Arrived

I have arrived safely in Kaneohe on Sep 23rd. I made a fast trip down the windward side of Molokai and the Molokai channel to arrive right at 12 noon. I had a great welcoming with all my friends from Makani Kai Marina. I sailing right up to the dock with no problem and I had plenty of people to take my dock lines and stop the boat. Then I was cleared by Customs agents and the party could commence. The party continued all afternoon and into the night. It is really good to be home again. I can relax
now with no immediate concerns that I need to deal with. I do have a huge amount of work to do on the boat but that is okay.

One More Day

I am approaching the north side of Maui at noon today. I have been busy getting this boat sailing downwind. That includes getting the whisker pole setup for the Jib. I am sailing fairly well like this but it is very rolly because of a large north swell on my beam in addition to the east swell. Unfortunately downwind sailing is also slower so I am doing 5 knots only and currently the current is taking some of that away. That can't last. Anyway I plan to arrive Kaneohe Bay in the midafternoon sometime.
The weather is nice now for a good landfall. The squalls have taken a break for a few days. So needless to say I am very excited about the completion of this voyage and being home soon.

Hawaiian Waters

I am back in Hawaiian waters this morning. I can hear the US Coast Guard on the radio. It is nice to hear the American voices and to be back in familiar water. I am still SE of the Big Island and will be passing east of it tonight. The wind has dropped to 15 knots and the seas have calmed down a lot to only 5 feet. I am keeping my speed up to 6 knots to ensure a morning arrival in Kaneohe. I expect I will slow down some when I turn a bit more downwind off Maui. The winds should hold up for me
to at least 15 knots till I get in. I should get in sometime Sunday morning. It is nice to have some easier sailing now for my final days of this trip.

Getting Closer

After 2 days of 25 knot winds I am seeing improvement as the high weakens. I have been making good speed regardless so I will get home by Sunday morning. The forecast is for the winds to weaken to 15 knots starting Friday night so that should be good sailing. I will be turning more downwind at that point and will need the pole rigged. When I arrive I plan to sail into the marina and dock at the end of B dock where I hope to have someone ready to take my dock lines. With additional help I can get
the boat to the slip. I have sailed all the way in before but it is risky so I would rather avoid that. I sure am ready to be home again. Only 425 miles to go!!

Bashing Along

I am bashing along in 25 kt wind and 10 foot seas. This is not relaxing or fun. I am sailing nearly closehauled to maintain my track. The wind is solid NE and the current is setting me west so I am pointing higher than I planned. At least I got enough easting, just barely. I hope to arrive Kaneohe sometime Sunday. Thewinds are going to be strong like this again tomorrow but Friday a slight easing then less on the weekend. I am doing okay but I sure wish I could have had better luck with the weather.
I don't mind 20 kts but 25-30 is too much. I am really ready to be there. I must be patient.

Not Fun

Last night as I motored into the night there were thunderstorms to my east. Not good. Then the engine went"Bang" and I found the fresh water cooling pump destroyed with the shaft broken clean off. So with very little wind I start sailing. Then the line of thunderstorms comes right over me at 1 am until 3 am. That sound of thunder was very scary. Lightening was hitting the water around me. I was very scared. Luckily I did not get hit. Then in the morning the wind dies eventually to zero. I have to
sit there as I see another line of thunderstorms approaching. I was not happy. Then a NE wind started and I started sailing north away from the thunderstorms. The wind continued to increase to 30 knots. I raced to the north. Now I am sailing fast in 20 knots with 8 foot seas. The sky is cloudy with squalls all around but at least I am sailing. This was not a fun episode to my trip.

Motoring

I am still motorsailing in light winds. I have left the ITCZ but now have entered a weak low pressure system. The sky is overcast and light rain. The wind is from the west to I am just motoring into it trying to stay on course. I think this system will move through and I will get to the trade winds hopefully tomorrow sometime. I am disappointed that I am not already in the trade winds but that's weather for you. You never know what your going to get. I still have alot of fuel for motoring so hopefully
I can get myself to the trade winds at about 12N. From there I should have a good sail the rest of the way.

Doldrums

I am still plugging along in the doldrums. The weather is actually very nice except for very little wind interspersed with huge squalls that blow 30 knots. They are all around me and they definitely keep you busy trying to decide if it will hit or miss. I seem to have a ways to go yet to get back to the east trades. Possibly another 2 days. I am trying to keep my speed up for the obvious reasons. Also my friend I met in Bora Bora left for Hawaii 8 days after me. My goal is to arrive before him. He
has a very fast 50' boat so it could be close. I will be glad to get back to the trade winds for the final leg to Hawaii. They should be 20 knots when I get there which will be fast but a bit rough.

