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Check-in April 5, 2025; 16:24 (Local)

Current Position: 10 58.458’N 127 01787W; Course: 180; SOG: 5.2 kt; TWS: 17.3 kt; TWD: 030; TWA: 142; Distance to Waypoint (Hiva Oa): 1438 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 1864 nm; Comments: There was a beautiful sunset last night. The sun itself was blotted out by thick clouds, but the sea was turned red by indirect light. I tried to get some sleep about 20:30, but was waken a half hour later by an…

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[Fishing] First Dorado

I’ve caught a lot of fish while sailing in the Sea of Cortez. However, sailing season in the SOC is generally during the cooler months. I spent the summers working on the boat. Being a warm water fish, I’ve never caught a Dorado until now. I haven’t been fishing much during this trip because the seas have been rough and it’s no fun cleaning a fish on a pitching deck. A week ago, I had a line out,…

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Check-in April 4, 2025; 16:37 (Local)

Current Position: 13 04.169’N 126 16.989’W; Course: 180; SOG: 5.1 kt; TWS: 20.6 kt; TWD: 037; TWA: 141; Distance to waypoint (Hiva Oa): 1569 nm; Comments: Last night was uneventful. Concerned there might be squalls at night, I left the jib mostly furled and two reefs in the main. Still, I averaged 5 kt to the S. At first light I sat in the cockpit for a while. The seas had calmed down, but I was…

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Check-in April 3, 2025; 16:29 (Local)

Current Position: 15 40.541’N 125 29.557W; Course: 183; SOG: 5.3 kt; TWS: 16.8 kt; TWD: 043; TWA: 142; Distance to waypoint (Hiva Oa): 1728 nm; Comments: I could tell last night the weather was changing. At 4:00 the winds shifted and I jibed south. I went back to sleep about 5:30 and woke up about 7:00 and looked outside and although the winds were relatively light, about 11 kt, I could tell…

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Almost Loss Use of the Furler

I have been trying to figure out why my furling line is sometimes wrapped around the forestay, preventing me from furling the jib without going to the bowsprit and manually unwrapping the line. This morning I went forward to rig the whisker pole when I noticed something sitting on the bowsprit. It was the “ringer ring” (looks like a ring split down the middle with four fingers) for the furler. I…

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Check-in April 2, 2025; 17:49 (Local)

Current Position: 16 04.090’N 124 06.263’W; Course: 245; SOG: 6.0 kt; TWS: 19.1 kt; TWD: 045; TWA: 149; Distance to waypoint (Hiva Oa): 1788 nm; Comments: Last night was uneventful. Winds averaged about 15 and did not get experience the wind gusts that were predicted. Waves were high and at times the boat rolled significantly. I woke up to overcast skies … little solar. The weather forecast seems…

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Check-in April 1, 2025; 16:20 (Local)

Current Position: 16 05.916’N 121 22.503’W; Course: 254; SOG: 6.1 kt; TWS: 17.8 kt; TWD: 035; TWA: 142; Distance to waypoint (Hiva Oa): 1875 nm; Comments: Nature played an April Fool’s joke on me. Since I had just got cleaned up, I decided to wear something clean to sleep last night. When I went to the hanging locker, I found everything was soaked … my summer and winter clothes, clean bedding,…

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Progress in the First Week

At noon today, it will have been one week since I left Cabo San Lucas, MX, 2612 nm as the crow flies to Hiva Oa, Marquesses. I still have 1900 miles to sail (as the crow flies), meaning I have travelled (2612-1890)/2612×100=28% of the way. However, progress on the first leg was slow for several reasons. The winds were generally lighter than they are now (although I still have the ITCZ ahead of…

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Check-in March 31, 2025; 15:28 (Local)

Current Position: 16 21.409’N 118 35.602’W; Course: 255; SOG: 6.2kt; TWS: 17.8 kt; TWD: 037; TWA: 131; Distance to waypoint (Hiva Oa): 1984 nm; Comments: Just after I submitted my check-in yesterday, my dolphin buddies dropped by to say hi. Not as many as yesterday, perhaps a half-dozen, and they didn’t stick around too long. Shortly after that, I noticed the mainsail was misshaped. It was…

