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!
No comments:
Post a Comment