Ahoy from the Desert!

We finally made it back to land! Thanks to everyone who came to our Welcome Home party. We can't tell you how good it was to see so many familiar faces.

You all are invited to La Quinta to visit any time!

Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 14

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 14

Date: 13 August 2009 1900 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 173 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 168 nm
Latitude: 38 01.176 N
Longitude: 125 58.987 W
COG: 085M
SOG: 7.1 kts under sail
Wind: 12 kts NNW
Seas: 4 ft NW swell
Weather: 10% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1021.0, steady
Sea Temperature: 61 F

Less than 170 miles to go--we are almost there!

Last night the weather suddenly grew colder, and we encountered a light mist that dropped visibility to less than a mile. The mist was particularly interesting as we encountered three Los Angeles bound ships at once. We weaved through the ships using radar and AIS. Around 3 a.m. the wind freshened and we resumed sailing. By 5:30 a.m. we ripping along at close to ten knots, but the wind dropped around mid-morning, and now we are back in the sevens. We are bouncing around in an annoying cross swell that makes the boat move up and down constantly (boat motion called heaving). The up and down motion is more difficult to deal with than rolling or pitching, but we aren't uncomfortable.

We expect the wind to build throughout the day, maybe to 30 knots. Along with the increase in wind we will be seeing 10' waves that are closely spaced. Tonight is probably going to be a bumpy one. We have put away most of the "projectiles" and are ready to go.

The seawater temperature is down to 61 degrees! The temperature inside the boat has descended to the point where we are wearing insulated foul weather gear and thick wool socks. Quite a welcome to "Sunny California"!

For those of you interested in meeting us at the dock, we still don't have a good idea of precisely when it will be. It's fairly certain at this point that it'll be tomorrow morning. Tonight we should get a better idea. We'll be in touch with Pat when we can be more specific about the time.

Hope to see you on Sunday at the Dutch Goose!

Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 13

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 13

Date: 12 August 2009 1900 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 167 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: nm
Latitude: 38 29.464 N
Longitude: 129 35.700 W
COG: 082M
SOG: 6.7 kts under power
Wind: calm
Seas: 2 ft WNW swell, ft wind waves
Weather: 80% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1022.6, rising
Sea Temperature: 69 F

The wind continued to drop throughout the day yesterday, and by 7 p.m. we were back under power. Overnight apparent wind stopped altogether, and we had a very smooth night motoring across a quiet sea. Around 9 a.m. this morning the wind starting blowing from the North with the slightest breeze. We still don't have enough wind to sail, but this small amount of North wind is a sign of things to come.

We expect the wind to begin to pick up later today and continue to build. We may have some interesting sailing for our last day at sea. Right now the forecast is showing strong winds and short-period, 9' seas. 9' seas aren't THAT big, but when they are close together they become very steep. We will spending some time today putting things away onboard Samadhi so that they don't become projectiles. We are probably overdoing it, but better prepared than not.

Otherwise, things have mostly been quiet here. We saw no ships yesterday and only a couple of small, solitary birds. It's nice to know that we're almost at our destination with so little excitement compared to our previous ocean crossing.

Kelly parents have organized a gathering for her birthday and Samadhi V's homecoming. It will be from 11:30 - 2:30 on Sunday August 16th at the Dutch Goose in Menlo Park. We'd love to see you there!

Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 12

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 12

Date: 11 August 2009 1900 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 23 hours: 176 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 509 nm
Latitude: 38 50.732 N
Longitude: 133 07.621 W
COG: 080M
SOG: 7.5 kts under sail
Wind: 10 kts SW
Seas: 1.5 ft W swell, 1 ft SW wind waves
Weather: 75% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1020.0, rising
Sea Temperature: 69 F

The winds continued pushing Samadhi along at a rapid clip until 6 p.m. yesterday. After that, the wind suddenly moved directly astern of us and dropped to less than 10 knots. This shift caused us much consternation as we rolled about in the leftover seas. The sails on a sailboat not only provide the power to move through the water, but also the force to stabilize the boat. Take away the wind, and you also take away the stabilizing effect. Samadhi was rolling around so much, as to prevent Kelly from being able to sleep.

Then, it started to rain, not a warm tropical sprinkling but a continuous cold shower. At 10 p.m. we decided to start the engine to get the boat moving again. Once the engine was going, Samadhi rolled less, and Kelly managed to sleep. After midnight the wind began to pick up again and move back towards our beam. By 1 a.m. we were back to sailing with all of our working sails out, drawing us along a 8-10 knots. Looking back, it would seem like we encountered a massive wet and cold "squall", but that's probably not the right term for it.

Today, the wind is slightly less brisk, and the seas significantly smoother. The skies are mostly gray, and the air over the 69º ocean is predictably cool. Both of us are tired after last night's sleep-disturbing rolling.

We celebrated Kelly's birthday all day yesterday. She has never had a birthday quite like her 31st. From the albatrosses to the jellyfish to freinds and family ashore, even passing tankers, everyone wished Kelly a happy birthday.

Assuming we can keep this pace, we'll be arriving in Pillar Point early Friday morning. The winds are supposed to slack tomorrow though and then we've got some heavy weather and seas waiting for us on Thursday. It's fairly clear we'll be making it to port sometime on Friday though. We're both looking forward to sleeping the night through.

Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 11

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 11

Date: 10 August 2009 2000 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 191 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 687 nm
Latitude: 39 05.251 N
Longitude: 136 55.296 W
COG: 078M
SOG: 8.4 kts under sail
Wind: 17 kts SSW
Seas: 2 ft WSW swell, 2 ft SSW wind waves
Weather: 50% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1019.5, falling
Sea Temperature: 70 F

Tomorrow we plan to make our last time change to Pacific Daylight Time (UTC -07). You can expect our report an hour earlier.

The wind has picked up and so has our speed. Samadhi has been surging ahead, happy to be on the move once more. We have seen our speed increase to 11.9 knots on several occasions, but so far we haven't broken 12. We know Samadhi can go faster if the wind and waves cooperate, and we are crossing our fingers that today will be an even faster day.

As the Arctic low has moved in behind us, the ocean temperature has dropped steadily. Most of the morning it's been sitting at 69ºF. Combined with sailing downwind, this has made the boat interior rather colder than we'd like. Yesterday afternoon, this led to us digging out our three-piece, canvas and clear vinyl "cruising curtain" that turns our dodger into a makeshift pilothouse. We'd had the curtain rolled up and stowed since we left California almost two years ago. Boy, what a difference it makes! This morning, inside its shelter on deck, it was almost up to 90 degrees in the "pilothouse" while the temperature below decks was a toasty 80 degrees. The outside air temp has been in the mid 60s to low 70s. We sit happily in the boat, pretending we are still in the tropics... sure beats wearing our foul weather gear to stay toasty warm!

In the early evening, the line for second reef in the mainsail managed to untie itself while we were sailing. Luckily, we spotted the dangling line before it pulled completely out of the sail. Some mid-ocean gymnastics put things right once more. Hanging over the racing seas while trying to concentrate on retying the line correctly was exciting. The fact that Phillip was wearing a safety harness tethered to the boat reportedly did little to make him feel safer.

We passed a cargo vessel yesterday, destined for Korea. The vessel was a RORO (short for Roll-On, Roll-Off) which carry cars and trucks around the world. ROROs are the weirdest looking ships afloat. They remind us of something you would build out of Legos. This morning we were passed by an oil tanker bound for Panama. It was beautiful to watch the giant ship slide by under the morning sun.

Today is Kelly's birthday! Phillip baked her fresh candied-ginger scones for breakfast. They were a real treat and absolutely delicious. Kelly can't imagine a more special place to celebrate her birthday than 600 miles offshore on the clear blue Pacific. We'll be very sad to leave this behind, but the time for new, land-based adventures is upon us. We're eager to see what's in store for us and the boys in the year to come.

Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 10

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 10

Date: 9 August 2009 2000 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 170 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 877 nm
Latitude: 39 12.464 N
Longitude: 140 59.875 W
COG: 075M
SOG: 7.8 kts under sail
Wind: 15 kts SW
Seas: 2 ft W swell, 2 ft SW wind waves
Weather: 90% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1024.8, falling
Sea Temperature: 72 F

Samadhi is once again rolling along under a full press of sail! Unfortunately the skies have darkened to overcast gloom (although the un has started peaking through in the last half hour), and the air temperature is downright chilly--surely under the influence of the suddenly lower sea surface temp. We feel like we have crossed an invisible line from "Tropical" to "Pacific Northwest" weather overnight. Cooler temps aside, we are happy to be sailing once more, and no longer listening to the engine.

The mild wind has moved aft of the beam, and we are sailing on a broad reach. These conditions have us sliding down the seas like a winter pedestrian who discovers the sidewalk on the hill is covered with ice. Our speeds have varied from the 5 to 9 knots, with a lot of time spent 6.5 to 8. There have been a lot of small squalls that, so far, we have managed to avoid. Each time a squall passes by, our wind changes which leads to the variation in our speed.

The weather is changing rapidly on a larger scale, with the Pacific High shifting in response to a storm coming down from Alaska. Kelly's father Pat has upped his weather forecasting to twice daily due to the changing conditions. So far, it looks like we are still on the "right track" and no course changes are warranted.

Morning found us digging through our stored clothing, looking for the sweaters and long underwear we haven't worn in two years. If this weather keeps up, I expect we'll be spending a lot of our time wearing our foul weather gear (which is warm and fleece lined). All we're missing at this point is fog. We haven't sailed in heavy fog since we left California--not that we missed it!

The cold has gotten us in a bread baking mood (after all, the oven heats up the boat), and Phillip's already got the dough rising. Phillip also put on some Gordon Bok to get into the "sailing in cold places" mindset. The coast may be the wrong one, but the feeling's the same!

Yesterday afternoon, we spotted the first of what we think are albatross, a sleek bird with an incredible, double-jointed wingspan, dipping low in the wave troughs and then circling around to do it again. It was fascinating watching the bird circle around, skimming over the seas, seemingly never flapping it's wings. There have been a few more this morning.

We did an inventory yesterday to check how much fuel we have onboard, and determined we have used about half of our 200 gallons of diesel. We also have lots of water onboard... and NO shortage of food. People often ask us what we do for food on long passages. We have never had an issue in the dining department. I think we gain weight with every long trip at sea.