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Check-in March 30, 2025; 15:44 (Local)

Current Position: 17 08.323’N 116 45.342’W; Course: 223; SOG: 5.2kt; TWS: 14.8 kt; TWD: 041; TWA: 172; Distance to waypoint (Hiva Oa): 2088 nm; Comments: At 8:00, the wind started shifting to the NE, making it difficult to maintain a heading of 260. I set up the TillerPilot for “Wind” mode and ran wind-on-wing, which points me directly at the Marquesas doing about 4 kt in 15 kt wind. This was…

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Check-in March 29, 2025; 16:12 (Local)

Current Position: 17 34.189’N 114 58.964’W; Course: 260; SOG: 6.6 kt; TWS: 18.9 kt; TWD: 017; TWA: 129; Distance to waypoint (Hiva Oa): 2175 nm; Comments: At dusk last night I changed my course to due W in anticipation of a change in the wind direction. Shortly thereafter, the wind veered to the NE and the wind speed dropped to single digits. The SOG fell to 3.3 kt with a reefed main and most of…

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Check-in March 28, 2025; 15:44 (Local)

Current Position: 17 39.893’N 112 46.422’W; Course: 222; SOG: 6.1 kt; TWS: 19.1 kt; TWD: 005; TWA: 117; Distance to waypoint (Hiva Oa): 2268 nm; Comments: I ran most of the night on the wind vane, but I was woken at 4:00 because the boat had headed up and was heeled over and was being battered by waves on the beam. I tried to reset the wind vane but had trouble trimming the sails, so I engaged…

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Measuring My Progress

When I left San Benedicto yesterday, I entered the coordinates of Hiva Oa into the chart plotter, the location in the Marquesas that I am sailing to. The question is, how do I measure my progress? There are basically four measurements: 1) The distance to the waypoint (Hiva Oa) as the crow flies (DWP), 2413 nm as of 9:00 yesterday. 2) The distance closer I am in a 24h period (DWP yesterday – DWP…

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Measuring My Progress

When I left San Benedicto yesterday, I entered the coordinates of Hiva Oa into the chart plotter, the location in the Marquesas that I am sailing to. The question is, how do I measure my progress? There are basically four measurements: 1) The distance to the waypoint (Hiva Oa) as the crow flies (DWP), 2413 nm as of 9:00 yesterday. 2) The distance closer I am in a 24h period (DWP yesterday – DWP…

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Check-in March 27, 2025; 15:48 (Local)

Current Position: 19 01.311’N 111 8.882’W; Course: 232; SOG: 4.2 kt; TWS: 13.1 kt; TWD: 359; TWA: 136; Distance to waypoint (Hiva Oa): 2383 nm; Comments: By dusk yesterday, I had steady 20 kt winds and big seas. I had double-reefed the main and was using only about half the Yankee. I also hauled in the sails to lessen their exposure to the wind. Still, I was doing 6 kt SOG. I tried to slow the…

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Check-in March 26, 2025; 14:45 (Local)

Current Position: 20 34.772’N 110 23.470’W; Course: 179; SOG: 4.5; TWS: 17 kt; TWD: 317; TWA: 143; Distance to waypoint (about 20 nm from Isla San Benedicto): 62; Comments: I had to remain alert last night as I passed through shipping lanes. At one point I had to thread between two 700’ cargo ships that were off my starboard beam. The closest of the two, Federal Infinity, communicated well via…

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Check-in March 25 2025; 18:25 (Local)

Current Position: 22 19.945’N 110 04.210’W; Course: 195; SOG: 6.8; BSPD: 7.9; TWS: 19 kt; TWD: 316; TWA: 130; Distance to waypoint (Isla San Benedicto): 185; Comments: Because no wind was expected until the afternoon, I took the dinghy into Cabo for breakfast. On my way back, about 10:00, it was clear the wind was picking up. I finished readying the boat and weighed anchor at 12:30. Once I…