04/12/2007, 1023 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas at 12deg 08'N 122deg 03'W
For the past 8 days since leaving Cabo San Lucas I have been on starboard tack which means the boat was always leaning predominantly to the port side (left for landlubbers). Yesterday I decided to get back a little closer to the intended course so I had to turn the stern of the boat through the direction of the wind (jibe) and get on a port tack. No big deal but I was a little off-balance for a couple hours until I relearned how to walk in the cabin with it leaning the other way. The boat does not sail well, or particularly fast, dead downwind and the course is now just about dead downwind so that is why I tack back and forth. This may be noticable on the map.
The trade winds provide great sailing and I am making excellent time. Today's noon-to-noon distance is 149 mi., my best time yet. That comes out to be an average of 6.2 knots. This will probably continue for the next five days until I get closer to the doldrums. Then it is a crap shoot. The air temperature is 76 and the water is 78. The sky is partly cloudy with large cumulus and the sea state is 4-5 ft.
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04/11/2007, 874 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas at 14deg 20'N 121deg 14'W
The wind is very steady now, NE at 15-18 knots and I am moving along nicely. My noon-to-noon distance is 131 miles for an average speed of 5.4 kts. The sea state is 4-5 ft. waves and a low NE swell. The air temp. is 74 deg. while the water is 76 deg.
There is not much need to trim the sails or adjust the autopilot at this point. Sand Dollar just racks up the miles. Because of this, I have gotten into a, more or less, daily routine. The first thing I do upon waking is pop my head outside and check the sails and sea state, then I check course, boat speed, and battery condition. Changes are then made if necessary. Coffee goes on the stove while I dial up the 6:30 AM Picante net, give my position, and chat with some other boats. There is another net I check in with at 8 AM which consists mostly of Europeans going to the Marquesas.
After breakfast I go for a walk on deck to check all sails and rigging for chafe. For the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon I work on various maintenance or repair projects. For example, today I will wash the deck (found six dead flying fish on deck from last night), attempt to eliminate some creaking in the cabin, repair a door latch, and troubleshoot the alternator which is not putting out a full charge to the batteries. In between projects I nap and listen to my French language tapes. Before dinner I send and receive emails. At 5:45 PM there is a weather briefing by the weather guru followed by questions and answers. Boats call in from the entire Eastern Pacific, from Hawaii to San Diego to Ecuador to French Polynesia. After dinner I read and sleep on and off for the next 12 hours while looking outside from time-to- time.
There you have my life at sea. It's not for everyone but it suits me fine for now.
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04/10/2007, 743 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas at 15deg 28'N 119deg 24'W
I am definitely in the "trades" now with a consistent 15-17 knots from the NE. This is great sailing! The boat rolls from side-to-side with an easy motion. Every now and then I tweak the sails or adjust the windvane autopilot to stay on the optimum course. My noon-to-noon distance today is 129 miles for an average speed of 5.4 knots. This I am happy with and it should stay this way for the next six days or so. The sky is mostly overcast today so the air temperature is only 74 deg. while the water is 78 deg.
The last of the tuna was finished off last night so I may put out a line today to see if there are any takers. The freezer has plenty of chicken and beef and there is still some fresh fruit and vegetables on board but only for another few days. There is plenty of cabbage, though. I find that my appetite has picked up after the first few days at sea but I never experienced any seasickness, thank god. Cooking onboard a rolling ship is quite a job so I try to keep it simple with as few dishes to wash as possible. Come to think about it, I am the same way on land.
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04/09/2007, 614 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas at 16deg 32'N 117deg 36'W
All is well today. Last night I saw the lights of 2 large boats and 3 more on the radar. They were 3 to 20 miles away and barely moving. Because I was sailing through an area of seamounts just below the surface, I surmise these were fishing boats. Furthermore, I could occasionally hear Russian radio transmissions on the VHF radio. I was tired so I decided, instead of working my way cautiously through the fleet, to "heave to" or park the boat, so to speak, and get some rest. When I woke 5 hours later the boats were gone and I continued on.
My noon-to-noon distance for the day was only 102 miles because of heaving to for 5 hours. The wind is picking up so my mileage should also. It is now blowing 15 knots from the NNE. The other "Puddle Jumpers" I have spoken to on the net today are doing fine but some are in search of wind. We will all get there eventually.
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04/08/2007, 512 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas at 17deg 24'N 116deg 12'W
Woke this morning to a fabulous sunrise through a break in the clouds. The wind continues to be light and progress is slow. My noon-to- noon distance for today is 114 miles for an average speed of 4.8 kts. The boat is rolling more now as she takes the swell on her beam but I am getting used to it. I'm just not sure about the eggs. The cabin temperature is 77 and the water is 78 (what is the key stroke for deg.?). I saw the first flying fish on deck this morning, a giant of about 2 inches. Nothing else to report. All is well. Happy Easter to all.
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04/07/2007, 399 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas at 18deg 23'N 114deg 38'W
No, I'm not there yet but I did round Isla Clarion, 2 mi. off on my starboard side. It's a desolate Mexican island about 2 mi. wide, best I can tell, and in the middle of nowhere. There appears to be a small compound on the SW side but nothing else. Maybe you can Google Earth it and see what it is. Probably a Mexican Navy outpost.
The wind continues to die so that my daily log was only 100 mi. I haven't hit the NE trade winds yet, maybe in a couple of days. They are usually 15 knots day and night.
The ice was finally broken. Yesterday I caught three yellowfin tuna, one of which I kept. All three were smallish, maybe five lbs, a perfect size for me. For dinner I had seared ahi and garden salad. Lunch today will be sashimi with wasabi and soy sauce. I searched the boat but could not find the pickled ginger. I know it is onboard as I brought four jars from Seattle.
Everything else is fine.
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