Catching up on passage photos

We didn't take a great number of photos while we were underway, but we did get a few.

Last night in Mexico - waiting to clear customs at Nuevo Vallarta (can you see little Ka'sala among the mega yachts?)

I bought all my fresh vegetables and fruit at Costco, Mega and La Comer.   The grapefruit and oranges I bought from Costco lasted beautifully and I could have bought more.  By the end of the third week we only had apples and limes left.

Once I got all the fresh stuff on board I had to organize and store it.  A decision had to made whether to wipe it down with a vinegar solution or leave it as is until ready to be eaten.  I've tried it both ways and figure it is best to just leave it as it has likely been treated for longevity.  As it happened, everything survived except the cantelope which I had to cut up and refrigerate on the second day.

I got these plastic crates at Mega - asked the produce clerk and he just gave them to me.  I also used the thick purple paper trays that you often see apples on to separate the layers.  Because we would be using one of the settee berths to sleep on for the passage, I converted the forepeak into storage.  The whole system worked extremely well with two exceptions: the cantelope and the carrots (which started to go soft - I had to soak them in water and move them into the fridge to revive them).

The interior while underway - note the sea berth to the left with the lee cloths.

Galley while underway

Un retouched photo - the ocean at 20 degrees North is an incredible colour of blue!

Note the jordan drogue in the bag behind the helm - we didn't get anywhere near having to deploy it

We saw a lot of squalls on this trip, but many of them passed us by.  The white board with the maple leaf is the paddle of the monitor which self steers Ka'sala

Another beautiful sailing day - note the storm sail rigged to the mast in the red bag - never got close to using it.  Also note the dinghy upside down on the foredeck - we had our ditchbag tied within as we had the whole thing rigged as our life raft.  Also note the kayaks now stored on the sides of the carriage roof (usually stored on top) - not ideal, but allowed us to use the staysail (which is flying between the reefed headsail and mainsail) and still have enough room for the jacklines along the deck.

An evening squall - note the jugs on both sides of the foredeck - port are the diesel jugs and starboard are the water jugs (which we never used)

Only one of many glorious sunsets

Approaching Oahu in the Kauai Channel - usually notorious for standing waves because of a strong current against prevailing winds- we were fortunate that the trade winds were light that day!

Koko Head - a volcanic crater on the east end of Oahu - people actually build their houses on the rim!!??

Diamond Head with the sky scrapers of Honolulu peaking around the corner

Doug raises the quarentine flag as we approach Waikiki and the Ala Wai.  This flag was replaced with an American and Hawaiian flag once we had cleared customs and immigration later that day.

Honolulu - First Week

Our last night at sea was relatively benign.  The winds were constant between 10 and 15 knots and the seas remained relatively calm.  The only straw in the ointment was a counter current which ranged from .5 to 2 knots against us and added several hours to our final day.  By the time we reached the Kaiwi Channel we had to turn on the engine or we would not have arrived in Honolulu in daylight.  (I later learned that Kaiwi means "slowness" in Hawaiin - which has nothing to do with calmness - as this channel has the reputation of being quite rough - no wonder if the current is this strong against the prevailing trade winds.  Now I know why we saw such gigantic, close together waves when we crossed from Molokai 7 years ago).  As our last day at sea dawned, we could see the outline of Maui and Molokai behind us, and the great slab of Oahu ahead of us.  It is a wild and dramatic landscape with steep sided, green covered hills and extinct volcanic cones.  A subdivision spread out along the lip of a cone at Koko Head seemed nonsensical. 

In the Kaiwi Channel approaching Oahu

You can just see the white houses of the subdivision on the right of the Koko Head volcano ridge

As we rounded Koko Head, Diamond Head came into view and very soon after the skyrises of Waikiki and Honolulu.

Doug raises the "Q" (quarentine) flag as we glide past Waikiki

We arrived at the Aloha dock at the Hawaii Yacht Club in the Ala Wai just after 12:30 local time.  (We later realized we had our time mixed up as we had not known Hawaii does not follow daylight savings time).  Robbie Buck, the Port Captain, greeted us and once we were secure on the dock, Doug called US customs and immigration.  Within half an hour, Mr. Shoda was aboard checking our passports and boat documentation.  He found everything in order and we were free to go ashore, however we had to report to his office the next day to finalize the paperwork and renew our US cruising permit. 

