0300 Zulu
lat 8 deg 03 S
long 160 deg 26 W miles to Manihiki 144
course 187 M
Wind SE @ 12 kts
swell E at 6 ft - give or take 3 feet - mostly give. where in the world is that coming from Mr. Baker????
mostly sunny and stinking hot
bar 1008 down 3 over the last 4 hours - looks like it has been all over the place today
Pretty much an uneventful day to day - Thank you goddess of the sea! Stinking hot and humid though. Since we can't run the generator, we had to run the engine for a couple hours this morning - that heats it up too. Moondance is about 30 miles behind us and they had squalls (lots of rain, moderate wind and no wind) all day. They are going slower to time their arrival for first thing Wednesday morning.
Tried to make water this morning when it was still relatively flat, but no go there. I will have to start making it first thing after dropping the anchor and finishing my beer :). Lots of laundry to be done.
Last night was nice and smooth and fast - that continued until this afternoon. Still fast, but not so smooth again. We are hoping to make Manihiki tomorrow afternoon, so we will put up with one last uncomfortable night, although not as bad as the first two days. I feel for the C&I people if they actually come out to the boat. It is pretty funky in here right now. (Paul a case of febreeze may be on my wishlist).
Should be a full moon tonight. It is so pretty - this morning it went down all orange - was way cool as it backlit the clouds.
Hope to post from anchor tomorrow
Hey Behan, if you are reading this, would you (or anyone that knows how to find it) tell me where on facebook to find the email address to email in a post? Josh would like to be able to use that app.
thanks
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Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Umbrella drinks anyone?
0300 zulu
lat 05 deg 32S
long 159 deg 40W
course 185 Mag (ish)
speed 7kt
wind E @ 11kts
Swell E @ 5ft
sunny and hot - no convection today
bar 1008
So, what do you do in the middle of the ocean on a beautiful hot day with decent boat motion? Well some sailors might break out the umbrella drinks, but not Evergreen......
We try to be frugal with power on crossings, and given our luck with our generator, Dennis has not been in a big hurry to fire it up. But, today he decided the conditions were good enough, and the batteries were hungry so it was time to give it a whirl. The generator started right up, but when I looked off the stern to make sure there was water flow - no go. So, 4 hours, 4 storage compartments and 2 pumps later, we came to the conclusion that even the little bit of heel we are having is too much for the pump to get enough water. The up side is that nothing is broken and the problem can be fixed - just not today. The down side - we emptied out four storage compartments, Dennis replaced a perfectly fine pump, with another perfectly fine pump, we took apart the intake hose to the pump all the way to the through hull, and then put everything back together. A busy watch for me, no nap for Dennis and Josh had to get up and drive the boat. But, I had lots of leftovers to heat up for dinner, and although it is not an efficient way to feed the batteries, at least we are able to run the main engine to juice them up.
We have been able to have some hatches open too, which helps with the comfort inside the boat. So yeah, no lounging around with umbrella drinks today - maybe tomorrow. We are thinking that we may make Manihiki on Tuesday. Probably just in time to anchor in the dark again. But hey we are good at that.
The moon will be big and bright again tonight. Look up and think of us.
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lat 05 deg 32S
long 159 deg 40W
course 185 Mag (ish)
speed 7kt
wind E @ 11kts
Swell E @ 5ft
sunny and hot - no convection today
bar 1008
So, what do you do in the middle of the ocean on a beautiful hot day with decent boat motion? Well some sailors might break out the umbrella drinks, but not Evergreen......
We try to be frugal with power on crossings, and given our luck with our generator, Dennis has not been in a big hurry to fire it up. But, today he decided the conditions were good enough, and the batteries were hungry so it was time to give it a whirl. The generator started right up, but when I looked off the stern to make sure there was water flow - no go. So, 4 hours, 4 storage compartments and 2 pumps later, we came to the conclusion that even the little bit of heel we are having is too much for the pump to get enough water. The up side is that nothing is broken and the problem can be fixed - just not today. The down side - we emptied out four storage compartments, Dennis replaced a perfectly fine pump, with another perfectly fine pump, we took apart the intake hose to the pump all the way to the through hull, and then put everything back together. A busy watch for me, no nap for Dennis and Josh had to get up and drive the boat. But, I had lots of leftovers to heat up for dinner, and although it is not an efficient way to feed the batteries, at least we are able to run the main engine to juice them up.
We have been able to have some hatches open too, which helps with the comfort inside the boat. So yeah, no lounging around with umbrella drinks today - maybe tomorrow. We are thinking that we may make Manihiki on Tuesday. Probably just in time to anchor in the dark again. But hey we are good at that.
The moon will be big and bright again tonight. Look up and think of us.
