In the Strait of Juan de Fuca now. Stopped at Port Angeles for fuel and took on 50 gallons.
ETA to Seattle...not soon enough but 0200 in the morning sounds about right. Everyone is excited! We have had a great trip so far and are looking forward to being reunited with our friends and family.
I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Home james home and don't spare the horses!
Thursday, July 24, 2014
84 miles to Cape Flattery.
Yesterday...where do I start? What a day. The wind started to build at 0600. The autopilot was handling the steering but it was working pretty hard. We threw in a 3rd reef around 0900 and started to hand steer. More or less to conserve battery as the freezer full of tuna and a hard working autopilot tend to use up the electrons. Then the waves started. I complain quite a bit about the waves. Unless you have been out here, you'll never get. Big waves from multiple directions and every once in a while they meet and form this triangular "wave of death". Waves hitting straight on and the dominant swell from the north, let's not forget the wind waves also from the northwest.
I was driving Appa and we got into a particular nasty set of swells. The wind was singing through the rigging at 25-30 knots and we started to surf down a 12-15 footer, hitting about 11 knots or so, when a hole in the water opened in front of the boat and we fell into it. Speed dropped to almost nil, I got thrown into the wheel and the boat lifted her stern and pivoted to starboard. It was like a ballet dancer falling into an unseen pothole full of water. Water everywhere, crying, screaming.
Well, that was yesterday. Today is different. Light wind out of the west and we are struggling to make 5 knots. What a difference a day makes. Whereas we made 180 miles in 24 hours yesterday, I think today will be slightly off that.
Hopefully the wind fills and we can start making time again.
It is cloudy right now and 66 degrees in the cabin. Barometer is rising, sitting currently at 1013. Wind out of the west at 10 knots. Swell is NW at 5 feet with 6 sec period. Sail configuration is wing on wing with 2 reefs in the main to minimize banging of the sails.
We still plan on being in Seattle on Saturday though. Remember bring your tents and camping gear to the Ballard Locks. Again, I think it best for people to start showing up at 0600 to first all, get the best seats and second of all, you don't want to miss this. I have already notified the lock personnel to expect a large crowd that will most likely be spending the night there waiting on us. The lock people also have a dance routine made up by Papa Fox (he is full of surprises) and it will be distributed to you all on 4x6 cards. If you start practicing, I am sure you will make us proud. King5 and Komo are also going to be there. Don't let the helicopters interrupt your practicing. Maybe you heard that Obama was in town. He is going to show up also. I donated $5 to his campaign and he is a name of his word.
Yesterday...where do I start? What a day. The wind started to build at 0600. The autopilot was handling the steering but it was working pretty hard. We threw in a 3rd reef around 0900 and started to hand steer. More or less to conserve battery as the freezer full of tuna and a hard working autopilot tend to use up the electrons. Then the waves started. I complain quite a bit about the waves. Unless you have been out here, you'll never get. Big waves from multiple directions and every once in a while they meet and form this triangular "wave of death". Waves hitting straight on and the dominant swell from the north, let's not forget the wind waves also from the northwest.
I was driving Appa and we got into a particular nasty set of swells. The wind was singing through the rigging at 25-30 knots and we started to surf down a 12-15 footer, hitting about 11 knots or so, when a hole in the water opened in front of the boat and we fell into it. Speed dropped to almost nil, I got thrown into the wheel and the boat lifted her stern and pivoted to starboard. It was like a ballet dancer falling into an unseen pothole full of water. Water everywhere, crying, screaming.
Well, that was yesterday. Today is different. Light wind out of the west and we are struggling to make 5 knots. What a difference a day makes. Whereas we made 180 miles in 24 hours yesterday, I think today will be slightly off that.
Hopefully the wind fills and we can start making time again.
It is cloudy right now and 66 degrees in the cabin. Barometer is rising, sitting currently at 1013. Wind out of the west at 10 knots. Swell is NW at 5 feet with 6 sec period. Sail configuration is wing on wing with 2 reefs in the main to minimize banging of the sails.
We still plan on being in Seattle on Saturday though. Remember bring your tents and camping gear to the Ballard Locks. Again, I think it best for people to start showing up at 0600 to first all, get the best seats and second of all, you don't want to miss this. I have already notified the lock personnel to expect a large crowd that will most likely be spending the night there waiting on us. The lock people also have a dance routine made up by Papa Fox (he is full of surprises) and it will be distributed to you all on 4x6 cards. If you start practicing, I am sure you will make us proud. King5 and Komo are also going to be there. Don't let the helicopters interrupt your practicing. Maybe you heard that Obama was in town. He is going to show up also. I donated $5 to his campaign and he is a name of his word.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
At least the M&Ms aren't melting!
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride ain't got nothing on us. After motoring yet again for most of Saturday, the wind filled in right after our dinner. It built through the night and at 0430, I was called on deck to help reef us down. Wind was out of the west at 25 with gusts in the 30s. Being that we are STILL on Honolulu time, 0430 was actually in bright morning sun. Can you believe it? Sunday was actually SUNNY! It was the first time we have seen sun in over a week.
The wind slowly mellowed to steady 20s and by 0900, I shook out the 3rd reef and went to second reef with 90% of the jib flying. The waves were still big at 11-15 footers with a couple "outlaws" thrown in that knocked us around a bit but Appa tracked steady. We handsteered the entire day to give the autopilot a break. It can handle the conditions but it was straining a bit in the big waves. Waves were from the north AND the west. Hard to judge the period as it seemed they were always on top of us. But at least it was sunny.
I cranked up the stereo and drove with (and through) the waves listening to some Van Halen, The Dubliners, FloRida, Rihanna, Rusted Root, Maroon 5, The Rolling Stones, and some more.
Also in the morning, I baked about 8 pounds of tuna in the oven. Drizzled olive oil over the fish, sprinkled seasoning and put lemon wedges on it and baked. Then I flaked it. Made tuna fish salad and with the remaining meat, we are having casserole tonight. I am also having a hankering for a tunamelt. Lunch! I still have to make bread. We still have some steak left but if it wasn't for the fish, canned food would be on our menu.
Papa Fox made braised cabbage with potatoes, honey, red wine vinegar, and sausage. Delicious!
We had an actual almost, kinda sunset complete with rainbow yesterday. Then we spent the first part of the evening dodging rain squalls. The night watches had steady wind out of the NW at 15 the waves calmed down a bit to 5-6 feet.
Currently the barometer is steady at 1010, cabin temp is 60!!!!, sun is shining in between clouds, wind is from the NW at 10-15, waves 5 or so and a period of 8 seconds. We shook out a reef and currently have one reef in and full jib. Boat speed is 6-7 knots at 90°T.
The crew is holding up well and I am sure that they are all ready to be on land. Sleep is hard to come by in these conditions but we are managing. At one point during the bigger waves and wind, Gordon Lightfoot popped into my head. "Does anyone know where the love of Gods goes, when the waves turn the minutes into hours?" Haunting. Although it is not that bad out here. Heck it is trade wind conditions but still, at times, I'm thinking enough with the sails banging, waves crashing, cans sliding, boat creaking, water dripping, tuna fishing (!), foul weather gear wearing!!!!
We are projected to be passing Neah Bay Thursday or Friday. If Thursday, then it would be 18 days from Honolulu to Cape Flattery/Neah Bay. That is good enough for us to grab the ANNUAL HONOLULU TO CAPE FLATTERY TROPHY out of the hands of Sand Dollar who by their reports did it in 21 days. I can't help it, I'm very competitive when it comes to boats.
Quote of the day. Papa Fox told me this. When asked what his career plans were, he answered "To get it over with."
Saturday or Sunday we should be in Seattle. I am thinking Saturday. I'd like everyone to show up at the Ballard Locks on Saturday at 0600 and wait for us. Bring a tent and sleeping bags. If we aren't there by Sunday at 1800, wait longer!
See you at the locks!!!!!
----
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The wind slowly mellowed to steady 20s and by 0900, I shook out the 3rd reef and went to second reef with 90% of the jib flying. The waves were still big at 11-15 footers with a couple "outlaws" thrown in that knocked us around a bit but Appa tracked steady. We handsteered the entire day to give the autopilot a break. It can handle the conditions but it was straining a bit in the big waves. Waves were from the north AND the west. Hard to judge the period as it seemed they were always on top of us. But at least it was sunny.
I cranked up the stereo and drove with (and through) the waves listening to some Van Halen, The Dubliners, FloRida, Rihanna, Rusted Root, Maroon 5, The Rolling Stones, and some more.
Also in the morning, I baked about 8 pounds of tuna in the oven. Drizzled olive oil over the fish, sprinkled seasoning and put lemon wedges on it and baked. Then I flaked it. Made tuna fish salad and with the remaining meat, we are having casserole tonight. I am also having a hankering for a tunamelt. Lunch! I still have to make bread. We still have some steak left but if it wasn't for the fish, canned food would be on our menu.
