04/30/2011, Out on the ocean
It was three years ago that we moved aboard Zephyr in Newport, Oregon having to smuggle the cat tree down the dock in the night so people wouldn't laugh at us. Now three years later and well over 10,000 miles under her keel with us, we have learned a lot about boating. Boy were we green when we started. It's lucky we didn't kill ourselves that first year. Now in the three years, you have to throw out most of the first one as it was spent doing the refit on Zephyr. Then take out another 5 months last Summer when we had to go home to take care or our house. So out of the 36 months since we moved on board, we have actually been moving about 19 months of that time. We've covered as far North as Juneau, Alaska to where we are now, South of the Equator on our way to Tahiti. Not bad for two lake sailors. I can't tell you how much the two of us have learned in these past three years but the learning curve has been huge. Many boat owners spend years learning and upgrading their boats before setting off like we did. For much of the time, it was spent learning as we went, always fixing things that broke when we entered the next harbor or cove. We spent the first three months of this year in Nuevo Vallarta working almost nonstop on Zephyr and will be doing it again when we reach the Marquesas and Tahiti. If it's broken, it must be fixed before we set off again. That's what cruising is all about--fixing boats in exotic locations.
We're now at 01 23.363S 131 42.229W on a course of 193T after covering 90 miles yesterday. We tried the course our weather router had suggested but only we making maybe 2.5 knots. Tracy made an "executive decision" and changed it to a more southerly and we took off at a much better speed of 5.5 to 6 knots. We ran into some big storms during the afternoon with lots of wind(gusts to 37 knots) and rain. Today has been windy all day so we are still making good time. We'll need to start the engine in a few hours or so to top off the batteries for the night. Oh, the swells out side are now close to 12 feet as they come rolling under Zephyrs hull. In a valley and then on the top, It's up and down all day.
We're trying to get more naps as the day progresses. We'd both burned the candle at both ends over the last few days and nerves and emotions were getting a bit thin. So we are each getting as many naps as we can today so tonight will be a better night for us both.
Tracy's two cents:
The storms that Bill mentioned were unnerving for me. I, for whatever reason, had been on watch all day from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., then the storms hit, one after another after another. Unrelenting wind, rain and waves. The boat heeled over to over 45 degrees and let me tell you that is scary. I'll be the first to admit, that while big winds don't particularly scare me, heeling over that much does! Water starts to pour over the side and my imagination is a pretty active one. Add in the I'm exhausted factor, my stomach was in one giant knot. When I did a night watch last night, my eyes wouldn't focus on the wind gauge, which is my primary steering guide at night. I started to make mistakes, that was scary to me. James wasn't working particularly well and I was hand steering all of my shift. I was pretty low and nearly in tears...I knew I was in trouble. Thank goodness, Bill showed up for his night watch shift, I hit the sack and got some 40 winks After fours hours of sleep I felt much better to handle the next shift. I went on deck for two hours while Bill went down to get a much deserved rest, as he was just as exhausted as me, I'm sure. Today is a much better day. I've had a couple of hours sleep so far and am feeling more myself. I certainly hope the night storms don't happen again tonight....
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04/29/2011, Out on the ocean
We finally crossed the Equator about 0730 this AM with little fanfare. We're both dead tired after another night out here. We took down the spinnaker late yesterday afternoon only to find a nut for the rigging lying on the deck by the mast. Not sure where it came from but think it has something to do with the spinnaker assembly on the top of the mast. I tried going up again this AM but it was just too rolly to get anywhere near the top. So until I can get up there, we are down to just our mainsail and forestaysail to move us along. With winds of 9 knots(maybe) we are moving along at maybe 3 knots. We have another 740 miles to Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas so we will be a while. Plenty of food and water aboard and we could start the engines and probably make it there with little to no problem but we are a sailboat and that is not what we are supposed to do. It it ever stops rolling out here, I'll try again to get up there. With no genoa ( lost it the third day) and now the spinnaker, we are going no where fast. We're currently at 00 13.32s 131 16.611w on a course of 225 heading straight for the Nuku Hiva. At the rate we are going, it shouldn't be more than another 8 to 9 days. we keep hoping for better winds so we can do better, but we will see what Mother Nature and Neptune give us.
We did a traditional stepping over the Equator ceremony later in the morning after the early theatrics of me trying to go up the mast. "Oy yea, Oy yea, let it be known that today, Apil 29th at 0730, Diana Hudson and Bill Hudson crossed over the sacred border of the North Pacific and the South Pacific known as the Equator. Having sailed for the last 20 days, they are now entitled to the honor of being inducted into the "League of the Shellbacks". We then opened up a nice bottle of champagne and toasted ourselves and poured in a nice bit for King Neptune for his enjoyment. We're no longer to be known as polliwogs!!! We're officially Shell Backs!!! And tired ones at that.
