Mostly Harmless

07 March 2008 | Richmond, BC
24 November 2007 | Aukland Harbour, New Zealand
14 November 2007 | 275 NM north of Kiwi Land
11 November 2007 | 450 NM from Whangarei
08 November 2007 | 600 NM from Whangarei
06 November 2007 | A couple miles outside North Minerva Reef
05 November 2007 | North Minerva Reef - day 2
05 November 2007 | North Minerva Reef
04 November 2007 | about 40 nm north of Minerva
03 November 2007 | somewhere in between Tongatapu and Minevera Reefs
31 October 2007 | Tonga - Nuku'Alofa - still
31 October 2007 | Tonga - Nuku'Alofa
14 October 2007 | Nukualofa - Tongatapu - Kingdom of Tonga
28 September 2007 | Vava'u, Tonga
13 September 2007 | Niue
31 August 2007 | Rarotonga, Cook Islands
27 August 2007 | 150 miles SE of Bora Bora
28 July 2007 | Leeward Island
23 July 2007 | Moorea, FP
15 July 2007 | Papeete, Tahiti

All Done

07 March 2008 | Richmond, BC
Morgan MacKay
Well, my great adventure is over. Mostly Harmless was sold in Auckland. I toured around New Zealand my car for 3 fun months, but now I'm sorry to say, I'm back at work in Vancouver. Thank you all for following and being part of my great adventure.

-Morgan

Final Port

24 November 2007 | Aukland Harbour, New Zealand
Morgan
9500 Nautical Miles. Mostly Harmless has crossed the Pacific Ocean From Vancouver to Auckland concluding a 6-1/2 month nautical adventure.

From becalmed in the Pacific high to gales in the Southern Ocean. It's been one hell of a journey for the skipper, crew and boat.

We've visited 7 Island Nations in 4 times zones. Hawaii, Kiribati, French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Niue, Tonga and now New Zealand.

I'm writing this, is a busy caf? on the Auckland Waterfront. Auckland is the biggest city since leaving Vancouver. This will be, most likely, the final stop for Mostly Harmless under my command. She is tied up to a dock in Westhaven Marina with a For Sale sign on her bow. I have very mixed feelings about putting the boat up for sale, given that we've only made it the first third around the world. Should I keep going? Should I sail back home though the Pacific? Should I cash out and take a plane home to windward? Hard questions to answer.

In the mean time, with the Hurricane season in the south pacific, I'm going adventuring through New Zealand by land.

As I lock up the boat for the next few weeks, I have to say a special thanks to people that helped me get here safely. Tyler; my crew for the desolate North Pacific. Vanessa; my crew for the beautiful South Pacific. Peter; my crew for the wild Southern Ocean. Most of, thank you to my wonderful Parents, Family and Friends that supported me through the Ocean Journey.

Longest trip ever!

14 November 2007 | 275 NM north of Kiwi Land
Morgan
We've been on the water for 12 days and we still have at least 3 days to go! (The hole trip is normally a 7-9 day sail)

So far we've had 3 days of no wind, followed by a 4-day gale (involving a 300NM detour around the "Dangerous Quadrant"). Now we are into our third day of tacking into head winds and lumpy seas.

Autopilot packed it in last night trying to drive the boat straight into 28 knots of wind and 15' seas. We had to hand steered all night. Installed the old backup autopilot this morning and should be okay for a few days if the wind stays light.

Peter and I dying to get off this boat. It looks like a boom went off inside after 7 days of 15'+ seas.

Come on Mostly Harmless! You can get us there! Just 3 more days!

Interesting fact #1: A C&C 40 will do 8.25 knots of sustained boat speed powered only by a storm jib reaching across 38 knots of wind. Fun Fun.

Interesting fact #2: There are a dozen boats within 150 miles of us that left the same day from Tonga. There is a daily radio net run by a boat a few miles away. Every morning we call in to share our misery and weather frustrations with the rest of the pack around us.

Yes I'm bitter. I'll get better. Solution will be shower, shave, sleep and suds in order of opportunity.
Vessel Name: Mostly Harmless
Vessel Make/Model: C&C 40
Hailing Port: Steveston, BC, Canada
Crew: Morgan MacKay
About: Mostly Single Handed. Currently crew in the South Pacific: Vanessa. Crewed to Hawaii: Tyler Borges.
Extra: Bought in 2005 on Seattle WA, Wendigo became Mostly Harmless registered in Vancouver BC. Over the last year, she has undergone a transformation from a soft middle aged performance cruiser to capable offshore passage maker.

Mostly Harmless

Who: Morgan MacKay
Port: Steveston, BC, Canada