Papa Fox made braised cabbage with potatoes, honey, red wine vinegar, and sausage. Delicious!
We had an actual almost, kinda sunset complete with rainbow yesterday. Then we spent the first part of the evening dodging rain squalls. The night watches had steady wind out of the NW at 15 the waves calmed down a bit to 5-6 feet.
Currently the barometer is steady at 1010, cabin temp is 60!!!!, sun is shining in between clouds, wind is from the NW at 10-15, waves 5 or so and a period of 8 seconds. We shook out a reef and currently have one reef in and full jib. Boat speed is 6-7 knots at 90°T.
The crew is holding up well and I am sure that they are all ready to be on land. Sleep is hard to come by in these conditions but we are managing. At one point during the bigger waves and wind, Gordon Lightfoot popped into my head. "Does anyone know where the love of Gods goes, when the waves turn the minutes into hours?" Haunting. Although it is not that bad out here. Heck it is trade wind conditions but still, at times, I'm thinking enough with the sails banging, waves crashing, cans sliding, boat creaking, water dripping, tuna fishing (!), foul weather gear wearing!!!!
We are projected to be passing Neah Bay Thursday or Friday. If Thursday, then it would be 18 days from Honolulu to Cape Flattery/Neah Bay. That is good enough for us to grab the ANNUAL HONOLULU TO CAPE FLATTERY TROPHY out of the hands of Sand Dollar who by their reports did it in 21 days. I can't help it, I'm very competitive when it comes to boats.
Quote of the day. Papa Fox told me this. When asked what his career plans were, he answered "To get it over with."
Saturday or Sunday we should be in Seattle. I am thinking Saturday. I'd like everyone to show up at the Ballard Locks on Saturday at 0600 and wait for us. Bring a tent and sleeping bags. If we aren't there by Sunday at 1800, wait longer!
See you at the locks!!!!!
----
This e-mail was delivered via satellite phone using GMN's XGate software.
Please be kind and keep your replies short.
At least the M&Ms aren't melting!
Mr. Toad's Wild Road ain't got nothing on us. After motoring yet again for most of Saturday, the wind filled in right after our dinner. It built through the night and at 0430, I was called on deck to help reef us down. Wind was out of the west at 25 with gusts in the 30s. Being that we are STILL on Honolulu time, 0430 was actually in bright morning sun. Can you believe it? Sunday was actually SUNNY! It was the first time we have seen sun in over a week.
The wind slowly mellowed to steady 20s and by 0900, I shook out the 3rd reef and went to second reef with 90% of the jib flying. The waves were still big at 11-15 footers with a couple "outlaws" thrown in that knocked us around a bit but Appa tracked steady. We handsteered the entire day to give the autopilot a break. It can handle the conditions but it was straining a bit in the big waves. Waves were from the north AND the west. Hard to judge the period as it seemed they were always on top of us. But at least it was sunny.
I cranked up the stereo and drove with (and through) the waves listening to some Van Halen, The Dubliners, FloRida, Rihanna, Rusted Root, Maroon 5, The Rolling Stones, and some more.
Also in the morning, I baked about 8 pounds of tuna in the oven. Drizzled olive oil over the fish, sprinkled seasoning and put lemon wedges on it and baked. Then I flaked it. Made tuna fish salad and with the remaining meat, we are having casserole tonight. I am also having a hankering for a tunamelt. Lunch! I still have to make bread. We still have some steak left but if it wasn't for the fish, canned food would be on our menu.
Papa Fox made braised cabbage with potatoes, honey, red wine vinegar, and sausage. Delicious!
We had an actual almost, kinda sunset complete with rainbow yesterday. Then we spent the first part of the evening dodging rain squalls. The night watches had steady wind out of the NW at 15 the waves calmed down a bit to 5-6 feet.
Currently the barometer is steady at 1010, cabin temp is 60!!!!, sun is shining in between clouds, wind is from the NW at 10-15, waves 5 or so and a period of 8 seconds. We shook out a reef and currently have one reef in and full jib. Boat speed is 6-7 knots at 90°T.
The crew is holding up well and I am sure that they are all ready to be on land. Sleep is hard to come by in these conditions but we are managing. At one point during the bigger waves and wind, Gordon Lightfoot popped into my head. "Does anyone know where the love of Gods goes, when the waves turn the minutes into hours?" Haunting. Although it is not that bad out here. Heck it is trade wind conditions but still, at times, I'm thinking enough with the sails banging, waves crashing, cans sliding, boat creaking, water dripping, tuna fishing (!), foul weather gear wearing!!!!
We are projected to be passing Neah Bay Thursday or Friday. If Thursday, then it would be 18 days from Honolulu to Cape Flattery/Neah Bay. That is good enough for us to grab the ANNUAL HONOLULU TO CAPE FLATTERY TROPHY out of the hands of Sand Dollar who by their reports did it in 21 days. I can't help it, I'm very competitive when it comes to boats.
Quote of the day. Papa Fox told me this. When asked what his career plans were, he answered "To get it over with."
Saturday or Sunday we should be in Seattle. I am thinking Saturday. I'd like everyone to show up at the Ballard Locks on Saturday at 0600 and wait for us. Bring a tent and sleeping bags. If we aren't there by Sunday at 1800, wait longer!
See you at the locks!!!!!
----
This e-mail was delivered via satellite phone using GMN's XGate software.
Please be kind and keep your replies short.
The wind slowly mellowed to steady 20s and by 0900, I shook out the 3rd reef and went to second reef with 90% of the jib flying. The waves were still big at 11-15 footers with a couple "outlaws" thrown in that knocked us around a bit but Appa tracked steady. We handsteered the entire day to give the autopilot a break. It can handle the conditions but it was straining a bit in the big waves. Waves were from the north AND the west. Hard to judge the period as it seemed they were always on top of us. But at least it was sunny.
I cranked up the stereo and drove with (and through) the waves listening to some Van Halen, The Dubliners, FloRida, Rihanna, Rusted Root, Maroon 5, The Rolling Stones, and some more.
Also in the morning, I baked about 8 pounds of tuna in the oven. Drizzled olive oil over the fish, sprinkled seasoning and put lemon wedges on it and baked. Then I flaked it. Made tuna fish salad and with the remaining meat, we are having casserole tonight. I am also having a hankering for a tunamelt. Lunch! I still have to make bread. We still have some steak left but if it wasn't for the fish, canned food would be on our menu.
Papa Fox made braised cabbage with potatoes, honey, red wine vinegar, and sausage. Delicious!
We had an actual almost, kinda sunset complete with rainbow yesterday. Then we spent the first part of the evening dodging rain squalls. The night watches had steady wind out of the NW at 15 the waves calmed down a bit to 5-6 feet.
Currently the barometer is steady at 1010, cabin temp is 60!!!!, sun is shining in between clouds, wind is from the NW at 10-15, waves 5 or so and a period of 8 seconds. We shook out a reef and currently have one reef in and full jib. Boat speed is 6-7 knots at 90°T.
The crew is holding up well and I am sure that they are all ready to be on land. Sleep is hard to come by in these conditions but we are managing. At one point during the bigger waves and wind, Gordon Lightfoot popped into my head. "Does anyone know where the love of Gods goes, when the waves turn the minutes into hours?" Haunting. Although it is not that bad out here. Heck it is trade wind conditions but still, at times, I'm thinking enough with the sails banging, waves crashing, cans sliding, boat creaking, water dripping, tuna fishing (!), foul weather gear wearing!!!!
We are projected to be passing Neah Bay Thursday or Friday. If Thursday, then it would be 18 days from Honolulu to Cape Flattery/Neah Bay. That is good enough for us to grab the ANNUAL HONOLULU TO CAPE FLATTERY TROPHY out of the hands of Sand Dollar who by their reports did it in 21 days. I can't help it, I'm very competitive when it comes to boats.
Quote of the day. Papa Fox told me this. When asked what his career plans were, he answered "To get it over with."
Saturday or Sunday we should be in Seattle. I am thinking Saturday. I'd like everyone to show up at the Ballard Locks on Saturday at 0600 and wait for us. Bring a tent and sleeping bags. If we aren't there by Sunday at 1800, wait longer!
See you at the locks!!!!!
----
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Please be kind and keep your replies short.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
baby, it's cold outside!
On watch last night, saw my breath. I should end this entry on that note. Course then I couldn't tell you about Jugurtha turning into a fishing machine.
We are currently motoring, again with the motor, but at least we are more or less headed right for Cape Flattery. 838 miles to go till Seattle.
This leg of the trip home has been so much different from the Mexico to Hawaii leg. As it should be. It has been fun for sure but not the easy going , soaking in the sun, never start the motor fun like we had going to Honolulu. This has been wet, foggy (no sun for 6 days now), and cold. Even without the weather, the course we have had to run is almost as variable as the weather. We have had so many course corrections due to the wind that our mileage doesn't go down all the time. It can go up. The saying on the boat now is "only 10 more days". I am afraid to run the heater because I am not sure how much more motoring we are going to have to do.
