On Sep 4, 2010, at 9:44 PM, Stephanie Fried wrote:
Received email from John Crutcher indicating that Dart sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge at 0600 this morning. Well done!
2 September 2010
1700 HST
Had reasonably good contact with Dart on 8A, after receiving a Satphone message from the boat at 1500 HST. Present position is 38º 03'N, 125º 29'W. Winds were relatively heavy last night, ranging from 25-35 kts, and John reports it was a wet night. However, the winds dropped suddenly at mid-morning, and he's now rolling around in residual seas with 5-10 kts of wind. The coastal light airs look to hold for the coming 18 hours, with northerlies likely to fill in by tomorrow.
With 140 miles to go, Dart hopes to cross under the Golden Gate Bridge late tomorrow night, and it's likely this will be the final radio contact with him prior to his arrival. Many thanks for everyone's attention and concern, and kudos to John for an impressive singlehanded crossing.
Cheers,
John Harrison
August 31, 2010
1700HST
Very poor radio reception this afternoon. Heavy QRM and other traffic.
Dart is at 31º 10'N, 131º 10'W. Conditions are smooth, with winds of 13kt from 000º.
John reports all OK on board. He's made 134 miles in the past 24 hours, and at this rate he should make port on Friday. Winds along the way should be strengthening over the next 30 hours, then lightening as he approaches the coast.
Cheers,
John
August 30
8/30/2010
Via SSB, 1700 HST
Spoke with John Crutcher on Dart: All's well on board. Position: 38º 08'N, 134º 00'W. Winds are steady at 13 kts from 350º.
John reports that the water and air are getting colder, as he closes on 500 miles to SF. Still expects to be in port by the weekend.
When asked how his "AIS" was doing, John replied that, as with much modern technology, he was going on a wing and a prayer.
Cheers,
John Harrison
8/28
Via satphone: 1700 HST.
Dart is now at 37 28N, 136 52W, moving along nicely with the bow pointed right at SF. Winds over the past 24 hours were more northerly, after the good westerly boost, but just backed to 310, and are steady at 15kts.
All is well aboard. Skipper just had a bucket shower, so he can live with himself again. He reports spending a lot of time reading up on 14th Century European history. Things are very civilized aboard Dart.
Assuming winds as currently forecast prevail, John hopes to make port by next weekend.
Cheers,
John Harrison
August 27
Aloha:
Just spoke again with John Crutcher on Dart on 8A. Propagation still poor.
Dart is now at 36º 46'N, 141º 57'W. As predicted, winds at his location have backed to 300º and freshened to 15 kts, and John is making good headway on a course of 045º. All is well on board, and I have advised him that GFS models show winds veering to northerly by 18 hours from now. His intent is to get up to 38ºN, from which point he should be in good shape to head for SF.
Cheers
John Harrison
P.S. Stephanie, I advised John that I would not be up tomorrow afternoon, but that you or someone else would be attempting contact from Cirrus. Sunday I may be away from the radio as well, and I suggested to John that he contact me by satphone for a weather update.
August 26
Aloha:
Just off the radio with SV Dart. Poor propagation today, but sufficient to get his position at:
35º 31'N, 142º 44'W.
John is continuing to head North, targeting a jump-off location at 38ºN 140ºW. All is well aboard, with winds hovering around 10 kts from 050º. Winds are projected to strengthen slightly over the next 18 hrs, and there looks to be a brief window of westerlies at 38N 140W appearing around 30 hours from now due to a weak low north and east of Dart's position. He's going to try to hook into those to kick off his run home.
Expect to talk again tomorrow.
Cheers,
John Harrison
August 25
Received satphone call 6pm HST as Dart's half way champagne party was underway. Skipper reports all is well with plenty of time for reading lengthy European history books. Has made some repairs to wind vane which is functioning fine. Probably closer than half way in terms of time left. Claims to be happy, healthy, of sound body & mind. All is well.
August 24
Aloha Mike, Jim, et al:
Just spoke again with John Crutcher on Dart. Good connection, 5x5 on 8A.
Dart is at 33º 22'N, 143º 40'W. Right now, winds and seas are calm. He has the sails on the deck to keep them from flogging, and he's waiting for a similar evening breeze to what he saw last night.
All's well, no breakage or significant shortages.
The DART report! August 23
Dart is presently at 32º 24'N, 145º 00'W as of 1700 HST. He reports that all is well, with the only diminishing supply being propane, but cold Dinty Moore is not too unpalatable. Winds over the past few days have been variable, and although his latitude is similar to what it was last time I spoke with him before tonight, he's covered a lot of miles north and south to get his easting. At the time we spoke, he was seeing winds of 15 knots from 050º.
He's aiming for a transition waypoint of 35ºN, 140ºW to start his run for San Francisco, and the GFS plots for the next couple of days look to maybe give him a boost that way. I'll be coming up on 8A again tomorrow evening, and hopefully keep providing updates.
