2-3 nm to my starboard. Probably headed for Fiji whereas I am going a little further S in an effort to avoid the atolls. I have been very tired today. Believe I have been running a sleep deficit. I went to bed at 18:30 and set a 1h alarm. I went to the cockpit at 21:00. Sea Harmony was about to pass 1 nm to the starboard. Interestingly, I could only see a red light on the boat. I could not tell if it was on the mast. The cockpit was wet from rain. The boat was doing 6 kt in 22 kt wind. The windvane seemed to be doing its job. The tracking showed on average the boat had traveled directly towards the waypoint for the past three hours. Since there were no threats, I set the timer for 2h. I did a cockpit check at 23:15 and made an adjustment on the windvane. Checking the position, I was about 1 1/2 h ahead of schedule by longitude and on the layline towards the waypoint. PW would have had me 27 nm N of that line, distance I would have had to make up, so I was probably my like 3-4 h ahead of schedule. The main reason is because the PW model expects me to reduce sail and speed at night, but I am doing almost twice the speed that is predicted. I set the alarm for 2h. I was half-awake at 1:10 when I heard the boat hit something. I will make a point of diving to do an inspection of the hull. I want to do a thorough cleaning anyway before reaching Australia as their biosecurity has a reputation of being very strict. By 3:30, I started to see 28 kt gusts that drove the boat over 7 kts. At 6:00, the boat was doing 6.5 kt in 25 kt wind and was perfectly on course. I downloaded a new GRIB at 6:30 … not much changed. At dawn, 7:00, I had a look around. The cockpit was very wet from waves breaching the cowling. The seas were angry and confused by the changing wind direction. The skies looked squally, like it did at dusk. My stomach had been upset ever since I left yesterday. I think it was the heavy meal I had the night before I left. In any case I felt better now. After drinking some water and eating a dinner roll (didn’t feel like much more),I went back to my berth to slept some more. Before I could fall asleep, I remembered to check the shower sump where the water drains from the chain locker. Sure enough, after less than 24h, it was full of water from waves breaking over the bow. I have to turn on that bilge pump manually because the automatic switch does not usually work. I added a reminder to my list and went to sleep. At 8:00, I was woken up by 30 kt gusts that were driving the boat 7.5 kts. Everything seemed to handle the wind well. The windvane was doing surprisingly well considering the wave action was corkscrewing the boat. I was visited by a few 35 kt gusts that caused the boat to round up and be jerked back by the waves. The boat still did not feel overpowered, but it was becoming very uncomfortable and probably unsafe in the port side berth, so I laid out a couple of foam pads and moved to the cabin sole, where I was much more comfortable. Also, the wind was constantly blowing spray across the cockpit and into the cabin, so I put the slats in the companionway. I would have liked to have installed a running backstay, but the idea of going forward to attach it was not appealing. In the future, I will install it when winds like this are forecasted. I laid down on the cabin floor and it was in fact so comfortable I fell deep asleep for two more hours. It was almost 11:00 when I woke up. I must have slept close to 18h out of the last 24h. As predicted, albeit a little early, the wind had shifted to 120, so the windvane needed to be adjusted. I didn’t try to trim the sails as the boat was still doing over 6 kt. It was bright and sunny, and the weather looked good upwind and down course. The broad reach was much more comfortable than the beam reach with respect to wave action. I had made a remarkable 135 nm on in the last 24h, an average of over 5.6 kt. It looks like I am headed for the Southern Lau group of Fijian atolls. They are roughly 100 nm away. Unfortunately, I will encounter them in the dark, maybe 3:00. Some of the atolls are just a mile apart. There is a 35 nm gap just S of Ogea and after that relatively clear passage. I am going to create a waypoint (O1) and use it to help guide me through tonight. The wind is going to back almost due E tonight, sourcing me S. I will try to make as much progress E as I can until it does. The swell kept wanting to force an accidental jibe, so at noon I eased out the half-Yankee a bit to favor the broad reach. I laid down a bit after noon and slept soundly for another two hours. I am beginning to think I have not been well (stomach pain, dull headache, some chill), so I must just be sleeping it off. I woke to see some weather upwind. Don’t know if it will pass by the time I get there. Not all that hungry, but all I have had today was a hard boiled egg this morning and a few nuts, so I am making some rice to go with one of the prepared meals I got at the Tropicana Cafe. It is labeled “Lati’s Yaskisoba”. I sat in the cockpit to eat, even though it was wet. The 10’ waves have started breaking, sending spray in the air. I watched a large squall pass to my stern. It appeared and disappeared in the time it took to eat … driven by the high winds. I had to force the food down as I had no appetite. I retreated to the nest I build on the sole of the salon. I have made remarkable 973-836=137 on towards the waypoint in the past 24h. I sailed a total of 5955-5811=144 nm (average speed 6 kt). I will pass the Anti-meridian in the next day or two (the longitude on the opposite side of the Prime Meridian) and with enter the Eastern Hemisphere.