Kelly's mom Kathy is rumored to have something in the works for a homecoming celebration a week from today. You're sure to hear more on that soon. There'll also be at least a few folks who come down to the harbor to meet Samadhi when she docks. That will be a bit harder to schedule, but as we get closer we should be able to pin it down. We'll plan to go somewhere local (like Barbara's) for refreshments after. Just don't expect us to step out of our foulies to go somewhere too nice! Brrrrrr!

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 9

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 9

Date: 8 August 2009 2000 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 155 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 1047 nm
Latitude: 39 12.056 N
Longitude: 144 38.991 W
COG: 073M
SOG: 8.2 kts motorsailing
Wind: 5 kts SSE
Seas: 3 ft W swell
Weather: 10% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1028.5, steady
Sea Temperature: 76 F

The wind remained calm until around dawn when it moved forward of the beam and freshened a bit. We're happy to have an extra couple of knots. The swells are bigger too, but they are from astern and giving us a little push. There's still not enough wind to shut down the engine (We tried!), but it's getting there.

Life aboard Samadhi has been very mellow. Much of our entertainment involves books and cooking and movies on our laptops. We've just about exhausted all seven of the Carl Hiaasen novels we have aboard. (We're not sure where the other three went but are very disappointed not to be able to find them.) Normally, our taste in reading material favors non-fiction, but when we're trying to stay awake and alert in the wee hours of the morning, a real page-turner can make a big difference! Kelly also finds she has less patience than normal for sloppy prose. Phil did manage to read the recent biography of Mao Tse-tung (which was excellent) at the beginning of the passage, but most nights Kelly's eyes just won't stay open for something so information-dense.

In mild conditions like this we can cook just about anything we like, anything that we would on land. Yesterday, we made fried rice for lunch and an Indian curry (with the mahi mahi!) for dinner. In the mornings, we usually make something traditional like eggs and bacon or one of Phillip's famous scrambles. Phillip's even been known to make fresh hollandaise. The only real difference is that we try to use as few dishes as possible. Samadhi has a lot of things, but a dishwasher isn't among them, and washing dishes is a water-intensive task.

We aren't seeing marine life like we did when sailing from Costa Rica. Not a single flying fish has landed onboard the boat since we left Hawaii. We see very few birds or fish (aside from the fish we catch). However, we are seeing things on this passage that we didn't see on our trip over from Central America. We have seen well over ten ships so far! We have also been seeing a lot more signs of people, such as trash. Virtually 100% of the trash we see is plastic in one form or another. Since the sea has been so smooth, the floating debris tends to stand out clearly. Of course Samadhi is made of plastic, and we are floating out here too...

We've been delighted to receive so many emails from friends and family. It's always a pleasure to correspond with people out here where we have few distractions to break the consistency of our routine. Kelly's reminded of exchanging letters with her Granny or writing to family when she was at camp. Thanks to everyone who's gone to the trouble to write to us while we're underway. We love hearing from you!

Originally, we had anticipated returning home much sooner than we are. As usual though, our departure was dictated by work on the boat and then weather conditions, so we left when we thought the passage would be safest. Our first couple of days out of Kauai were pretty tough, and it gave us peace of mind that we had taken the time to prepare Samadhi the right way.

When back on the hard, we'll be living in La Quinta in the Southern California desert just southeast of Palm Springs. Moving and getting the boys settled and ready for school will be our top priorities once we reach land. We've been trying to make up for our mid-August arrival by doing as much of the legwork as possible through email or by proxy. (Big thanks again to Kathy and Pat!) So far, we've already leased a home and gotten the kids approved for enrollment in a local public school (John Glenn Middle School of International Studies). Still, that leaves plenty to think about. We couldn't have done any of it without the wonderful support of our family. It'll be great to live (relatively) nearby again!

At this point we're estimating that our arrival will be sometime between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning of next week. That depends on us averaging a minimum of 150 miles a day (6.25 knots) from now on. We'll be refining that estimate as we get closer to land. It would be great to see smiling faces at the dock when we get there!

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 8

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 8

Date: 7 August 2009 2000 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 23 hours: 153 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 1249 nm
Latitude: 39 05.710 N
Longitude: 147 58.698 W
COG: 072M
SOG: 6.2 kts under power
Wind: 7 kts S
Seas: 2 ft W swell
Weather: 50% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1029.0, steady
Sea Temperature: 75 F

It's been another idyllic day aboard Samadhi V. Smooth seas and pleasant weather abound. We don't have much wind currently, but we aren't complaining. Samadhi is gently being pushed by the shallow swells and rocking us to sleep when we're off watch.

Since the wind is continuing to be very light and from astern, we are still under power. We brought our full capacity of fuel along with us. We plan to use the fuel to shorten our journey to California. The most current forecast is showing stronger winds in 2-3 days.

We've "turned the corner" and established Samadhi on our final course to Half Moon Bay. We believe that we have passed the halfway mileage point in our journey. It is heartening to no longer be pointed towards Alaska!

Sadly, we have depleted our stores of Hawaiian tropical fruit. Now we are down to apples and limes to keep the scurvy at bay. :) That, and all the fresh vegetables still aboard. We've also been eating lots of dried fruit and nuts -- special thanks to Leslie or her care package of goodies that arrived in Hawaii before we left!

To conserve water aboard, we have been using a combination of saltwater and fresh to wash the dishes. We also decided to use paper plates on this passage to reduce the amount of dishes and thus freshwater used. It's a real chore to wash dishes by hand in saltwater. The reason is twofold, one because you must be careful not to get the saltwater everywhere (salt inside the boat leads to lots of issues) and second, it requires two rinses, one in saltwater and then a final one in fresh. With just the two of us aboard, we've been able to stretch things to two or three days between dishwashing. The boys would definitely confirm that this is a big improvement over the daily exercise we had on our passage to Hawaii.

As noted above, Samadhi Time is now UTC -8. We plan to change to UTC -7 (PDT) a few days before landfall.

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 7

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 7

Date: 6 August 2009 2100 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 164 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 1403 nm
Latitude: 38 26.578 N
Longitude: 151 07.743 W
COG: 052M
SOG: 7.0 kts under power
Wind: 4 kts SE
Seas: 2 ft W swell
Weather: 20% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1028.6, steady
Sea Temperature: 76 F

Apparently we spoke too soon when we said the wind had returned in yesterday's report. Not long after sending the email out, the wind once again shut off. So, we have been motoring (we would say motorsailing, but the sails aren't doing much) since. Motoring isn't bad though, the seas are approaching completely flat, and Samadhi is making excellent progress at low, fuel-efficient power settings.

Later yesterday afternoon, we spotted a large vessel on radar. Soon after our radar contact, we picked it up on the AIS. According to the AIS and the radar, the Korea bound vessel "Formosa 11" was on a near collision course, and steaming at over 14 knots. As the weather was crystal clear and seas were flat, we expected to see the vessel altering course to pass astern of us. As we watched the vessel growing closer, it was obvious that it was a tanker, and that it wasn't changing course.

We decided to call them on the radio and ask if they see us. Phillip called twice, but there was no answer from the tanker. This struck us as strange, because there is NO VHF radio traffic out here, so if you hear someone on the radio, you pay attention. Kelly tried calling again a few minutes later and got a response, which was nearly unintelligible. Although we couldn't understand everything they were saying (They probably weren't native English speakers.), they seemed to understand us. Abruptly after our radio conversation, they made a large course change to pass astern of us.

The weather has become markedly less squally, but it did look like it was about to rain through part of the night. Passing under some dark overcast areas with the bright full moon illuminating the surrounding sea was beautiful in a black and white kind of way. This morning's sunrise was equally spectacular.

We haven't been fishing, but we have been eating lots of mahi mahi.

The very small amount of wind we have been experiencing overnight is moving around more towards the southeast. We have started to turn towards our new course which will reach early tomorrow. By tomorrow we will be headed straight (more or less) for Half Moon Bay. There is a certain amount of comedy in "Sail straight out into the Pacific, then turn right!" but that is indeed what we are doing.

Also, this is the first day where the barometer has actually fallen. (It was even lower early this morning.) This is another indication that the time has come to head for home.

Finally, we are planning to change time zones tomorrow to UTC -8 (Alaska Daylight Time). you can expect our update 1 hour earlier.

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 6

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 6

Date: 5 August 2009 2100 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 147 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 1567 nm
Latitude: 36 00.152 N
Longitude: 152 30.168 W
COG: 010M
SOG: 6.5 kts under sail
Wind: 8 kts E
Seas: 2 ft E swell, 3 ft WNW swell (longer period)
Weather: 10% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1028.8, rising
Sea Temperature: 77 F

Most of the day we spent motorsailing. We continued motoring until near midnight when the breeze picked up again, so we shut down the big Perkins and resumed sailing. The silence of sail is so wonderful after the constant din of the engine! Although the wind isn't extraordinary, it's enough to keep us moving at a reasonable speed.

During the nearly windless day, we motored through squall after squall. Although very little rain fell, all of the squalls looked threatening enough for us to close up the boat as they approached. Each time, Samadhi would get a little wet and would be dry 20 minutes later. Sometimes Phillip thinks that we must look like calling "General Quarters" aboard a Navy ship as we run around the boat sealing hatches and ports. Usually, we are ready for battle with the squall before the water hits the deck... usually.

We were fishing yesterday afternoon when one of the reels started making the screaming sound that is usually associated with a really big fish. Phillip worked for about 10 minutes trying to get line in on this "fish" without much to show for it. Kelly skillfully maneuvered Samadhi, and the line started slowly coming back in.

Kelly took a look through the binoculars to see what was on the other end of the line. She reported that it didn't look like any fish she had ever seen--more like some kind of sea monster! On the other hand, even as we brought the strange mass closer, it would occasionally make a "run" and take more line. We couldn't figure it out. Long story short, we hooked a fish who then took cover under a very large tangle of line and fishing net that was floating out here.

We weren't hot on losing quite a bit of expensive gear, so we worked Samadhi slowly back to the net. It streamed aft of us at least 100' and maybe farther. We tried several different methods to get the net onboard, but it was too heavy and slippery to lift in our hands. We did eventually retrieve the lure from the net by backing the boat close enough to "gaff" the line and grab the lure. Success!