Cheers,
John Harrison
August 20
NOZOMI, 35 48, 119 39, 17, 290, this will be our last position report. currently 60 miles from port (Catalina)
DART, 32 23, 149 20, 11, 000, Dart will be in contact with John Harrison, SEAFIRE, by Iridium
WHISTLER V, 45 28, 149 20, 22, 330
cheers, NOZOMI
--------------
August 19
NOZOMI, 34 15, 122 58, 18, 330
Whistler V, 44 33, 124 33, 22, 327, departed Newport, OR, underway for Victoria BC
DART, 32 24, 150 30, 10, 040
No emergency traffic.
NOZOMI ETA Catalina Island early Saturday, 21 August. Will conduct roll call 20 August then arrange for hand off.
Robb
August 18
NOZOMI, 34 57, 126 21, 14, 348
Whistler, 44 39, 124 39, 7, 335, Whistler pulling into Newport, OR for food, fuel. Will resume trip tomorrow
Cinnabar, 38 09, 124 08, 14, 310, Cinnabar 80 miles out, will make port (SF)tonight
Horizon, 33 19, 117 59, 5, 275, Horizon 30 miles out, will make port (Oceanside) tonight
Dart, 31 30, 151 37, 12, 075
Warrior's Wish, in port
------------------------
August 17
Nozomi, 35 41, 129 18, 12, 330
Whistler V, 44 13, 126 56, 11, 320
Cinnabar, 39 00, 127 45, 14, 325
Horizon, 33 53, 121 49, 18, 335
Dart, 30 08, 153 18, 13, 110
Warrior's Wish, 37 30, 123 22, 10, 290
no emergency traffic or gossip
August 16
Yachtname, LAT, LONG, TWS, TWD
Nozomi, 35 56, 132 21, 10, 300
Whistler V, 43 03, 129 39, 10, 000
Cinnabar, 39 43, 130 56, 8, 330
Dart, 29 31, 154 46, 0, direction unknown
HORIZON, 34 32, 126 00, 15, 335
Warrior's WISH, 36 50, 126 13, 10, 290, all's well onboard
NO EMERGENCY TRAFFIC
Here we are August 15!
Yachtname, lat, long, tws, twd, other comments
NOZOMI, 36 10, 135 20, 8, 280
Whistler, 42 54, 130 37, 4, variable
Cinnabar, 40 08, 134 38, 16, 310
Dart, 28 33, 154 55, 5, 090
Horizon, 34 42, 129 29, 9-13, 335, caught 3 albacore
Warrior's WISH, 36 02, 128 49, 10, 030, all well on board
Position Report for Returning Pac Cup Fleet
8:00PM PDT, August 14, SSB Channel 8A
VALIS - net control
No emergency traffic
Cinnabar: 40-05, 138-08, wind 7kt, 340
Dart: 27-00, 155-29, wind 66-10 kt, 040
Horizon: 35-04, 133-02, wind 10-13, 295
Nozomi: 35-36, 138-09, wind 8.5kt, 300
Spellbound: (presumed in port)
VALIS: 37-57, 123-32, wind 8kt, 295 (ETA Sausalito 8:00AM Aug 15)
Whistler V: 42-00, 132-25, wind 10kt, 340
Warriers Wish: 35-18, 131-13, wind 8kt, 345
Warriers Wish is heading for San Francisco, motorsailing with #3 jib and no keel. SOG = 5kts, COG = 052 true. They have informed USCG of the situation, and think they have sufficient fuel to make San Francisco. Open to bailout ports of Monterey, etc, if needed.
Nozomi will be running the net starting tomorrow.
Aloha,
Paul / VALIS
August 13, 20:00 PDT Returning Pac Cup Fleet Position Reports
(Net control VALIS, WDB2898, SSB channel 8A)
Cinnabar: 39-58, 141-21, wind 11kt, 030
Dart: 25-06, 156-02, wind 10kt, 040
Horizon: 34-51, 136-32, wind 13kt, 345
Nozomi: 35-33, 140-46, wind 6kt, 330
Spellbound: nothing heard, should be in port.
VALIS: 38-33, 126-03, wind 5kt, 300
Whistler V: 41-04, 134-36, wind 17kt, 011
Warriers Wish: 34-31, 133-35, wind 12kt, 355
Warriers Wish is the SHTP boat returning to San Francisco with a crew of two (Ronnie plus one). Two days ago they lost their keel. They are motorsailing under jib only and are *not* requesting assistance. They were given extra fuel by a passing freighter. They will check in during tomorrow's 8:00PM net, and may check in during the informal 8:00AM (channel 8A) net being held by Nozomi and Horizon. I need to verify their intended destination, it seems difficult to make San Francisco under the conditions without a keel.