On the Aloha dock at the Hawaii Yacht Club in the Ala Wai

 We also needed to be inspected by the Agricultural branch, however, the agent was not available until 8am the next morning.  We were required to keep our garbage aboard until she could inspect it.  And, inspect it she did, then we bagged it and she took it away to be incinerated.  While onboard, she checked through all my stores.  I had thrown all the remaining produce overboard the night before so I knew I would pass that test.  However, she confiscated the remaining eggs and two small steaks I had in the freezer.  She inspected all my opened dry goods, such as flour and rice, then went through the fridge.  I was required to wash down all my countertops with bleach while she supervised.  It was the most thorough check we had ever undergone, but I had no problem with it at all.

We did not fall over when we stepped on land.  In fact, on the first day it all felt completely normal to walk around and be in a big urban centre with all the associated sights and sounds.  It was almost as if the last three weeks hadn't even happened!  It wasn't until the following day that I felt discombobulated.  Our first night we wandered over to a nearby pub for draft beer and pizza and were in our bunks early. 

Next day, after the agricultural inspection,  we sorted out the rest of our US clearances and found ourselves at the Hawaii Brewery for lunch.  Doug was in heaven and with so many IPA choices he had to settle for a flight.

IPA heaven

On the way back to the boat we scoped out bicycle shops, grocery stores and laundry mat to be visited the next day.  I found the walking difficult after so many days just keeping my balance, and realized that I would need my bicycle if I was ever going to get around easily in this city.  Doug had them set up and ready to go the next morning.

Overlooking the beach at Honolulu - Diamond Head in the distance

 We have spent the last couple of days figuring out the bicycle routes, shopping for the boat and for us, doing laundry, cleaning, etc.  We are looking forward to slowing down a bit so we can enjoy a vacation in this dynamic place before we continue north again.

Happy to have my wheels again!

Aloha from Hawaii

We arrived at the Aloha Dock at the Hawaii Yacht Club at 10:00 UTC or 12:30 local time after 23 days, 6 and 1/2 hours and almost 3000 nautical miles.  Yay us!  Now to clear customs, etc, and settle in.  I will post more later!  Big thanks and hugs to all of you following our passage!

Tuesday, May 15 - Day 22

21.21 N
155.09 W

Distance travelled: 118 NM - 128 to go!

All going well, today will be our last full day at sea. At the moment, we are just coming up to the north side of Maui. We can faintly see land in the distance, but most of it is enshrouded in cloud and haze. We may see more land as we will pass closer to Molokai. We have heard that the volcano on the Big Island may blow its top, but we see no evidence of anything different from our perspective. If it does blow, the fall out will be downwind of Oahu, so it is unlikely we will notice a thing.

Last night was a quiet one and we both slept well on our off watches. The stars were once more incredible, but that was all we noticed - no wildlife, no shipping of any kind. However, we have begun hearing Hawaii Coast Guard notices on the VHF. We sailed through the night on a reach and this morning we shifted back to wing on wing to keep our course. The forecast is still holding good for us. We expect the winds to pick up this afternoon, but they are supposed to die down later in the evening. We will pass through the channel between Molokai and Oahu in the wee hours and pass by Diamond Head in the morning.

Last night on the Seafarer's Net we asked that someone call the Hawaii Yacht Club to notify them of our pending arrival. Jane did it for us and they are expecting us. It was a busy night for them as several boats tried to join the roster, but the reception was not great. We heard that a boat heading to Honolulu from Tonga lost its rig and had to return under power. Another sailboat, with a 74 year old solo sailor aboard, has been reported missing somewhere between the Galapagos and Hawaii. We are thankful we have such a sound boat and we are capable of such a journey.

Today I went through the provisions for the last time. I made up a big tomato sauce to freeze, with as many vegetables as I could and the rest I had to throw overboard. Hawaii does not allow us to bring in fresh fruit and vegetables and I feel we need to respect that. At first I was a little chagrined by how much I had to throw away - potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onion, garlic, ginger, limes, and peppers - but then I realized that I had planned our stores for a possible 30 day passage. We would have eaten these things if we had been that long at sea, so I believe my planning was close to perfect. And it's better to throw a few things away, than to not have them at all. Of course, we still have plenty of canned and dried foods, so we are a very long way from starving. On another note - we still have over half of our fresh water supply. Are we good, or what???

Tomorrow I shall try to post our arrival, so stay tuned. There may not be a lot of detail, but that will come later. Thanks to all of you who have been following our passage - we appreciate your thoughts and prayers - all that positive energy surely helps!

