04/27/2007, 2790 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas at Bay of Virgins Fatu Hiva, Marquesas
Sand Dollar dropped her anchor in the Bay of Virgins at Fatu Hiva, Iles Marquesas, French Polynesia at 9:30 AM local time. What a fantastic trip! I am thrilled to be here and happy that the passage went so well. There were no gear failures, accidents, or difficult times. The weather was more or less as expected but the passage time was better than predicted. May all my passages go so well.
Land was sighted just after sunrise 24 miles off and what a sight it was. The wind had been blowing 20-25 knots most of the night and I was tired and anxious to drop the hook and get some sleep. The Bay of Virgins is well protected from the swell but the wind howls down from the steep valley above. The landscape is precipitous and the vegetation lush as you might expect of a tropical volcanic island. There are 17 other boats in the crowded anchorage, mostly Europeans who have come by way of the Panama Canal and the Galapagos. My mileage for the final day was 104 for an average speed of 4.3 knots. The trip total was 2790 miles at an average speed of 5.0 kts. in 23 days.
I will rest today, drink a few beers and go ashore tomorrow. There are some interesting hikes to stretch my legs and I am told there is a French bakery and some fresh fruit.
Life is good!
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Comments [10]
04/26/2007, 2686 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas at 09deg 24'S 137deg 25'W
Tomorrow I will make landfall at the island of Fatu Hiva, Marquesas and, as you might imagine, I am both excited and anxious. This island was chosen because it is the most windward, allowing the other islands in the group to be visited by sailing downwind. Although Fatu Hiva is not an official entry point, the word on the cruising grapevine is that the local gendarme does not care as long as boats stay only a few days before moving on to complete the formalities in Hiva Oa farther north.
Fatu Hiva is said to be well worth the stop because it makes for a stunning landfall, rising 3100 ft from a base of only 30 sq mi. There is a decent anchorage but no facilities except for maybe a shop or two.
Sailing the past 36 hours has been exhilarating with 18-24 knots of wind on the beam. My daily distance was 128 miles for an average speed of 5.3 kts. I am actually trying to slow the boat down so as not to make landfall during darkness. The plan is to "heave to" and sleep about 30 miles offshore allowing me to arrive in Fatu Hiva about midday on Friday.
All else onboard is well.
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04/25/2007, 2558 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas at 07deg 38'S 136deg 18'W
Just when I was about to open a package of Trader Joe's green curry chicken, BINGO, I landed a nice tuna just in time for dinner. He was caught on a reel mounted to the stern rail; no rod but very heavy line (100 lb test). The reel provides adjustable drag but essentially I just winch the fish in. Now I will have fish for the next several days. Unfortunately, that means I will have stop fishing until I get closer to the Marquesas where I will be able to share any catch and make new friends.
Yesterday's progress was slow because of fickle winds and many rain squalls. One minute the wind would be 5 kts and the next it would be 25. There were a lot of sail changes but no motoring. My noon-to-noon distance was 100 miles for an average speed of 4.2 kts. This morning the wind has been blowing consistently at 15-20 kts and I am making 6.5 kts on a beam reach. If this continues there is no doubt that I will make landfall on Friday. Otherwise it will be Saturday.
All else is well onboard.
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04/24/2007, 2458 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas at 06deg 19'S 135deg 13'W
Yesterday was my slowest day so far. My noon-to-noon distance was only 85 miles for an average speed of 3.5 kts. The southeast trades have been very fickle so far, bringing calms and more squalls. I have decided to conserve diesel and use it for charging the batteries, if necessary, and maintaining a reserve for maneuvering near the coastline. Seven gallons, or about 12 hours running time, remains. I am in good shape and could even motor in a dead calm for 8 hours if I had to. As long as there is some wind, though, I prefer to sail. Besides, what's the hurry? I am now 330 miles from landfall so if I can manage to average 110 miles/day I will be there on Friday the 27th. in the morning. Even if I screamed along at 6 kts. I still would not make it in less than 3 days because I want to arrive in daylight.
This morning I saw a dolphin near the boat. That is the first sea life I have seen, aside from the odd flying fish and storm-petrel, for a week. Despite dragging 3 lures of various sizes and colors I am still eating chicken. The water temperature is 82 while the cabin is 85, not much change. Fortunately, it cools off at night and I sleep in the cockpit quite comfortably.
All else is well onboard.
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04/23/2007, 2373 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas at 05deg 14'S 134deg 24'W
I finally got out of those nasty squalls and found the southeast trades. They are not as strong as the northeast trades but I am not complaining, the boat is moving along quite nicely at 5.2 knots and the swell is comfortable. Last night the wind went flat so I had to motor for 12 hours. Let's hope it keeps blowing all the way to the Marquesas, another 390 miles.
Landfall is likely on Friday April 27 in the morning, either at Hiva Oa or Fatu Hiva. I will decide as I get closer. The fishing has been lousy and I do not see many birds. I think it will improve as I get closer to shallow water. All else onboard is well. The frozen food is gone so now I am eating canned stuff. Could use a nice tuna about now. I think I'll put out another line.
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04/22/2007, 2263 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas at 03deg 43'S 133deg 15'W
The good news is that I finally got the wind I was waiting for, and lots of it. The bad news is that it is coming in small parcels accompanied by torrential, horizontal rain, some lightening and confused seas. I have been passing through these squalls for the past 18 hours and had little sleep last night but feeling well today. Sand Dollar, of course, is no worse for wear and keeps plunging on. After I pass through the present system, the radar shows no squalls for at least the next 24 miles. I could use the break.
The lightening is what concerns me the most. I put one of the GPS units in the oven for electrical protection in case the boat gets zapped. If that fails and I lose all electronics, I will be doing a crash course in sextant navigation so that I can shoot the sun and stars just like in the old days.
My noon-to-noon distance for today is an unimpressive 98 miles for an average speed of 4.1 kts. There is enough fuel for another 12 hours of motoring and that's all. The Marquesas lie about 500 miles to the southwest and I am looking at arriving in the next 5 days, around the 27th. All else onboard is well.
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