No emergency/priority traffic
August 12, 20:00 PDT Returning Pac Cup Fleet Position Reports
(Net control VALIS, WDB2898, SSB channel 8A)
Cinnabar: 38-38, 143-00, wind 15kt, 000
Dart: 23-18, 156-57, wind 15kt, 075 (Dart left Hawaii for San Francisco Aug 11)
Horizon: 34-52, 139-58, wind 10kt, 340
Nozomi: 36-26, 143-21, wind 11kt, 020
Rhum Boogie: nothing heard
Spellbound: 37-51, 124-22, wind 7kt, 350 (90 miles from Golden Gate)
VALIS: 38-56, 129-10, wind 15kt, 000
Whistler V: 41-14, 137-32, wind 18kt, 050 (fighting the wind direction, still trying to get north)
No emergency/priority traffic
VALIS ETA San Francisco is Sunday (likely), or very late Saturday. Nozomi or Whistler V may take over net on Sunday.
Aloha,
Paul
Wednesday the 11th, from VALIS
August 11, 20:00 PDT Returning Pac Cup Fleet Position Reports
(Net control VALIS, WDB2898, SSB channel 8A)
Cinnabar: 38-25, 145-41, wind 16kt, 015
Coyote: nothing heard, should be home
Green Buffalo: nothing heard, should be home
Horizon: 34-39, 143-09, wind 10kt, 060 (and squalls)
Nozomi: 36-16, 145-41, wind7kt, 037
Rhum Boogie: nothing heard
Spellbound: 37-56, 127-55, wind 12kt, 335 (250 miles from Golden Gate)
Tiki J: nothing heard, home?
VALIS: 39-27, 132-39, wind 16kt, 015
Whistler V: 41-54, 140-20, wind 14kt, 030
No emergency/priority traffic
Nozomi reported a friendly encounter with U.S. Navy fast frigate "Ford". Nozomi spotted them about 20 miles off on their AIS receiver, so gave them a hail. Nozomi has been doing a lot of motoring, so they asked Ford if they could spare some diesel. Ford steamed over at flank speed, lowered a ship's boat carrying the Ford's captain, a very nice note from the captain, some fuel, water, and a ship's cap. Ford's crew was standing on the rail watching.
Ford had been participating in the RIMPAC near Hawaii, and was returning to Everett WA.
VALIS ETA San Francisco is Sunday (likely), or Saturday (barely possible).
Tuesday, August 10
All is well. No "priority" traffic.
Valis is taking over roll call tomorrow afternoon - copying Mike and Walt.
Cinnabar 37-22, 148-14, 5k at 50 degrees
Coyote 37-53, 124-41, 19k at 263 degrees
Delicate Balance Home
Green Buffalo 37-52, 123-19, 20k at 290 degrees
Horizon 34-05, 146-24, 7k at 0 degrees
Nozomi 35-12, 147-03, 4k at 30 degrees
Recidivist Home
Rhum Boogie 38-03, 123-25, 18k at 290 degrees
Spellbound 38-02, 131-30
Tiki J NR
Valis 39-56, 136-17, 16k at 345 degrees
Whistler V 41-55, 142-26, 12k at 60 degrees
On GB...
Chomping at the bit to get home.
Crew packing their bags.
A bit of boat cleaning and stainless polishing.
Getting real cold... heavy jackets and hats are now being used.
Saw the first half of Ironman on Dav's iPad last night... second half is tonight and the crew is looking forward to it.
Noon Day Rock - the far northwest tip of the Farllones - is a stone's throw off our starboard bow... expect to pass under the golden gate between 2 and 3 am.
Bill whipped up both Mac and Cheese and a Clam sauce pasta for dinner... our last cooked meal aboard.
Will miss talking to all the returning boats each night... amazing what a few words can communicate and mean to one.
GB signing off till another year!
Cheers,
Jim Q
----------------------------------
Monday August 9
JAM and Jamani are home during the last 24 hours.
Brisk breezes for the middle of the fleet approaching the cast... 16k-22k... with typical cold overcast NorCal skies.
Cinnabar 36-25, 150-49, 1k at 150 degrees The crew went swimming again today
Coyote 38-13, 128-07, 16k at 0 degrees
Delicate Balance 37-53, 125-15, 7k from the N
Green Buffalo 38-21, 126-42, 16k at 330 degrees
Horizon 32-53, 149-43
JAM Home
Jamani Home
Nozomi 33-59, 148-25, 5k at 140 degrees
Recidivist 38-22, 125-21, 20k at 300 degrees
Rhum Boogie 38-10, 126-50, 22k at 10 degrees #3 and reefed main
Spellbound 38-05, 134-57, 15k at 10 degrees
Tiki J 38-20, 128-58, 20k at 10 degrees
Valis 40-05, 139-23, 12k at 10 degrees
Whistler V 41-29, 144-32, 7k from the N
On GB...
Breezy night with winds up to 22k with the full main and jib top... a bit over powered and uncomfortable but made good time.
Just put the working jib back up so tonight will be a bit more relaxed sleeping then last night.
Losing a bit more cooling water then in the past... watching it closely and adding water every 2-3 hours of motor use (we have plenty of water and fuel to motor for days... expect a full day of motoring starting late tomorrow till home).
Dinty Moore stew, rice and olives for dinner tonight (Abhi cooking).
