Position: 27 degrees, 54 minutes north; 159 degrees, 45 minutes west 115 nm day

Still going slower than we’d like. Squally weather has kept us from optimal sail combinations. Like right now. There’s a huge squall just upwind and we have to furl the jib to keep it from tearing itself up as the squall gets to us with 30 knot winds. But in the meantime we’re sailing almost 30% slower than with the jib up – and we’ll stay that way for a while after the squall passes. The good news from Orcinius, who is upwind and ahead of us, is that there’s lighter wind, no squalls and more moderate seas ahead. Yay! Hopefully tomorrow we’ll be able to really get going.

The good news for today is the showers. Yes, after three-plus hot and humid days including getting drenched with salt water on the first day when I went forward to set the stays’l, we got to take showers today. Bliss. Feels so good to wash all the sticky salt, sweat and sunscreen off. And the bonus is that, while it’s still quite warm, it’s not as blazing hot, nor nearly as humid as it’s been in Hawaii. Going north has its advantages! The other good news is Ann cooked dinner! I think she noticed that after getting thrown around the galley trying to cook in the bouncy conditions I’ve become near suicidal about the cooking and she thankfully took over tonight’s chore. A really nice salad and a spiced chicken patty thingy. It was quite good. We agreed it tasted like a nice chicken sausage. Thank you Ann!

Now if the wind and seas would calm a bit, we could open the portholes and hatches and get some ventilation going in the cabin.

Position: 25 degrees, 59 minutes north; 159 degrees, 29 minutes west 125 nm day

We’d be going farther each day by at least 20 miles, but the unsettled wind has us furling the jib constantly to ride out the squalls. Not big rain squalls, just windy areas where for an hour or two, the wind will over power the jib.

Just one of these after another...

We’ll furl and all will be fine until the wind drops. Then we wait an hour or two or longer if I’m off watch and sleeping, running just the stays’l and our speed drops to 4 knots. Oh well, it’s more comfortable that way. We’re not racing, right? 😉 (uh, huh)

So, today was the same as yesterday. Let’s see, there’s blue sky, then clouds. A little rain, wind, blue water, then everything turns gray for a while. The ride’s not terrible, but it grates on you, constantly heeled over to one side, but with the waves rolling under the boat and some coming from in front, it’s a constant rock and roll and you can’t let go of a handhold for even a second or you get thrown around. As we’ve noted before, sitting becomes an exercise where to splay both legs, at least one arm and then a butt, or hip or something and wedge yourself in. The “free” arm is what you have left for eating, drinking or reading.

Yesterday the wind was solid mid-twenties gusting higher. Today, most of the day was in the high teens gusting low twenty and we had the jib up most of the day (although this evening the wind is up again and jib’s down). Tomorrow is supposed to be lighter, so we have that to look forward to.

It’s still blazing hot in the daytime. The deck gets so hot you can’t sit on it without a cushion or you’ll get a burn. But nights are cooling. I’m wearing a thermal long sleeve tee shirt but still shorts and flip flops, Ann is going to a long sleeve shirt, capri-pants and tonight a towel or maybe a blanket around her legs.

OK, not much else to say yet. We’re still getting our sea legs although I’m glad to report that both of us had good sleep last night and today and are feeling much more refreshed – other than my “slight” explosion when I couldn’t get the damn dinner out of the fridge with all the rocking and rolling and a sealed meal of some unknown food product mysteriously flew across the cabin and slammed into the bulkhead. Oh, and some swearing was heard too. The fridge is very full of good stuff to eat but getting to a specific meal is like playing Tetris.

Position 23 degrees, 56 minutes north; 158 degrees, 59 minutes west 123 nm day

So, that’s the best title I can come up with for today. I’ve got the “Day Two Blahs”. When you haven’t slept enough because you’re not used to the motion of the boat and now I’m so tired (my “off watch” starts when this is done) I can hardly type. Hopefully I’ll get a good sleep and tomorrow can start the fun part of the voyage. Rarely are the first two days “fun”. Ann got a good sleep this afternoon, so she’s doing really well!

These first two days have been upwind into the trade winds. We’re doing about 60 degrees on average against the wind and about 70 degrees to the waves. The upshot is we’re reefed way down and it’s very wet and bouncy – but that’s what it takes to get out of Hawaii. The trades there are stronger than in most of the rest of the Pacific, so it’s the price you pay so to speak. The wind is supposed to ease a bit over the next few days, so hopefully we’ll get some smoother water and be able to unfurl the jib. For now, we’re hobbling a bit because I have to adjust our sails for the high end of the winds. It’s averaging around 20 to 22 knots, but gusting to 30, so we just have a triple reefed main and stays’l which goes really well in 30 knots, but isn’t powerful enough in 20 knots to punch through these waves. If the wind stabilizes a bit – as it’s supposed to – it will stay in the 20 knot range and we can put the jib out and go faster.

Ann had a nice treat this morning. Orcinius, who left Ko Olina a couple hours after we did caught up with us around 0900 (Ann’s watch) and called on the VHF, so Ann and Lisa had a good chat. We also have set up a 1700 local time radio sked on the shortwave each day, so we will touch base even as we move apart over the days to come. At 46 feet, they go a knot or two faster than we do, so we’re already out of the 20 mile VHF range.

OK, I’m rambling. Time to post this, get the weather forecast and go to bed!

Position: 21 degrees, 57 north; 158 degrees, 28 west

We left Ko Olina at 1230 today, exactly three weeks after arriving from Tahiti. Whew, this is the third long passage since leaving New Zealand on May 18.

Time to go!

Bye, bye, Ko Olina. Fun, but hot!

Looks like this one will be somewhere longer than 21 days, but we won’t know whether the wind is going to cooperate or not for another week or so. For now, we’re just heading north and hoping to get “on top” of the Pacific High at which point we can turn east.

Bumpy right now. After peaking out from the point on Oahu, we were greeted with 6 foot waves from the NE and wind that’s 24 gusting 30. It is forecast to stay that way through tomorrow then moderate somewhat. Not too bad, but wouldn’t hurt my feelings if it dropped about ten knots.

Orcinius left about an hour or so behind us after stopping at the fuel dock to top off. At 1700 they were about ten miles behind but going a couple knots faster, so we expect we’ll be passed in the night. Ah the benefits of that extra 8 feet of waterline.

That’s it for tonight. Too bumpy to write more.