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!
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