It was about this time that we noticed a large school of mahi mahi swimming underneath the net. There were hundreds of small mahi mahi, smaller than trout. There was a second school of adult mahi mahi of varying sizes that cruised in circles around the net, seemingly on patrol. As I fiddled with the net, Kelly tried wiggling one of the large squid lures over the side. (Neither of us has the skill to successfully cast a 6/0 Senator.) Almost instantly, the water boiled as a mahi mahi sucked down the lure and started running. Phillip cleated the net to Samadhi, and help to boat the fish.

Just as it cleared the lifelines, the net looked like it was going to try and tangle itself around the prop. Kelly put down the rod and went to attend to the boat and line. While she was busy with the boat, the dorado managed to unhook herself and flapped overboard as Phillip tried to subdue her. No matter though, the fish returned to her school, cruising under the net which was tied to the boat... We had a whole school of mahi mahi tethered to Samadhi!

Phillip tried casting for adult mahi mahi with a 1oz bucktail jig on a freshwater spinning combo loaded with 12 lb. mono. Less than 3 seconds after the lure hit the water, the reel was screaming as the cow mahi mahi ran with the lure. After losing two bucktail jigs to the fish, we discovered that they were biting through the mono. Rather than take the time to make up a leader, Phillip tried Kelly's technique of simply using our offshore gear to put an 8" chugger squid in the water and wiggling it. A pack of the mahi mahi zoomed up after it, and the lure was gone as the line zoomed out. This time the deck was stacked in our favor, and we added another delicious fish (a 9 lb. cow) to our freezer.

Neither of us have ever seen fishing like this. The fish would bite anything that moved, and it didn't matter if it was right next to the boat. Kelly took several videos, and we're really glad. Otherwise, it sounds like yet another "fish story." We haven't been fishing since. Now, we have a LOT of fish in our fridge and freezer now, and we need to catch up on eating it.

A flock of four tropicbirds flew along with us for a little while this morning. It's unclear just what interested them so much, but their noisy presence was surely a welcome one. We've seen relatively few birds on this passage compared to the crossing from Costa Rica.

We are doing really well on freshwater reserves, even though we plan not to use the water maker (desalinator) this passage. With only two of us onboard, it's amazing how much less water we are using than when all four of us are here. A lot of it probably has to do with not running the washing machine.

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 5

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 5

Date: 4 August 2009 2100 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 23 hours: 137 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 1714 nm
Latitude: 33 46.012 N
Longitude: 153 38.427 W
COG: 013M
SOG: 6.2 kts under power
Wind: 2 kts NE
Seas: 3 ft E swell, 1.5 ft W swell (longer period)
Weather: 75% Cloud Cover (due to large rain squall)
Barometric Pressure: 1026.5, rising
Sea Temperature: 79 F

This morning we changed our clocks to UTC -9. There are two more time changes to go before we're in PDT (UTC -7). We'll let you know when those are going to happen.

Also as of this morning we have started the diesel (the D-sail) and switched to motor sailing. The wind steadily decreased all day yesterday, nearly stopping last night. After allowing for the morning to arrive to see if the day brought improved breezes we decided to start motoring. We have been expecting the wind to slacken as we approach the Pacific High pressure system. The winds will resume (from the other direction!) on the other side of the high pressure system.

We are seeing more and more trash in the ocean, including large items such as a blue plastic drum, safety orange crates (scared Phillip as he thought they were lifejackets), logs and fishing net floats. Normally, when we are at sea we don't see ANY trash at all. This leads us to believe we are approaching the Pacific Garbage Gyre, also known as the Pacific Garbage Patch. The Garbage Gyre is a giant circular patch of floating trash that is held in place by currents. Once trash enters this area it stays for a very, very long time.

For the first time since leaving Hawaii, yesterday morning we put out our fishing lines. We had very little activity on the crossing from Central America to Hawaii, so between that and the quantity of food already on board (no place to freeze fish!), we were in no particular hurry. Imagine our surprise then when only an hour into our first day's attempt, we caught a small mahi mahi! Unfortunately, she managed to free herself in the journey between the ocean and the deck.

After the disappointing loss of the lunch mahi mahi yesterday morning, we were rewarded with a slightly larger dinner version that afternoon. We had kept the lines out of the water while we got the daily email update ready and made lunch. In the early afternoon, we put them out again. At least we knew there was something out there! About 3:30 p.m. ST, Kelly landed the 16 lb. dorado, and this time Phillip gaffed it aboard--we were taking no chances! We fried up a couple of chunks for an afternoon snack. Later, it made for a delicious dinner, prepared with a lemon caper sauce. We are also "cooking" ceviche for today. The rest we vacuum sealed and froze. That one small "cow" made for 12 generous portions of fillet, not including the chunks for ceviche!

We have a couple of pieces of 1/16" Spectra line that attach the fishing poles to the boat acting as safety lanyards. After our trip from Costa Rica, both of them were showing their age. Since these are the only thing preventing $$$$ in equipment from falling overboard, Phillip made up new ones last night.

We had a real treat last night when we got to watch three very large whales (Fin whales?), sounding almost continuously as they swam Southwest past Samadhi. We have never seen whales sounding so frequently, it appeared they were taking another breath every 50 yards. We both stood outside in awe as these majestic creatures made their past Samadhi and onto whatever salty destination they had in mind.

There has been a large amount of vessel traffic in the last day. We've had three encounters with ships underway for Panama or Japan. Based on the AIS information reported on the vessels, we get the impression we are in a shipping lane between Japan and the Panama Canal. So far, our closest point of approach has been 2.2 miles, but this seems close at night when they are going over 22 knots and may not see us!

The ocean continues to grow calmer with the lack of wind smoothing the surface of the water. The sky is dotted with small puffy white clouds from one horizon to the other. We have been treated to a spectacular sunset, followed by an equally extraordinary "moonset" around 4am and then onto the glorious, warm sunrise. The beauty and tranquility of the ocean is truly beyond compare.

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 4

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 4

Date: 3 August 2009 2200 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 179 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 1851 nm
Latitude: 31 38.387 N
Longitude: 154 36.500 W
COG: 017M
SOG: 7.5 kts under sail
Wind: 10 kts E
Seas: 4 ft E swell
Weather: 15% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1023.7, rising
Sea Temperature: 80 F

We continue Northeast across a placid sea, pushed by a gentle warm breeze--ideal sailing conditions for the last 24 hours! The waves have dropped to the point where they are no longer an issue. The wind has held steady in the 10-12 knot range, allowing us to make easy progress without stressing the crew or the boat. Daytime temps are in the mid 80s with nights in the high 70s. Conditions like this are what sailors dream about.

We have finally spotted some flying fish, although none have appeared on deck so far. The flying fish we have seen are quite small, maybe 4" long, and not as skilled in long distance flight as the ones we observed coming over from Costa Rica. Phillip spotted a small sea bird early this morning as well.

Now that we have sailed for a few miles with the modified sails, we can report that the work done on Oahu is top notch. In addition, North Sails Hawaii delivered the sails on time and at a reasonable price. We send a big thank you to Jim, T-Bone, and the rest of the guys. It is always a pleasure to work with real craftsmen.

Kelly's father Pat has been providing us with comprehensive weather analysis daily. We can't thank him enough for the hours he spends working to assist our passage. Although he isn't onboard physically with us, he is most certainly a critical member of our crew! If you're interested in receiving copies of our forecast, please contact Pat directly. He'd be eager to share them with you.

As you know, this time of year Hawaii (Standard) Time at UTC -10 is three hours behind Pacific (Daylight) Time at UTC -07. We've been trying to figure out the best plan for changing our clocks so that we'll avoid "yacht lag" on our arrival. The first change, to UTC -09, will come tonight. You can expect our update an hour earlier tomorrow.

Earlier Kelly hooked a beautiful Mahi Mahi. Unfortunately for our lunch, Phillip lost the fish when it unhooked itself while being leadered. Next time we will be quicker with the gaff to make sure that tasty fish doesn't escape!

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 3

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 3

Date: 2 August 2009 2200 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 167 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 2030 nm
Latitude: 29 00.163 N
Longitude: 156 13.486 W
COG: 017M
SOG: 7.5 kts under sail
Wind: 10 kts E
Seas: 3 ft E swell
Weather: 80% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1021.3, rising
Sea Temperature: 79F

The wind is changing, moving towards the East. This means that we are no longer sailing "upwind" (which is good). The wind velocity has dropped as well, so we removed the reef in the mainsail and deployed the 130% genoa. We are currently reaching under full main, staysail, and genoa. The seas are still relatively calm, and Samadhi is riding smoothly across the ocean, making good progress towards Half Moon Bay.

We have started experiencing more squalls. Each squall typically lasts less than 30 minutes, and causes the wind to shift around as they pass. Aside from the isolated cloudbursts, the sky is mostly clear. We have been going through a squall every couple of hours since late last night. The air temperature seems to have dropped a bit since yesterday, and we expect it to continue to drop as we head North. We've also seen the pressure rise daily and the sea surface temperature drop to 77F at night. It's clear that we're leaving our tropical home for a very different environment.

Yesterday we made some changes in our computer software to eliminate the problems with our satphone email. We tested the system yesterday afternoon, and all looks well. We appear to be back to our normal email reception performance.

Last night we tried making fried rice with coconut milk, which worked out OK (the texture of the rice suffered). This morning we have been dining on our fresh Hawaiian fruit which we must eat before it spoils. (Kauai is such a paradise!) Unfortunately, all of this consumption has yet to put a dent in the contents of the fridge. It seems we may have once again overprovisioned. At least it's better than the alternative!

We saw another vessel this morning around 10am. Kelly spotted a small blue fishing boat (approx 50-70' long) called "Glory", homeport unknown. There were several fisherman on the stern deploying what appeared to be a long line. All aboard seemed as startled to see us as we were to see them! We're still wondering what brought them all the way out here, more than five hundred miles from the nearest port.

Kelly's parents Pat and Kathy called again this morning to check in and give us a weather update. It has been so fantastic to have this kind of help weather routing. Pat is really making things easier for us, not to mention less stressful! Thanks so much to our wonderful land-based crew!