Lots of crew talk about what to do first when we get to land... in and out burger, Denny's, hot showers... all depending on what time we arrive and what is open (our ETA is in the wee hours Wednesday morning).
Called the wife for the third time in three days with no success (Sat phone)... she hasn't been picking up... when the cat is away the mice will play? Just kidding. :-)
Cheers,
Jim Q
Sunday August 8
Riva, Deception and Hula Girl are home - maybe JAM too.
Smooth sailing for most of the fleet. Nice wind, warm, light seas. You would think this was a pleasure sail in SoCal with all the light wind and clear blue skies.
Andromeda NR
Cinnabar 35-25, 153-03, 3k at 30 degrees
Coyote 38-01, 131-32, 11k at 330 degrees
Deception Home
Delicate Balance 37-56, 129-08, 13k from the NW
Green Buffalo 39-04, 130-16, 13k at 330 degrees
Horizon (NEW) 31-11, 152-27, 9K at 100 degrees
JAM Home?
Jamani 37-55, 123-05, 10k at 290 degrees
Nozomi 32-49, 150-43, 10k at 55 degrees
Recidivist 39-00, 129-03, 13k at 290 degrees
Rhum Boogie 38-06, 130-21, 15k at 10 degrees Flying the chute today!
Riva Home
Scaramouche V NR
Spellbound 37-51, 138-14, 12k at 320 degrees
Tiki J 39-05, 132-37, 18k at 340 degrees
Valis 40-08, 142-27, 9k at 5 degrees
Whistler V 40-26, 146-26, 11k at 98 degrees
On GB...
Another nice day with winds 10k-14k... sunny half the day... 68 degrees or so.
Put the chute up for an hour or so - but the wind then went north so back to the jib top.
Looks like mild winds the rest of the trip... so we expect to reach SF early Wednesday morning (in the dark)... some slim chance we can reach the Farallones Tuesday evening.
Chili over rice is tonight's main course with corn - and pineapple for dessert (all care of chef dave).
Missed church this morning... penance due. :-)
Cheers,
Jim Q
-------------------
saturday Aug 7
All is well. No "priority" traffic.
The first boats are finishing in the next 24 hours - Riva, Decepetion and Hula Girl.
Smooth sailing for most of the fleet. Nice wind, warm, light seas.
Andromeda NR
Cinnabar 34-02, 154-10, 6k at 65 degrees
Coyote 37-34, 134-50, 13k at 300 degrees Flying the spinnaker all afternoon!
Deception 37-56, 124-07, 30k from the N Home in next 24 hours
Delicate Balance 37-51, 131-42, 15k at 292 degrees
Green Buffalo 38-48, 133-29, 15k at 280 degrees
Hula Girl 38-11, 125-18, 20k at 305 degrees Home in next 24 hours
JAM 43-47, 133-54, 10k at 289 degrees
Jamani 38-20, 126-44, 20k at 310 degrees
Nozomi 32-26, 152-27, 10k at 40 degrees Caught a mahi mahi today - eating good!
Recidivist 39-27, 132-16, 17k at 290 degrees
Rhum Boogie 38-16, 133-40, 12k at 280 degrees
Riva 45-42, 125-34, 16k at 320 degrees Expect to cross the Columbia Rover bar around 7am tomorrow (Sunday)
Scaramouche V NR
Spellbound 37-33, 141-13, 7k at 250 degrees
Tiki J 38-28, 135-33, 17k at 310 degrees Caught an albacore today!
Valis 40-11, 145-15, 10k at 240 degrees
Whistler V 39-22, 148-29, 10k at 330 degrees
On GB...
Beautiful day today... not a cloud in the sky, 15k of wind, jib top up, and making over 7k through the water.
It was such a nice day Bill decided to take a shower on the foredeck (this should be gale alley getting the snot beat out of us and all hatches battened down).
We ate the last of the albacore... so Dave will be back to fishing tomorrow.
Emptied the first fuel bladder tank (was 45 gallons) - and now have a full main tank (33 gallons) and full second bladder (35 gallons). Some chance we'll make it home without needing to take fuel from the second bladder tank.
GRIBs indicate we may get home without ever seeing over 20 knots of wind the whole trip... and the last two days could end up being motoring (a good thing compared to a typical gale at this time of year).
Saw two freighters today... neither were close and we would have missed them if we didn't first spot them on the AIS. So far the nearest we have come to a ship is 1 mile a few nights back (that's pretty close at night).
As a whole the crew has read 16 books... and we only have a few more left... looks like we'll be arriving home "just in time" (as the books run out).
Mac and cheese for dinner with canned green beans and fresh grilled albacore thrown in. mmm mmm good!
Cheers,
Jim Q
FRIDAY August 6
All is well. No "priority" traffic.
Successfully used channel 8A this afternoon - enabling us to hear several boats that are back in the fleet quite clearly (thanks to Paul on Valis for suggesting this change). Great hearing the voices of Nozomi and Whistler V clearly.
