DavidEllis Underway 18 Jun 0530 UTC (1430 local)
18 June 2009
sat phone & computer are suddenly talking to each other; maybe I'll be able to get this message out. Spoke with "relay Rick" a few hours ago with a report, so this is really only a postscrpt.
Current Position: 38deg 58' N 142deg 38.6' E, COG 026T, SOG 7.7kts all of which puts us 250 nm SW of Kushiro. We should get there first thing in the morning, day after tomorrow; we may even have to slow down a bit to be sure to get there in daylight.
We've got a list of things to do in Kushiro which will take several days to complete. Dorothy and Justin will need to purchase their flight from Kushiro down to Tokyo and pack for their trip. And we'll be waiting for a positive weather report from Lee before we head off for our long run to Dutch Harbor. It's important to note though, that the distance from Kushiro to Dutch Harbor is basically the same as that from Hong Kong to Kushiro, only without the stop at Ishigaki. So this past couple weeks has been a test run for the leg to Dutch Harbor.
All's well with the crew and the boat. Japan Met via Navtex reports benign conditions between here and Hokkaido; except for dense fog which is apparantly on the south coast there. We're ahead of the curve in terms of statistical weather issues -- the heavy fog and monsoon rain of July. All in all, things are looking good.