April 17, 2006, 160 nm noon - noon, 416 nm to go to Hilo
What's that I hear? NOTHING! Well, that's definitely a relative term with the banging of blocks and the water rushing by, but the sound today is peaceful silence compared to yesterday! The wind is ENE 20-25, a nice breeze, but the seas are literally half of what they were just 12 hours ago. I just looked back in my log book and ever since April 12th we've been dealing with 25-35 knot winds and 12' confused seas. The highest gust I recorded was 49 knots. All this because a low pressure system above the Pacific High spit a gust of wind down our way. It truly was a miserable 5 days. A day at a time it would have been quite exciting, but five days strung together with very little sleep was tough on both of our systems.
Yesterday afternoon it was still really blowing. As evening approached, it piped up to 35 knots with gusts to 43 around 9pm. But, by midnight this calming trend had set it. We both had several successful sleep shifts last night. It seems that we are now much more in the influence of the Pacific High than anything else. Gee, this is what it was supposed to be all the way across! I really don't have anything to compare it to, but I do believe that this has been quite a tough crossing up to this point. And, we are alone in it. The other boats we are sailing with left a couple of days after us and have had none of this wind. They haven't had more than 18 knots of wind! It sure shows in the log. We started 2 days ahead of a similar boat, Royal Treat, but will probably landfall 4 or 5 days ahead. The boat, Our Tern, who started 2 days behind them has had even less wind.
But, now, we're down to the last few hundred miles. The wind is forecast to remain relatively steady so we should arrive off Hilo, Hawaii before dawn on the 20th. I'll shorten sail or heave to until daybreak and then head on in.
Land is going to feel really good!
April 16, 2006, 163nm noon to noon, 576nm to go until Hilo, Hawaii
Things have continued the same as yesterday. Winds have been NE 25-35, mostly around 30 knots. The seas are about 12'. Sometimes they are organized and relatively comfortable, other times they seem to come from several different directions and make life on the boat difficult.
Yesterday afternoon and evening hit us with many squalls. They were all around us, pelting us with rain and strong gusts of wind. One gust was up to 49 knots, but it didn't last at all.
Today so far is much the same as yesterday, but with more blue sky. No squalls so far today but the wind continues stronger than we would like it. Oh well, we may be uncomfortable and sleep deprived but we're getting there at a good pace. We're averaging over 6 knots with a double reefed main and staysail.
The wind is supposed to hold for at least a week so with that news we expect to make landfall at Hilo, Hawaii just after dawn on the 20th.
April 15, 2006, 157 miles noon to noon
When you plan a Hawaiian vacation, I strongly recommend traveling by air. Need I say more?
The trip has been a difficult one. What makes it so difficult? Mark and I ponder this question daily. We're safe and dry and our basic daily needs are being met. We're making great speed toward our destination, and we've had very few problems with the boat. The weather has been rougher than expected but it's manageable. What is it then that makes passage making so challenging?
Sleep deprivation seems to be the main issue here. It's somewhat like jet lag. Imagine experiencing jet lag every day for several weeks. Most days, I experience normal energy levels for only four to six hours per day. For the rest of the day, I'm tired. My mind feels cloudy and it's hard to focus. For example, I started four books in the last two days, but I can't seem to get through any of them. I start website updates and I lose track of what I want to say.
We are able to function on the amount of sleep that we're getting. Mark stays clear headed through it all. I conserve energy for what absolutely must be done, like doing my watches and preparing food. We're getting by, but it does feel like a struggle. Is this what it's like to be new parents caring for a newborn?
We've been through squall after squall today. One squall produced 40 knot gusts and another had a lovely rainbow. Some have brought heavy rainfall and others are accompanied by big waves. It's likely that we'll experience these squalls and 20-25knot winds all the way to Hawaii. Hopefully, we'll be there in five sleeps.
it's likely that we'll landfall in five or six sleeps.
