August 3rd 2008

Bluewater Sailing -

There is a reason that open ocean sailing is referred to as "bluewater sailing". Out on the open ocean the clarity of miles deep crystal clear salt water casts a tone of blue with a depth that I have only seen in this ocean environment. It is the color to which we refer as "Navy Blue", however any efforts to recreate it pale in comparison to the real thing. I have found myself mesmerized by the ocean and its color so many times during the day at various points during this journey, and below the surface of the water the vastness of the ocean and the richness of its color is multiplied. What an amazing experience to have on my first major sailing trip.

Since leaving Fiji some 16 days ago we have had no encounters with other boats, and Gardner Island aside we have not seen any land for the duration of the journey. The days seem to melt one into the other, with the only variations being the topic of conversation between crew members, the weather, what we have during mealtimes and whether the fish are biting or not. This morning with lines in the water, I stepped down to use the head and when I came back, Ted was just hooking into a Marlin. As I returned to deck, the fish had just shaken itself off so we decided to change to a two hook rig to see if we could make it stick the next time we got a bite. It turned out that we would not have any more fish today, but as we were letting out the lure, a passing pilot whale, or maybe two joined in the chase and swam with the lure for about ten minutes, jumping and playing as the lure bounced in the water about 100 feet aft of the stern. The ocean has so many wonders that are just not found on land, and the marine mammals seem to find the same simple playfulness in the water that we humans find on deck to pass the time as we pass through this foreign and sometimes intimidating, if not hostile marine environment.

While we have been blessed with generally good weather, the sea has shown us a bit of its power and I have learned a great deal of respect for the force of the ocean over the past few weeks. Passing through the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (hereafter ITCZ), laying just north of the equator, one is greeted with the convergence of two opposing tropical weather systems. We came into this area while I was on night watch four nights ago, and the only word that accurately describes what we experienced here is...WET. I relieved Janet at midnight and she informed me that her watch had been uneventful, but that the wind had begun to shift somewhat and that she had noticed that there seemed to be some pretty wet systems all around us on the radar. As she passed the baton and went to bed I could scanned the moonless horizon and all I could make out in the sky was dark...and darker. After about 30 minutes it began to rain, and rain, and rain some more. Since we were already reefed in for the night and the winds were not howling too bad I decided to ride it out at around 18-20 knots, the winds propelled us well and we made good time throughout the night. When 2:00 AM rolled around and it was time for Trevor's watch, I decided that since I was already soaking wet that I would roll with it and ride out the night, thinking that maybe the weather would pass. As it turned out we would sail in this wet soup for the next 36 or so hours, but Ted and Trevor both appreciated me taking the night watch and Ted made a mean cup of coffee in the morning when he relieved me about 6:30 AM.

When we finally sailed out of the ITCZ there was a distinct change in the weather pattern and the winds had most definitely shifted to NE, although they were just north of east enough that we have been able to sail almost due north at 163 40' for the last three days, making excellent headway. As I sit writing this on my night watch tonight, we are just getting to 16 N and within 500 miles of Hawaii. Our plan is to bring ourselves up to 21 N, even with Honolulu and then pay the piper and begin to tack east from our current position around 163 W to 159 (and change) W . Our hope is that falling in to the lee side of the island chain that we will be shielded from the strong NE trade winds and be able to make better headway to the east than down here on the open ocean. We shall see. In any case we should be within 5 or 6 days of landfall in Honolulu at this point, where we will spend a few days resting and recuperating, making some minor repairs to the boat and re-provisioning for the trip to California. I think we are all ready for a few days on solid ground. I have to say that I really had very little idea what to expect when we started this journey, but it had been everything that I expected..and more. The boat has performed very well thus far in what can only be described as tough conditions day in and day out (16-33 knot headwinds, against the current most of the time, variable weather, etc) since we left Fiji. There is a reason that very few sailing pleasure craft make this journey, and while I do not plan to EVER do this again, the experience has left a strong impression on me, and being able to make this trip in the fashion that we have made it, with the Captain and crew that we have, has cemented some very fundamental sailing principles for me, the most important of which is to respect that wind and the power of the sea, and trim your sails accordingly. I will always be grateful to Ted for teaching me that lesson so early in my sailing career. Thanks Ted!

For those watching at home please give the little man a hug and a kiss and tell him that daddy misses him lots and will be home soon!

August 6th 2008

This morning I woke up and dropped a few lines in the water and lo and behold not an hour later I was reeling in an 80ish pound blue marlin. After about a 30 minute fight we had him on the swim step for pictures and then revived and released the little fighter. What a great fight these put up. I now have the tri-fecta for this portion of the journey: marlin, yellow fin, and dolphin. Not bad for a working trip. We are currently motor sailing just west and south of Kauai and will be looking to make harbor tomorrow afternoon or evening.