{"id":1939,"date":"2025-06-22T03:12:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T03:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/?p=1939"},"modified":"2025-06-22T03:14:34","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T03:14:34","slug":"check-in-june-21-2025-300-utc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/22\/check-in-june-21-2025-300-utc\/","title":{"rendered":"Check-in June 21, 2025; 3:00 UTC"},"content":{"rendered":"
Current Position: 19 09.536\u2019S 177 21.399\u2019E; 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;
\nComments: 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\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019t-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\u2019t realize how tall it is \u2026 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\u2019ll see some sustained double-digit winds this afternoon. About midnight I\u2019ll 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\u2019s speed. I stopped the engine so I could measure the wind speed and direction \u2026 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\u2019t 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.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Current Position: 19 09.536\u2019S 177 21.399\u2019E; 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 … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Check-in June 21, 2025; 3:00 UTC”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-captainslog"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1939\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}