Media: Sublime trade wind sailing

Our second attempt to make Hawaii proved to be more successful. We'd had a fabulous couple of months in the French Society Islands but we had to make the long voyage north before the onset of the north pacific hurricane season. We'd already left it a little late and needed to keep a keen eye to the east to avoid any deadly early season storms. But this was nice, easy trade wind sailing and our progress north was fast. The old sailing ships relied on the consistency of the pacific easterly trade winds and they never disappoint.

Day after day of good sailing took us nearer to the equator, following a NNE course in the SE trades to make as much easting as we could before we reached the 'doldrums' north of the equator. The ITCZ is where the northern and southern hemisphere trades meet to produce little wind and notoriously squally wet weather. The breeding ground of hurricanes... We crossed the equator at 147 deg 50 west, negotiating the swift currents now reversed and setting eastwards into the north pacific. Fat Annie too made good progress about 200 miles north of us and we stayed in radio contact.

This was fantastic sailing. The sea was in a benevolent mood and caused us no real problems. The blue ocean and I became uneasy friends again after the hideous time she gave us crossing from NZ to Tahiti. Marie delighted each evening with fresh cooked food and we'd watch numerous sunsets, dolphins and whales pass by, broken only by the odd rainstorm to wash away the salty residues of breaking sea spray. Sänna too behaved magnificently and even the dreaded doldrums proved no match, with consistent winds and seas driving us through the infamous thunder squalls. We spent our days laughing and joking and growing close again. These were the treasure days together we'd never forget. Ever. Only those who've spent endless days alone together know...

We altered course north through the doldrums until the winds backed NE and we were able to point Sänna's bows directly NW to Hawaii over 800 miles away. We followed the wind. We plotted a course for Hilo on the big island, intrigued by how the yanks would react to an English yacht turning up on their doorstep. Homeland security? Still, the trades were perfect and the wind drove us relentlessly on a reach until we could make out the big smoking volcanoes of Hawaii nearly fifty miles away. For well over two thousand miles we hardly adjusted the sails or needed too, except to occasionally reef down when the wind blew a little harder. Our logs showed that Sänna was making over 180 miles a day, easily the best long distance sailing we'd ever done.

In the evenings we talked of where we would go next. Alaska? Canada? California? Mexico? Panama? Anyhow, we both distinctly had the feeling we were heading home. Back to England; Norfolk or Suffolk I proposed. Marie laughed, "Yeah, right," she said. But I could see she was keen too...

We berthed in Hilo Port in the middle of the day. Perfect arrival timing into a new harbour. Fat Annie was already moored up but they'd had problems with their sails. We too had some minor problems we'd need to get fixed, but nothing that was going to cause problems. Just the usual wear and tear stuff from a long voyage. Refreshingly, US Customs and Coastguard were extremely friendly and helpful. We were checked in, passports stamped, Customs processed, all by the same guy. Very impressive, we thought, given the infamous reputation of US immigration.

And in Radio Bay harbour there were other long distance sailing yachts tied up too. Midnight Sun from Tasmania, heading for Alaska with their two young boys onboard. Canadians too, heading south to New Zealand. We'd arrived safely, without incident, and the smoking volcanoes welcomed us in a traditional sunshine Aloha...

Dave

Raiatea to Hilo, Hawaii. 2,350 miles in sixteen days.

Note: seven days after arriving in Hilo, Tropical Storm Flossy passed over Hawaii, followed closely by Tropical Storm GIL and Hurricane Henrietta...
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