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 2

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 2

Date: 1 August 2009 2200 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 161 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 2197 nm
Latitude: 26 41.457 N
Longitude: 157 35.049 W
COG: 020M
SOG: 6.5 kts under sail
Wind: 12 kts ENE
Seas: 4 ft E swell
Weather: 10% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1019.8, steady
Sea Temperature: 80 F

The seas have calmed a bit since yesterday. We are no longer taking solid water over the bow, just the occasional spray. The skies have fewer clouds, and we haven't had any rain squalls in the last day. The swells are still close together, but they are smaller and coming more from the side of the boat instead of directly into the bow. Not surprisingly, we haven't seen another vessel (or any other sign of humans) since we left Kauai.

Our second day has gone past without significant events to distinguish it. We are continuing under a single reefed main and staysail. We had some technical issues receiving e-mail yesterday, but we were able to download our messages in the end. We will troubleshoot the e-mail further today. Aside from that, our greatest crisis was the lack of defrosted fish cake (all was frozen) for our fresh Saimin dinner night.

We are taking advantage of the conditions and catching up on our sleep! The beginning of a passage typically leaves us tired as our bodies adjust to the constant motion. Since the boys aren't cruising with us for this passage we have been treating ourselves to extra sleep. We still maintain a 24 hour watch on Samadhi, so our rest comes in 3 hour increments. We are also getting lots of time to catch up on reading while on watch.

Sailing upwind comes with a side benefit that our wind generator is constantly powered up. Another benefit is that the autopilot doesn't need to work as hard to keep Samadhi on course. The net result is that we are able to run the boat completely on solar and wind power. When we were sailing from Costa Rica the light winds meant using the diesel generator to charge our batteries, not so on this passage (so far).

Just before noon we made our first significant course change, taking us in a slightly more easterly direction. We'll see how this course works out for us.

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 1

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Hawaii to California, Day 1

Date: 31 July 2009 2200 UTC (1200 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 20.5 hours: 142 nm
Distance to Half Moon Bay: 2358 nm
Latitude: 24 08.075 N
Longitude: 158 27.685 W
COG: 005M
SOG: 7.0 kts under sail
Wind: 18 kts NE
Seas: 5 ft ENE swell
Weather: 20% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1018.1, rising
Sea Temperature: 81 F

We've had a busy first night of sailing in steep seas. For the purposes of the data at the head of these reports, were guessing it's about 2500 nm from Nawiliwili to Half Moon Bay (assuming our course estimates are correct).

We left from Nawiliwili Harbor on Kauai yesterday afternoon. This was more than a day later than anticipated because there is no fuel dock on the island. Instead, you have to have diesel brought out in a tanker truck. Day before yesterday, there was a problem with the fuel distribution, so they postponed all deliveries until yesterday. We made good use of the extra time though, giving both engines (main and genset) an oil change, doing a bit more provisioning, and seeing a little more of the island.

Getting to the dock was quite an adventure because of the strong gusty winds. With another sailor's help, we were able to get Samadhi safely out of the tight slip she was in. On the other side, some local fisherman helped Kelly secure lines. It's really been a pleasure being around such friendly, kind people. Kelly will never forget a little boy warning her, "Auntie, watch out!" when she went to pick up a little crab to take it off his fishing line.

While taking on fuel, the locals warned us that it was pretty rough out there. Apparently, one day boat passenger had jumped off at the pier and prostrated himself on the concrete. We were not too concerned. It looked about like the conditions we'd had coming over from Oahu. We took some sea sickness meds just in case though.

By 1530 local time, we were on or way through the outer breakwater of the harbor, the boat in full "submarine" mode (where we close every port and hatch tightly) and ready for weather. Just as we made it to the swells, Samadhi greeted them with a giant belly flop off of a wave crest. It was definitely a sign of what was to come. We've had brisk winds and square seas so far, with no change apparent for the time being. Still, with these conditions, it's easy to keep up a reasonable pace. As you might guess, it sure beats the slatting we had on the passage from Costa Rica!

With all the bumping around, neither of us had a mind or stomach for a big meal. We sated ourselves on apples and nectarines and made a meal of fresh guacamole. Kelly started feeling a tad bit woozy at the end of her first watch, but otherwise, we've had no issues with mal de mer.

We've already had our first equipment casualty of the cruise. Around 4 a.m. ST (Samadhi Time), Kelly woke to a loud bang. Phil hadn't heard anything unusual from the salon, so Kelly went to go back to sleep. Then, he heard it. "Kelly are you doing that?"

"What?"

"Are you making that noise?"

"What noise?"

Phil responded with some of the language that sailors are known for and hurried on deck. The deck block for the running back had sheared so that it was loose from the shackle holding it to the chainplate. Phil got the runner under control while Kelly took off the block. Then, he reattached it to the shackle with one of our favorite tools, the snatch block. It's easy enough to say, but imagine you're on ground that runs at about a 15 degree bank and it's pitching like the whole thing was mounted on a bucking bronco. Every time the bronco bucks, the line you're clinging to tries to wrench itself out of your hands and throw you to the deck. Well, we were very happy to have it back on the winch where it belongs. We also noticed that the spinnaker halyard had come loose from its winch and wrapped itself around one of the shrouds. Thankfully, the stopper knot saved it from going up the mast, and it was easily secured again.

This morning when Kelly came on watch about 6:30 a.m. ST, we took a reef in the main as the wind had freshened. Samadhi's much happier and faster this way. We also heel less. By 10 a.m. ST the seas had begun to smooth out a bit, which has reduced our tendency to put the bow into the ocean.

It's been a brilliant, sunny day so far with plenty of breeze. We're already missing our many Hawaiian friends. We're already looking forward to coming back!

We made it!

We're cleared in and looking for breakfast with Kathy & Pat. More when we get to a computer!

Land ho!

Kelly spotted land low on the horizon off the starboard forequarter at about 11:25 HST. We were about 40 nm offshore at the time. Nicholas would have seen it first, but the low finger of land was almost invisible without polarized sunglasses.

We still can't make out the volcano, but since about 10:30 HST, we've been seeing bright plumes of salmon-colored smoke above the scattered cumulus on the horizon. Hawaii is so close we can almost taste it.

Aloha!

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Costa Rica to Hawaii, Day 31

Date: 30 May 2009 1900 UTC (0900 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 120 nm
Distance to Honokohau, Hawaii: 130 nm
Latitude: 18 42.464 N
Longitude: 154 29.075 W
COG: 267M
SOG: 5.2 kts under sail
Wind: 8 kts NE
Seas: 2 ft ENE swell, .5 ft wind ripples
Weather: 50% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1014.8, steady
Sea Temperature: 80 F

Today dawned with a lightly freshening wind and the prospect of arriving at the marina in under 24 hours. To say we're excited would be putting it mildly. Try as we might, we still cannot see the island of Hawaii some 40 miles distant at it's closest point.

Yesterday, there was almost no wind, so right after sending the update email, we fired up our main engine and began motorsailing. It was slow going, but at least we were making some progress. The light and variable conditions persisted throughout the day and night, and we were able to get in a few loads of laundry without the washing machine complaining about being tilted one way and the other. Around dawn the wind freshened and moved forward to the beam, giving us a knot of additional boatspeed.

Yesterday was a fairly quiet day aboard Samadhi. We're now doing fewer maintenance tasks in favor of taking care of them from the comfort of a mooring. This leaves us more opportunity to relax and spend time together. It also gives Kelly and Phillip more time for catching up on sleep! The seas continued in their near flat state, and we had sun throughout the day. Rain squalls have ceased to darken the skies, and in the still air, it got pretty warm down below decks.

The last of Alexander's excellent shortbread cookies are consumed. It's now back to Kinder eggs and Oreos for the remainder of our journey. Nicholas is looking forward to having some biscuit cookies with La Lechera (sweetened condensed milk) for a change.

In an effort to consume the last of our ground beef, Phillip prepared "meat cake" for dinner. Just as we were putting it in the oven, the clicker on one of the fishing reels started singing, and Nicholas was yelling "FISH!!!" before you could blink (his reaction time for this can be measured in microseconds). Up on deck, Phillip took the rod, the same one that hooked the billfish we lost a few days ago, while Kelly stopped the boat and Nicholas reeled in the second vacant line. Alexander was there to provide support and be a general gofer in case any of us needed something. The fish struck the line on the port quarter, the one which had only the spectra backing attached to a 10" chugger with rainbow-colored skirt rigged with double 8/0 hooks--a doppelgänger for the one that interested a certain sailfish north of the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica.

Once the boat was stopped, Kelly grabbed our fish fighting belt and strapped it around Phillip's hips. The fish was running wildly, and Phillip was determined to get this one aboard. As she got nearer the boat, she sounded, straight down. Yes, after that little move, we were almost positive that there was a tuna of some variety on the business end of the line. Phillip fought the powerful fish for another ten minutes or so before the fish surrendered. Sure enough, we saw the striped body of a beautiful skipjack tuna. Kelly took the rod while Phillip gaffed the fish and brought her over the lifelines. On deck, the skipjack put up very little resistance despite her size. None of us were able to lift her without using both hands. She must have weighed in at 60 pounds or more. We didn't know that Skipjack grew so large, this one was as large or larger than the yellowfin we caught earlier in our passage. Smaller skipjack are commonly used for live bait for marlin and other billfish
. We wonder what could you catch with a 60 pound baitfish...

After a few photos, Phillip was able to start processing her without much trouble. Nicholas helped his father clean the fish while Kelly made sure the meat cake was cooking and Alexander played down below. Like billfish, skipjack tuna have a slit where they can retract their dorsal fin. We discovered this after we couldn't find it anymore and went searching. The armor plating on this skipjack's back was commensurately more tenacious then the previous smaller specimens we've landed. It took a full fifteen minutes to get through the first section. Before long though, Phillip had the four fillets (tuna logs) off the football-shaped body and downstairs to complete the processing--more than 30 pounds of boneless tuna. It should be noted that at no time during this process did anyone slice open his or her knee.

For dinner, we forwent the meat cake in favor of fresh sashimi over the last of our sushi rice. We managed to consume a little more than a eighth of the processed "tuna logs". The boys can each eat about twice as much sashimi as a hungry adult. We have no idea where it all goes. The scraps and cuttings from the fillets made an incredibly flavorful stock that we're looking forward to using in a fish soup. For breakfast this morning, we feasted on the enormous roe sautéed in bacon drippings and finished with a maple and lime reduction sauce. The recipe came from a cookbook written by another cruiser who is a French-trained chef.