Morale is good though and we are going to have hot water for showers today. Everything is kinda damp and will stay that way until we either get into Seattle or the sun comes out. My bet is Seattle.
Jugurtha caught three Big Eyed Tunas (I think they are Big Eyed) yesterday. Freezer is stuffed like a sausage with fresh tuna. he wants to try and get some home and feed his friends. He was very excited about the fish and did a masterful job filleting them. We figure we now have 15 pounds of tuna. Last night Jeremy seared some of the tuna and we had that on a bed of Quinoa. Unreal. I made fresh bread and I think I got my recipe down. Nothing like hot bread and a hint of melted butter. Well, maybe more than a hint.
Had a good sail for the past couple of days and been motoring since 2000 yesterday. Saw some whales yesterday (grays) and a pod of dolphins also. At night I went to start the motor and noticed as I increased the throttle the tachometer didn't move. This usually indicates a slipping belt on the alternator. Shut down the motor and tighten belt. Except it wasn't just a loose belt. The bolt that the alternator hinges on had spun off and was almost out of it's hole. Came really close to having the belt come off and then get entangled in the water maker belt which could have caused some problems. Lucky break right there. The bolt that came out was pretty beat up. The threads were flattened and the nut (after we found one that fit) was having problems getting on the bolt. After cleaning the threads, we got everything to spin together. I put some locktite on the nut and tightened. So far so good. Makes me wonder how long that bolt has been loose.
Other problems include the remote control for the autopilot dying and the button that allows me to put the engine in neutral also got stuck. Fixed all but the unneeded remote.
All in all it is going OK. Could be worse. Sea Otter (left Honolulu 3 days after we did) has had a fire (starter caught fire after grounding itself out), freezer died (lost a ton of frozen meat), toilet died (bucket now in use), and wind vane problems (fixed). In comparison, we are doing well.
Wind is slowly building and maybe we can sail. At some point we are just going to HAVE to sail as the fuel is finite. I think we have 45 gallons left. Not a lot really. Jeremy has to be back on the 29th of July (actually the 28th) and I am wondering if we can make that. We really only need to get to Neah Bay and can refuel there. There will be a timing issue with that also. It is not a 24 hour gas station.
Our text address is appa@inreach.delorme.com if you want to write us. Thanks to all of you who have written.
----
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We are currently motoring, again with the motor, but at least we are more or less headed right for Cape Flattery. 838 miles to go till Seattle.
This leg of the trip home has been so much different from the Mexico to Hawaii leg. As it should be. It has been fun for sure but not the easy going , soaking in the sun, never start the motor fun like we had going to Honolulu. This has been wet, foggy (no sun for 6 days now), and cold. Even without the weather, the course we have had to run is almost as variable as the weather. We have had so many course corrections due to the wind that our mileage doesn't go down all the time. It can go up. The saying on the boat now is "only 10 more days". I am afraid to run the heater because I am not sure how much more motoring we are going to have to do.
Morale is good though and we are going to have hot water for showers today. Everything is kinda damp and will stay that way until we either get into Seattle or the sun comes out. My bet is Seattle.
Jugurtha caught three Big Eyed Tunas (I think they are Big Eyed) yesterday. Freezer is stuffed like a sausage with fresh tuna. he wants to try and get some home and feed his friends. He was very excited about the fish and did a masterful job filleting them. We figure we now have 15 pounds of tuna. Last night Jeremy seared some of the tuna and we had that on a bed of Quinoa. Unreal. I made fresh bread and I think I got my recipe down. Nothing like hot bread and a hint of melted butter. Well, maybe more than a hint.
Had a good sail for the past couple of days and been motoring since 2000 yesterday. Saw some whales yesterday (grays) and a pod of dolphins also. At night I went to start the motor and noticed as I increased the throttle the tachometer didn't move. This usually indicates a slipping belt on the alternator. Shut down the motor and tighten belt. Except it wasn't just a loose belt. The bolt that the alternator hinges on had spun off and was almost out of it's hole. Came really close to having the belt come off and then get entangled in the water maker belt which could have caused some problems. Lucky break right there. The bolt that came out was pretty beat up. The threads were flattened and the nut (after we found one that fit) was having problems getting on the bolt. After cleaning the threads, we got everything to spin together. I put some locktite on the nut and tightened. So far so good. Makes me wonder how long that bolt has been loose.
Other problems include the remote control for the autopilot dying and the button that allows me to put the engine in neutral also got stuck. Fixed all but the unneeded remote.
All in all it is going OK. Could be worse. Sea Otter (left Honolulu 3 days after we did) has had a fire (starter caught fire after grounding itself out), freezer died (lost a ton of frozen meat), toilet died (bucket now in use), and wind vane problems (fixed). In comparison, we are doing well.
Wind is slowly building and maybe we can sail. At some point we are just going to HAVE to sail as the fuel is finite. I think we have 45 gallons left. Not a lot really. Jeremy has to be back on the 29th of July (actually the 28th) and I am wondering if we can make that. We really only need to get to Neah Bay and can refuel there. There will be a timing issue with that also. It is not a 24 hour gas station.
Our text address is appa@inreach.delorme.com if you want to write us. Thanks to all of you who have written.
----
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Thursday, July 17, 2014
Motoring. Motoring now for 16 hours or so. Ugh. The Pacific High went right over us and we should be out of it late Thursday or Friday. Then we do the big turn to the right to actually head home.
My dad used to "buy" wind. Out on the boat with him on Lake Michigan, I remember him throwing a quarter in the water to "buy" wind. You didn't want to buy too much. Whether it works or not is up for debate but we still tried it this morning. I'll bet that quarter is still dropping to the ocean floor. I threw it over at 5000 meters. Benny. How many feet is that? You and I learned that in your math class.
Thanks to everyone who emailed and texted with their selections! I have 4 other people to talk to onboard but I crave more. Unless you have been out here, you can't understand the isolation. Same colors, smells, everything the same. We all look forward to answering email and texts on the inReach. The inReach makes a descending whistle sound when a message arrives. Everyone's ears perk up. I liken it to mail call while in the service. You crave news from home.
We got Gang of Four, Van Halen, The Cars (AWESOME!), the Smiths, INXS (How is it possible I don't have them on my iPod, I mean for crying out loud??? It is almost enough to make me swear), Suicidal Tendencies, U2, Madonna, RATT and of course some Cyndi Lauper. I have to add ZZTop. Listening to them typing this wearing Sam's pink headphone no less. I have some work to do on my collection (and some would say taste) once back in Seattle.
Last night we listened to some great tunes and had a Vodka with soda and lime. Limes are becoming scarce. Got lemons though. No real sunset as it is foggy all the time here. Except for right above us. Bright blue sky!
I made burgers on the grill and Papa Fox made bread for buns. It was really good. I maintain that food on a boat is always good.
We made 60 gallons of water yesterday as well. Laundry is just killing our water supply. I have all my clothes here but these guys packed like 3 shirts and two pairs of underwear. I should have put more thought into their packing. Oh well. As long as the watermaker works, we are fine.
Dinner tonight is maybe a casserole that Pete is going to make.
I am bored and don't want to read as I don't want my book to end. Ever do that? Just don't want it to be over. I am currently reading "Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void" by Mary Roach. She has another book on this Kindle named "Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex". I almost didn't start the Mars book because of the other book's title. I love the Mars book. Funny and well written. It also mirrors what we are doing on this boat. Seclusion, hygiene, safety, food, boredom, etc. I am reading passages out-loud to the crew (They say they enjoy but...) and we have a good laugh. I heartily recommend it. I might try the Bonk book next.
Been listening to a lot of music lately and John Hiatt is fast becoming a favorite. Check out the lyrics from Lincoln Town.
"What I feel like is an old freight train, 5 miles long in the pouring rain.
Rolling out of Detroit, loaded up with shiny cars.
And I'm sitting in a Cadillac, smoking on a big cigar.
What I feel like is an engine room, open my door and get a whiff of perfume
Love that diesel, burning up the atmosphere
When you hear me blow, you'll know I'm near."
It has a great driving beat. Once we get into the wind and this boat starts hauling the mail, I'm getting this on the stereo and cranking it up to 11.
I also like "Panama" by Van Halen for driving the boat in heavy air. You can break gear that way though. Just keep pushing it and BANG!
I can't even understand what David Lee Roth is saying half the time on that song but the guitar and drums just do it for me.
Ever try to understand what Mick Jagger is singing about in "Jumping Jack Flash"? Impossible unless you read the lyrics. I think Whoopi Goldberg was in a movie where she had to decipher the lyrics of Jumping Jack Flash to solve something. I just remember her frustration with Mick.
Thanks for reading my drivel. Gives me something to do and reflect a bit. I also get to practice my grammar. This is from The Simpsons:
Teenage Homer: Why should I go to English class? I'm never going to England!