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Monday, May 14 - Day 21

21.21 N
153.50 W

Distance Travelled: 134 NM - 246 NM left to go!

Today marks three weeks at sea and, I have to say, the time really has flown by. In fact, when I look back the days seem to blur together and I am thankful I kept my journal and this blog to look back on some day. It has been quite a journey, so far!

Yesterday was an almost perfect sailing day, however, last night we had challenges as the winds gusted and deflated which meant we were in the cockpit doing a fair amount of tweaking - we're sailing - right? What are we supposed to be doing? Sleeping? Watching movies??? Then the wind died to a trace and Doug fired up the engine to get us going again. We also needed to top up the batteries, so it wasn't really a problem.

For the first half hour the prop did a bit of grumbling - it hadn't been pushing the boat in almost three weeks, so no doubt there was some growth on it. Doug noticed that we seemed to be having a problem with our electrical system. He spent a few hours doing diagnostics and eliminating some obvious things, but will have to spend some time on it when we get to Honolulu. It won't effect the rest of our passage, thank goodness. Could be something to do with the alternator or the batteries...time will tell.

The wind really didn't pick up again until after noon and now we are broad reaching following 270 True at about 5.5 knots. An enormous north swell has picked up again, so it isn't a particularly smooth ride. Although it is sunny and warm, we can see towering cumulus building in the distance and we shall have to keep our eyes open for squalls tonight. The winds are predicted by NOAA to be 10 - 15 over the next two days, but could be higher. At any rate, all looks good for our arrival in Honolulu sometime Wednesday morning.

The stars last night were amazing again and this time I used my binoculars to check them out. It is astounding how many are out there and really makes you wonder if we aren't alone in the universe. I watched a film called "Jupiter Ascending" about this topic. In this fantasy, a super elite humanoid cartel seed planets with humans that they can "harvest" when their populations exceed the ability for the planet to sustain them. They render the biological material to make a special serum that allows the humanoids to live eternally. Well, there is more to the story, but it caught my attention as I was looking at those stars! Ha Ha

Two more sleeps.......

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Sunday, May 13 - Day 20

21.17 N
151.34 W

Distance travelled: 120 NM - 380 to go!

Happy Mother's Day! A special day for special people. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful mother, Wineita Coleman, whom I cherish. Although I can't celebrate the day with her, I am with her in spirit and send my love.

Conditions calmed down considerably over this last 24 hour period. We had about 10 knots during the night and the seas were low enough that we weren't banged around too much. We both slept well. On our watches we enjoyed gazing at the stars - still not particularly bright, but a stupendous number were visible, including the Milky Way, against a backdrop of inky black. On clear nights on the ocean, we can see the stars right on the horizon (in fact sometimes we think they are the lights of ships) because there is no ambient light from land. From where we are now, we can see the Southern Cross and the North Star. Spectacular!

Last night a flying fish decided to pay Doug a visit in the cockpit. The mess it made gave me an excuse to wash down the cockpit and clean the plastic windows on the dodger and side panels. Ka'sala will look great when she pulls into the Hawaii Yacht Club - the captain and crew? Hopefully not too smelly and scruffy! We will certainly have a big bag of laundry!

Mid morning the wind backed and picked up. We are now sailing at 6.5 knots on a beam reach - an excellent point of sail for Ka'sala. Down below we can hear the swishing of the water along the hull. We are relatively stable. Up above, it is warm in the cockpit under sunny skies with puffy clouds. In a word: stunning! We will enjoy every last minute of it!

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Saturday, May 12 - Day 19

21.12 N
149.19 W

Distance travelled: 133 NM - 500 NM left

Aaaaaaah! Now this is nice! We are coasting along at 5.5 knots in 15 knots of wind. It would be absolutely perfect if the seas were flatter, but that close cross swell persists. Even though Ka'sala continues to rock, the movement is a bit gentler. The sun is shining. The sky is blue. It is warm - 28 degrees, and the sea a crystal blue. Gorgeous! We have had to work the sails, moving from wing on wing to a deep beam reach to keep Ka'sala as stable as possible.

We ran the engine today to top up the batteries, which also provided us with hot water to take a "bath". Lovely! It was calm enough that I was able to make a chickpea curry this morning and a little later I will make another batch of naan bread. Although we are down to apples, onions and potatoes, I have been able to plan out the rest of our meals until our arrival and we will be fine.