Busy Day

I had the best speed over 24 hrs since I left. I made 150 miles at an average of 6.25 knots. That's moving pretty fast for this 28' boat. Just as I am enjoying that progress I enter the ITCZ or "the doldrums" with a mean squall that blew in at 32 knots. The waves seem to immediately get huge and from all directions. After weathering that blast the wind went calm or nearly so. Now I am motoring to get to the other side of the ITCZ. It is not certain how long that will be as the width varies and it
also moves around. I hit it earlier than expected. Now if it moves north that wouldn't be so good. I have lots of fuel to get me through. I can expect more rain and squalls before I'm past it and constantly changing conditions. I should be back in the trades by 10N. I'm at 6 30N now. That would be 210 miles. I have not seen any traffic since I left. I do see various birds and millions of flying fish. They remind me of flocks of birds like doves that all takeoff at the same time. They are constantly
flying off in large schools from in front of the boat. I have had a few on deck as well. I'm looking forward to getting to the East trades turning the boat for Hawaii.

Fast Sailing

Today the wind really picked up with 20 knots from the ESE. That got me going over 6 knots. Of course that got the seas going as well so it got fairly rough. The fast boat speed was welcome however. Again the weather is clear and sunny. I am approaching the ITCZ so that will change. Also I have watched the E Pacific weather closely for tropical storms that could affect me. The good news is there is nothing to be concerned about now at all. If that can hold for several more days I should have no
problems with storms. Thee boat is doing great. The beam reach puts a strain on the Monitor steering system but it handles it fine. However I keep my fingers crossed that it will continue to do okay under the strain. The crossing swells throws the stern around very forcefully which the Monitor has to counter. The ride has been lively today, like Mr Toads Wild Ride.

Good Sailing Day

The wind made a dramatic change today by turning to the southeast. At the same time I made my easting goal so I had headed north. That put me on a nice beam reach in 12-15 knot wind. Can't get better than that. Boat speed was up to 6 knots. Now however this evening the winds have dropped to only 10 knots so have have slowed down again. Oh well, nothing I can do about that. My next waypoint is at 10N where I will turn northwest for Hawaii. I will clear the Big Island on the east side then going down
the island chain along the north. That way I avoid the wind shadow of the mountains and also the nasty channels. I have yet to encounter any squalls but that time is coming in a few days when I cross the ITCZ at 8-10N. I am hoping I will slip through easily like we did on the way down. I have been enjoying the sailing. It is peaceful and quiet yet a challenge to keep the boat sailing well.

Crossing the Equator

At 1142 this morning I crossed the equator at 148 24W. The weather continues to be very nice with 15 knot east wind and mild seas. The air temperature is still cool. I would guess about 78 degrees. The only thing to complain about, there's always something, is the current that continues to hold me back at a full 1 knot. That is a 20% reduction of speed. It is frustrating to get the boat sailing well and have that deducted. Oh well. I had my shot of Captain Morgan's and gave one to Neptune. I hope
he is happy with that. I have been slower than I expected so far due to the headwinds and current. I have averaged 4.2 knots since leaving Bora Bora. I had planned for 5 knots. The speed should pick up once I turn to the northwest at 10 degrees north. I will be on good reach then and should get help from the current. My best guess for arrival would be the 24th. I will soon be half way.
Good news...this evening the wind finally switched to the southeast just as I made my easting of 148W. Now I have headed off onto a close reach and the boat speed improved dramatically. Hopefully this will last. I had to sail 10 days closehauled or nearly so. That was unfortunate but at least the weather has been very nice.

Fresh Fish

I put a fishing line out today. Two hours later I had a small Shibi[yellow fin tuna] on board. Just the perfect boat size. Tomorrow morning I will cross the equator at 148W. I will have the easting I wanted. The sailing is good today with ENE wind at 15 kts. I am behind my original plan because of the north wind I had to put up with. But I'm not doing too bad. I am sleeping well even in the rough seas. I get up to check everything every 2 hours then go back to bed. I am in a strong current now,
against me of course, which seems to have cooler water. The air temperature definitely cooled off and became more dry. The sky is completely clear. Although the cabin is mostly closed up it is comfortable. So this will be my last day sailing in the South Pacific.

Nice Day

The winds have settled down today and are from the east so I am making easting quite well. I want to get to 148W before heading north again. I am constantly trying to keep everything working. Although most of the problems are minor or temporary they are bothersome. The Sat Phone is not connecting very well right now. I suppose its my location but who knows. It is supposed to work anywhere. My daily routine is fairly relaxed however late afternoon a lot happens at once so I get busy. Of course that
is just when the wind picks up and I have to reef. It is also when I send email and connect to the Seafarers Net. After that I can have a beer and watch the sunset. I have completed my first week of this trip. I should have about 2 weeks to go.