Andromeda NR
Cinnabar 32-14, 156-02, 9k at 56 degrees
Coyote 37-01, 137-53, 11k at 0 degrees
Deception 38-21, 128-48, 23k at 322 degrees
Delicate Balance 37-36, 135-13, 20k from the N
Green Buffalo 38-17, 136-27, 14k at 330 degrees
Hula Girl 38-51, 129-58, 20k at 330 degrees
JAM 41-27, 136-14, 13k at 260 degrees
Jamani 38-58, 130-35, 23k at 320 degrees
Nozomi 33-28, 154-04, 6k at 62 degrees
Recidivist 39-04, 135-37, 11k at 327 degrees
Rhum Boogie 38-10, 136-41, 13k at 20 degrees
Riva 44-26, 129-26, 12k at 270 degrees Expect to reach home in 1 to 1.5 days
Scaramouche V NR
Spellbound 37-10, 144-04, 6k at 75 degrees
Tiki J 37-42, 138-11, 10k at 0 degrees
Valis 40-15, 148-12, 16 at 215 degrees Has decided not to go to the San Juans... now heading to SF (weather not favorable for going north)
Whistler V 38-08, 150-20, 12k at 220 degrees
On GB...
Sailing all day... wind has gone a bit aft as expected so easy sailing in easy seas... getting some northing so we can run off in the heavy wind we'll see in two more days. ETA - Wednesday August 11th.
Caught an albacore... yes we are solidly in cold water catching cold water fish... 15 pounds... a lot of tuna for four people... started with tuna poke, went to fried tuna, finished with tuna quesadilla's - with still more tuna to eat over the next day (no refrigeration so we need to eat it fast).
Cheers,
Jim Q
-------------------------------------------------
August 5
All is well. No "priority" traffic.
We'll try to move the check-in to channel 8A tomorrow - to help pick up the tail end boats that are now almost 800 away.
Andromeda NR
Cinnabar 30-07, 157-22, 12k at 50 degrees
Coyote 36-50, 140-30, 10k at 50 degrees
Deception 38-31, 133-32, 19k at 345 degrees
Delicate Balance 37-18, 138-39, 18k from the NW
Green Buffalo 38-00, 139-18, 10k at 25 degrees
Hula Girl 39-09, 134-38, 18k at 345 degrees
JAM 39-42, 138-39, 11k at 345 degrees
Jamani 39-03, 134-31, 18k at 345 degrees
Nozomi 33-53, 155-31, 4k at 50 degrees
Recidivist 39-11, 139-02, 10k at 330 degrees
Rhum Boogie 38-08, 139-34, 10k at 50 degrees
Riva 43-09, 133-15, 16k at 325 degrees
Scaramouche V NR
Spellbound 36-40, 146-37, 3k at 65 degrees
Tiki J 37-16, 140-46, 10k at 35 degrees Otto the autopilot conked out yesterday... looks like hand steering the rest of the way (just two people on board)
Valis 39-55, 151-04, 14 at 220 degrees
Whistler V 37-01, 152-20, 0k (no wind, motoring)
On GB...
Sailing all day... the northerly breeze firming. We expect no more significant motoring till possibly the last 150 miles into SF.
Refilled the main fuel tank from the deck bladder (we've used 40 gallons so far - and have 70 gallons left - plenty given good breezes forecast the next few days).
Just passed the 800 mile mark... only 5-6 days to go.
Bill cooking chili for dinner tonight... smells good!
Dave was watching Twilight (teen flick) on his iPad... trying to keep in touch with his two teenage daughters (one of which is being inducted in the Air Force Academy in a few weeks).
Cheers,
Jim Q
-----------------------
August 4
All quiet in the fleet... everyone but the first few boats still in light winds.
Andromeda 35-35, 153-15, 10k at 45 degrees
Cinnabar 27-34, 158-15, 18k at 45 degrees
Coyote 36-44, 143-05, 10k at 25 degrees
Deception 38-25, 137-38, 17k from the N
Delicate Balance 36-59, 141-36, 9k from the N
Green Buffalo 37-52, 141-55, 12k at 20 degrees
Hula Girl 38-49, 138-42, 14k from the N
JAM 38-05, 139-27, 12k at 16 degrees
Jamani 38-47, 138-04, 15k at 5 degrees
Nozomi 35-07, 156-54, 7k at 65 degrees
Recidivist 39-10, 142-07, 8k at 6 degrees JP misses Rachel :-)
Rhum Boogie 37-57, 142-25, 6k at 30 degrees
Riva 42-07, 137-03, 18k at 350 degrees
Scaramouche V 32-44, 161-37, 16k from the ENE
Spellbound 36-01, 148-57, 5k at 70 degrees
Tiki J 37-15, 143-27, 10k at 35 degrees
Valis 38-18, 153-11, 7k at 240 degrees
Whistler V 35-51, 154-11, 9k at 50 degrees
On GB...
Motor sailing most of the day
Breakfast burritos care of David this morning, and chicken quesadillas care of Jim this afternoon - with Abhi working on the pasta with clam sauce for this evening.
