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 [...]

SF approach, full moon and meteor

18 August 2016
Bill
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 good progress in the right direction at this point. It feels so close, like I should be cleaning up for our arrival. It's the feeling I had starting at about 800 miles to go. Here we are about 400 miles still to go and I still feel that way. Counting down the miles, the hours and the days.

I had another feeling that I heard another Pacific Cup racer express in a blog. We are all dying to reach SF. Can't wait for a shower, a level,warm and dry bed and seeing our loved ones again. But, as I sit out on deck, the sea and wind raging, I know I need to take advantage of my time out here; to enjoy it while it lasts. And I really do enjoy it.

I was up on deck last night. The sky was full of clouds with hardly a break anywhere. Then, all of a sudden the sea started to glow in the distance. It was the full moon shining through a small break in the clouds. A minute later, it was the boat that was aglow as the moon shown through another opening. As we moved along, so did the clouds and the moon. The entire night we were treated to glimpses here and there of weird and beautiful formations and light. You just don't see that very often and in many places in your life.

Another treat we had on the boat, which I unfortunately didn't have the pleasure of witnessing, was a meteor. Michael and Joe were on deck and as they described it to me it was amazing. It was close, not like a normal falling star, but something real that you could see. They saw it break into pieces and then after that saw the characteristic tails. I'll let them describe it in more detail, but it's another great example of the things we need to appreciate.

I'm making a deal with myself. For ever 100 miles we get closer to SF, I'll count one of the many blessings of being here right now.

Fair winds!
Comments
Gallery Error: Unknown Album [1:]:36589
Aquavit's Photos -

About & Links