Rough Sailing

The wind has been really blowing for 24 hours. It has been up to 25 kts but mostly 20-22. I think it is settling down to 20 now. It has shifted to the east and will keep shifting to the ESE. That would be a help. I really don't like this rough sailing. The waves are 8 feet and really throw the boat around. I am still making almost 120 miles a day. I should cross the equator Monday night. I have not been fishing because it is too rough to cook. I just heat a can of something and that's all. Doing
anything in the galley is extremely challenging. I have been doing a lot of reading. I am sleeping okay. I am hoping the wind will settle down to 15 and make life aboard a little better.

Wind

The wind is getting stronger today which is not welcome news. I am in 20 kts now which sailing closehauled is not fun. I am able to just hold on to my northbound course. With the wind of course comes much larger waves which slows the boat down and makes it very uncomfortable. I have been making okay progress of about 120 miles or 2 degrees every 24 hours. The wind is STILL northeast!! The humidity has really gone up now as I approach the equator. I am getting the prickly heat again on my back but
am using measures to hopefully reduce it. I can see why people say that an ocean voyage like this is a once in a lifetime experience. Who would do it again?

Status Report

I still have NE wind but now it is a steady 15 kts which is good for my boat speed. I am averaging about 5.2 knots. I am able to sail nearly true north so I am not losing too much to the west. I'm close to the 150W longitude line. So I am making good progress to the north. Tomorrow I should see east wind which will help me work back to the east. The weather is really nice without a cloud anywhere. I have yet to be hit by a squall for this whole trip. The seas are moderate for this wind with no significant
swell. I cleared Caroline Atoll last evening by just 10 miles to the east. That was a little too close.
I tried fishing yesterday but had a problem with the frigate birds. They would swoop down on my lure and pick up the leader, fly up with it, then drop it. When I reeled it in fast they followed it nearly into the cockpit with me. They look very big from 5 feet away. So I postponed fishing for awhile. I was afraid they would fly into my wind generator. They just seemed bored and wanted to play.
The radar is a disappointment. It now shows the same fault that I had previously. I would have to climb the mast, open the dome, remove 11 small screws and reset the plug. Not going to happen! So I can forget about radar. The good news is there is NOBODY out here. Many people with radar don't use them out here anyway as they draw too much power. I do have the best radar reflector made and my lights are nice and bright. I will be more diligent about looking for traffic at night.
I managed to make coffee without spilling everything all over. So that's progress for sure. I am doing a lot of reading to keep from getting bored. Overall this is fairly enjoyable once I got over the fact I did not get the wind I had ordered. So I am doing good.

Headwinds

The wind has shifted to the NNE at 15 knots. That is not good for my progress. I have been trying to sail northeast or north but now the best I can do is northwest. The forecast does not show the winds to be this north. However, if this continues I will loose a lot of my easting which will make the sail that much harder later. I even sailed east for 5 hours last night but but decided that was not the way to go and the seas were much rougher in that direction. I had hoped to pass east of Caroline
Island but that doesn't look good now. I'm just going to have to stay on this NW course and hope for a wind shift back to the east. I will have to work out my easting later. This does not bode well for a fast passage. Otherwise, the weather is nice with no squalls in sight. I will just have to hold on here and hope for a better wind angle. My radio "call in" is working great. That was a problem sailing down so it is nice that it is fixed. You can go to Pacific Seafarers Net web page to see the "ROLL
CALL". You can also find the position reporter on that website. The old links that everyone was using no longer works. This afternoon the winds have settled down to 10 knots and is slowly going back more to the northeast. So the sailing today has been very relaxing and enjoyable under sunny skies.

Good Sailing Day

It was a very day for sailing with 12 knot winds and sunny skies. Now however the wind has shifted to the NE and picked up to 15 knots or so. I am forced to sail very closehauled which makes the motion uncomfortable. The wind should shift back to the East tomorrow. I sure hope so. I am sending position reports but people looking for them need to go to the Pacific Seafarers Net Homepage and find the appropriate link. The radio has been working great. That is a relief. So I am hanging in there doing
one day at a time.

Day 2

I have had a great start for my sail back to Hawaii. The light winds at first gradually increased to 15 kts. I am making easting therefore closehauled so it is getting a little rough but not real bad. I hooked a large marlin this morning. Luckily I got him off okay. Later I caught a small Aku which was great for dinner. Getting connected is iffy right now so I will do my best to keep the blog updated.