That slays me.
----
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My dad used to "buy" wind. Out on the boat with him on Lake Michigan, I remember him throwing a quarter in the water to "buy" wind. You didn't want to buy too much. Whether it works or not is up for debate but we still tried it this morning. I'll bet that quarter is still dropping to the ocean floor. I threw it over at 5000 meters. Benny. How many feet is that? You and I learned that in your math class.
Thanks to everyone who emailed and texted with their selections! I have 4 other people to talk to onboard but I crave more. Unless you have been out here, you can't understand the isolation. Same colors, smells, everything the same. We all look forward to answering email and texts on the inReach. The inReach makes a descending whistle sound when a message arrives. Everyone's ears perk up. I liken it to mail call while in the service. You crave news from home.
We got Gang of Four, Van Halen, The Cars (AWESOME!), the Smiths, INXS (How is it possible I don't have them on my iPod, I mean for crying out loud??? It is almost enough to make me swear), Suicidal Tendencies, U2, Madonna, RATT and of course some Cyndi Lauper. I have to add ZZTop. Listening to them typing this wearing Sam's pink headphone no less. I have some work to do on my collection (and some would say taste) once back in Seattle.
Last night we listened to some great tunes and had a Vodka with soda and lime. Limes are becoming scarce. Got lemons though. No real sunset as it is foggy all the time here. Except for right above us. Bright blue sky!
I made burgers on the grill and Papa Fox made bread for buns. It was really good. I maintain that food on a boat is always good.
We made 60 gallons of water yesterday as well. Laundry is just killing our water supply. I have all my clothes here but these guys packed like 3 shirts and two pairs of underwear. I should have put more thought into their packing. Oh well. As long as the watermaker works, we are fine.
Dinner tonight is maybe a casserole that Pete is going to make.
I am bored and don't want to read as I don't want my book to end. Ever do that? Just don't want it to be over. I am currently reading "Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void" by Mary Roach. She has another book on this Kindle named "Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex". I almost didn't start the Mars book because of the other book's title. I love the Mars book. Funny and well written. It also mirrors what we are doing on this boat. Seclusion, hygiene, safety, food, boredom, etc. I am reading passages out-loud to the crew (They say they enjoy but...) and we have a good laugh. I heartily recommend it. I might try the Bonk book next.
Been listening to a lot of music lately and John Hiatt is fast becoming a favorite. Check out the lyrics from Lincoln Town.
"What I feel like is an old freight train, 5 miles long in the pouring rain.
Rolling out of Detroit, loaded up with shiny cars.
And I'm sitting in a Cadillac, smoking on a big cigar.
What I feel like is an engine room, open my door and get a whiff of perfume
Love that diesel, burning up the atmosphere
When you hear me blow, you'll know I'm near."
It has a great driving beat. Once we get into the wind and this boat starts hauling the mail, I'm getting this on the stereo and cranking it up to 11.
I also like "Panama" by Van Halen for driving the boat in heavy air. You can break gear that way though. Just keep pushing it and BANG!
I can't even understand what David Lee Roth is saying half the time on that song but the guitar and drums just do it for me.
Ever try to understand what Mick Jagger is singing about in "Jumping Jack Flash"? Impossible unless you read the lyrics. I think Whoopi Goldberg was in a movie where she had to decipher the lyrics of Jumping Jack Flash to solve something. I just remember her frustration with Mick.
Thanks for reading my drivel. Gives me something to do and reflect a bit. I also get to practice my grammar. This is from The Simpsons:
Teenage Homer: Why should I go to English class? I'm never going to England!
That slays me.
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Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Another day down. We left the 6th of July and it is now the 15th. It's 2100 (that 9pm to you non-medical, sailor, army etc types) Honolulu time. The dishes are done and people are either on watch (Jugurtha), sleeping (Papa Fox, Jeremy, Pete), or trying desperately to come up with something interesting to write about.
The day started out for me at 0400 helping Pete get the sails squared away so we could start up the motor due to the wind dying off. This means dropping the spinnaker pole and stowing it. It NEVER wants to go to it's home on the boat. No way, it wants to swing wildly and try to bash me on the head or get caught on the netting that surrounds the boat to keep the kids onboard. The spin pole loves nets. Nets and heads. Max got konked (or is it conked) on the head this year by the spin pole. Drove him right to his knees. Luckily I only had to extricate the pole from the net. Of course the jib saw what fun the spin pole was having so it decided to get it's foot tension line wrapped around the bow pulpit and make a knot that I have never seen before. Had to cut it away. Once that was done, we were finally ready to start the motor. 10 minutes later the wind springs up again out of the south at 10 knots. Out goes the jib and the spin pole and eventually the reefs in the main. It was 0530 by the time we were squared away. Wind was south all day from 10-15 knots. Boat speed was 6-7-8 knots at times.
Next I used the satellite phone to download GRIB files (weather maps) and try to guess where to go next. It should seem obvious to anyone on where to go. Point the bow at Washington State and go. Not so fast. We have to worry about the weather. OK, so we got the weather data and it doesn't look bad but not really optimal either. We sailed all day today. Sailed dead down wind with a poled out jib and full main to the opposite side. Wong on Wong as the iPad likes to correct it. Made 147 miles in the last 24 hours. Not too bad. Problem is the Pacific High is right over us now. Unless the wind fills in from the storm way off to the east of us, we are going to be motoring for the next 24 hours (maybe more). 80 gallons of diesel left. Should be enough. Well, ultimately we are a sailboat so if we run out, we'll sail. And go stark raving mad!!!
The winch for the main sail halyard was wobbly so I took it apart with Jugurtha and Jeremy's help and we tightened it back up. One problem fixed. The wind indicator has died completely. I have powered it down and will worry about it in Seattle.
The wind died right after supper so here we are again. Motoring! What's your price for flight? In finding Mr Right....Turns out Jeremy has this song on his computer. Just found this out. Tomorrow the Appa Sundowner Happy Hour will feature the musical stylings of NIGHT RANGER!!! And maybe Poison, White Lion, Van Halen, who else?
I got a great response on my Night Ranger question. Wanna play some more? What 80s band most personifies the 80s? Who should be playing front and center while we toast to the sun for another great day? I have a pretty gpod selection of 80s on my ipod. But not Night Ranger. Weird. Going to have to fix that.
Dinner tonight was by Papa Fox. Chicken curry stew over rice. For dessert we had a coconut cream cake with blueberries. Delicious.
We have about 1300 more miles to go. Our super accurate weather guy, Michael, (who was dead on yesterday about when the wind was going to fill in) wants us to think about turning toward the west coast of America around 46 degrees of latitude. If the wind switches before hand, we would love to turn early and cut some miles off the trip. Instead of a hard turn at 46 we start turning gradually at 44 or so. Either way we have another 400 miles of north to go before we can start thinking about turning.
Swear count today is 3. All of it used up battling the spinnaker pole this morning. I'd swear and then swear for swearing. Dumb. It is amazing now that I am conscious of my swearing how much everyone else swears. My ears are tuned for it or something.
Books. I just finished 4 books in the past 3 days. I don't sleep much out here so I read.
Haunted Ground by Erin Hart. Pretty good murder mystery set in Ireland.
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. Loved it. Better than the movie
I Drink for a Reason by David Cross. Pretty funny book. This guy doesn't like Jim Belushi at ALL.
What Looks Like Crazy On an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage. Pretty good also. Set in Michigan, the book follows a newly HIV infected black female as she goes back home to see her sister. I liked it.
I think I am going to start the Game of Thrones series.
Wednesday the 16th of July
Had to use a blanket last night. Haven't used one of those in a bit.
Foggy and cool this morning. Cabin temp is 72. That I haven't seen in awhile either.
There is some wind trying to build out of the south as we motor north. Not enough to sail. OK, there is just enough to sail but the swells out here roll the boat so much that the sails just get backwinded and then POP! slap back. Super annoying and not good for the sails either.
We have seen a grand total of 5 ships out here, all headed to various places. The AIS tells us where they are headed. Japan, New Orleans, San Diego, etc.
Pete saw a pod of dolphins this morning. That is a first for this leg. I traveled down the coast with the Scott and Mary on Whisper years back. Saw some dolphins on that trip! Incredible.
Going to get the weather now.
Remember to text me your favorite 80s band and we will try to play it tonight and tomorrow night for our sundowner. Haven't seen a real sunset in the past 5 days though. We pretend.
The day started out for me at 0400 helping Pete get the sails squared away so we could start up the motor due to the wind dying off. This means dropping the spinnaker pole and stowing it. It NEVER wants to go to it's home on the boat. No way, it wants to swing wildly and try to bash me on the head or get caught on the netting that surrounds the boat to keep the kids onboard. The spin pole loves nets. Nets and heads. Max got konked (or is it conked) on the head this year by the spin pole. Drove him right to his knees. Luckily I only had to extricate the pole from the net. Of course the jib saw what fun the spin pole was having so it decided to get it's foot tension line wrapped around the bow pulpit and make a knot that I have never seen before. Had to cut it away. Once that was done, we were finally ready to start the motor. 10 minutes later the wind springs up again out of the south at 10 knots. Out goes the jib and the spin pole and eventually the reefs in the main. It was 0530 by the time we were squared away. Wind was south all day from 10-15 knots. Boat speed was 6-7-8 knots at times.