We aren't quite at the time zone, but decided to move to it this morning as we ended the night watches. We will stay in this zone until we are halfway to Sitka in late June.

We are in the "zone" for Hawaii weather reports and the outlook is looking excellent for the remainder of our passage - 10 - 15 knot winds and no southern swell. Of course the wind and waves will accelerate through the channels between the islands, but it should be manageable. We will monitor the weather closely and keep our fingers crossed that the predictions turn out to be correct. We are still expecting to arrive in Honolulu sometime on Wednesday.

We haven't seen any plastic or garbage in the sea until today. We were in the cockpit enjoying our lunch when we started noticing a fair amount of flotsam gliding by. Most of it was hand-sized bits of plastic, hard to discern what they began life as. There was quite a bit of it over an hour of time, then it stopped. Where had it come from? Prevailing winds and current are behind us, so maybe we just caught up with it. Horrible to see in the pristine blue waters.

Our moods are buoyant aboard the pea-green boat! Har! Har!

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Friday, May 11 - Day 18

21.15 N
146.57 W

Distance Travelled: 144 NM - 633 NM to Honolulu!

Another good mileage day! Although less than yesterday, it is more impressive because we did not have any current supplementing our speed. Yesterday afternoon the winds and seas calmed down, but picked up again in the early evening and took us through the night. The wind seemed to rise and fall in spans of 10 knots (from 15 - 25 knots), so we were constantly fiddling with the sails - double reefed main and dialing the jib in and out. We seem to have picked up a large cross swell that has Ka'sala rocking and rolling and the sails thundering and banging as we ride through it. We are travelling wing on wing, directly down wind. This sail configuration is awkward in these conditions because the boat is not as stable as it would be on a reach (when the wind comes from the side). Why aren't we reaching then? It would mean falling off our track at least 30 degrees.

We are focussing on our approach to the Islands and Doug is monitoring weather faxes and reports. We have several choices for our approach to Oahu. We can pass through the Alenuihaha Channel between the Big Island and Maui, or continue north and pass through either the channel between Maui and Molokai, or Molokai and Oahu. A lot of it will depend on wind and sea state - something we won't be able to really take into viable consideration until at least Sunday. We will likely see Maui on Monday.

Tomorrow we will be passing through another time zone at 150 degrees and will be on Hawaii time! When I think of the passage so far, it seems to have flown by. In 2011, when we sailed from Mexico to Hilo on the Big Island, it took us just over 23 days. It will probably end up taking the same amount of time to get to Honolulu, which is 2 degrees farther west and north. Not bad. But as my Mom always said: Don't count your chickens before they hatch! Hopefully the winds will keep in our favour!

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Thursday, May 10 = Day 17

20.57 N
144.32 W

Distance travelled: 153 NM, 777 NM to go!

As you can see by our mileage, we had a lot of wind over the last 24 hours. Wind speeds averaged at 25 knots and gusts got up to 30. The seas followed suit and we had pretty rough conditions, high and confused, all over the place. Inside Ka'sala it felt like we were in a barrel going over Niagara Falls (although we were never upside down, we bumped up and down, skewered side to side, rocked, rolled...we just held on.) We also had about one knot of current with us, and we roared along to our destination with a double reefed main, and 1/3 of the jib out. Despite the conditions, we were both able to sleep in our off watches and even watch a movie! Either we are getting blase' or used to it! (Seasoned, hardened sailors, har har!)

I was concerned these conditions would persist for a few days, but by late morning today seas and winds subsided. We are now riding along, fairly smoothly, full sails and 15 knots of wind and still averaging 6 knots! Long may it continue!

We were quite intrigued to see a low developing southeast of us when consulting the weather fax. Based on the long range forecast, it should not effect us, but it certainly got our attention.

Last night it was especially dark. The moon didn't rise until almost morning and I thought the starlight would be bright without any illumination, so far from land. However, even though we could see many stars, they were not "twinkling", nor did there seem to be a lot of starlight. Yet I have been on night watch in the past, in similar conditions, and the starlight was so bright I could almost read by it. Doug thinks there must be a high level thick haze blocking it out.

Despite the difficult conditions, all is well aboard Ka'sala. This time next week, I hope to be sitting on the veranda of the Hawaii Yacht Club, sipping something cold, after having the most incredible hot water shower, catching up with family, friends and news on the internet. What a lovely thought! Oh, and savouring a delicious meal on a plate (instead of a bowl), on a table, with fussy little bits of this and that I can take my time to consume with a knife and fork. And not have it fly off my knees! And a glass or two of wine - of course!

