Distance sailed in last 24 hours: 168 nm
Distance to Hilo, Hawaii: 2240 nm
Latitude: 13 52.473 N
Longitude: 116 44.770 W
COG: 253 M
SOG: 8.0 kts under sail
Wind: 17 to 20 kts N
Seas: 3 ft swell, 3 ft wind waves
Weather: 100% Cloud Cover
Barometric Pressure: 1008.5, rising
Sea Temperature: 81 F
We've had over 48 hours now with continuous wind. It's difficult to articulate just how happy this makes us. Perhaps the easiest way is to say that, if we can maintain an average of 150 nm/day (6.25 kts) for the remainder of the voyage, we're more than halfway done with our journey. Much as we're enjoying the passage (and we are! The boys were just saying how it only feels like four or five days since we left.), we are all looking forward to our arrival in the islands.
Yesterday was another quiet, dreary day aboard Samadhi. I'm not sure any of us saw the sun. It started to clear in the evening in time for us to see the pink of the sunset reflect off of the higher clouds, but the sun was already below the level of the solid band of cumulus on the horizon. Thankfully, there was very little rain. On the other hand, the low sea surface temperature combined with the wind and the overcast made for a day that was decidedly cool! We haven't had temperatures like this since we were in Panama (and that was only at night)!
The recent advent of the winds has taken the seas quite by surprise. Yesterday, Samadhi was at the brunt of all their confusion, right on the beam. The crew fared quite well in spite of being unaccustomed to the motion, and no one took ill, not even Nicholas! The boys were able to complete their studies as usual, and Kelly and Phillip were able to do more boat maintenance in between alternately shortening sails and shaking out the reefs. Even though no one was sick, the added motion left all of us feeling especially tired. We're hoping that with more consistent wind the seas will even out and become less confused.
We have been able to sail as fast as we care to in these conditions. We can dial up 10 knots easily, but the beam seas tend to push us way over every few waves with much water on the decks (very dramatic!). Phillip is conflicted, as he wants to go as fast as possible, but he doesn't like to eat and sleep on the bulkhead either. Shortening sail a bit leaves us with a good turn of speed, while keeping Samadhi on her feet and with a much softer motion. Regardless of how we sail her, Samadhi never feels strained or pressed.
One of the last things that confused seas leave you eager to do is cook. Cooking in the short, square seas is a form of gymnastics that (we believe) is worthy of Olympic consideration.
Olympic commenter #1: "Will you look at that! Three boiling pots and she is still managing to serve the food while the boat falls off a wave!"
Olympic commenter #2: "I don't know Ed. The judges aren't going to like the fork that just slid onto the deck. She is going get some points off there..."
In spite of the danger of having the Kitchen Aid mixer thrown from the counter top, Phillip made more delicious, home-baked bread. Somehow, he even got it to rise evenly in the loaf pans while the boat was heeling. We were recently aboard another cruising sailboat with an ungimbaled stove. Getting bread to rise is one thing, but even doing something as simple as heating water would be a highly dangerous proposition in seas like this if it weren't for our gimbaled stoved keeping itself level.
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