Next I used the satellite phone to download GRIB files (weather maps) and try to guess where to go next. It should seem obvious to anyone on where to go. Point the bow at Washington State and go. Not so fast. We have to worry about the weather. OK, so we got the weather data and it doesn't look bad but not really optimal either. We sailed all day today. Sailed dead down wind with a poled out jib and full main to the opposite side. Wong on Wong as the iPad likes to correct it. Made 147 miles in the last 24 hours. Not too bad. Problem is the Pacific High is right over us now. Unless the wind fills in from the storm way off to the east of us, we are going to be motoring for the next 24 hours (maybe more). 80 gallons of diesel left. Should be enough. Well, ultimately we are a sailboat so if we run out, we'll sail. And go stark raving mad!!!
The winch for the main sail halyard was wobbly so I took it apart with Jugurtha and Jeremy's help and we tightened it back up. One problem fixed. The wind indicator has died completely. I have powered it down and will worry about it in Seattle.
The wind died right after supper so here we are again. Motoring! What's your price for flight? In finding Mr Right....Turns out Jeremy has this song on his computer. Just found this out. Tomorrow the Appa Sundowner Happy Hour will feature the musical stylings of NIGHT RANGER!!! And maybe Poison, White Lion, Van Halen, who else?
I got a great response on my Night Ranger question. Wanna play some more? What 80s band most personifies the 80s? Who should be playing front and center while we toast to the sun for another great day? I have a pretty gpod selection of 80s on my ipod. But not Night Ranger. Weird. Going to have to fix that.
Dinner tonight was by Papa Fox. Chicken curry stew over rice. For dessert we had a coconut cream cake with blueberries. Delicious.
We have about 1300 more miles to go. Our super accurate weather guy, Michael, (who was dead on yesterday about when the wind was going to fill in) wants us to think about turning toward the west coast of America around 46 degrees of latitude. If the wind switches before hand, we would love to turn early and cut some miles off the trip. Instead of a hard turn at 46 we start turning gradually at 44 or so. Either way we have another 400 miles of north to go before we can start thinking about turning.
Swear count today is 3. All of it used up battling the spinnaker pole this morning. I'd swear and then swear for swearing. Dumb. It is amazing now that I am conscious of my swearing how much everyone else swears. My ears are tuned for it or something.
Books. I just finished 4 books in the past 3 days. I don't sleep much out here so I read.
Haunted Ground by Erin Hart. Pretty good murder mystery set in Ireland.
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. Loved it. Better than the movie
I Drink for a Reason by David Cross. Pretty funny book. This guy doesn't like Jim Belushi at ALL.
What Looks Like Crazy On an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage. Pretty good also. Set in Michigan, the book follows a newly HIV infected black female as she goes back home to see her sister. I liked it.
I think I am going to start the Game of Thrones series.
Wednesday the 16th of July
Had to use a blanket last night. Haven't used one of those in a bit.
Foggy and cool this morning. Cabin temp is 72. That I haven't seen in awhile either.
There is some wind trying to build out of the south as we motor north. Not enough to sail. OK, there is just enough to sail but the swells out here roll the boat so much that the sails just get backwinded and then POP! slap back. Super annoying and not good for the sails either.
We have seen a grand total of 5 ships out here, all headed to various places. The AIS tells us where they are headed. Japan, New Orleans, San Diego, etc.
Pete saw a pod of dolphins this morning. That is a first for this leg. I traveled down the coast with the Scott and Mary on Whisper years back. Saw some dolphins on that trip! Incredible.
Going to get the weather now.
Remember to text me your favorite 80s band and we will try to play it tonight and tomorrow night for our sundowner. Haven't seen a real sunset in the past 5 days though. We pretend.
Another day down. We left the 6th of July and it is now the 15th. It's 2100 (that 9pm to you non-medical, sailor, army etc types) Honolulu time. The dishes are done and people are either on watch (Jugurtha), sleeping (Papa Fox, Jeremy, Pete), or trying desperately to come up with something interesting to write about.
The day started out for me at 0400 helping Pete get the sails squared away so we could start up the motor due to the wind dying off. This means dropping the spinnaker pole and stowing it. It NEVER wants to go to it's home on the boat. No way, it wants to swing wildly and try to bash me on the head or get caught on the netting that surrounds the boat to keep the kids onboard. The spin pole loves nets. Nets and heads. Max got konked (or is it conked) on the head this year by the spin pole. Drove him right to his knees. Luckily I only had to extricate the pole from the net. Of course the jib saw what fun the spin pole was having so it decided to get it's foot tension line wrapped around the bow pulpit and make a knot that I have never seen before. Had to cut it away. Once that was done, we were finally ready to start the motor. 10 minutes later the wind springs up again out of the south at 10 knots. Out goes the jib and the spin pole and eventually the reefs in the main. It was 0530 by the time we were squared away. Wind was south all day from 10-15 knots. Boat speed was 6-7-8 knots at times.
Next I used the satellite phone to download GRIB files (weather maps) and try to guess where to go next. It should seem obvious to anyone on where to go. Point the bow at Washington State and go. Not so fast. We have to worry about the weather. OK, so we got the weather data and it doesn't look bad but not really optimal either. We sailed all day today. Sailed dead down wind with a poled out jib and full main to the opposite side. Wong on Wong as the iPad likes to correct it. Made 147 miles in the last 24 hours. Not too bad. Problem is the Pacific High is right over us now. Unless the wind fills in from the storm way off to the east of us, we are going to be motoring for the next 24 hours (maybe more). 80 gallons of diesel left. Should be enough. Well, ultimately we are a sailboat so if we run out, we'll sail. And go stark raving mad!!!
The winch for the main sail halyard was wobbly so I took it apart with Jugurtha and Jeremy's help and we tightened it back up. One problem fixed. The wind indicator has died completely. I have powered it down and will worry about it in Seattle.
The wind died right after supper so here we are again. Motoring! What's your price for flight? In finding Mr Right....Turns out Jeremy has this song on his computer. Just found this out. Tomorrow the Appa Sundowner Happy Hour will feature the musical stylings of NIGHT RANGER!!! And maybe Poison, White Lion, Van Halen, who else?
I got a great response on my Night Ranger question. Wanna play some more? What 80s band most personifies the 80s? Who should be playing front and center while we toast to the sun for another great day? I have a pretty gpod selection of 80s on my ipod. But not Night Ranger. Weird. Going to have to fix that.
Dinner tonight was by Papa Fox. Chicken curry stew over rice. For dessert we had a coconut cream cake with blueberries. Delicious.
We have about 1300 more miles to go. Our super accurate weather guy, Michael, (who was dead on yesterday about when the wind was going to fill in) wants us to think about turning toward the west coast of America around 46 degrees of latitude. If the wind switches before hand, we would love to turn early and cut some miles off the trip. Instead of a hard turn at 46 we start turning gradually at 44 or so. Either way we have another 400 miles of north to go before we can start thinking about turning.
Swear count today is 3. All of it used up battling the spinnaker pole this morning. I'd swear and then swear for swearing. Dumb. It is amazing now that I am conscious of my swearing how much everyone else swears. My ears are tuned for it or something.
Books. I just finished 4 books in the past 3 days. I don't sleep much out here so I read.
Haunted Ground by Erin Hart. Pretty good murder mystery set in Ireland.
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. Loved it. Better than the movie
I Drink for a Reason by David Cross. Pretty funny book. This guy doesn't like Jim Belushi at ALL.
What Looks Like Crazy On an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage. Pretty good also. Set in Michigan, the book follows a newly HIV infected black female as she goes back home to see her sister. I liked it.
I think I am going to start the Game of Thrones series.
The day started out for me at 0400 helping Pete get the sails squared away so we could start up the motor due to the wind dying off. This means dropping the spinnaker pole and stowing it. It NEVER wants to go to it's home on the boat. No way, it wants to swing wildly and try to bash me on the head or get caught on the netting that surrounds the boat to keep the kids onboard. The spin pole loves nets. Nets and heads. Max got konked (or is it conked) on the head this year by the spin pole. Drove him right to his knees. Luckily I only had to extricate the pole from the net. Of course the jib saw what fun the spin pole was having so it decided to get it's foot tension line wrapped around the bow pulpit and make a knot that I have never seen before. Had to cut it away. Once that was done, we were finally ready to start the motor. 10 minutes later the wind springs up again out of the south at 10 knots. Out goes the jib and the spin pole and eventually the reefs in the main. It was 0530 by the time we were squared away. Wind was south all day from 10-15 knots. Boat speed was 6-7-8 knots at times.
