4malones

30 August 2010 | Seattle, WA
30 July 2010 | Seattle
28 June 2010 | Friday Harbor, WA
27 June 2010
25 June 2010 | Friday Harbor, WA
24 June 2010 | Off Washington
22 June 2010 | Off Washington
18 June 2010 | Northern Pacific
14 June 2010 | Northern Pacific
10 June 2010 | North of Hawaii
05 June 2010 | North of Hawaii
02 June 2010 | North of the Equator
28 May 2010 | North of the Equator
26 May 2010 | North of the Equator
22 May 2010 | North of the Equator
18 May 2010 | South of the Equator
13 May 2010 | Southern Pacific Ocean
11 May 2010 | Southern Pacific Ocean
10 May 2010 | Southern Pacific Ocean
10 May 2010 | Southern Pacific Ocean

Crossing the ITCZ

31 March 2009 | Pacific
Scott
We appear to have made it through the doldrums, the windless zone that has haunted sailors for as long as boats have been trying to cross the Pacific. The Inter-tropical Convergent Zone is where the trade winds from the Northern Hemisphere mix with the trade winds from the Southern Hemisphere and the winds can be light or non existent for days. We have been lucky so far and the ITCZ is pretty narrow where we are crossing. While we have had light winds and struggled to keep the boat moving for the last couple of days, we now we seem to have reached the southern edge of the ITCZ and are picking up the South East trade winds.

The breeze filled in mid morning and we had a smokin' day of sailing with 15 knots on the beam. This is Whisper's favorite point of sail and we are screaming along at 7 knots in wonderfully flat water.

We are about 80 miles north of the equator and it looks like we will cross some time tomorrow. Tradition calls for King Neptune to visit and turn the "pollywogs" into "shellbacks" as they cross the equator. As the only "Shellback" aboard, I am to be granted all the special attentions and favors that I demand and have the duty to haze the pollywogs thoroughly. It is a "keys to the city" kind of thing, apparently. Mary has been pushing back pretty hard on the whole idea, so we will see how it goes. At a minimum, we will definitely give King Neptune offerings as thanks for a safe voyage so far, and hopes for safe sailing in the future.
Comments
Vessel Name: Whisper
Vessel Make/Model: Tartan 37
Hailing Port: Seattle
Crew: Scott, Mary, Timothy and Finn

Who: Scott, Mary, Timothy and Finn
Port: Seattle