Bill is in his union suit again (keeps the sun off his legs... no flap in the back).
With 917 miles to go and light winds for another day, our ETA is one week - August 11th (though based on past crossings, we would expect to arrive on the 12th).
Cheers,
Jim Q
--------
August 3
The central body of the fleet has tacked onto port and is headed east... a race to the barn.
Andromeda 33-58, 154-13, 17k at 60 degrees
Cinnabar 25-06, 158-26, 19k at 32 degrees
Coyote 36-42, 145-43, 5k at 123 degrees Motor sailing
Deception 38-09, 141-07, 13k at 349 degrees
Delicate Balance 36-25, 144-12, 7k from the NW
Green Buffalo 38-00, 144-33, 9k at 10 degrees
Hula Girl 38-29, 141-50, 9k at 40 degrees
JAM 37-16, 142-33, 9k at 43 degrees
Jamani 38-23, 141-24, 12k at 355 degrees
Nozomi 34-22, 157-56, 17k at 75 degrees
Recidivist 38-05, 144-59, 8k at 350 degrees Motor sailing
Rhum Boogie 37-45, 145-05, 5k at 20 degrees
Riva 41-19, 140-23, 13k at 40 degrees Bound for Portland
Scaramouche V 30-25, 160-43, 22k from the NE
Spellbound 34-23, 150-26, 13k at 60 degrees
Tiki J 36-52, 146-01, 4k at 60 degrees
Valis 36-12, 153-04, 10k at 75 degrees
Whistler V 34-13, 154-58, 13k at 70 degrees
On GB...
A few dolphins stopped by and played with the boat for several minutes.
Most of the day in 3-5k of wind motoring across the high... though wind is now coming back out of the north... back to sailing soon.
We all took showers on the foredeck... likely our last showers till we reach SF (in 7 to 8 days).
Cleaned the boat inside and outside... buckets of water and brushes... crew and boat are now clean and smell good... ready for the final reach into SF.
Cleaned the reefer too... no ice left... having our last frozen meal tonight... lasagna.
Half way!
Cheers,
Jim Q
August 2
The return fleet is debating when to tack to port... 35, 36, 37 or 38 degrees of latitude. Weather discussion taking place among the fleet led by Coyote at 10:30am HST tomorrow Tuesday on channel 4A.
Andromeda Unknown latitude, 154-30
Coyote 35-29, 147-27, 16k at 70 degrees
Deception 37-13, 144-33, 18k at 355 degrees
Delicate Balance 35-45, 148-30, 15k at unknown degrees
Green Buffalo 37-37, 147-13, 10k at 40 degrees Tacked onto port... "...California here we come, right back where we started from..."
Hula Girl 37-30, 144-51, 12k at 0 degrees
JAM 36-39, 145-33, 2k at 18 degrees
Jamani 37-52, 144-18, 13k at 5 degrees
Nozomi 31-39, 158-01, 17k at 75 degrees
Recidivist 37-38, 147-51, 8k at 55 degrees Motor sailing
Rhum Boogie 36-50, 146-51, 10k at 40 degrees
Riva 40-01, 142-18, 11k at 45 degrees
Scaramouche V 27-38, 159-38, 18k from the NE
Spellbound 32-18, 151-12, 14k at 85 degrees
Tiki J 36-37, 148-30, 10k at 60 degrees
Valis 33-51, 153-42, 14k at 90 degrees
Whistler V 32-06, 155-38, 17k at 80 degrees
On GB...
Saw a school of fast moving dolphins jumping high into the air this afternoon.
Otherwise a quiet day... debating when to tack onto port.... so we tacked at 6 pm... getting used to the different motion of the boat through the waves... and debating cutting a few inches off one leg... or growing the other leg a bit longer.
Cheers,
Jim Q
-------------------------------------------------
Aug 1
Andromeda 28-53, 155-09, 17k at 60 degrees
Coyote 33-03, 148-33, 16k at 80 degrees
Deception 35-44, 147-02, 15k at 70 degrees She's back! Hula Girl passed Deception a battery this morning by using her boom as a crane. It was like "catching a cannon ball". Batteries back up and all systems go. She also has been catching a whole lot of fish too!
Delicate Balance 33-28, 148-00, 20k at unknown degrees
Green Buffalo 35-30, 147-59, 12k at 80 degrees
Hula Girl 35-36, 146-59, 14k at 80 degrees
JAM 34-59, 147-40, 16k at 70 degrees Passed close to Rhum Boogie today
Jamani 36-35, 147-01, 10k at 75 degrees
Nozomi 28-48, 157-57, 20k at 90 degrees
Recidivist 35-55, 149-59, 10k at 62 degrees
Rhum Boogie 34-56, 147-41, 16k at 70 degrees Picked up a Japanese glass float today - and took a cat call from JAM
Riva 38-33, 145-18, 2k at 340 degrees First boat to be motoring across the center of the high
Scaramouche V 25-03, 158-44, 20k from the NE
Spellbound 30-08, 152-25, 13k at 70 degrees
Tiki J 35-09, 150-20, 14k at 65 degrees
Valis 31-44, 154-43, 10k at 70 degrees
Whistler V 29-57, 156-00, 17k at 15 degrees
On GB...