Current Position: 18 41.227’S 174 39.487’W; Local Timezone: UTC+23; SOG: 5.8 kt COG: 238; TWS: 19 kt; TWD: 145; Distance to Waypoint (Vanuatu, Efata, Port Vila): 973; Total Miles Sailed: 5811 nm;
Comments: Vanuatu is in the UTC+21 time zone, so I will loose two hours during the passage. However, I will wait to change my clocks until I arrive there. The current weather routing has me weaving through the atolls S of Fiji. About 35 nm from Vava’u, I must miss the island of Late. After that, there are no obstructions for about 200 nm, until I reach Fiji’s atolls. I got up at 6:00, got the boat ready, and weighed anchor at 8:20. I was in open water by 10:00. I made water while motoring out of the passage. Once clear of the islands, I rounded up, shut the engine down, lowered the watervane, raised the main with one reef, and unfurled the jib. Once the sails were trimmed and the windvane balanced, I was making 6.5 kt towards the waypoint (257) in a close haul. The windvane balanced was blowing 15 kt nearly due S. The boat seemed balanced and under control while heeling 15 degrees. The skies are mostly clear and swell is perhaps 6’. Although the swell is relatively little, reaching is enough to drive the water over the bow. The winds proved to be variable 12-18 kt, driving the boat 5.5-6.5 kt. I’ll be happy averaging 6. It is 10:40 and I have 1002 nm to the waypoint (as the crow flies). I am now traveling faster under sail than I was motoring, so the land is quickly disappearing from the stern. After eight days at anchor, it did not take long for me to feel comfortable once more at sea. Under control of the windvane, I could finally enjoy the tea I made at 7:30. It is 11:00 and I am about 27 nm from the N side of Late. I should reach it in 4-5h, well before dark. Once 10 nm offshore, I turned off Starlink, switched to the Iridium Go, and downloaded a weather route. The present conditions predicted are close to what I am observing, 11 with gusts of 15 kt. The prediction is for the wind to increase overnight to 21 with gusts of 28. Before dark, I will put the second reef in and reduce the headsail by 50%. The wind is also supposed to shift from 180 to 130 overnight, which means it with go from a close to a broad reach. I will need to get up several times to trim the sails and adjust the windvane. No weather warnings were included in the report. It looks like smooth sailing at least to Fuji. I took a nap in the cockpit. I woke up about 13:00. I was almost equidistant between Vava’u and Late and could see both. Late was much taller than I expected. The wind had shifted from 175 to 190, placing the boat in less of a close haul and more in a reach. I was going to pass Late to the N by about 7 nm. Once past Late, there will be no land obstacles until Friday. I noticed that heeled over more in the reach, relative to the runs I have been doing, the paddle wheel speed detector underestimates the speed. The boat speed reads 5.7, but the SOG is 6.2 according to the instruments and 6.5 according to the Navionics app. I do not believe this difference is due to a current. It is 12:40 and in the last 2h I have gone 13.3 nm, a 6.6 kt average, close to what Navionics says my SOG is. By 13:30, Tonga has disappeared over the horizon. By 13:30, the wind had shifted to 160, and few hours earlier than forecasted by PW. By 14:00, the wind was blowing consistently over 20 kt. I rounded up and furled in half the Yankee. After sailing a few minutes more, the boat still felt overpowered and the cockpit was wet. I rounded up a second time and put a second reef in the main. The speed was reduced to 5.5 kt, but it was much more comfortable. Now heeled over 6 instead of 16, I prepared a meal. I passed N of Late about 15:30. The gusts were not as strong, which may have been because I was in the shadow of the island. The windvane was behaving better under reduced sail. Safely past Late and having eaten, I went below deck to sleep in anticipation of changing wind conditions requiring my attention during the night. I dozed, but woke up at 16:00. A squall had passed in front of me and was just off the starboard bow.

Current Position: 18 39.567’S 173 58.913’W; Local Timezone: UTC+23; SOG: 0 kt COG: N/A; TWS: 11 kt; TWD: 190; Distance to Waypoint (Vaka’eitu): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 5771 nm;
Comments: By 17:00, two more big catamarans as well as a monohull had arrived, making nine boats before mine. I no longer had the anchorage to myself. It took on an entirely different character. I fell asleep by 19:00 and woke up again at 2:00. I checked the weather and this morning will be relatively calm, but the rest of the week to winds will be in the 20s with gusts in the 30s. It will be nearly impossible to dock at customs. Further, the weather offshore is not going to be great for a passage when I had planned. It would be better to go to the customs dock this morning and leave for Vanuatu tomorrow. I started to get the boat ready to move at 6:00 and hauled anchor right after sunrise. I was at the Custom’s dock by 10:00 and finished with the paperwork and on a mooring ball by 11:00. I was lucky in that I got the last one. It was in an unfavorable location … difficult to get to. I went to town to pick up some last-minute provisions. I am having dinner with Ruby Gates and Ron Kucera, two friends from San Carlos who arrived a day ago. My plan is to take off early in the morning.