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Wednesday, May 9 - Day 16

20.48 N
141.46 W

Distance Travelled: 132 NM - 930 to go!

The nasty seas have come back along with an increase in wind. Yesterday afternoon we noticed a very large, long period swell coming from the north - at least 4 meters high. When the wind filled in to 20 knots in the night, a wind chop from the NE joined that swell and so we are slewing and rolling side to side once more. Not a particularly comfortable ride, but we are safe, warm and dry - and on track. The conditions are supposed to persist over the next couple days as we watch the miles tick off to our destination.

Doug looked at the weatherfax this morning and noticed that a low he had spotted to the south east of us has not dissipated as he had hoped. It is moving slowly north, but will likely not affect us. Thank goodness! I am beginning to think it will be very nice to be in a safe harbour again soon.

Last night a brown bird with an elegant long wing span did a magnificent aerial ballet over the waves behind Ka'sala. We were playing Diana Krall and it was like it knew the tune as it soared all around - a truly lovely sight.

We are reading and keeping a close eye on the conditions, otherwise, it is a quiet day aboard Ka'sala.

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Tuesday, May 8 - Day 15

20.42 N
139.18 W

Distance travelled: 121 NM - 1062 to go! Two thirds of the way there!

Another beautiful 24 hours! We were able to stay on a beam reach, starboard tack, for the whole period, averaging 5 knots under full sail. The deep blue seas - now 24 degrees - are comfortable, with only an occasional swell making us slither around. There was little moon in the night and a lot of cloud cover, but today the sun is shining again and it is quite warm - almost 30 degrees in the cabin. We are currently in 10 - 12 knots, but the winds are supposed to pick up to 20 over the next couple days. It is beginning to look like we will arrive in Honolulu late next week - hopefully before the 18th. All is well aboard.

We ran the engine today for 1.5 hours to top up our batteries. The electrical system continues to do well and we use our electronics at will. The fridge hums happily. The beer is cold.

We had a gorgeous sunset last night as we ate our "imitation" pot roast dinner. Afterward Doug checked into the PacSeaNet and afterward we talked to our friends Jan and Joanneke, from Witte Raaf, over the SSB radio. It was wonderful to hear our friends' voices.

In the evening light I enjoyed watching the flying fish skimming along the crests of the waves, their silver bodies glittering in the dying light. They are amazing creatures and look a little like kite boards, their long fins like twin dagger boards - steadying them on the surface.

I spent another meditative morning in the cockpit, random thoughts of our next passage, exploring the Alaska coast and returning to our home in Comox, filtering through my mind. All going well, two months from now we will be anticipating our arrival in Sitka, Alaska! It certainly won't be as warm a passage as this one! What will it be like to live in our own house again after more than three years aboard Ka'sala, in the van and house sitting? I wonder. I imagine. A new chapter.

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Monday, May 7 - Day 14

20.20 N
137.08 W

Distance travelled: 124 NM - 1183 left to go!

When I came on watch this morning, the sun was just breaking over the horizon. The sky was completely cloudless and white-blue. We were sailing along at 5 knots on a beam reach over relatively flat seas. Ka'sala was stable in the water. Perfect! I spent several hours in the cockpit while Doug slept, just meditating on the scene. Two snow-white birds flew around us, craaaaking to each other - I was glad to see them together, no doubt having a morning tiff. A little later on, a sole grey-brown bird, larger than the previous pair and with a wide wingspan, soared lonely by, then vanishing into the rising sun. Are they as amazed to see us out here as we are to see them?

It was a perfect night as well. We started off wing on wing then, when the winds lightened, I gybed the main and we headed slightly off our track to fill the sails. Both of us had great sleeps in the gentle night. The winds did not really pick up today, so we are coasting along just under 5 comfortable knots. We won't make the mileage we are accustomed to, but we are enjoying every minute of this beautiful day.

We passed through a time zone last night. I don't think too many people actually live in this one between 135 and 150 degrees west. Maybe way up north in the Alutians? Way south in Antarctica? It's a strange thought.

Doug has begun downloading weather faxes of the Pacific Ocean to prepare for our arrival in Hawaii sometime next week, and to begin tracking the weather patterns we need to see before heading north to Alaska in June. He has noticed that we are likely to have these calmer conditions for the next couple days, then more wind toward the end of the week to take us into the Islands.