Pleasant sailing... it feels like a bit of a library... everyone reading... having gone through controversial political and religious discussions earlier in the week.
Should reach the high by late tomorrow... start of 2-3 days of motoring... and maybe a chance to go swimming?
Cheers,
Jim Q
-------------------------------------------------
July 31
Coyote 30-42, 149-37, 15k at 80 degrees Picked up a "large" Japanese glass float today!
Deception Hula Girl to attempt to give Deception a battery tomorrow (Sunday) morning; various discussions on how to best hand-off a battery at sea.
Delicate Balance 31-11, 148-37, 18k at unknown degrees
Green Buffalo 33-37, 149-12, 7k at 90 degrees motoring on and off
Hula Girl 33-20, 148-24, 7k at 40 degrees
JAM 32-21, 149-04, 14k at 67 degrees
Jamani 34-26, 148-53, 8k at 70 degrees
Nozomi 26-04, 158-36, 13k at 97 degrees
Recidivist 33-39, 151-40, 9k at 80 degrees
Rhum Boogie 33-12, 149-15, 12k at 60 degrees Saw a large sea turtle (3.5 feet) caught in a net - so they stopped and set her free (dealing with a large angry sea turtle was a bit exciting)
Riva 37-05, 147-44, 8k at 175 degrees
Scaramouche V 22-24, 158-07, 25k from the NE
Spellbound 28-00, 157-36, 14k at 60 degrees
Tiki J 33-21, 152-03, 9k at 40 degrees Looks like they have their engine starting problem sorted out. Saw 4 foot long blue fin tuna cruising alongside
Trial Run In Hawaii
Valis 29-19, 155-25, 13k at 85 degrees
Whistler V 27-53, 156-30, 14k at 84 degrees
On GB...
On and off sailing and motoring (yes more of the same)
Had three bites, lost one lure and got just one Mahi Mahi to the boat (which we released).
Everyone working through the library... on their third book.
Hoping we get a full day of no wind and motoring tomorrow - so we can do some serious glass float hunting.
Cheers,
Jim Q
July 30
Coyote 28-29, 150-45, 13k at 95 degrees
Deception 32-27, 148-59 Patch by Sat phone thru Hula Girl; Hula Girl to attempt to give Deception a battery tomorrow morning
Delicate Balance 28-59, 150-04, 14k at unknown degrees
Green Buffalo 31-34, 150-41, 9k at 100 degrees motoring on and off
Hula Girl 31-09, 150-19, 7k at 70 degrees
JAM 29-54, 150-54, 12k at 80 degrees
Jamani 32-51, 150-51, 8k at 102 degrees
Nozomi 23-17, 159-15, 13k at 93 degrees
Rhum Boogie 31-32, 150-54, 14k at 75 degrees
Recidivist 31-15, 153-29, 12k at 90 degrees
Riva 36-00, 150-20, 7k at 190 degrees
Spellbound 25-42, 155-47, 12k at 90 degrees
Tiki J 31-21, 153-45, 12k at 100 degrees
Trial Run Returning to Hawaii, fuel problems
Valis 26-42, 155-46, 17k at 110 degrees
Whistler V 25-50, 157-25, 17k at 90 degrees
On GB...
On and off sailing and motoring
Rummaging through all the food looking for the "choice" meal for tonight.
Took a few side trips to pass by fishing floats that might be glass - but all plastic so far.
If Deception has trouble getting a battery from Hula Girl to tomorrow morning , we may stop by and lend them our "just in case we kill the batteries" solar panel. Rhum Boogie is also within range - and offered - to pass Deception a battery in the next two days. Suspect Hula Girl will succeed tomorrow. :-)
Cheers,
Jim Q
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July 29
Coyote 26-30, 152-45, 17k at 130 degrees
Deception No Report
Delicate Balance 27-30, 152-30, 15k at 42 degrees
Green Buffalo 29-49, 152-43, 7k at 100 degrees motoring on and off
Hula Girl 28-50, 152-14, 10k at 95 degrees
JAM 28-01, 153-06, 11k at 122 degrees
Jamani 31-01, 152-59, 8k at 113 degrees
Nozomi No Report
Rhum Boogie 29-50, 153-05, 11k at 100 degrees
Recidivist 28-55, 155-31, 9k at 90 degrees
Riva 34-23, 153-10, 10k at 150 degrees
Spellbound 23-22, 156-11, 14k at 75 degrees
Tiki J 29-10, 155-16, 13k at 100 degrees
Trial Run Returning to Hawaii, fuel problems
Valis 24-00, 156-38, 17k at 100 degrees
Whistler V 23-14, 157-59, 16k at 72 degrees
On GB...
Motor sailing
Uneventful day
Fish not biting
Lot of reading going on (Bill is on book three and I am just finishing book one).