Next I used the satellite phone to download GRIB files (weather maps) and try to guess where to go next. It should seem obvious to anyone on where to go. Point the bow at Washington State and go. Not so fast. We have to worry about the weather. OK, so we got the weather data and it doesn't look bad but not really optimal either. We sailed all day today. Sailed dead down wind with a poled out jib and full main to the opposite side. Wong on Wong as the iPad likes to correct it. Made 147 miles in the last 24 hours. Not too bad. Problem is the Pacific High is right over us now. Unless the wind fills in from the storm way off to the east of us, we are going to be motoring for the next 24 hours (maybe more). 80 gallons of diesel left. Should be enough. Well, ultimately we are a sailboat so if we run out, we'll sail. And go stark raving mad!!!
The winch for the main sail halyard was wobbly so I took it apart with Jugurtha and Jeremy's help and we tightened it back up. One problem fixed. The wind indicator has died completely. I have powered it down and will worry about it in Seattle.
The wind died right after supper so here we are again. Motoring! What's your price for flight? In finding Mr Right....Turns out Jeremy has this song on his computer. Just found this out. Tomorrow the Appa Sundowner Happy Hour will feature the musical stylings of NIGHT RANGER!!! And maybe Poison, White Lion, Van Halen, who else?
I got a great response on my Night Ranger question. Wanna play some more? What 80s band most personifies the 80s? Who should be playing front and center while we toast to the sun for another great day? I have a pretty gpod selection of 80s on my ipod. But not Night Ranger. Weird. Going to have to fix that.
Dinner tonight was by Papa Fox. Chicken curry stew over rice. For dessert we had a coconut cream cake with blueberries. Delicious.
We have about 1300 more miles to go. Our super accurate weather guy, Michael, (who was dead on yesterday about when the wind was going to fill in) wants us to think about turning toward the west coast of America around 46 degrees of latitude. If the wind switches before hand, we would love to turn early and cut some miles off the trip. Instead of a hard turn at 46 we start turning gradually at 44 or so. Either way we have another 400 miles of north to go before we can start thinking about turning.
Swear count today is 3. All of it used up battling the spinnaker pole this morning. I'd swear and then swear for swearing. Dumb. It is amazing now that I am conscious of my swearing how much everyone else swears. My ears are tuned for it or something.
Books. I just finished 4 books in the past 3 days. I don't sleep much out here so I read.
Haunted Ground by Erin Hart. Pretty good murder mystery set in Ireland.
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. Loved it. Better than the movie
I Drink for a Reason by David Cross. Pretty funny book. This guy doesn't like Jim Belushi at ALL.
What Looks Like Crazy On an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage. Pretty good also. Set in Michigan, the book follows a newly HIV infected black female as she goes back home to see her sister. I liked it.
I think I am going to start the Game of Thrones series.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
We had a great day yesterday. Poled out the jib and had full sail up for most of the day, running down wind touching 9 knots at times. Currently we are yet again motoring as the wind has died down substantially. We can't seem to tie two days together without motoring. The Pacific High appears to be moving right over the top of us and that means no wind. I can't believe I'm going to write this but I hope that the gale to the west of us gets here soon. I am going to download the weather gribs here after sending this out into the web and see what we see.
Pizza was good and we ate two of them. I thought we would have some leftovers but alas, no.
We are doing pretty good in the food department. Still have frozen chicken, frozen pork, frozen Mahi, frozen brats and some awful frozen hamburgers. You know the kind, you cook them while they are still frozen. 30 grams of fat in each burger. Last resort those babies. We still have a head of cabbage, papayas, some carrots and potatoes with 5 onions. Not bad. Been out here 9 days nows. I figure another 10 or so till Seattle. If we get wind. On the leg to Honolulu we only ran the motor to charge the batteries and shut off the freezer with a week. Now, with all this motoring we have plenty of electrons to share with the freezer. The freezer is also starting to behave itself. It was running continuously when we left Hawaii. About 4 days of running. No idea why. I shut it off for a night and once I turned it back on, it was cycling like it should. Almost like a Windows computer.
Plenty of canned goods. Running out of drinking juice though. Jugurtha is starting to become unhinged at the thought of no ice. Asks for it all the time. Now he knows how we felt while in Mexico. "Please sir. Can you spare a cube? Please!" I imagine that in a British accent. I think I'll start making some ice and surprise these dogs with ice in their sundowners. Maybe. I think they are talking about me. I watch them while they sleep and they just look...guilty.
Pete has just called down the hatch and we have some wind!
More later...
Pizza was good and we ate two of them. I thought we would have some leftovers but alas, no.
We are doing pretty good in the food department. Still have frozen chicken, frozen pork, frozen Mahi, frozen brats and some awful frozen hamburgers. You know the kind, you cook them while they are still frozen. 30 grams of fat in each burger. Last resort those babies. We still have a head of cabbage, papayas, some carrots and potatoes with 5 onions. Not bad. Been out here 9 days nows. I figure another 10 or so till Seattle. If we get wind. On the leg to Honolulu we only ran the motor to charge the batteries and shut off the freezer with a week. Now, with all this motoring we have plenty of electrons to share with the freezer. The freezer is also starting to behave itself. It was running continuously when we left Hawaii. About 4 days of running. No idea why. I shut it off for a night and once I turned it back on, it was cycling like it should. Almost like a Windows computer.
Plenty of canned goods. Running out of drinking juice though. Jugurtha is starting to become unhinged at the thought of no ice. Asks for it all the time. Now he knows how we felt while in Mexico. "Please sir. Can you spare a cube? Please!" I imagine that in a British accent. I think I'll start making some ice and surprise these dogs with ice in their sundowners. Maybe. I think they are talking about me. I watch them while they sleep and they just look...guilty.
Pete has just called down the hatch and we have some wind!
More later...
Monday, July 14, 2014
Motorin'
SUNDAY JULY 13th
Can somebody text me on the inReach with the answer to this please. Night Ranger was a band in the 80s with some hits. Did they have a song called "Motoring" or did the song "Sister Christian" have "motoring" in the chorus? Been bugging me ever since we started the motor. We're motoring...insert guitar riff here...what's your <something, something> to life (?). Man I miss the Internet. It knows all and I could just pick up my phone and figure this out. Oh well.
Writing this Sunday night at 2000 Honolulu time. The crew refuses to switch time zones and I'm not sure that we even have to yet heading north like we are. The crew is going to keep on Honolulu time till Seattle they say. Crazy kids!
We motored all night last night and most of the morning. So while running the engine, I decided to make water. Good thing too as Jugurtha hasn't taken a shower in 4 days and he needed to do laundry. Papa Fox left his hatch open while sleeping last night and was surprised by gallons of water sluicing in the hatch and hitting him right on the face. Soaked everything up there. I looked under the V berth for water intrusion and there was none. Jen has stored a bunch of stuff up there and I don't want it to get wet. So Papa Fox had to clean his bedding again. He just did it yesterday.
I swore 3 times today. Once, when I cut my finger cleaning the forward head and I ran across pieces of broken mirror that Pete accidentally broke a couple days ago. The second time was exactly the kind of swearing I am trying to get rid of. The "I'm swearing and don't even know it" swear. Here is how it went down. When making water on Appa, the freshly made water only goes into one tank. Appa has three totally separate tanks. You have to empty the watermaker tank into the tank you want filled. I do this with a hose that plugs into the outside shower spigot and then I run the hose to one of the two tank deck fills. So having three tanks means I have to make sure I am drawing off the correct tank to fill the other tank. See where I am going? I accidentally left the tank selector on the tank I wanted to fill NOT the watermaker tank. So I was not filling anything. I was taking water out of the tank and putting it right back in it. For 15 minutes...hence the swear word. I kept looking at the water level indicator and wondering why nothing was moving. DUH!!!!!
Jeez, after writing that I can't even remember the third happenstance of swearing.
I made dinner last night and tonight. Last night it was mango sauce over baked mahi mahi. Tonight we had roast with potatoes and onions along with coleslaw.
Had the fishing line out today but no bites.
Water is getting colder and we are wearing jackets at night now. Definitely not in the tropics anymore.
The weather has been tricky the past couple of days. Light wind and no wind. I think we are down to 85 gallons of diesel. Out of 100. The wind is suppose to fill in here around 2300 or so. 15 knots out of the south and then building to 20 in the afternoon tomorrow. That would be great. There is also a low pressure system moving this way and it is developing into a gale. That might hit us also in the next 3-4 days. Or it could not. Hard to tell. My weather guru Michael is on the job and my Dad is also monitoring the situation. Michael said a couple hours ago, "The wind will be there in 6 hours, then in 12 hours, there will be more." I love the confidence!! To quote Pulp Fiction, "That's a bold statement."