We've got the lines out again this morning. Who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky again today...

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Costa Rica to Hawaii, Day 30

Date: 29 May 2009 1900 UTC (0900 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 79.1 nm
Distance to Honokohau, Hawaii: 250 nm
Latitude: 18m 28.238 N
Longitude: 152 25.924 W
COG: 266 M
SOG: 3.5 kts under sail
Wind: 5 kts NE
Seas: 2 ft E swell, .3 ft wind ripples
Weather: 60% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1014.0, steady
Sea Temperature: 79 F

Our Garmin chartplotter (GPSmap 5212, excellent gear!) is finally showing Samadhi and Hawaii on the same screen! This is so exciting for us, as we have been looking at Samadhi on an empty blue screen for quite a while now! Of course, it helps that it's set to display at .75" : 20 nm scale.

The wind continues to do little to assist progress towards our goal. The Pacific once again looks placid and tranquil as a lake, only impossibly more vast. The tiny swells and minuscule ripples gurgle against the hull as we glide upright through the clear azure waters. The experience is akin to being at a 'beachhouse', you look outside and see ocean while hearing the little ripples against the sides of the hull. We aren't heeling noticeably, and the waves barely move Samadhi. She gently sways back and forth as the swells each give us a little push towards the islands. Given the fair weather and our still significant supply of food, it's not a bad way to spend the day. We only wish we had a say in the matter! The sunrises and sunsets have partially made up for it. When you get a sunset that keeps two young boys fascinated to sit and *watch* it, that is something. They actually complain when they miss it!

The wind picked up enough for us to do what we'd calling sailing for a few hours yesterday afternoon. It moved forward (was coming from slightly ahead of us) so that our apparent wind increased noticeably, and we were able to make four or five knots under main and genoa. It was insufficient to put the (heavy) staysail to use, to give you some idea of how little wind it takes to get us excited right now. We could use a massive Code Zero on a furler about now if anyone would like to deliver one out to us.

With the sail slatting and being pushed against the shrouds (when we were sailing dead downwind), our mainsail has experienced more than its share of chafe in the last couple of days. We've also found that our hated Dutchman Sail Flaking system has chafed completely through a nice little patch of sail. We're going to be making good friends with some sailmaker once we get settled in for refitting, probably near Honolulu. Summary: We don't like the Dutchman Sail Flaking System. In the two years we've had it, it has been an endless source of headaches--since day one! We're definitely going back to a stack pack-type system with lazy jacks.

Starting yesterday morning, we've been picking up US Coast Guard transmissions from the islands, the first radio chatter we've heard since leaving the Gulf of Nicoya. We're also within range of the US weather radio forecasts. This is great, but it means we're nursing no illusions about the conditions changing any time soon. Sometimes it would be nice to have blind hope.

Kelly's parents, Kathy and Pat have also been keeping an eye on the weather and calling several times a day. They're comfortably installed in Puako, north of Kona along the coast, and Kathy's already working out a vague itinerary for us so that we can make the most of our time together before they have to leave for the mainland. Given the Kona winds, we may stay on at the cottage at Puako for a few days after they leave. Kelly and Phillip are looking forward to sleeping through the night for the next little while.

Yesterday at snack, we broke out Alexander's shortbread cookies. They were even better than the last batch! It's wonderful that Alexander is getting interested in baking again. (Desserts have always always interested him more than savory creations in the kitchen.) We're looking forward to him perfecting his cookie technique with the next batch! He promised Kathy on the phone yesterday that he'd make some for them in the cottage.

Nicholas finished the last of his Calvert assignments yesterday (and Alexander isn't far behind). Now all that remains is for him to review for and take his last set of unit exams. Basically, once a month the boys each take a test for each subject, and we scan them in and email them to their advisory teachers in Maryland. The grades are back within a few days along with a letter of feedback for the student from their "friends". It's been a great system. We'll be sorry when the boys go back to public school in the fall.

According to Pat, depending on visibility, we should be able to see the peak of the volcano from a couple hundred miles away. We're within range today, and we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for a little peak poking its nose above the horizon. The boys have each vowed to be the first to sight land. Nicholas reported when we got up that there was too much haze this morning. Maybe we'll have better luck later on.

Since our speeds have dwindled, we've been seeing a sharp drop in the number of uninvited guests aboard. There's been only one (giant!) flying fish on deck in the last three days. Of course, he managed to nestle himself into a coil of line inside the cockpit, so he was clearly an overachiever. On the other hand, we're going slow enough that we're able to watch the jellyfish pass us as they glide by. It's all about trade-offs, right?

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Costa Rica to Hawaii, Day 29

Date: 28 May 2009 1900 UTC (0900 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 25 hours: 132 nm
Distance to Honokohau, Hawaii: 328 nm
Latitude: 18 15.486 N
Longitude: 151 03.926 W
COG: 255M
SOG: 3.0 kts under sail
Wind: 5 kts E
Seas: 1 ft E swell, no significant wind waves
Weather: 30% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1013.5, steady
Sea Temperature: 78 F

Slow progress continues in very light wind.

Now that we're on the Hawaii side of Longitude 150 W, we've moved our clocks back for the last time to -1000, Hawaii Standard Time (HST). This will be our last time change until we leave the islands, and we're still not in a place that observes Daylight Savings Time!

Things continue much the same aboard Samadhi. The wind has continued to be light throughout yesterday and last night. Early this morning the wind nearly stopped altogether. We are currently back to floating on glassy seas as we were earlier in our voyage. There's a certain existential symmetry in this, but right now we're having trouble finding detached appreciation for such things. Sailing downwind with such a light breeze sometimes leads to a tremendous racket from the mainsail slatting. It is not necessarily a tranquil existence.

Kathy and Pat checked in from the big island shortly after lunch. They scouted out Honokohau Harbor and the available space for us. Assuming no one else shows up in the next couple of days, it looks like we'll have a secure place to berth Samadhi while we have fun exploring the island.

Much to our delight and not a little amazement, we still have plenty of fresh food aboard Samadhi. The fresh from the farm produce we were able to procure with the help of our Tico friends combined with our efficient refrigeration systems has kept us in fresh fruit and veggies for the entire voyage. Just yesterday, we were eating fresh eggplant, broccoli, carrots, and peppers. This is about as good as we could have hoped for, especially considering that this is our first extended passage. We're quite pleased.

Considering all this abundance, we've been doing our best to be "gourmands" so that we can consume as much of the things that may be confiscated upon our arrival as possible. Yesterday, we decided we needed something sweet to complement all the savory creations. Not only that, but we had some extra homemade bread that was beyond the sandwich phase. Phillip solved the problem with a bread pudding, complete with Southern whiskey sauce. It was delicious! Then, not to be outdone, Alexander baked up some more shortbread cookies with a little guidance from Kelly. The cookies weren't cool in time for a tasting yesterday, but we're all looking forward to snack time.

We picked up a ship on the AIS at over 20 miles. This was the confirmation we have been looking for to prove our AIS antenna issues have been solved. We are very happy that we don't need to climb into the lazarette and solder any more coax connectors!

Nicholas is now on the last lesson of his Calvert school year, and Alexander isn't far behind. Nicholas is hoping to finish up his testing before our arrival. If the winds continue so light and variable, it may happen yet. The boys are very much looking forward to a summer without lessons.

Based on our progress of the last couple of days, we're probably looking at two to three more days underway. We're very much looking forward to, as Kathy puts it, kissing the land, but we're content to bide our time and let the wind and the ocean decide when that will be -- at least until we're within motoring range!

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Costa Rica to Hawaii, Day 28

Date: 27 May 2009 1800 UTC (0900 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 151 nm
Distance to Honokohau, Hawaii: 456 nm
Latitude: 18 32.005 N
Longitude: 148 47.273 W
COG: 256M
SOG: 6.2 kts under sail
Wind: 10 kts ENE
Seas: 3 ft E swell, < 1 ft wind waves
Weather: 30% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1014.8, steady
Sea Temperature: 76 F

Light winds attack us once more!

The wind dropped precipitously around mid-morning yesterday and became shifty in nature. When in the vicinity of a squall, the wind builds, and we have a short period of good sailing, followed by a calm period once the squall passes. We are sailing in fits and starts, at one point making a 50 degree course change in a wind shift!

In the late afternoon, we jibed after being forced far north of our desired course. Given that on either tack, we were looking at a bearing significantly off of our desired track, we decided to rig the pole and sail wing and wing, trying to keep pointed as much toward the big island as possible. Through the night, the squalls became less frequent, and we settled into a slow downwind passage in 5-8 knots of breeze. We are going approximately the correct direction, but not nearly as fast as we were hoping. We can put up the spinnaker and sail faster at angles to wind if the breeze increases a bit more.

It's a challenge to put into words how disappointing it is to be so (relatively) close to our goal and have the weather stop cooperating, weather that is generally renowned for its consistency and reliability, as much as any weather can be. Still, unlike the beginning of the passage where we were truly becalmed, we are continuing to make steady progress towards our destination. It's some small consolation to be less than 500 nm in a straight line from Honokohau.

The closer the wind brings us, the more tempting it is to fire up the big Perkins, and motorsail the rest of the way. As Pat mentioned, we have easily more than a day's worth of fuel reserves. On the other hand, they're called reserves for a reason, and we're not likely to tap into them until we're confident we're within stabbing distance of the harbor.

The lack of wind has led to smooth seas. The skies are mostly clear, and we enjoyed a wonderful sunset in the evening. The sunrise showed us large squalls all round us that lit up with glorious colors.

Alexander and Nicholas are getting very close to being done with their lessons. Phillip and Kelly are very proud of their hard work. After school yesterday, the boys invented a game using their toys from the Kinder eggs. It was quite complex in rules and execution, having multiple rounds and an intricate scoring system. Kelly took a video of the boys playing to make sure we'd remember it later.