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Sunday, July 21, 2013
Squalls
0300 zulu
lat 03 deg 05S
long 159 deg 01 W
course 180 mag (ish)
speed 8 kts (main, staysail and partial jib)
wind E @ 17kts
swell NE @ 8ft
partly cloudy and hot
bar 1007 (kinda looks like it was all over today, but hard to read our barometer)
So today was somewhat better. Probably my attitude more than anything. Wind came around, so we are going a little more downwind. If the swell would lessen life would be practically perfect in every way. It would be just like you all think it is. Sunny, flat, fast and umbrella drinks - I wish. Had several squalls today, nothing real major, but did give us practice bringing the jib in and out. Did I mention that yesterday we put the third reef in the main? That helped with the weather helm some. It is a fine line with the windvane steering. Trying to stay on a course (sort of). In these seas, we get hammered if we turn up into the wind too much, so the third reef helps the windvane stay in control more. (gibberish right?) Have done some pretty amazing burying of the starboard rail today. Finally gave up on the bottom drawer by the nav station - we are just leaving it out. fifty million pick up is only fun once.
Looks like the squalls are taking a break at the moment. Will have a big bright moon for our watches tonight. I am always sad when it goes down on my watch. I guess at some point we are going to have to change to local time. It is actually Zulu -11 in the Cooks. I can tell, cuz the sun is just coming up at 0600 now - was up at 0500 on the way to Fanning.
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lat 03 deg 05S
long 159 deg 01 W
course 180 mag (ish)
speed 8 kts (main, staysail and partial jib)
wind E @ 17kts
swell NE @ 8ft
partly cloudy and hot
bar 1007 (kinda looks like it was all over today, but hard to read our barometer)
So today was somewhat better. Probably my attitude more than anything. Wind came around, so we are going a little more downwind. If the swell would lessen life would be practically perfect in every way. It would be just like you all think it is. Sunny, flat, fast and umbrella drinks - I wish. Had several squalls today, nothing real major, but did give us practice bringing the jib in and out. Did I mention that yesterday we put the third reef in the main? That helped with the weather helm some. It is a fine line with the windvane steering. Trying to stay on a course (sort of). In these seas, we get hammered if we turn up into the wind too much, so the third reef helps the windvane stay in control more. (gibberish right?) Have done some pretty amazing burying of the starboard rail today. Finally gave up on the bottom drawer by the nav station - we are just leaving it out. fifty million pick up is only fun once.
Looks like the squalls are taking a break at the moment. Will have a big bright moon for our watches tonight. I am always sad when it goes down on my watch. I guess at some point we are going to have to change to local time. It is actually Zulu -11 in the Cooks. I can tell, cuz the sun is just coming up at 0600 now - was up at 0500 on the way to Fanning.
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Saturday, July 20, 2013
Day 2
0300 zulu
lat 00 deg 56 S
long 158 deg 25W
course 180 Mag
speed 7.0 kts
wind 17 kts SE
swell E at 8ft
sunny and warm
bar 1008 steady
Ok Ryan - where are you? I am ready to get off. We have commenced with death rolls - I really hate those. (heeling side to side gunwale to gunwale) The waves are hitting the cockpit and no position is comfortable, yes I am totally whining. Even going somewhat downwind I manage to have a crappy sail. Oh well, guess I will have to spend my off watch time building a bridge to get over it.
We are now back in the southern hemisphere, actually making pretty good time 580 miles to our waypoint at Manihiki. Otherwise aside from my crappy attitude all is well. Hopefully tomorrow will bring better motion or a better attitude about the crappy motion.
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lat 00 deg 56 S
long 158 deg 25W
course 180 Mag
speed 7.0 kts
wind 17 kts SE
swell E at 8ft
sunny and warm
bar 1008 steady
Ok Ryan - where are you? I am ready to get off. We have commenced with death rolls - I really hate those. (heeling side to side gunwale to gunwale) The waves are hitting the cockpit and no position is comfortable, yes I am totally whining. Even going somewhat downwind I manage to have a crappy sail. Oh well, guess I will have to spend my off watch time building a bridge to get over it.
We are now back in the southern hemisphere, actually making pretty good time 580 miles to our waypoint at Manihiki. Otherwise aside from my crappy attitude all is well. Hopefully tomorrow will bring better motion or a better attitude about the crappy motion.
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Friday, July 19, 2013
2nd time is the charm
0300 zulu
lat 01 deg 25 N
long 157 deg 48 W
course 179 M
speed 7.5 kts
wind 15 kts SE
swell SE 5-6 feet
sunny and warm
bar 1007.9 (that seems low, what do you think Brad?)
Well, we made it out of Christmas, and are heading back into normal time. Meaning that Thursday is Thursday, not Thursday/Friday. Has been very confusing keeping track of it.
Had a lovely sail down the length of the atoll - just the way sailing should be: wind behind the beam, fast and flat. That was nice while it lasted. The wind came around to our nose and the seas got confused about 2 seconds before we left the atoll behind. So yeah, normal sailing for us. I believe somebody promised me down wind sailing..... Haven't seen that since the crossing to the Marquessas. Yes I am whining. Mostly cuz I don't learn. Took two (yes two) waves into our bed. The salon hatch was wide open and got not a drop. Oh well, we are on such a heel that we can't use our bed anyway, so except for having nowhere to put all the soggy linen, no real problem. And to prove that the sea god does have a slight sense of justice, both waves got Dennis side of the bed and his clothes - ha!
so yeah, pretty much status quo here. We will cross the equator tomorrow. It will be our third time. Wow! So far chart plotter is working and the batteries seem to be holding their charge normally. We can see Moondance's mast light, and will have a waxing moon. The current is still against us, but at least we are not motoring.