April 14, 2006, 138 miles noon to noon, 896 miles to go
Dee nor I knew that we had signed up for this amount of wind and sea. But, we're coping with it and moving along well. But, we are both quite fatigued. Since yesterday's post the wind has continued in the 25-35 knot range from the NE. This is blowing on top of 15ft+ swells coming down from a low pressure system up North. As well, we had a couple of nasty squalls after nightfall last night. Put this all together and you've got some exhausting work. I thought that the trip to Hawaii was supposed to be a little easier than this? As it turns out, I'm right, there are a number of very late season low pressure systems that are making this trip much more work than it should be.
Last night around 11pm the wind piped up again to over 35 knots. We hadn't slept well the night before and could hardly keep our eyes open. So, we decided to heave to for a couple of hours and both get some sleep. For you non-sailors, heaving to is a method of arranging the sails and rudder on a boat so you nearly stand still. While hove to we had much less motion and noise. We both crawled in the aft cabin and tried to sleep. Six hours later we started sailing again. I got a much needed four hours but Dee didn't fare so well. But, after we got underway again she wedged herself into the bunk and got her sleep.
The wind is still strong but now drops under 25 knots more often than not. We're pretty tired but cheered that we have less than 900 miles to go. If all goes well we'll landfall on the 20th (fingers crossed!)
April 13, 2006, 174 nm noon to noon, 1038 nm to Hawaii
This is the first time in the last 18 hours that I could actually use two hands to do anything. Even an hour ago typing would have been nearly impossible.
Let me set the scene for you. "Don on Summer Passage", the cruiser's weather guy, had warned me yesterday when we talked to expect some strong winds coming my way. The winds in our area are usually driven in a clockwise motion by the Pacific High. But, a low pressure system was rolling over top of the high. Since low pressure systems rotate counter clockwise the space between them is like the space between the blades of a hand held mixer - whatever is there is accelerated greatly! Well, our position was just in that spot.
Yesterday afternoon the wind picked up from 12 knots to 25, and then to 30+ knots very quickly. To make it more fun, just as it was getting dark we passed to leeward of a large squall. The squall didn't increase the winds but they made them very wet, gusty and irregular. Shortly, the long swell started moving in from the North and then the rest of the waves. Very soon we had 10+ seas coming from the NW and from the NE. Confused seas are a guarantee for a uncomfortable ride.
As the wind was increasing we quickly shortened sail from a full main and jib to one reef, then 2 reefs, and then got rid of the jib in exchange for the staysail. All of this in about 15 minutes as the wind built. All night the wind and seas continued to roll us around. The seas were too rough to take on the beam so we bore off, low of course, to be more marginally comfortable and so we didn't work the boat too hard.
Dee had the first sleep shift and wedged herself in as best she could. I headed down about midnight, and then Dee was in the bunk again at 4am. I bet we got an hour each of real sleep! Dee's napping again right now and I'm next! At about 5am the wind dropped a bit but then cranked right back up. Finally, at 1100 a cloud front approached and the barometer climbed a couple of millibar's as the wind eased to under 20 knots. The seas are still big but they are long and more regular, much more comfortable
And, oh, the noise! The waves were crashing on the hull, the boat was rushing through the water at top speed, and the wind was howling in the rigging. That's just outside the boat. Inside it was even noisier with stuff crashing around in the cupboards and the boat creaking and groaning as it is flexed, rolling from side to side. If I didn't know any better I would be sure it was going to fall apart. But, as all of us know who have sailed in heavy weather, the boat talks to you the whole time, sometimes complaining about the treatment you are giving it!
The motion is still quite rolly but it seems like a walk in the park after the adventure of last night! Now, we're back on course for Hawaii. Later today we'll pass the point with less than 1000 miles to go. Woo hoo!
Dee: It's dusk now and the winds have decreased to approximately 20 knots. The waves are still really big, but they are long and spread out. Salacia rolls right over them, sometimes softly and sometimes with a jerk and a twist. Most importantly, the waves are staying out of my boat. We're warm and dry inside, with bellies full of food. Mark is trying to sleep now and my turn is coming up. Everything will look brighter for us if we can just get some quality sleep. The trip is quite different than I had expected though. I imagined sailing the warm smooth trade winds to Hawaii while wearing my bikini. Ah well, a BC girl does feel most at home in a fleece top and pants.