The weather continues to grow colder the further we sail from Central America. The rain coming out of the squalls yesterday felt decidedly chilly! When the skies cleared in the afternoon, we left the shade of the cockpit for a patch of sun on the aft deck. We can't even remember the last time we sought out the sun for warmth! With the light breeze coming from astern, blowing directly down the companionway, night watches were particularly cool. Phillip went so far as to dig out the woolen socks from deep in his clothing locker. We may look silly to some, sailing through the Tropics in sweaters and stocking feet, but at least we're comfortable!

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Costa Rica to Hawaii, Day 27

Date: 26 May 2009 1800 UTC (0900 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 186 nm
Distance to Honokohau, Hawaii: 590 nm
Latitude: 18 56.168 N
Longitude: 146 25.539 W
COG: 270M
SOG: 7.2 kts under sail
Wind: 9 kts ENE
Seas: 3 ft E swell, 1 ft wind waves
Weather: 50% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1015.4, steady
Sea Temperature: 75 F

< 600 nm to Honokohau!

We have gone two days now without any aquatic stowaways aboard Samadhi! Although we have seen plenty of flying fish, so far they have kept to their watery element and off of our decks. Perhaps this is natural selection at work. We find no way to account for the absence of the squid, and they aren't talking.

The cloud formations have been fascinating lately. Multiple layers of heavy clouds at different altitudes, some quite massive, have surrounded us. The uppermost layer is obviously windblown ice to a great degree. Closest to the ocean are the puffy cumulus clouds we see so many of, but now in groups. We feel sure that all of these clouds are trying to tell us something, we just don't know what it is! (Hopefully, it isn't "turn back!")

Our wind continues to slack off from duty at night. Usually, we have been able to maintain slow progress, but sometimes the swells cause the boat to roll and distort our sail shape. Trying to nurse the boat along at 5 knots at night, when there isn't a moon and the swells are bouncing you about, isn't much fun. Still, just at dawn the winds pipe up again, and the larger waves begin to return from seemingly out of nowhere. The sunrises have been particularly spectacular lately with fluffy purple clouds silhouetted against the high, pink and orange cirrus in the pale yellow and blue sky. There's no question that Kelly and Phillip are ready to have nights of undisturbed slumber again, but they'll miss the peace of these solitary moments in the vast expanse of the Pacific.

The boobies that were omnipresent at the start of our voyage have given way to another sea bird that we don't know by name. They are a smidgen smaller than the boobies and fly with the gently curving, concave wings of gulls in children's drawings. Their bodies are brilliant white, compact, and have hardly any tail to speak of. Their bright orange beak and black webbed feet strike a stark counterpoint to their plumage. For several minutes at a stretch, any number of these birds will sketch squawking circles around Samadhi, presumably riding the air currents we leave in our wake. We are all now thoroughly convinced of the fallacy of the "There are birds, so we must be near land." myth. Not a day has gone by without a sighting of our feathered friends, no matter how many hundreds or thousands of miles we are from the nearest patch of dirt.

With over a gallon of freshly squeezed lime juice available, Phillip decided to make up some ginger limeade. He didn't have a recipe, so he improvised one. Extraction of the fresh ginger was done by steeping sliced ginger in the simple syrup while it was being 'cooked'. The result is delicious, but not as 'ginger spicy' as Phillip wanted. Maybe the secret is to press fresh ginger, and avoid using heat extract it. This will bear further investigation.

For dinner, Kelly continued tweaking her recipe for homemade sloppy joes, this time served open-faced on Phillip's homemade bread. Absolutely delicious! The boys say they'd never even tasted them before this voyage, but they were quick converts. For dessert, we had another puffy pancake, using up four more eggs (yes!) in the process. We have been especially trying to use up our ground beef prior to arrival in Hawaii, and as of today it looks like we are nearing the end. We're hoping to have very little for Customs to confiscate when we arrive at Honokohau!

Phillip & Kelly have each just finished reading Richard Rhodes's fascinating, fairly technical history of the atomic bomb, The Making of the Atomic Bomb, written in the late '80's. (Thank you Leslie!) It is quite a tome, but even so, we can't recommend it highly enough. The stories of the aftermath of Little Boy in Hiroshima are unbelievably chilling. Our boys have each been reading stories of Jewish persecution by the Nazis as part of their Calvert curriculum (Ann Frank's Diary of a Young Girl and Number the Stars -- about Jewry in Denmark). Then, a few days ago, Alexander started playing a game on his Nintendo DS called "Panzer Tactics", which as one might guess, lets you battle Axis vs. Allies over Europe. All of this has offered quite an interesting opportunity for discussion about WWII and war in general. It seemed entirely appropriate in light of Memorial Day. Then, just as we were talking about the recent US actions in the Middle East (and Phillip's time there), the bo
at rolled suddenly, and from the galley below, we heard an awful crash!

We use Corelware (highly durable glass) dishes aboard Samadhi. A complete set came with the boat in a handy teak holder mounted on the wall, and we saw no reason to replace them. Corelware are known for their shatter resistance (Nobody says unbreakable anymore.), and they generally are. Living on a rolling boat leads to inevitable drops, and the dishes usually just bounce. However, sometimes if you drop one *just right* they will break. Oh boy! When Corelware breaks, it explodes like a bomb into a bazillion little razor-sharp shards. Corelware must have been initially developed as a weapon for the military. We spend tedious time crawling around and cleaning the deck 3 times to make sure that we get all of the glass up. Even after our best efforts, we find little glass splinters stuck in our feet. We've got a new slogan for them: "Corelware, be afraid!"

We had a few phone calls again yesterday, this time from Kelly's parents. Kathy called a couple of times, and then Pat called later in the evening. It had been about a week since we last spoke. Kathy was eager to talk about their arrival on Hawaii in time to be our welcoming committee and the progress of Cortney's wedding preparations. We also heard about the passing of a close family friend after his difficult, year-long battle against cancer. Our hearts go out to his widow and family in their time of grief.

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Costa Rica to Hawaii, Day 26

Date: 25 May 2009 1800 UTC (0900 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 194 nm
Distance to Honokohau, Hawaii: 773 nm
Latitude: 18 02.789 N
Longitude: 143 19.638 W
COG: 273M
SOG: 8.7 kts under sail
Wind: 16 kts ENE
Seas: 5 ft E swell, 3 ft wind waves
Weather: 60% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1014.9, rising
Sea Temperature: 76 F

Happy Memorial Day Monday to all of our friends and family in the US. We hope you're all having a wonderful long weekend. Out here on the ocean, we've gotta admit that we're envious of those of you getting a day off.

The night's calms continued yesterday morning until they convinced us it was a good idea to put up the spinnaker. We keep trying new ways to launch it. We're confident we'll have a reliable system by the time we arrive in the islands. Unfortunately, winds continue to be fickle some of the time. We had a period in the afternoon with winds over 20 knots, but they tapered off as evening descended. We spent the night with wind between 8 to 15 knots, with the higher winds around squalls. It wasn't until around the time of the last watch change at 1330Z (4:30 a.m. Samadhi Time) that it began to freshen again.

This morning finds us sailing in a much better breeze, and surfing on the fairly square seas. Samadhi takes off with great eagerness down the face of waves, with spray shooting out from the side of the hull. We reach the bottom of the trough going well over 12 knots, then slow to 8.5 or 9 as we await the next wave. Fun!

Around mid-morning yesterday, we had a sat phone call from the boys' Abuela Linda in New York. It was great to chat with her. Nicholas regaled her with the story of the tuna that we caught with one of the lures she gave us. He must be prescient because...

We were relaxing in the early afternoon when all of a sudden, we heard the clicker on one of the reels go off. The boys scrambled to get their harnesses on while Phil and Kelly rushed on deck without pause. Sure enough, it was the starboard rod making the racket, the one with the 12" green and black 'doorknob' lure rigged with dual 12/0 hooks, one of the lures Abuela Linda had brought Alexander on her visit in March.

The rod was nearly doubled over, the line was already at the spectra backing (meaning we had 250 yards out! 400 to go), and the fish was still making its screaming first run! Phillip got the boat stopped while Kelly went to retrieve the other lure, the little Tuna Catcher. Alexander helped furl the sails, and Nicholas got the cameras, just in case. Kelly fought the big fish with Phil at the helm, but we weren't successful this time. After a 15 minute struggle the fish showed us who was master and took off with some of our gear! We kept the rod, reel, and most of the Spectra- the fish got everything else. We could see the fish leaping several hundred yards astern of us, making splashes much bigger than any dolphin we've come across would. The billfish was massive and silver but that is about all we could tell. It's behavior says "marlin", probably blue marlin.

Our unrefrigerated produce is still doing great. The limes were starting to look a little peaked though, so we decided to juice the lot. All we can say coming out of the experience is that we're glad we don't run a bar. We now have almost a gallon of fresh lime juice in the cooler! It's too bad we don't have any gelatin aboard to make pies.

We have changed course slightly due to a shift in wind. Advice from our weather router has us sailing this direction for the next few days until we are closer to Hawaii. Assuming the winds cooperate, we're now planning to go via south point on our way to Honokohau. It should be quite spectacular to sail in the lee of the 10,000' volcano!

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Costa Rica to Hawaii, Day 25

Date: 24 May 2009 1800 UTC (0900 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 191 nm
Distance to Honokohau, Hawaii: 970 nm
Latitude: 16 50.794 N
Longitude: 140 13.470 W
COG: 278M
SOG: 7.7 kts under sail
Wind: 8 kts NE
Seas: 2 ft NE swell, 1 ft wind waves
Weather: 70% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1014.7, rising
Sea Temperature: 76 F

Smoother seas and slackening winds brought change to our sailing yesterday. Starting in the early morning, the wind waned and moved around behind Samadhi. Having the wind behind us cuts our speed significantly, especially when the wind is light. We waited for a couple of hours to see if conditions were going to change before hoisting the spinnaker.

Sailing under the spinnaker immediately brought our speed up, but not as high as we have been seeing recently. The wind continued to drop steadily throughout the day and into the afternoon. We managed to hold our average speed around 8 knots, but only barely. As the wind dropped, our lovely clear skies gave way to near complete high overcast. It cleared by the late afternoon, and we were left with lots of puffy little clouds reflecting the rays of the setting sun.

The wind was fickle throughout the night. We squeezed what we could from it when it would blow, then slowed to a crawl when it died down. Today dawned overcast with light wind, but as the sun has risen the clouds are reducing. Perhaps the wind will increase soon as well.

