Aquavit: Pac Cup 2016

Vessel Name: Aquavit
Vessel Make/Model: Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42iP
Hailing Port: San Francisco
Crew: Michael, Bill, Joe, Patrick and Karl
Extra: 8/3/16 - On a quest from Kaneohe, Hawaii back to San Francisco with new Crew: Michael, Bill, Joe, Patrick and Karl 7/11/16 - On a quest to Kaneohe, Oaho, Hawaii with Crew: Michael, Mike, Bill, Paulo, Magnus and George
19 August 2016
18 August 2016
15 August 2016
14 August 2016
13 August 2016
11 August 2016
11 August 2016
10 August 2016
08 August 2016
07 August 2016
06 August 2016
23 July 2016 | ~50nm west of Kaneohe
22 July 2016 | West of Hawaii (300mi North of Darby)
20 July 2016
18 July 2016
Recent Blog Posts
20 August 2016

Getting from there to here

As much as we would like to take all the credit for our long voyage across the Pacific, we have had a steady and reliable aid guiding us along. That aid is the multitude of instruments we have to tell us things like: where are we? Are we going in the right direction? How fast are we going? Is [...]

19 August 2016

Sea Creatures

For the most part, the life in the deep ocean is under the water and not seen, but there have been some remarkable sightings on this trip. Here's a taste of what we have encountered.

18 August 2016

SF approach, full moon and meteor

This is an interesting part of the return trip. We had the hard sailing north from Hawaii into the prevailing swell. We had the sinister high pressure that was following us everywhere we went in the middle of the trip. Now, finally we are on track towards SF. It's a good feeling to be making [...]

18 August 2016

Heavy Weather Sailing

It's almost a relief hitting the heavy weather portion of our trip. We were worrying about the gale for so long, and the large seas and high winds that it would bring where we were further south, that when it finally hits we know what to expect. As our last correspondence with the weather guys states: "There [...]

15 August 2016

Whales and Weather

Saw a pod of killer whales yesterday, passed all around us, and one followed us for a few minutes. This is their place and they are curious about us. I've seen lots of killer whales in the San Juans, but new and exciting to several others.

14 August 2016

Weather

Seems like we've been plagued by the adverse weather this trip. On the way to Hawaii we encountered large, confused, seas and then Hurricane Darby. The last leg of the trip to Kanehoe was rushing like madmen to avoid been trapped at sea for days while the storm system passed. (We arrived at 4pm. Boats [...]

Weather

14 August 2016
Seems like we've been plagued by the adverse weather this trip. On the way to Hawaii we encountered large, confused, seas and then Hurricane Darby. The last leg of the trip to Kanehoe was rushing like madmen to avoid been trapped at sea for days while the storm system passed. (We arrived at 4pm. Boats after midnight were advised to stay offshore.)

We started the return trip with high expectations of a fast return trip, sailing close to the wind in a northern route and along the southern edge of a stable stationary high was the plan. We even left Kanehoe early to avoid a developing wether system soon to hit the islands

Well, just as we got well north, to about 37 lat, the high moved south and we've been in the middle of it for days. And, the forecasts suggest that once we do escape the high to the east, a gale is likely to be upon us! We don't want to knowingly sail into 12 foot seas and 30+ knot winds, so we are now going to sail a bit southward, and then a bit northward, to find wind and take a more leisurely approach to longitude 130. The gale is supposed to start in 2 days and last about 2 days, so if we arrive there in about 5 days we should be okay.

Nonetheless, I'm beginning to hate weather reports, weather faxes, grib files and the like...day after day I pore over them with Bill and Joe, and the high just seems to chase us eastward!

I suppose, in the larger scheme of things, these patterns are not unusual, and we were advised to plan our approach to the coast, either speeding up or slowing down, to avoid the gales typical of this time of year. But it is a first time for me and our crew, and frustrating!

Otherwise things are well on Aquavit! Last of the frozen food (lasagna)last night. Dinners are canned foods here on out.

Cheers,
Michael
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