We are getting into the routine and are having a good time. All of us are anxious to get into the wind and take a bite out of some mileage. 1400 miles to go. As the albatross flies. Seen tons of these beauties.
We are also in the Pacific Garbage Patch. On the western edge of it actually I'm told. We have been seeing buckets, nets, discarded fishing gear, etc. Not constant but enough to make you sad for the planet. At night we just plow ahead and hope that there is nothing too big right in front of us. Knock on wood.
Seen three ships since we left Hawaii. Nothing else but garbage and birds. No dolphins, no nothing.
MONDAY JULY 14th
We finally got into the wind at 2330 last night. 15 knots or so out of the SSE. We are going to gybe in a bit and once the crew is fully awake, we will try to go wing on wing and run dead down wind. The boat is rocking and rolling through the wind waves and big old swells. Same old, same old. Hitting 8 knots at times, feels good to hear the water rushing past the hull rather than the motor pound out it's 5 knot song of slowness.
Jeremy made bread last night and I think today is pizza day!
Jugurtha continues to fish without any luck. Maybe we should change lures as I believe that we are out of mahi mahi waters and in the tuna area. Hmmm.
Hopefully the wind continues to build and we can continue on north.
Can somebody text me on the inReach with the answer to this please. Night Ranger was a band in the 80s with some hits. Did they have a song called "Motoring" or did the song "Sister Christian" have "motoring" in the chorus? Been bugging me ever since we started the motor. We're motoring...insert guitar riff here...what's your <something, something> to life (?). Man I miss the Internet. It knows all and I could just pick up my phone and figure this out. Oh well.
Writing this Sunday night at 2000 Honolulu time. The crew refuses to switch time zones and I'm not sure that we even have to yet heading north like we are. The crew is going to keep on Honolulu time till Seattle they say. Crazy kids!
We motored all night last night and most of the morning. So while running the engine, I decided to make water. Good thing too as Jugurtha hasn't taken a shower in 4 days and he needed to do laundry. Papa Fox left his hatch open while sleeping last night and was surprised by gallons of water sluicing in the hatch and hitting him right on the face. Soaked everything up there. I looked under the V berth for water intrusion and there was none. Jen has stored a bunch of stuff up there and I don't want it to get wet. So Papa Fox had to clean his bedding again. He just did it yesterday.
I swore 3 times today. Once, when I cut my finger cleaning the forward head and I ran across pieces of broken mirror that Pete accidentally broke a couple days ago. The second time was exactly the kind of swearing I am trying to get rid of. The "I'm swearing and don't even know it" swear. Here is how it went down. When making water on Appa, the freshly made water only goes into one tank. Appa has three totally separate tanks. You have to empty the watermaker tank into the tank you want filled. I do this with a hose that plugs into the outside shower spigot and then I run the hose to one of the two tank deck fills. So having three tanks means I have to make sure I am drawing off the correct tank to fill the other tank. See where I am going? I accidentally left the tank selector on the tank I wanted to fill NOT the watermaker tank. So I was not filling anything. I was taking water out of the tank and putting it right back in it. For 15 minutes...hence the swear word. I kept looking at the water level indicator and wondering why nothing was moving. DUH!!!!!
Jeez, after writing that I can't even remember the third happenstance of swearing.
I made dinner last night and tonight. Last night it was mango sauce over baked mahi mahi. Tonight we had roast with potatoes and onions along with coleslaw.
Had the fishing line out today but no bites.
Water is getting colder and we are wearing jackets at night now. Definitely not in the tropics anymore.
The weather has been tricky the past couple of days. Light wind and no wind. I think we are down to 85 gallons of diesel. Out of 100. The wind is suppose to fill in here around 2300 or so. 15 knots out of the south and then building to 20 in the afternoon tomorrow. That would be great. There is also a low pressure system moving this way and it is developing into a gale. That might hit us also in the next 3-4 days. Or it could not. Hard to tell. My weather guru Michael is on the job and my Dad is also monitoring the situation. Michael said a couple hours ago, "The wind will be there in 6 hours, then in 12 hours, there will be more." I love the confidence!! To quote Pulp Fiction, "That's a bold statement."
We are getting into the routine and are having a good time. All of us are anxious to get into the wind and take a bite out of some mileage. 1400 miles to go. As the albatross flies. Seen tons of these beauties.
We are also in the Pacific Garbage Patch. On the western edge of it actually I'm told. We have been seeing buckets, nets, discarded fishing gear, etc. Not constant but enough to make you sad for the planet. At night we just plow ahead and hope that there is nothing too big right in front of us. Knock on wood.
Seen three ships since we left Hawaii. Nothing else but garbage and birds. No dolphins, no nothing.
MONDAY JULY 14th
We finally got into the wind at 2330 last night. 15 knots or so out of the SSE. We are going to gybe in a bit and once the crew is fully awake, we will try to go wing on wing and run dead down wind. The boat is rocking and rolling through the wind waves and big old swells. Same old, same old. Hitting 8 knots at times, feels good to hear the water rushing past the hull rather than the motor pound out it's 5 knot song of slowness.
Jeremy made bread last night and I think today is pizza day!
Jugurtha continues to fish without any luck. Maybe we should change lures as I believe that we are out of mahi mahi waters and in the tuna area. Hmmm.
Hopefully the wind continues to build and we can continue on north.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Had another great day yesterday. Warm and some wind. Ripped the heck out of the spinnaker though. 30 foot tear across a couple of panel. Not good. Unrepairable out here. It'll be an expensive fix. Ah well. I didn't swear when it tore. I thought I might but didn't.
Jugurtha made a chicken stew dish and was delicious.
Today is rainy and a little cooler. I wonder if the tropicds are now finally behind us. By rights there should be. We have about 1500 miles to go. We've put almost 800 miles behind us.
Wind is gustyaround 15-20 and out of the north which is not the preferred direction but we'll make some east and see what wind we can find. We are heading 55 degrees true with a wind angle of 45 degrees or so. Meaning we are bashing once again into the wind and waves. Not too uncomfortable. Either that or we are use to it.
Boat is handling things well.
I am making dinner tonight. Baked mahi with potatoes of some sort. Maybe mashed.
That's it for now...
Jugurtha made a chicken stew dish and was delicious.
Today is rainy and a little cooler. I wonder if the tropicds are now finally behind us. By rights there should be. We have about 1500 miles to go. We've put almost 800 miles behind us.
Wind is gustyaround 15-20 and out of the north which is not the preferred direction but we'll make some east and see what wind we can find. We are heading 55 degrees true with a wind angle of 45 degrees or so. Meaning we are bashing once again into the wind and waves. Not too uncomfortable. Either that or we are use to it.
Boat is handling things well.
I am making dinner tonight. Baked mahi with potatoes of some sort. Maybe mashed.
That's it for now...
Friday, July 11, 2014
WOW! That is all I can say about yesterday! Well, not all I can say cause I'm going to put in down here.
We had a beautiful day of sailing. The ocean laid down and the wind waves all but disappeared. All that remained was a easterly wind at 10 knots, bright blue sky, and a gentle rolling swell. The blue of this ocean...
We are seeing some garbage now from the mid ocean garbage patch. Google if you don't know what I am talking about. Discarded fishing nets, buoys, and the like are passing us in a slow, sad parade of how we are truly trashing this planet. How can I be out thousands of miles from anything or anyone and still see signs of man? Sad.
Anyway, it was still beautiful out. All day long we had great wind and Appa gliding across the water at 6-7 knots effortlessly. This is what we signed up for. All of us on deck, reminiscing, BSing, getting to know each other better...remarkable group of people I have onboard. I am thankful.
I swore 5 times yesterday. Grrrr.
Jeremy made a pork stew with chutney yesterday. The pork was slow cooked all day. So tender. Today is Jugurtha's turn to cook.
Yesterday as we were enjoying a great sunset, the fishing line went crazy. FISH ON! Mahi Mahi. Jugurtha reeled that baby in. Big. 10 pounds of meat of that fish. I have pics and a cool little video. Jurgurtha was so happy. It was great to see.
Making breakfast now. We are motoring and have been since last night. Batteries are fully charged and the freezer is full of fish. Life is good.
We had a beautiful day of sailing. The ocean laid down and the wind waves all but disappeared. All that remained was a easterly wind at 10 knots, bright blue sky, and a gentle rolling swell. The blue of this ocean...
We are seeing some garbage now from the mid ocean garbage patch. Google if you don't know what I am talking about. Discarded fishing nets, buoys, and the like are passing us in a slow, sad parade of how we are truly trashing this planet. How can I be out thousands of miles from anything or anyone and still see signs of man? Sad.
Anyway, it was still beautiful out. All day long we had great wind and Appa gliding across the water at 6-7 knots effortlessly. This is what we signed up for. All of us on deck, reminiscing, BSing, getting to know each other better...remarkable group of people I have onboard. I am thankful.
I swore 5 times yesterday. Grrrr.
Jeremy made a pork stew with chutney yesterday. The pork was slow cooked all day. So tender. Today is Jugurtha's turn to cook.
