First Week Down..Two to Go!
15 July 2015 | At Sea
Kristy
Well, we have made it through the first week of our passage to Hawaii. While we still dream of the beautiful bays of the Marquesas and the ice cold Hinanos, I think we have all come to terms with the fact that it's time to move on. At least we're just moving on to another beautiful, Polynesian archipelago!
The first week of our passage has been fantastic - very comfortable, beautiful sunny days, and just enough wind to keep us moving at a good pace. We've all adjusted well into our passage schedules, getting up for watches and finding sleep where we can. When Tim woke me up for my first watch (4 am), I was not thrilled about being awake, but once I stepped into the cockpit and saw the clear, starry night with just a sliver of a moon illuminating the dolphins playing at the bow, I was decidedly less grumpy. The nights have been amazingly clear, displaying the stars shining in the sky. It is quite something to see the stars at sea when there is no light from shore to dull them.
Myst is having a harder time adjusting to life at sea, mostly to having to be attached to a leash every time she comes into the cockpit. She has a habit of running around like a madwoman at night and jumping on the booms (sometimes even when the sail is up) so we keep her leashed to avoid any "cat overboard" drills. Yesterday morning, she tried to make a jump from one side of the companionway, across the hatch, to the other side but her leash was just not long enough and I looked up just in time to see her swinging back in forth, suspended in midair (don't worry, the harness has a chest strap as well so she wasn't hanging by the neck!). She didn't panic or even meow, just looked at me with the most dejected look on her face. As Austen said, she was just bungy jumping. I don't think offshore passages are really Myst's cup of tea.
Yesterday was our equator crossing day, and we crossed the line back into the northern hemisphere. Equator crossings are always cause for excitement (and extra rum rations) and we gave a toast to King Neptune as we passed. Conditions have been excellent on this passage so far and we want to keep King Neptune happy so they stay that way!
So now we are sailing along, about 1350 nautical miles from Oahu. We were planning to sail in to Ala Wai Yacht Harbor in Honolulu to quickly get cleaned up and ready for the next big hop before heading over to Hanalei Bay in Kauai for a few days, but now we have to reassess our plan. We happen to be arriving right around the TransPac race, which is a race from California to Honolulu, and Ala Wai Yacht Harbor has said they may not have room for us due to all the racing boats coming in. They also don't have a fuel dock or laundry facilities at the moment, two things we will definitely need! So as of right now we are discussing other options in Oahu, or perhaps skipping it altogether and heading straight for Kauai. I guess we still have a few weeks to decide!