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!