More bits of information for those of you planning on making a crossing--be it Pacific or across any form of water. Get the most comfortable folding seats or chairs that you can. We have not only Bottomsiders(really expensive foam cushions)in our cockpit thanks to the previous owner, but also nice folding foam chairs from West Marine. Let me tell you, it's not enough for any ones fannie out here. After just a few hours, the bones in your bottom(no matter how well padded) begin to ache. Now you try and adjust and move around to try and make it better but once the pain in your ass starts, it's tough to get rid of it. We even pile two of the chairs on top of each other during the night time shifts while on watch and even add two throw pillows for back support. After a short time, it's like you are sitting on concrete. So what ever you buy, take them home and sit on them on the floor during your evening of TV watching. Be prepared for what is to come--a PAIN IN THE ASS!!!! Take our word for it, money is no object with seats in your cockpit. Just be prepared to have to store them when the rains come or you have to make a sail change. But please please, do your butt a favor and shop around for the best you can find and then try them out. Your butt will be forever in your debt.
Tracy's two cents:
It was a fun little ceremony with Bill yelling his speech. I just laughed and laughed. The Frexinet was wonderful, cold, cold from our freezer and the blissful little nap from the afterglow of inbibing was great. Here we slog on at a lightening speed of 2 to 2.5kts. Will we ever make it?
I took out a pound of hamburger from Costco, I have no idea what I'm going to make with it, maybe, spaghetti without the noodles, that makes too much steam in the cabin that is already 89 degrees and 70% humidity.
I tried to scrape off the new barnacles that have adheared onto the side of the hull up about 18" from the bottom paint from our healing over all the time, but they are tough little suckers and are obviously going to have to wait until we jump into the water at Nuku Hiva, I tried using a putty knife taped to our boat hook. It took off some, but definitely not all.
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04/28/2011, Out on the ocean
We're in the home stretch for the equator. It's been a long tough 19 days but were only about 40 miles from it. Last night, we hoisted the main and forestaysail in 15-17 knots of wind out of the Southeast and took off slowly at about 3 knots through the night. That's 3 knots if we were lucky. Don't know if there was a current holding us back or what but there was just no way to get much more out of Zephyr. We were closed hauled(wind coming over the port bow side at about 50 degrees to the wind. Not the fastest point of sail any way you look at it. By 1000 this AM we started up the engine to not only recharge the batteries but to engage the transmission and try and get somewhere. We only made 65 miles in the last 24 hours and that is the worst day we have had since we left by far. At the rate we were going, we wouldn't make the equator till sometime tomorrow morning. With the engine running, we can make 5 to 7 knots and we should arrive at the equator about 2000 hours(about 8:00PM pdt). At that time of day, we're not sure how much partying we will be doing other than recite a verse to Neptune welcoming us over the magical line of the equator making us "Shellbacks". Now we just have to find a tattoo place to mark us as having done it(yeah, right).
We're currently at 00 45.434N 130 30.481W on a course of about 180T. We've made 2291 miles since we left and once we get to the equator, we'll change course to more of 220 degrees and put up the spinnaker tomorrow AM and take off. If the winds we have now continue, which we believe they will, we will make good time traveling down wind with that sail. Heck, it's as big as our first house!!
We finally opened up he stern cabin for the kids and they seem happy about that though they don't spend much time back there. Most times either in their thrones(cat tree we smuggled aboard three years ago) or sleeping on the floor over one of the water tanks as it's cooler there. Blue goes out on occasion to see what is going on but doesn't stay long and we make sure she is either watched or the screen door is put in so she has to stay inside. Even with the netting we have on the lifelines, we don't want to take a chance of loosing either of them overboard. They wouldn't last long in the rolling swells we've had around Zephyr this trip.
Many of the boats that left the same time we did are now arriving at the Marquesas. They took a faster route and had full use of their sails. We lost the use of our big Genoa sail the third day and there hasn't been a safe day to go up the mast to fix it. So we make due the best we can with what we have and push on. The goal is now in sight!!!
Tracy's two cents: Last night was the best we have had for star gazing. I think I've found the Southern Cross, at least it is the only constellation that even remotely looks like a cross. It is at 180 degrees and is fairly bright. The Big Dipper is still visible in the Northern Hemisphere, so it is fun to view them both during night watches.
I haven't felt up to snuff today, don't know why, just off, maybe sleep depravation is finally getting to me. Heaven knows there aren't any germs out here. I think I'm going to take out two preprepared meals from the grocery in the US and stick them in the microwave tonight and take the night off. Sounds good to me.