I'm starting to tire of meal-in-a-bowl dinners and will take advantage of the lighter conditions to try to make the onboard version of pot roast (which I have been craving since Las Vegas - another story!). It consists of a tin of Costco roast beef, in packet mushroom gravy, with oven roasted potatoes and carrots. Do not turn up your nose! This dinner will be culinary heaven! We may even splurge and have a glass of red wine while feasting in the cockpit! Paradise on the pea green boat!

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Sunday, May 6 - Day 13

20.23 N
134. 56 W
Distance made good to Honolulu: 104 NM 1367 NM left to go

The winds lightened considerably over night, and so did the seas, but not enough to allow us to gently sail wing on wing, as the waves rocked us enough to cause the sails to bang and slat. We ended up reconfiguring our sails and heading 50 degrees south of our course on a beam reach. This change allowed enough wind to stabilize us and get us through the night. In the morning, when the wind filled in again, we resumed our course wing on wing and have since been happily moving along under full sails at 6 knots. It would be ideal if these conditions could persist the rest of the way - ha!

The winds are predicted to increase again tonight and we should see similar conditions over the next few days as we saw last week. In the meantime, we are enjoying the slight break, catching up on sleep and doing lots of reading. This afternoon we will pass through another time zone when we reach 135 degrees.

Last night, just before sunset, a large cargo ship, bound for Oakland, passed our bow at 16 knots, about 1.5 NM away. It was enormous against the setting sun. I still can't get over how many large ships we have seen on this voyage when the last time we saw none. I also am amazed that in this vast body of water with not much traffic we would pass so close. Thank goodness for AIS!

We have been getting volcano updates on the Seafarer's Net and are sorry for the people who have lost their homes on the Big Island. We will not be effected as we will be far north of that island and the prevailing winds are westerly.

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Saturday, May 5 - Day 12

20.34 N
132.58 W

Distance Travelled: 129 NM - 1471 to go. We have passed the halfway point. Yippee!

Today is a calmer day. The wind is more moderate and we are cruising along at 5 - 5.5 knots on a starboard reach. We sailed wing on wing all night, but the wind continued to back, so we switched the sails around this morning. It is bright, warm and sunny with 50% cloud cover - the ocean is 22 degrees. The seas are still choppy and confused, and we continue to get smacked by the occasional big wave and bounce around - the new normal. Ha! We also seem to have encountered a .5 knot current against us....?

I was able to wash my hair this morning and it got me thinking about our water use. We left Nuevo Vallarta with 560 litres of fresh water for two adults for, perhaps, 30 days. We have no watermaker - when we are out, we are out. We must use this water for cleaning and drinking. We can supplement with salt water - I have a salt water pump by my sink which I use to rinse the yuck out of the dishes before I wash them - but too much salt water is hard on the inside of a boat and all its metal bits, not to mention hair, skin and clothes. I wondered about the early pioneers, or people who live in places with little fresh water, or the early marine explorers. However did they manage? We have used about 160 litres in the last 12 days and don't feel hard done by. All going well, we should make it to Honolulu with water to spare.

Today is also a special day as I am making pizza for dinner! Earlier, I made a tomato sauce to make use of tired vegetables and we will have it with pasta tomorrow. The journey continues aboard the pea green boat.

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Friday, May 4 - Day 11

20.51 N
130.49 W

Distance traveled: 137 NM - 1600 NM left to go!
Sometime over the next 12 hours we will pass the half way point to Honolulu near 31 degrees west.

We are in strong easterly flow winds now and are coasting along, wing on wing (meaning our jib is poled out to starboard and our main prevented out to port). Although we rock on this point of sail, the movement isn't too difficult to bear. It feels a bit like Ka'sala is wagging her tail as she powers through the ocean. Right now we are making 6.5 knots and heading 270 True in 20 - 25 knots of wind. The sky is sapphire blue with puffy white clouds. The air is warm and dry.

We had a bit of a rough go last night. I guess it could have been the transition from having the wind on the quarter to the wind directly aft, but we seemed to have a lot of difficulty getting Ka'sala to sail smoothly. The seas were high, rough and confused and the wind flukey. When I came on watch I continued to twiddle with the sails when we were overcome by a series of rain squalls. The second one packed 30 knot winds that came up rather suddenly and all three dumped enough fresh water to wipe the boat clean of salt. We knew we would probably be more comfortable wing on wing, but decided to wait until morning when it made more sense to make the change. We reefed down until the wind and seas eventually moderated. By 10am this morning we were sipping our coffee in the newly cleansed cockpit, enjoying our breakfast, and agreeing that a 34 foot sailboat might be a "pleasure" craft, after all! If these conditions continue for the rest of the journey we will, indeed, be happy sailors!