On Friday, Alexander and Kelly made shortbread cookies (with the Tartine recipe--Thanks Cort!). We ate a couple of them then, and while delicious, mostly they were still too warm and crumbly. Fast forward to yesterday--somehow, we managed to finish the entire rest of the batch between snack and lunch. The boys just couldn't get enough! For extra servings, they even made up cute improvised ditties praising Alexander and his shortbreads. Alexander has promised to make us another batch sometime soon, maybe this time without any assistance.

We received a couple of phone calls yesterday. It's always a pleasure to talk with folks shore. Nana, we hope you have a wonderful time back east at Juline & Greg's wedding. Please pass along our best wishes to the happy couple. We're sorry we won't be there to help celebrate the occasion.

One of the things we're really looking forward to about arriving in Hawaii is being back in the US again. We'll miss our adventures in Latin America, but being able to shop at a grocery store where we can find things like a produce section with lemons and Brussels sprouts and a familiar butcher counter with cuts of meat we recognize will be so nice! That's not even mentioning the fact that it's a nightmare to have many boat (yacht) parts fixed or replaced outside of the US, especially with shipping and customs being what they are in some countries. We're definitely going to have our hands full with projects for a little while to come!

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Costa Rica to Hawaii, Day 24

Date: 23 May 2009 1800 UTC (0900 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 25 hours: 207 nm
Distance to Honokohau, Hawaii: 1161 nm
Latitude: 15 54.214 N
Longitude: 137 03.897 W
COG: 276M
SOG: 8.7 kts under sail
Wind: 10 kts NE
Seas: 3 ft wind waves
Weather: 0% Cloud Cover (with occasional puffy trade wind clouds)
Barometric Pressure: 1013.4, rising
Sea Temperature: 76 F

Yesterday was another fine, sunny day aboard Samadhi. The ocean has such an amazing personality. On days like this, we could spend hours watching it undulate and foam. On overcast, gloomy days like the two before, its raw malevolence makes us want to look away and think of more pleasant things. No matter what, when above decks, the antics of ubiquitous flying fish of all sizes catch our attention. The other day, we were sure we saw one with the name tag "Jonathan Livingston".

Yesterday morning after breakfast, Phillip and Kelly attached the wayward soft vang to the mast, this time with the help of a spliced spectra strop. Spectra is a high tech fiber that is stronger than steel, truly magical stuff. It seems to be holding up well under the not insignificant load. We're optimistic that it'll hang on until journey's end.

Just as we were finishing up lunch in the cockpit, we spotted a barely-loaded container ship on the horizon off our starboard forequarter. Phillip went down below to find its information from the AIS stream that should have been displayed on the chartplotter--only it wasn't. Eventually, it did come through, and we resolved to check into the issue once they were gone. We called them up to say hello and watched as they passed about a mile in front of us on their way to Papeete in the South Pacific. Later, we went around testing each connection and found the culprit, a faulty connector at the cable to the antenna. He cut it off and replaced it. The meter says that everything is well now. We'll just have to wait for another ship to come by to be able to test it in action!

We had a more significant problem yesterday, the failure of our autopilot! Kelly was on deck attempting to adjust course while the autopilot wasn't responding. The boat continued to turn more and more upwind as Phillip had terrifying visions of hand steering for the next 160 hours. Luckily, it turns out Phillip had accidentally knocked the breaker for the hydraulic pump to "off" while working in the engine room. This left the autopilot computer on without any ability to control the boat! Phillip apologized for the misadventure and vowed to install a guard on the hydraulic pump breaker to prevent this from happening again. We were all happy that there wasn't a real issue. In these quartering seas, it's a fair bit of work to steer Samadhi!

In the mid-afternoon, we took advantage of the outstanding weather to all go up on deck and set off the remaining giant firecrackers from El Salvador. They're about as plain as they come, but they do make a very satisfying *boom* when they go off. If you'd like to get an idea, you can see us blow up last year's Jack-o-lanterns with them on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/floatything. Crossing oceans amongst the sound and smell of explosives caused Phillip to suddenly desire to paint Samadhi 'haze gray'.

When checking our email, we received confirmation from Honokohau that there is currently space available for us. We'll make a last check as we get close enough to call on our US cell phone, but for now the plan is to clear in at Honokohau. Assuming we can keep these speeds up, our anticipated arrival is May 29th. Of course, if the weather changes, your guess is as good as ours.

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Costa Rica to Hawaii, Day 23

Date: 22 May 2009 1700 UTC (0900 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 214 nm
Distance to Honokohau, Hawaii: 1367 nm
Latitude: 14 44.087 N
Longitude: 133 43.468 W
COG: 284M
SOG: 8.5 kts under sail
Wind: 14 kts N
Seas: 3 ft E swell, 3 ft wind waves
Weather: 30% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1012.6, rising
Sea Temperature: 78 F

First, we'd like to point out that sometime today, we expect to cross latitude 135 W. This will mark yet another time zone change for us, from -0800 to -0900 or just one hour ahead of Hawaii. Please expect tomorrow's update to be an hour or so later. Now, back to your regularly scheduled passage update.

The aquatic invaders launched a full scale attack yesterday morning. In our rounds on deck, we found two squid and seven flying fish. One of the squid tried to make a beachhead on the seat inside cockpit before lack of water got the better of him. After marveling at their tenacious spirit, we helped them all back into the ocean. The decks are becoming littered with the blue-grey scales of the fallen.

After breakfast, the wind shifted aft again, and Phillip started to say the "s" word. Kelly convinced him that we should come up and sail a more direct course for the big island rather than take a chance with the chute. Overall, conditions remain pleasant with Samadhi continuing to make fast time across the sea. The wind started to slack around 1200Z (4 a.m. Samadhi Time), and until almost 1500Z (7 a.m. ST) we were showing an average speed of 9.0 kts for the day, our best yet. (It dropped down to 8.9 kts by 9 a.m. ST.)

In the afternoon, we realized that we've got way too many eggs on board, not to mention too much food in general. Given that we're now looking at stable conditions and are relatively close to our destination, we decided we didn't need to ration what amounts to a two-week, 15 egg/day reserve. For afternoon snack, Kelly made a "puffy pancake" with five of the little beauties. It tasted especially good with Renate's recipe for preserved passionfruit (maracuyá). Of course, the boys preferred their traditional pure maple syrup. Chacun à son goût!

Phil apparently drew the short straw and got the "thrilling" watch last night. Around 1100Z (3 a.m. ST), there was an amazing "BANG" on deck that sounded like a rifle shot. After recovering from having a few years of his life rudely ripped away from him, he went to investigate. On deck, he found the remains of the fatigued aluminum bracket that was holding the soft vang in place on the mast. Phillip had reused the remaining half of the rigid vang bracket as an attachment point for the soft vang. Yes, that means we're once again sailing without a boom vang. Today, we'll work on making a new attachment point for it, Phillip plans to attack the problem with Spectra this time. Hopefully, this puts an end to the excitement the vang can dish out for this trip.

Pat and Stan have been helping us to do research on where exactly to make landfall in the islands. After talking to the port at Hilo, it seems like they wouldn't know what to do with a small vessel like us. Instead of running the risk, we decided to look at other options for a port of entry. Right now, our first choice is Honokohau Smal Boat Harbor on the Kona sida of big island of Hawaii. We have been in touch with the harbor agent and started arrangements for our arrival. Once we confirm that they'll have a mooring for us, we'll be able to say for sure that's where we're headed. Thanks to Pat and Stan for all your help! (And, don't worry Stan. We won't be able to stay away from your stanwiches for long!)

The sea surface temperature continues to plunge. It's amazing how much the temperature affects us. Suddenly, the tap water is several degrees cooler than before and the refrigeration systems consuming considerably less electricity. The past couple of days, we've been seeing temperatures averaging about 78 or 79ºF (or "freezing" according to the boys). Last night on watch, we even saw a reading of 75ºF. That's a far cry from the 93ºF we were sitting becalmed in a few weeks ago! We no longer need to run fans at night to be able to get to sleep. In fact, we've gotten out light fleece blankets to keep us warm at night. Nicholas even wrapped himself in a light blanket while studying yesterday!

Thanks to the waning moon, our night watches are getting darker all the time. This means much of what the ocean is doing around us is a mystery except as interpreted through the motion of Samadhi. It's really tricky to adjust the autopilot without visual feedback. On the other hand, the darkness gives us a better view of the Southern Cross (Crux) and the phosphorescence around us. It's amazing to think that we'll have watched the entire cycle of this moon from sea.

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Costa Rica to Hawaii, Day 22

Date: 21 May 2009 1700 UTC (0900 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 206 nm
Distance to Hilo, Hawaii: 1697 nm
Latitude: 13 59.690 N
Longitude: 130 10.599 W
COG: 258M
SOG: 8.9 kts under sail
Wind: 16 kts NE
Seas: 3 ft swell, 4 ft NE wind waves
Weather: 90% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1012.1, rising
Sea Temperature: 80 F

Yesterday saw another very pleasant day of excellent progress across the sea. It was warm and sunny with a good breeze, the perfect temperature to lounge about in the cockpit without feeling too hot. Samadhi continued to surge across the Pacific at a very good clip, without requiring much attention from her crew.

Feeling brave, and disappointed by our speed of "only 8 to 9 knots" after breakfast, we decided to fly the spinnaker. The wind was blowing around 15 knots, which is right near the limit for the spinnaker we brought along. Also, we are sailing on a reach (The wind is hitting us on the side.) instead of a broad reach (wind at our rear quarter), or a run (wind behind Samadhi). The day was sunny and beautiful, and the seas were fairly smooth so we rigged the sail and launched it. As the spinnaker started to fill, we trimmed the sheet to configure the sail for reaching. Our speed immediately started going up, 9, 10, 11, 12 knots... Samadhi was straining, the sail wasn't very stable, and we were heeling quite a bit more than we like. The autopilot had its maximum of 10 degrees of rudder applied, and Samadhi was still having difficulty sailing in a straight line!