Not much to add, just looking forward to crossing the Line. I almost expect there to be a big red line in the ocean! I think we'll make crowns out of foil and do our crossing ceremony, offer Neptune his due, take a glass for ourselves then hit the sack for an hour or two.
No waves while we were traveling so slowly, so no suicides last night.
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04/27/2011, Out on the ocean
We motored through the night again as the winds died about sunset and a few showers came by for fun and to keep our decks clean. We'd flown the spinnaker since early AM and even it had trouble staying filled in the light air so it dipped into the Pacifics water regularly. About sunset, we took it down and started up the motor and did what we had to do to make our way South. She purred and rumbled through the night. During the night, we passed the last way point our weather person had told us to head for. His last call was to head for the Marquesas from that way point which is what we did this morning. His forecast for us didn't make it yesterday as promised. This morning, we finally got the update and it now told us to head straight south on the 130W longitude line. We were past it so we had to turn upwind and are still trying to make it back to it.
Over night, the winds and swells have changed so that both are now coming out of the South or Southeast. We've made it through the ITCZ but not to the equator yet. It's still about 100 miles. At our current speed, another day and a half. We may have winds but not in the right direction so we may have to tack back and forth to get there. Once there, the weather guru says to THEN head for the Marquesas. We made 124 miles in the last 24 and are now at 2226 total since we left La Cruz so many days ago. Our location is Latitude 01 45.891N Longitude 130 30.830W. We figure a good 8 to 9 days till we make it to the islands. Now all we have to do is figure out what island of the Marquesas we will hit.
Last night, Tracy took Johnsonville Brats and took off the skins and fried them up in a pan and served them on a tortilla with some dijon mustard. YUMMY!!! Last night, I had the double shift from 1900 to 2300 and 0300 to 0700. Tonight, we will switch the shifts so we each get a better night sleep every other night. It helps. It's get tough to try and sleep after the 0300 to 0700 shift as the Sun is coming up and once you've had breakfast, getting back to sleep can be hard and taking naps during the day adds to the challenge of the trip. While we haven't seen any signs of a ship out here since day 3, we still have to watch just in case. Heck, we haven't seen even a jet or one of their contrails telling us some one has passed us by. We are in a world all to ourselves out here.
Tracy's two cents:
Well, I now know how "water glass" got it's name, that is exactly what the ocean looks like. Shiny, rippley and very glassy. There is a 10kt. breeze it says, but we are only doing 1.5kts. This is going to drive me nuts. I'm all for putting the engine to work and getting us into the SE tradewinds. We still don't have the genoa fixed, so upwind sailing is painfully slow, so we can't go too much farther west as we would miss the Marquesas on route to who knows where.
Blue has been exceedingly huggy over the past 12 hours. Last night, she came up to the screen in the companionway and demanded almost panicky, so I let out with me on my watch, she just wanted to be held in my lap and be stroked. Next Snowshoe got the vibe and started crying at the screen, but when I raised it, he wouldn't come out, then he just went back down stairs. It was strange last night, the air felt different, it smelled different, Lots of clouds and mist and just the stuff to let your imagination get the best of you. Our friends on Periclees had said they saw what appeared to be an abandoned 50' fishing vessel from the 1930's just drifting out here and since I couldn't see anything I was just sure we were going to find it the hard way. I eventually went downstairs and got out our FLIR thermal imaging system to scope out in front of us every couple of miles. Reassuring to not see a derelict boat in front of us. This morning when I got up for my watch it looked like we were in a dome, all the way around the rim were storms with pouring rain, We were in the middle with no rain. Just really weird. I'll be glad to get out of here.
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04/26/2011, Out on the ocean
We finally shut off the motor about 1000 after a good 30+ hours of running her. Just about no wind out here till mid morning and that came with a couple of squalls that then took the wind away. We've got about 2.5 knots of wind as I type this and the spinnaker is up grabbing what it can. It's not going to be a fast day for sure. We were lucky to do 120 in the last 24 because we were using the motor. It's hot and humid today like most days. I got a shower this AM(I think my second since we left) and I was still sweating like a pig before I could get up on deck to take advantage of what wind there was to dry off. Squalls came about an hour later and I just sat there in my skivies let it soak me and cool me down. We're at Lat 03 39.389N 129 56.736W on a course due south(180 degrees) making our way toward the equator. Our weather router will be forwarding a new forecast for what to expect once we get down to 02 degrees N. He'll tell us at what angle to cross over the equator so that we can avoid the bad weather that lives down there.
Both the kids re sleeping on the floor since Zephyr is still rocking back and forth. Plus, I'm sure it's a bit cooler for them. They are literally side by side. A sight we don't see often. Blue must be really hot to allow him to be that close.
