Aquavit: Pac Cup 2016

Vessel Name: Aquavit
Vessel Make/Model: Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42iP
Hailing Port: San Francisco
Crew: Michael, Bill, Joe, Patrick and Karl
Extra: 8/3/16 - On a quest from Kaneohe, Hawaii back to San Francisco with new Crew: Michael, Bill, Joe, Patrick and Karl 7/11/16 - On a quest to Kaneohe, Oaho, Hawaii with Crew: Michael, Mike, Bill, Paulo, Magnus and George
19 August 2016
18 August 2016
15 August 2016
14 August 2016
13 August 2016
11 August 2016
11 August 2016
10 August 2016
08 August 2016
07 August 2016
06 August 2016
23 July 2016 | ~50nm west of Kaneohe
22 July 2016 | West of Hawaii (300mi North of Darby)
20 July 2016
18 July 2016
Recent Blog Posts
20 August 2016

Getting from there to here

As much as we would like to take all the credit for our long voyage across the Pacific, we have had a steady and reliable aid guiding us along. That aid is the multitude of instruments we have to tell us things like: where are we? Are we going in the right direction? How fast are we going? Is [...]

19 August 2016

Sea Creatures

For the most part, the life in the deep ocean is under the water and not seen, but there have been some remarkable sightings on this trip. Here's a taste of what we have encountered.

18 August 2016

SF approach, full moon and meteor

This is an interesting part of the return trip. We had the hard sailing north from Hawaii into the prevailing swell. We had the sinister high pressure that was following us everywhere we went in the middle of the trip. Now, finally we are on track towards SF. It's a good feeling to be making [...]

18 August 2016

Heavy Weather Sailing

It's almost a relief hitting the heavy weather portion of our trip. We were worrying about the gale for so long, and the large seas and high winds that it would bring where we were further south, that when it finally hits we know what to expect. As our last correspondence with the weather guys states: "There [...]

15 August 2016

Whales and Weather

Saw a pod of killer whales yesterday, passed all around us, and one followed us for a few minutes. This is their place and they are curious about us. I've seen lots of killer whales in the San Juans, but new and exciting to several others.

14 August 2016

Weather

Seems like we've been plagued by the adverse weather this trip. On the way to Hawaii we encountered large, confused, seas and then Hurricane Darby. The last leg of the trip to Kanehoe was rushing like madmen to avoid been trapped at sea for days while the storm system passed. (We arrived at 4pm. Boats [...]

Whales and Weather

15 August 2016
Saw a pod of killer whales yesterday, passed all around us, and one followed us for a few minutes. This is their place and they are curious about us. I've seen lots of killer whales in the San Juans, but new and exciting to several others.

Caught some wind going south and we're sailing nicely! The bad news is that we've lost a degree of latitude, but plenty of time to make it up. We're now 800 NM from SF. We actually reefed with the higher winds. Aquavit loves a lot of jib, she's a traditional sailor powered mainly by the jib, so it's best for us to reef the main and let the jib be out as much as possible. So we have one reef in the main and the full jib out. Reefing for us is routine since we've done it so much is so many different conditions (waves, winds). One crew at the helm and another handling the lines But it involves several steps-- loosening the boom vang, coming up into the wind a bit, loosening the main sheet, and simultaneously lowering the main halyard and tightening the reef line. Four lines all other the place in the boat, and at night it is a maze of lines everywhere. And one needs to be careful to make sure all the lines are moving freely, so the flashlight comes out at the same time, all the while that the boat is pounded by waves and wind. (The reason, of course, for reefing in the first place). It looks like a mess when one completes the reef and gets the boat settled, and a bit like a blind man recoiling all the lines in the dark and reattaching them to the hangers.

Fun to sail and this morning we got good news about the weather! The gale (40+ knot winds) will dissipate in 4 days, about the time we will approach the area. So it is not expected to hang around for days and will not delay much our move to the coast. We'll slow down a bit, and still hit good wind (about 25knots) and waves (about 9 feet), but nothing too rough if we able to do a beam reach (90 degrees to the wind) or lower. So the grib files and forecasts are favorable today and things are looking good!

Just a word about the crew. Spirits are high and everyone gets along great. Karl is our music meister, playing all sorts o play lists that keep us jumping. His enthusiasm and good spirit is infectious. Pat is a great sail trimmer, from his many years racing at UCSC and other venues, and has taught us all a great deal about the best sail combinations and trims to make the boat go fast at all angles, wind, and wave angles. He is also a great conversationalist and always fun to talk to. Karl and Pat are playing cards, and talking about everything from good food and cooking to music to girls. Joe and I reminisce about old times growing up in Lafayette. (Joe is the younder brother of John Dillard, a close friend friend from grade school days). Bill is philosophical and loves sailing...he is a fanatic...and jumps on anything needing repair. We have a lot in common, married to Swedes, living in Sweden, growing up in the Bay Area, so there is always lots to talk about. In short, we are a contented and happy boat.

Fair Winds from Aquavit,
Michael
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