The chute was essentially dragging the boat through the water in a most inefficient manner and making a massive, turbulent wake behind us. Yelling over the wind, we decided to put away the spinnaker, and thus ended our morning's excitement. Unfurling the genoa and staysail netted us the same 8 to 9 knots we had before and much less stress on all of us! We concluded that we really need a different spinnaker if we want to use it for reaching in the winds we were experiencing. The one we have is simply too big and not cut for reaching. Maybe someone visiting Hawaii from the Bay Area wants to lug one with them from our storage locker? When the sails we trimmed, we sat down and drank some cold Lio Té iced tea and decided that our speed was just dandy.

A little while later, Calvert, the boy's school, asked (through the lesson manual) what we would take with us if we had to leave precipitously and could only bring what we could carry. This is something that's never too far from our mind when out at sea. There's always the possibility of needing to leave most of our belongings to the deep as we move into the newer, more cramped quarters of the life raft. It's another one of those things that we plan for but hope never to do. The philosophical exercise was particularly interesting for Kelly and Phillip because of the boys' answers. Alexander stressed that he would bring along some magazines about video games "so [he]'d have something to read" while Nicholas wanted to make sure to have his wallet and a flashlight.

The past few days, Nicholas has been working on a children's story he's writing with the working title of "Mr. Beetle Blasts Off." Yesterday, he almost completed the rough draft. Soon it'll be time for him to get started on the illustrations. Abuela Linda, we wish you could be here to help guide our budding artist!

While making the rounds on deck, Phillip found three flying fish, side by side. There was a large one, a medium one, and a truly tiny one! The kids compared them to some sort of aquatic Goldilocks story. Regardless, they were no longer flying anywhere without assistance. Phillip helped them into the sky for their final flight back into the sea.

We have been receiving e-mails from a surprising number of people who are following our trip. It's great to hear from friends and acquaintances and nice to know people are taking an interest in our passage to Hawaii! One of the highlights of our day is downloading our email and reading it. (It usually only happens twice--once in the morning, and once at night. This means that it could easily be 24 hours or more before you receive a response to something you've sent us.) Somehow email isn't nearly so special on land.

Just after dinner, as they were about to dig into their Kinder "sorpresas" and unveil the toy inside, the boys had a call from their mother. Afterwards, we had an interesting conversation about satellite phones, and long distance communication in general. It was very difficult for the boys to believe that ships on the open sea did not have telephones until recently. We are still not sure that they truly believed that ships went all over the world with no communication whatsoever... it just doesn't seem possible to them! The Iridium satellite phone may be expensive, and it isn't going to win any contests for being sexy or cool, but there isn't any other way that you could telephone us out here.

We barbecued hamburgers for dinner. The flying fish told us that they thought they smelled delicious, much better than flying fish sandwiches anyhow. We tried to explain to the flying fish about what a cow was, but they didn't seem to believe us either. We tried to talk with the squid but they only stared back at us. Everyone knows squid can't talk!

We spent a fair bit of time in the cockpit simply watching the waves and the endless shapes they make. Sometimes, as two waves meet, a shimmering translucent tower of blue appears. As the sunlight shines through the waves, the resulting color is like the finest gemstones. It certainly helps that the ocean water here is unbelievably clean and transparent. It probably sounds strange to be watching waves as opposed to watching a sitcom or some televised sporting event. We found it to be the equal of anything the entertainment industry has to offer. It's also possible that we are starting to go crazy...

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Costa Rica to Hawaii, Day 21

Date: 20 May 2009 1700 UTC (0900 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 205 nm
Distance to Hilo, Hawaii: 1697 nm
Latitude: 13 59.808 N
Longitude: 126 40.264 W
COG: 258M
SOG: 9.1 kts under sail
Wind: 15 kts NNE
Seas: 3 ft swell, 2 ft wind waves
Weather: 40% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1011.0, rising
Sea Temperature: 79 F

We sailed over 200 miles in 24 hours! We have broken the magical "200 mile per day" barrier for the first time aboard Samadhi!

The seas have been quieting and moving towards smoother, long period swells. Since we aren't being tossed on our side when we are hit by seas, we are able to carry more sail. Not only is Samadhi sailing faster, but we are much more comfortable. We still don't have good surfing conditions for Samadhi, so if the waves move a bit further aft, we could go quite a bit faster.

The weather is becoming more pleasant, with the sun being visible at least most of the time. The sea water temperature and air temperature continue to drop. We aren't cold yet, but a light blanket magically appeared on the night watch. Having the sun out makes everything look a lot more cheerful. We had a few small rain squalls last night, but nothing like what we have seen earlier in the trip.

We're all settling well into the new steady pace. Nicholas hasn't even felt queasy the past two days, and both the boys are finishing their studies in record times. They're enjoying all the extra free time playing together and exercising their creativity. Alexander continues to write in his journal. With his permission, we'll have to post an excerpt when this is done, complete with illustrations. It really is a marvelous documentation of our voyage.

Phillip prepared and installed a new "soft" vang early yesterday morning from spare hardware we had aboard. The new vang works flawlessly but is only a 6 to 1 purchase instead of our previous 12 to 1. The lack of purchase means that we have to slacken the halyard a bit to tighten the vang, then winch the sail back up. This isn't an issue as we have only needed to adjust it once in the past 24 hours. We picked up over 1/2 a knot with the vang in place, and it helps to stabilize the boat as the main cannot twist off as we roll. Unfortunately, this temporary setup doesn't support the boom like the rigid vang did. We need to use a new procedure for reefing now, to prevent the boom from dropping dangerously onto whatever is below it, the deck or worse.

Phillip also climbed into the lazarette and soldered the final connector for the AIS receiver (a testament to the smoother seas!). Now we should be able to receive AIS signals out to 20 miles or so. Our AIS receiver is configured with a separate antenna on the radar pole located at Samadhi's stern. The AIS antenna is also our backup VHF antenna in case we lose the mast (not something we like to think about). We try to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

In short, the wind and seas are kindly, and spirits are high aboard Samadhi V!

S/V Samadhi V - Passage from Costa Rica to Hawaii, Day 20

Date: 19 May 2009 1700 UTC (0900 Samadhi Time)
Distance sailed in last 24.75 hours: 190 nm
Distance to Hilo, Hawaii: 1900 nm
Latitude: 13 59.941 N
Longitude: 123 11.204 W
COG: 258M
SOG: 8.5 kts under sail
Wind: 15 kts NNE
Seas: 4 ft wind waves
Weather: 80% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1009.2, rising
Sea Temperature: 82 F

Today dawned with a large swath of blue sky overhead. It's a pleasure to see the morning sun again. The sea surface temperature dipped below 80 F for the first time last night. The boat has been much more comfortable with the cooler ocean beneath us and overcast skies above. Still, we're looking forward to seeing the sun for more than just a couple of hours in the afternoon.

Conditions for yesterday, our nineteenth day at sea, started out mild. The morning saw all of our working sails set, and we made good progress over a fairly settled sea. (With the higher winds in addition to localized squalls, it's been some time now since we last hoisted the chute.) As the day progressed the wind increased, and the seas steepened. By mid day, we were sailing with a single reef in the main, and the genoa reefed. By late afternoon we got down to a double reefed main and staysail. As we moved into evening, the wind trend reversed itself ,and we started adding sail back on... Although we are still making sail adjustments to keep the boat sailing efficiently, we aren't doing it nearly as much as we were at the beginning of the passage. If we were willing to give up a few miles we could go 24 hours without touching sails and still make reasonable progress.

We found 5 flying fish aboard Samadhi yesterday--a new record! One of them even came into the companionway to give us the weather report before returning to the sea. Don't worry; we've got it on video so you don't miss such a rare event. This morning, we found two flying fish and three squid on deck. They were our first squid on deck since our trip down the coast of Mexico. Nicholas was disappointed we hadn't found them in time to turn them into bait.

Our speeds have not been as high as we would like due to the steep beam seas. So, as much as we prefer to sail at a quick pace (quick being relative--we are talking about 9-11 knots instead of 7-8.), we have been trying to keep Samadhi sailing with peak heel of less than 35 degrees when hit by seas, and probably about 20 degrees averaged. This is strictly a comfort issue. We have to live here and cook here, and the boys are trying to do their schoolwork so keeping the boat livable is important. We are all hopeful that the waves will move slightly off our stern so that we can push the boat harder without a comfort penalty. If we were racing... comfort be damned!

In the afternoon, we received a new update from our incomparable weather router. Though his pre-departure predictions didn't pan out for us, his underway updates have been right on the money. In the email, he adjusted our course to have us continue on a more westerly track until we're closer to the ENEerly winds. With the new APs having us continue south of the GC route, our sailing distance is increased slightly. We passed the "2000 nm to go" mark twice yesterday!

We had some excitement just as we were serving dinner when we heard a very loud "BANG!" from up on deck. Phillip ran up to investigate. In the falling twilight, he could see the mast was still standing, all of the shrouds were still attached, we were still sailing... Finally he spotted the problem--the attachment bracket for the rigid vang had broken. The casting that held it to the mast had simply snapped under the shock-loading as we came off of a wave.

In the fading light, Phillip removed the vang from the boom--it had already taken itself off of the mast. Samadhi's rigid vang is quite large and very unwieldy for one person on a rolling, slippery deck. Kelly helped get it first into the cockpit and then strapped down aft on the "sun deck". The culprit looks like metal fatigue in the cast aluminum bracket which held the lower point of the vang to the mast. This is a highly loaded piece that sees load reversals every time we crest a swell. Today, Phillip will make up a soft vang to replace the rigid one for the rest of our passage. The ocean very conveniently sorts out what gear is up to the task and what isn't in short order. Hopefully, we can order a new mounting bracket from Selden after our arrival in the islands.

Disneyland made a mistake when they got rid of Space Mountain. For those who may not know, Space Mountain was a roller coaster in a blacked out building. The simple change of removing the visual cues transformed the fairly mild roller coaster into something extraordinary. Well, last night aboard Samadhi, we had our own version of Space Mountain. The waning moon is rising quite late right now, and as the sunset faded in darkness, we were sailing under an inky black sky. No lights from anything were apparent, not from the stars due to the overcast, not even phosphorescence from the wave crests. After dousing the lights in the salon while on watch, we each took turns sitting in the cockpit and enjoying the ride while everyone else slept. It was great fun to try and track the movements of the boat in pitch black! You hear the waves approaching before they hit the boat. This adds another dimension to the experience. Magical!