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lat 01 deg 25 N
long 157 deg 48 W
course 179 M
speed 7.5 kts
wind 15 kts SE
swell SE 5-6 feet
sunny and warm
bar 1007.9 (that seems low, what do you think Brad?)
Well, we made it out of Christmas, and are heading back into normal time. Meaning that Thursday is Thursday, not Thursday/Friday. Has been very confusing keeping track of it.
Had a lovely sail down the length of the atoll - just the way sailing should be: wind behind the beam, fast and flat. That was nice while it lasted. The wind came around to our nose and the seas got confused about 2 seconds before we left the atoll behind. So yeah, normal sailing for us. I believe somebody promised me down wind sailing..... Haven't seen that since the crossing to the Marquessas. Yes I am whining. Mostly cuz I don't learn. Took two (yes two) waves into our bed. The salon hatch was wide open and got not a drop. Oh well, we are on such a heel that we can't use our bed anyway, so except for having nowhere to put all the soggy linen, no real problem. And to prove that the sea god does have a slight sense of justice, both waves got Dennis side of the bed and his clothes - ha!
so yeah, pretty much status quo here. We will cross the equator tomorrow. It will be our third time. Wow! So far chart plotter is working and the batteries seem to be holding their charge normally. We can see Moondance's mast light, and will have a waxing moon. The current is still against us, but at least we are not motoring.
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Thursday, July 18, 2013
On the road again?
Well hopefully.
We ran the generator for 6 hours today. The voltage on the batteries seems to be holding and acting more normally. So, we have decided to try again and will head out for Manihiki in the morning. Please keep your fingers crossed for us. The chart plotter is back to normal, so that is good.
It is possible that this turn around was a blessing in disguise. I had meant to lubricate the gooseneck (where the boom attaches to the mast) before we left, but forgot. It had been making a really annoying noise during the crossing from Fanning. So today with nothing to do but listen to the generator run I decided to put some dry lubricant on it. Well, do you remember when Josh went up the mast at Fanning, one of the reasons was to look and see if a bolt was missing from anywhere? Turns out it was from the gooseneck. The other half of the bolt was still there, but how much longer it would have held????? There is a nice new bolt there now. So maybe the gods were watching out for us after all.
Otherwise a pretty quiet day. Seemed hotter than it has been, but that was probably due to 6 hours of generator heat. Definitely have lots of hot water though! Too bad hot showers are the last thing any of us are interested in.
Will post tomorrow night
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We ran the generator for 6 hours today. The voltage on the batteries seems to be holding and acting more normally. So, we have decided to try again and will head out for Manihiki in the morning. Please keep your fingers crossed for us. The chart plotter is back to normal, so that is good.
It is possible that this turn around was a blessing in disguise. I had meant to lubricate the gooseneck (where the boom attaches to the mast) before we left, but forgot. It had been making a really annoying noise during the crossing from Fanning. So today with nothing to do but listen to the generator run I decided to put some dry lubricant on it. Well, do you remember when Josh went up the mast at Fanning, one of the reasons was to look and see if a bolt was missing from anywhere? Turns out it was from the gooseneck. The other half of the bolt was still there, but how much longer it would have held????? There is a nice new bolt there now. So maybe the gods were watching out for us after all.
Otherwise a pretty quiet day. Seemed hotter than it has been, but that was probably due to 6 hours of generator heat. Definitely have lots of hot water though! Too bad hot showers are the last thing any of us are interested in.
Will post tomorrow night
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Just kidding
Well, we are back at Christmas. We did leave yesterday, but had trouble with the chart plotter, compounded by low voltage in the house battery banks. So, after three hours of sailing, we turned around and came back to the anchorage here at Christmas. In a very appreciated show of support, Moondance came back with us.
We still have some internet time left (thanks again Hoo Roo) so Dennis was able to look up how to do a hard reset on the chart plotter (this was after checking for loose connections and voltage etc). Yay it reset, and appears to be back working normally.
The low battery voltage is another thing entirely. We are hoping that the method we have been using to determine the charge on the battery is inaccurate, resulting in chronically low charging. We are trying something different today. Keep your fingers crossed for us, as the other causes would be lots harder to find and costly to fix.
In the meantime, Josh gets another day to work on his biology course (quizzes are onlne) and we get another day in London anchorage. Waffles for breakfast.
More later
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We still have some internet time left (thanks again Hoo Roo) so Dennis was able to look up how to do a hard reset on the chart plotter (this was after checking for loose connections and voltage etc). Yay it reset, and appears to be back working normally.
The low battery voltage is another thing entirely. We are hoping that the method we have been using to determine the charge on the battery is inaccurate, resulting in chronically low charging. We are trying something different today. Keep your fingers crossed for us, as the other causes would be lots harder to find and costly to fix.
In the meantime, Josh gets another day to work on his biology course (quizzes are onlne) and we get another day in London anchorage. Waffles for breakfast.
More later
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