Sorry to hear Trial Run is heading back to Hawaii
Cheers,
Jim Q
July 29
Betty Gray got word via SATphone from husband, Bob, that Trial Run is turning around and coming back to Hawaii. Not sure where they will dock yet, but they have a diesel leak and will require a rebuild of the ejector system.
KYC is reopening its welcoming arms.
They are about 500 miles out and will return in 4 - 5 days.
July 28
Coyote 24-59, 154-30, 13k at 110 degrees
Deception No Report
Delicate Balance 25-23, 154-31, 18k at 30 degrees
Green Buffalo 28-14, 154-38, 8k at 120 degrees
JAM 26-04, 155-20, 11k at 93 degrees
Jamani 29-14, 155-06, 6.5k at 120 degrees
Nozomi In Hanalei, leaving tomorrow
Rhum Boogie 28-26, 154-57, 11k at 90 degrees
Recidivist 26-41, 156-19, 12k at 113 degrees
Riva 32-22, 154-48, 10k at 150 degrees
Spellbound 21-44, 157-39, 12k at 75 degrees
Tiki J 27-04, 156-41, 7k at 50 degrees More confident about their rudder so continuing on
Trial Run 28-21, 156-41, 0k Autopilot is now working!
Valis 21-49, 157-42, 12k at 115 degrees
Whistler V 21-16, 158-09, 8k at 35 degrees
On GB...
All is well... other then more light breeze... 6-7k of wind we are motor sailing at 7k over the bottom... its a little early to be using a lot of fuel... though weather indicates we'll get to the northerly past the high "quite early"... so using fuel now is probably okay (though we'll be monitoring the weather every day to see if we need to back off motoring and just sail slowly a few days).
We had orange chicken for dinner last night... our first cooked dinner... everyone now has their sea legs.
We had a hitchhiker last night... from midnight till sunrise... a brown footed booby sitting on the bow pulpit. These are quite large birds... 3-4 times larger then a seagull. Abhi attempted to scare him off yelling "Off" and shining the spotlight on him... no going. He left this morning when he felt like it (he was nice enough to not crap on the foredeck too!).
Last... everyone took a shower on the foredeck this afternoon... the boat now smells like Prell... and no longer a locker room.
After catching two Mahi Mahi in two days, no fish today. We "ordered" a yellow tail from our resident "semi pro" fisherman Dave Sanchez... we'll see if he can come through tomorrow. :-)
Cheers,
Jim Q
July 27 (delayed)
Coyote 23-48, 156-26, 15k at 105 degrees
Deception 27-26, 155-47, 7k at 40 degrees
Delicate Balance 23-42, 156-36, 15k at 40 degrees
Green Buffalo 26-44, 156-21, 7k at 90 degrees
JAM 24-28, 157-02, 14k at 102 degrees
Jamani 27-28, 156-14, 8k at 74 degrees
Recidivist 24-00, 157-06, 14k at 83 degrees
Tiki J 24-44, 157-00, 12k at 40 degrees Rudder noises and slight water leakage has them considering returning to Hawaii - but discussions during roll call has them carrying forward
Trial Run 26-37, 157-45, 9k at 130 degrees AutoPilot is out (ugh)
Riva 30, 156, 8k wind at 95 degrees
On GB...
All is well... other then the light breeze... 8K of wind we are making 5-6k over the bottom... 5k toward SF.
Its too early to start motoring... cannot motor 1000 miles... looks like we'll have to live with these light air and slow going for 2 days or so before starting to motor in a serious way. Oil leak in the rear main seal is pretty slow... used no oil the last two days... but did use 4 pints of water.
Went up the mast and added a second line to support the lower shroud... so we now have four lines backing up the shroud that still has its core wires intact. I'll sleep better tonight with this extra lower shroud support.
Wee bit of sea sickness last night... think due to the high protein mahi mahi sushi. The oven is on and its orange chicken and rice for dinner tonight... our first "real" dinner.
Cheers,
Jim Q
Coyote 24-26, 157-01, 13k at 65 degrees
Deception 25-12, 156-54, 18k at 100 degrees
Delicate Balance 21-44, 138-00, 17k at 36 degrees
Green Buffalo 24-46, 157-01, 13k at 65 degrees
Jamani 25-11, 156-56, 13k at 68 degrees
Tiki J 22-04, 157-47, 15k at 55 degrees
Trial Run 24-33, 157-38, 15k at 30 degrees
On GB...
Had the engine alarm go off last night during charging... first thought was oil (leaking rear seal) but turned out to be coolant. Quick easy fix.
Caught a mahi mahi and made sushi and poke (caught one yesterday too but threw it back... too small). One of my crew is a real fisherman.
Something to be nervous about... lower starboard shroud spring 6 wire strands all at once - "sprongggg". Went up the mast and rigged a "doubled" spectra halyard alongside the shroud to reduce the load on the remaining shroud strands. Needs to stand up to beating for 3-4 days - till we get over on port tack.
Cheers,
Jim Q