We switched watches last night so I could get a bit more sleep. Tracy took the 1900 to 2300 shift and I took the 2300 to 0300 shift and then Tracy came back on for the 0300 to 0700 shift. I got a nice bit of extra sleep with the Sun down. Now the engine was running so it sounded like there was a freight train right below me but I got used to it after a while and drifted off to sleep.
Tracy's two cents:
I finished listening to S is for Silence. It helps to make the time pass fairly quick. Around 0530 I was really feeling the different night watch shift I was on and had to put some tunes on and sing my heart out to stay awake. I'm glad the engine was on to cover up by lack of knowing all the words.
It is getting to be time to dig out the bottle of Frexinet Brut that we bought in Puerto Vallarta to commemorate our becoming shellback when we cross the Equator. I'm trying to come up with a little ceremony, somewhat traditional like the bucket of salt water over the head and dressing up in costume, usually King Neptune and a mermaid...hmmm, that will be interesting. I also want to bake a pineapple upside down cake, I'm just not looking forward to the added heat.
The heat in the cabin is 90.3 degrees, so we can tell we are getting close to the Equator. The poor cats just look hot and they are lying on top of the water tanks, where it might be slightly cooler. I'm sure they would like to unzip their fur coats.
It is nice to have quiet again on the boat. The spinnaker is so colorful and fun to watch at it picks up what little breeze there is . It is a good time to let the trip sink in, I guess we had better start up those French lessons we got from Itunes. I'm counting on those French classes in Jr High, High and College to come back by osmosis. At least I'm hopeful.
I dug out a pack of brats that I'm going to take out of their casings and cook then put it onto a tortilla with deli mustard. I think I can handle that! We are slowly running out of fresh food in the veg department. I still have a baby watermelon that has lasted and lasted, let's hope it is good on the inside, the outside looks fine.
Only one squid on the deck this morning, very few waves, so no flying fish to be seen. No shark fins, no whales, no dolphin, just lots of blue.
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04/25/2011, Out on the ocean
Oh what a 24 hours it has been. Kept blowing through the afternoon. Started with some sprinkles about 2230 and really cut loose about 0200. We took down the mainsail(sure can get wet out there) and started the engine as the wind had died to just about 0. Headed off farther south on a course of 180T. We're currently at Lat 05 37.175N 129 53 622W as of 1300PDT. We covered 116 miles in the last 24 hours. The engine is still running and we slowly move southward into the ITCZ with all the fun it provides. At least our decks are nice and clean. More squalls appear to be coming as there is no blue sky out there at all. Meanwhile, we sit in the cockpit in our foul weather gear getting ready for it. I sprayed water proofing on the dodger before we set off and I'm glad we did. It didn't seal up everything but it has made the cockpit more livable. We zipped on the side panels each night so no matter where the wind comes from, we are a bit more secure. I hate running the engine but some times you got to do what you got to do. It at least allows us to run with the swells so we make some miles during the day. Zephyr has big tanks so there is no problem running it when we need to. With luck, the winds will come back later and we can hoist the sail again.
Tracy's two cents: I never knew that rain, Biblical rain, can find it's way into everything! The cockpit is drier than outside, but it feels like you're in a leaky tent during a rain storm. The seas get confused and the sailing got harder and harder last night, so I woke Bill up and had him help me get the main down. I also saw that the first reef line had been chewed through with chafe and the main was billowing in the swell and what wind we had, so down it had to come NOW. Life is anything but boring out here, something happening all the time, sometimes, something beautiful, sometimes something getting broken..So on we go...
I've given up on cooking anything resembling a real meal. Last night I heated up so Zatarain's Dirty Rice and made a Waldorf salad. Bill ate the rice, I ate the salad. Today, I woke up at 11:15 a.m. and had a craving for quesadillas, so out comes a pack of tortillas and a block of monterey jack with jalapeno and voila, a one pan meal. It felt good in the stomach with so much rain.
It isn't a cold rain, I'm sure the air temp of 84 degrees is the same as the rain, but after getting wet with all the leaks in the bimini cover, it felt cooler. The water temp is 80.6. Too bad we can't swim in it, huh?
I'm really looking forward to being able to make a proper meal without needing four extra hands to hold everything into place. Yesterday, a half tomato I set down slide back and forth over the refrigerator leaving seeds and juice in it's wake. UGH...Gone are the niceties of plates, if I can get it into the cockpit wrapped in a paper towel, so much the better!
I'm starting to feel like the kid in the backseat of a car on a trip, "Are we there yet?" Then I realize that we have 10 more days.
Flying fish suicide rate: 6 Squid suicide rate: 2
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