Position and Weather Report

Position: Lat: 34deg 41.3" Long: 148deg 30.1 "

Predicted 24h position: Lat: 37deg 19.2" Long: 146deg 18.9 "

COG: 046 deg SOG: 5.8kts

Baro: 29.92 24h range: 29.92-30.06 Wind: NW 23kts 24h range: 15-24 kts swinging to W Waves N 3-4 Meter on the beam Sails furled Paravanes deployed Present gph 2.5

Clouds:85% cumulus

Summary: Winds beginning to swing from N to NW. Still multiple squalls with winds to 25kts. Paravanes making beam sea better than it could be. Look forward to lighter winds from aft. Lee, You answered my question. I write the email before I log on and your latest mail was there. Thanks!

24h summary Fuel used:64 g Gal/hr 2.67 g Fuel at destination: 871 g Distance made good: 132nm Ave. Speed: 5.5 kts MPG: 2.1 Fuel remaining: 1663g Max range: 3492nm Range to Destination: 1328nm Reserve Range: 2164nm

Oh Well. I guess you can't cross the Pacific from Hawaii to Seattle without a little taste of King Neptune"s power. Our forecast 15-20kts developed into 20-25kts just forward of our port beam. As night was falling I thought it prudent to deploy the paravanes and furl the sails. Both the main and head sail are on furlers, devices which allow the sail to be rolled around the stays without one having to go forward on the bouncing deck. It makes it easy to deploy and retrieve sails and even "reef" sails by partially deploying one. Sails and sheets in a 25 kt wind are subjected to significant forces and one can get a beating trying to lower them. Anyway, the sea state last night was unpleasant. Short period 2 m seas on our beam. I mentioned the Shearwater workout regime in previous entries. This now includes sleeping during which time you have to work to keep from being rolled out of bed! I understand why sailors of yore slept in hammocks. By morning with more time and unlimited fetch, (distance for waves to grow) the waves have grown to 3-4 meters, although they are of longer period and therefore impart a more comfortable motion to the boat. In contrast to our earlier experience with waves directly on our nose, these rock us side to side but do not sap the boat of as much energy and we are able to maintain speeds over 5 kts. Without sails and with paravanes working, however, you can see from above that our fuel burn is higher and speed lower, although within acceptable limits for our trip. The "Howgoesit" is getting more reflective of reality all the time. After such a stretch of beautiful conditions, my first reaction to this weather was less than welcoming, although with time as before, it is just another day. The crew are completely nonplused and our daily routine continues. Lee predicts that in a couple of days the wind should shift to WSW and abate to 10-15 kts. This should be perfect sailing weather to push us toward home. Good night for a pressure cooked chicken noodle soup which is really better than it sounds.