Adventures of Orcinius

11 September 2015 | HOME - Vancouver WA
24 August 2015 | 46 11.4'N:123 51.4'W, Port of Astoria Marina
22 August 2015 | 46 42.0'N:132 09,4'W, 330 West of CR Bouy, Astoria
21 August 2015 | 46 41.8'N:136 13.8'W, 500 West of Astoria
20 August 2015 | 46 22.82'N:140 28.00'W, East end of High
20 August 2015 | 46 22.80'N:140 28.32'W, Middle of High Same as Fish
20 August 2015 | 46 22.79'N:140 28.57'W, Middle of High
20 August 2015 | 46 22.7'N:140 30.2'W, 675 Miles West of CR
20 August 2015 | 45 57.6'N:144 54.0'W, East End of the High
18 August 2015 | 44 38.2'N:147 57.0'W, 1000 NM to Astoria
18 August 2015 | 43 31.0'N:150 28.0'W, 1126 NM to Astoria
17 August 2015 | 41 40.1'N:153 00.1'W, 1200 miles West of Astoria
16 August 2015 | 39 30.1'N:154 53.1'W, West end of the North Pacific High
15 August 2015 | 37 34.5'N:156 00.0'W, 1011 North of Oahu
15 August 2015 | 37 04.5'N:156 23.0'W, 983 North of Oahu
14 August 2015 | 34 12.3'N:157 26.1'W, 800 North of Oahu
13 August 2015 | 31 50.0'N:158 06.5'W, 650 North of Oahu
12 August 2015 | 29 02.0'N:158 51.0'W, 330 North of Oahu
11 August 2015 | 26 32.0'N:158 59.0'W, 330 North of Oahu
09 August 2015 | 23 44.1'N:158 49.4'W, 140 N of Oahu

Changing Time Zones

21 August 2015 | 46 41.8'N:136 13.8'W, 500 West of Astoria
John
Changing Time Zones

We are in no man's land. Someone forgot to draws the time zone lines from Alaska South to the equator so we would know what time zone we are in. Why is it important, well you see as you go from West to East it get light earlier and dark earlier. So if we don't make an adjustment then we wouldn't have anyone on watch when it first gets dark and my watch (the last one of the night watches) would be in full daylight. When we started out from Fiji Lisa and I paired up with Mosese and Malo respectively. I usually took the right after dinner watch until about two hour into the night time when Lisa and Mosese came on and each took 3 hours watching each other's back and then Malo and I would come on for the next 6 hours. The 4 night watches between Fiji and Western Samoa wasn't too bad because they are both on the same time zone and then from Western Samo to Christmas Island it was the same time zone until we got to Hawaii. We didn't pay too much attention to changing for that leg as everyone just kept with the Z Plus 12 hours until HI when I said it was now Z minus 10 hours... Yep you lose a day and a few hours. OK everyone gets adjusted sitting around HI, soaking up the sun and having a good time. OK time to make the adjustment so we start out with Mosese having the first watch at 0600Z or 1800L Fiji time. For all intents and purposes the day really didn't matter it was more for the bodily clock adjusting to night and day. So Lisa on at 2100L, Malo at 2400L and John at 0300L. That works because John sends a Yotrep report into Pangolin sometime around 0330. At the beginning, it meant John was on watch for about 2 3/4 hours before the early dawn. But as we traveled further North, it was getting a lighter a little earlier and also staying lighter a slight bit earlier. Oh yeh the sun is in the northern hemiphere. Mosese had it the best to start with because he started in full light and ended in total darkness, Lisa and Malo both had full three hours each and like I said I had 2 3/4 hours but then I would just stay up and download the weather after the 0600Z time.

Once we crossed the 30N Lat we started angling a little to the East and then at 38N Lat even more of an angle. We are shaving off light at night and darkness in the morning. By the time we reach 145W Long we had the beginnings of darkness while we were eating dinner, no one is assigned the watch and of course I am now completely in some form of dawn to full daylight. Time to switch and slide everyone up an hour. We are at about the half way point in the route from HI to Astoria but not in changes of daylight and darkness. So again here we are time for another change. In reality we should have done this either yesterday or the day before but it will take place tonight. From there we should be good until we reach Astoria and everyone will forget all about Z time and the boys will wonder when is a good time to call their families.

On another subject, traffic. We have seen more vessel traffic here on the north side of HI than all of our travels in the past. That was until we crossed the majic 46N Lat. Must not be a great circle route East to West or vice versa North of the 46. So last night just before the watches and dinner there was a vessel some 30 miles off heading streight for us. I had written down all of his information in the event he did not respond to my hail. When he got within 15 miles I hailed him on Channel 16. He responded and I asked him if he saw my AIS. I saw his because that is how I got his call sign of Barrow Island. He said he didn't have me on either AIS or Radar. I gave him his heading and his course according to his AIS data and informed him I was about 10 degrees to port of his heading and on a direct line with the intercept of his course over ground. His AIS showed a CPA of 250 feet to less than 1/2 mile. We still had about 45 minutes before the intersect. He aske d me what my course was, 085 true. He was on 310 true so there was not much angle difference. One of us had to change our course. He asked me again what my call sign was and when I said I was SY ORCINIUS, he said he would alter course to starboard. I thanked him and asked if he could alter to port as then he would not be crossing my bow. He obliged and took up a course of 330 in plenty of time to change his CPA to 5 miles. We saw his lights off our starboard side.

Some might want to know what difference it would make wether he pass in front of us or behind us. In our case we were motor sailing with the wind at 125 degrees apparant and 160 True doing 8.5 knots. If I had to fall off to starboard I could not do that without a major gype of the sails which takes time and if I had to come up I would have had nearly the same problem only then it would be a tack. Also for those of you who are unaware of the rules of the road, he was going to change course to starboard which would leave us crossing Port bow to Port bow which is the standard. It was only because I asked him for the Starboard to Starboard pass that he obliged with a port turn. Nice and accommodating, from South Korea and after we were both clear of each other we exchanged nicities and were about our business. Chaffing has become a bigger problem on this longer run. I am sure some of it was beginning before we got to Hawaii but we weren't able to use the sails the same way before. I have a major chafe spot on the main halyard as the line passes through the chieve at the top of the mast for my double reef. I don't have a long enough line to replace the halyard (about 200' long). Also the furling line to the boom drum was about to go and I replace that with some spare line. Finally the leech of the mainsail is really starting to frey at the battons when we furl it for a reef. It is chaffing from the boom. I have used sail repair tape on the spots more than once. It should make it home.

The only other exciting news of the day was our distance traveled. Best to date with 195 miles motor sailing. We had a single reef in the main, a full gib and one engine running at 2300 RPM. My goal is to have all the fuel used up on deck when we arrive in Astoria. Gona make it.
Comments
Vessel Name: ORCINIUS
Vessel Make/Model: Lagoon 440
Hailing Port: Vancouver, Washington
Crew: John LeDoux & Lisa Danger
About:
Sailing since the mid 90's. Prior to this trip, 4 sailing adventures from Vancouver WA to the San Juan and Gulf Islands in the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Bought ORCINIUS in West Palm Beach Fl in April 2010. Sailed her South through the Panama Canal and back up the West coast to home port. [...]
Extra: Lisa is the real captain. I have never been at the helm when docking or anchoring, she has a great touch to docking.
Home Page: www.orcinius.com

Who: John LeDoux & Lisa Danger
Port: Vancouver, Washington