Last night on the Seafarer's Net, one of the operators who lives on the Big Island of Hawaii, mentioned that the enormous volcano there is due to erupt sometime over the next month. Good thing we decided to skip Hilo and head directly for Honolulu!

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Thursday, May 3 - Day 10

20.24.936 N
128.24.614 W

Distance Travelled: 142 NM - 1737 more to Honolulu

As you can tell by the distance we covered in Day 10, we had good wind and snappy conditions. Winds on the aft quarter were in the 20 - 25 knot range with gusts to 28. Seas were running high as we followed a track averaging 275W. We sailed most of it on a double reefed main and jib. Skies were overcast and we could see rain showers in the distance, but no precipitation fell on us. We didn't sleep particularly well as the boat moved around quite a bit on the seas and the winds were not steady - requiring lots of tweaking. We are sticking to our 4 hour watch patterns which seem to be working splendidly.

The wind did not pick up today as predicted. Right now we are coasting along at 6 knots with full jib and reefed main. Very comfortable. The skies are back to blue and the warm sunshine is delightful! And - we saw a bird! We saw a bird! It looked like a small brown boobie, but it was alone and spent an hour or two circling around us, but did not land. What would he be doing out here - at least a thousand nautical miles from any land? Jonathan Livingston Boobie.

I've been thinking a lot about weather prediction today and have a few observations. In our travels we have been told that Canadians have two cultural distinctions: we are all very nice and very weather-obsessed. Okay, then what does that make a Canadian sailor? A nice, psychotically, weather-obsessed person! Maybe. While Canadians have very good reason to take weather into consideration before they leave their homes each day, on the high seas, is it even more important?

You would not believe how many weather models there are out there and each one seems to have its own set of rules. For example, in Canada, when the maritime forecast calls for 30 knot winds, they really mean that 30 knots is likely as much as you will see. However, we have been on the Canadian seas in these type of forecasts and have not seen those winds. In fact, we have had wonderfully comfortable passages in predicted near gales.

As we make our crossing to Hawaii, we download grib files from sailmail that are posted by NOAA. These are arrow-type graphics that are transposed onto your electronic chart for the area you expect to cover in a 6 - 36 hour outlook. NOAA's philosophy is to "average" the wind speeds. So if we see a graphic for 15 knots of wind - we can expect 15 knots to be the mid range of expected wind speed. Our experience has shown us it is often under forecasted. Case in point - yesterday the prediction was for 15 knots - we had steady 25 knots. I guess my points are these: Why do we bother with marine weather when it is so unreliable? Do potential inaccuracies of this degree have a negative psychological effect?

Yesterday, I was not particularly comfortable in the higher winds and sea state. When I saw that the prediction for today was supposed to be for even higher winds, I was quite apprehensive and my anxiety levels were heightened. Yet today, despite the 20 knot (mid-range) prediction, it is actually calmer than yesterday, and all my worry was for naught. So, perhaps ignorance is bliss and I need to come to terms with the fact that I cannot control the weather. I can only conclude that I would be much better off putting my energies into managing the boat in heavy weather conditions, building my confidence and learning to rationalize my fear. I have literally thousands of nautical miles of sailing experience, coastal and off shore, yet I am still not entirely comfortable in this watery element. Any kind of weather forecast is not gospel - only a piece of information to be used to guide your decision making when you go to sea.

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Wednesday, May 2 - Day 9

20.00.379 N
125.58.711 W
Travelled: 127 NM - 1879 NM to go!

Wind: At the moment 20 - 25 knots with higher gusts. It's been windy all day and we have been averaging 6.5 to 7 knots. These winds are predicted to continue for the next 24 hours anyway.

Seas: 2 - 3 meters with a large wind chop - some cross waves. We are following an average track of 270 degrees true and the wind is slightly veering on our aft quarter. At the moment, we have a double reefed main and jib. If the wind continues to build we may drop the main and raise the staysail. Personally, I could do with a bit less. The boat is relatively stable, but skitters and jerks on the waves - still holding on. Doug has expressed the notion that being inside a small sailboat in these conditions is like flying a fighter airplane. Well, thank goodness the pilots don't have to stand to do their work and land within a few hours! For me, being inside is like riding a surfboard with a blindfold on. You plant your feet firmly, bend your knees, tighten up your core muscles and ride the beast!

