As our weather router Lee forecast, approaching area of Tokyo and were hit with NE winds 16-17kts for last couple of hours accompanied by NE seas over NNE swell; skies continue hazy -- we were quite fogged in until this wind picked up -- but it's thin as I can see blue overhead. Barometer rose all day yesterday and last night 1014 now.

Current (2300 15th UTC / 0800 16th local) position: 34deg 10.5' N 138deg 41.5 E; COG 048; SOG 6.2 into (small) headseas

We went back to 2 watch-standers per shift last night due to poor visibility -- taking turns one keeping watch by eye into the fog, the other on the radar.

We identified a port up the coast past Tokyo which is very close to Narita Intl -- Kashima Ko -- but in email conversation with Japan Coast Guard, we were told it's a closed port. We prefer not to enter Tokyo Bay and deal with all the commercial traffic, and the long run in and back out, especially if it's foggy. So doing our numbers, it looks like we'll continue NE up to Hokkaido to Kushiro. BA sailing directions show an airport at Kushiro, and we've asked some folks to check for us on daily flights to Narita Intl out of there. If that comes back affirmative, we'll continue on without stopping and should get there in 4-5 days with a couple days grace for the 23 Jun flight out of Narita.

Right now our COG is towards O-Shima island just south of the entrance to Tokyo Bay, but we'll pass south of the island and continue up the Honshu coast.

Lots of great information came back from many of you regards transport, O-Shima, Narita Intl and several even identified Kashima as the closest to Narita -- I guess you-all didn't know it was a closed port either. Almost no duplication in your info, really fantastic help. As noted above, the only thing we need to know now is whether there are daily flights from Kushiro airport (on Hokkaido island) down to Narita Intl, and we can finalize our decision about stopping or not, before Hokkaido.

We've picked up a passenger -- a pretty rasty-looking crow came aboard just about sunset last night, in the fog. He takes off occassionally to see if he can find his way home I guess, but otherwise rides on the pilot hourse roof or up on the spreaders.
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