We realized that at some point today we were due south of Comox (which is located at 124.56.86 W). According to our calculations, at this point in time we are closer to Comox (as the crow flies) than we are to Hawaii!!

It has been mostly overcast and cooler the whole day with even a spatter of rain in the morning. The seas are cobalt blue. A peacock blue tanker passed us 2 miles to starboard on his way to Panama. Doug hailed him and asked when Ka'sala showed up on his AIS - he told us 8 miles away. We picked him up 15 miles away. In this case, size matters!

We are pleased with how our electricity is working out. The wind generator and the solar panels are helping to keep the batteries charged, though not putting back in all that we use. The main drains on the batteries are the refrigerator and our electronics, such as the SSB, boat computer, pactor, lsptops and tablet. We haven't run the engine in a week and we think we may not have to for another couple days. Not bad!

We are starting to bet on our arrival date and, if we continue with these windy conditions, we think we may arrive in Honolulu around May 14. Wouldn't that be nice!

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Tuesday, May 1: Day 8

19.52.99 N
123.31.30 W

Distance Travelled: 132 NM - only 2006 NM left to go! Almost 1/3 complete, as we already have over 980 NM of water under our keel.

Wind: continues N, NNE 15 - 20 with occasional gusts, so we sail on the beam to just below it. It's not as steady, though. In the early morning hours we dubbed it a "daft" wind as it skittered about. Daffy plays havoc with the stability of the monitor steering - which gaily accelerates up on the gusts and then despondently plunks us down into the rolly swells. Of course, the latter is not a good time to be ladling or pouring anything! This afternoon these ups and downs are so regular it makes us think the earth is breathing. (I know this is hopelessly off topic, but if you ever saw the film "Baraka" and the sequence of New York city taxis stopping and starting at traffic lights in sped-up photography, you would know what I mean. The earth breathes! It lives! We just have to pay attention!)

Seas: same as yesterday - however, as you would expect, when the wind dies down, so do the seas. The water is an amazing light, sapphire blue - a colour I have never seen anywhere else but in the middle of the Pacific - almost worth going weeks without seeing land to see.

Observations: 50% overcast, about 25C air and 22C water temperature. Earlier today we had two small sessions of misty rain. We could use a bit more than that to wash the salt off the boat!

No wildlife spotted - not even on the decks. Squid and flying fish have decided to stick to their own element. Good!

An enormous container ship passed us midday 5 miles to starboard. We could see it clearly as it parallelled our track to Hawaii at 19 knots. I think they will get there before us. Doug said: "Wouldn't it be cool if they used their crane to bring us aboard and drop us off 100 miles short of Honolulu? It would be the fastest small sailboat passage yet!" Ha!

Provisions: The curry turned out very well last night and so did the naan bread. This morning I made a big meaty tomato/veggie sauce which I will use for pasta and other things. Spoilage is under control. Each day, when all the watches are finished, we have a big cup of dark roast coffee (the coffee grinder is our only electrical appliance), and eat a big bowl of yoghurt, granola and fresh fruit. It truly is our staple. The rest of the time we are snacking on nuts, oranges and dried fruit. We allow ourselves one alcoholic drink a day (almost exclusively a beer, though one night I was wild and crazy and had a glass of red wine) - we cleverly have called it the "cocktail" hour - and it goes along with a usual daily rise in the wind which we call the "cocktail" wind. How unique! Some days we drink no alcohol at all and don't miss it a bit.

Yesterday we crossed our second time zone at 120 W - 2 more to go to Hawaii at 135 and 150 degrees W.

Doug cleaned and greased the helm bearing and eliminated the squeaking - all will be well there. We are so pleased with Ka'sala's performance.

If you ever get a chance to see "The Lady in the Van" starring Maggie Smith, it is well worth it. That woman can act! Of course, the title attracted me after our Roadtrek adventures, but the film had nothing to do with travelling. I would be curious to know what my British friends think of it. (Look out, Maunds, test coming up!)

Looks like our good sailing weather will continue through the week, but we aren't in the Trades yet. Stay tuned for more updates from the Pea Green boat. (We still haven't figured out which one of us is the owl and which the pussycat!) (And, no, the cocktail hour has not arrived yet today!)

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