Yesterday as we were enjoying a great sunset, the fishing line went crazy. FISH ON! Mahi Mahi. Jugurtha reeled that baby in. Big. 10 pounds of meat of that fish. I have pics and a cool little video. Jurgurtha was so happy. It was great to see.
Making breakfast now. We are motoring and have been since last night. Batteries are fully charged and the freezer is full of fish. Life is good.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Send me on my way
It should be noted that this blog post should be read whilst listening to Rusted Root's "Send me on my way". Great tune.
The water in the kettle is coming to a boil this morning and I am looking forward to dipping Samira's biscotte (sp?) in my decaf coffee. Jugurtha "found" the biscotte this morning in his duffle. It appeared to have been nibbled on for a couple of days. I'd like to think that shame eventually made him dragged the partially eaten loaf out and share with us poor bastards.
It is Thursday and we are still heading NNE around 12 degrees true at 7.7 knots with bursts into the 8s. Our angle to the wind is 55 degrees. Swell is around 3 foot with a period of 6 seconds or so. Wind waves are 2 foot chop. Pretty comfortable actually.
Late night Jugurtha and I had the 2100-0000 watch and the wind was off and then on. We motored for one hour or so. A couple of squalls pasted over us and it rained some. Refreshing warm rain. Once those clouds past, the wind filled back in and we took off. Been sailing ever since.
The crew is doing well with seasickness nothing but a bad memory in the rearview mirror. We are slowly getting into our routine. We have another 2 weeks, that's right TWO WEEKS to go and it takes awhile for that to sink in.
I have resolved to give up swearing and have been doing OK at it. Amazing how much of my language has been populated by "colorful euphemisms". Well no more. I hit my foot on a winch yesterday and said "Jeepers" instead of the usual string of words that would make a US Navy sailor cry.
No fish caught but then we weren't dragging any lines.
The days are sunny and warm. The water is very warm. I have been on the bow in my swimsuit, desperately wishing my Benny was with me to partake in the thorough splashing/take down the waves administer while Appa bashes home. I miss my family!!!
Ben is on Sand Dollar now helping them get the boat from Hood Canal to their homeport in Seattle. I love the fact that he and I are at sea together. It is a small connection but a connection nonetheless.
My deceased father's birthday is coming up. I'll be at sea and it seems fitting somehow. He always wanted to be out here, doing something like this but cancer got to him first...
My step-father's birthday is coming up and he is very much alive. You can't pick your parents or even your step-parents but I got very lucky with my bio Dad and my step-dad. I am really looking forward to his birthday party in August.
Boat stuff. The wind instrument is slowly dying meaning we are unable to have the computer drive the boat using wind angles. Crazy right?!? It is one year old and I replaced it only because I didn't want the old one to die on us. Joke is on me...as usual. We can still have the computer drive by compass heading so it is all good.
We had a batten in the mainsail tear itself out of it's cozy home. Dropped the sail and repaired that.
Pete was on watch two nights ago and had me get up to verify something. He swore that he saw a signal flare off our starboard bow. This is 4 in the morning. I got up and saw something but really couldn't say what it was. Jeremy was then woken and a new pair of eyes studied the situation. After about 5 minutes, we decided it was Venus rising. The clouds can play tricks. That and flares don't last for 20 minutes usually.
Just before we left Hawaii, I allowed Rachelle to use the shower in my cabin so she could catch her flight all refreshed. I then promptly forgot to shut off the valve that drains the shower. The shower drain has a one way valve but it leaks a bit. So the boat filled up with 60 gallons of water as we were leaving Hawaii. Maybe not 60 but I pumped on the bilge pump for a while to clear the water. Dumb. Luckily the water didn't do anything to the food we have stored in the bilges. Just wet cans. My tools are cleaned in salt water now so I have to clean them up a bit but nothing big. Just dumb.
The waves have been on the beam and it has been a wet ride at times. Once in awhile the waves will be at the right angle and the boat heeled as such that the resulting spray is enormous and a wall of salt water crushes us in the cockpit. Usually right after a fresh water shower has been taken by a crew member.
Pete broke a mirror in the forward bathroom and about an hour later got doused by a wave. Bad luck? He was incredulous that Appa has glass mirrors. Hell, we have porcelain sinks. It is a French boat.
Nothing else to report. I am going to have my coffee now.
text us if you want on our inReach. The address for that is back a few posts. It is free and we love hearing from people.
The water in the kettle is coming to a boil this morning and I am looking forward to dipping Samira's biscotte (sp?) in my decaf coffee. Jugurtha "found" the biscotte this morning in his duffle. It appeared to have been nibbled on for a couple of days. I'd like to think that shame eventually made him dragged the partially eaten loaf out and share with us poor bastards.
It is Thursday and we are still heading NNE around 12 degrees true at 7.7 knots with bursts into the 8s. Our angle to the wind is 55 degrees. Swell is around 3 foot with a period of 6 seconds or so. Wind waves are 2 foot chop. Pretty comfortable actually.
Late night Jugurtha and I had the 2100-0000 watch and the wind was off and then on. We motored for one hour or so. A couple of squalls pasted over us and it rained some. Refreshing warm rain. Once those clouds past, the wind filled back in and we took off. Been sailing ever since.
The crew is doing well with seasickness nothing but a bad memory in the rearview mirror. We are slowly getting into our routine. We have another 2 weeks, that's right TWO WEEKS to go and it takes awhile for that to sink in.
I have resolved to give up swearing and have been doing OK at it. Amazing how much of my language has been populated by "colorful euphemisms". Well no more. I hit my foot on a winch yesterday and said "Jeepers" instead of the usual string of words that would make a US Navy sailor cry.
No fish caught but then we weren't dragging any lines.
The days are sunny and warm. The water is very warm. I have been on the bow in my swimsuit, desperately wishing my Benny was with me to partake in the thorough splashing/take down the waves administer while Appa bashes home. I miss my family!!!
Ben is on Sand Dollar now helping them get the boat from Hood Canal to their homeport in Seattle. I love the fact that he and I are at sea together. It is a small connection but a connection nonetheless.
My deceased father's birthday is coming up. I'll be at sea and it seems fitting somehow. He always wanted to be out here, doing something like this but cancer got to him first...
My step-father's birthday is coming up and he is very much alive. You can't pick your parents or even your step-parents but I got very lucky with my bio Dad and my step-dad. I am really looking forward to his birthday party in August.
Boat stuff. The wind instrument is slowly dying meaning we are unable to have the computer drive the boat using wind angles. Crazy right?!? It is one year old and I replaced it only because I didn't want the old one to die on us. Joke is on me...as usual. We can still have the computer drive by compass heading so it is all good.
We had a batten in the mainsail tear itself out of it's cozy home. Dropped the sail and repaired that.
Pete was on watch two nights ago and had me get up to verify something. He swore that he saw a signal flare off our starboard bow. This is 4 in the morning. I got up and saw something but really couldn't say what it was. Jeremy was then woken and a new pair of eyes studied the situation. After about 5 minutes, we decided it was Venus rising. The clouds can play tricks. That and flares don't last for 20 minutes usually.
Just before we left Hawaii, I allowed Rachelle to use the shower in my cabin so she could catch her flight all refreshed. I then promptly forgot to shut off the valve that drains the shower. The shower drain has a one way valve but it leaks a bit. So the boat filled up with 60 gallons of water as we were leaving Hawaii. Maybe not 60 but I pumped on the bilge pump for a while to clear the water. Dumb. Luckily the water didn't do anything to the food we have stored in the bilges. Just wet cans. My tools are cleaned in salt water now so I have to clean them up a bit but nothing big. Just dumb.
The waves have been on the beam and it has been a wet ride at times. Once in awhile the waves will be at the right angle and the boat heeled as such that the resulting spray is enormous and a wall of salt water crushes us in the cockpit. Usually right after a fresh water shower has been taken by a crew member.
Pete broke a mirror in the forward bathroom and about an hour later got doused by a wave. Bad luck? He was incredulous that Appa has glass mirrors. Hell, we have porcelain sinks. It is a French boat.
Nothing else to report. I am going to have my coffee now.
text us if you want on our inReach. The address for that is back a few posts. It is free and we love hearing from people.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Day 3
N 25 44 W 157 52
80 degrees out
Wind 19 knots apparent from the East. We are sailing at 60-70 degrees to it making 8 knots at times. We are pushing through the water pretty quick.
We left Honolulu at 1100am Sunday. Went around the windward side and got pounded by waves. 7-10 footers and we had to beat to weather to get out of there. Jugurtha got seasick and is just now recovering. Jeremy is off and on but generally is doing good. Pete, Papa Fox and myself have been alright so far.
We caught our first fish yesterday. 10 pound Mahi. Bright blue when we landed it. Beautiful fish. I filleted him and PF baked the fish and made a mango salsa to go with. Served on a bed of rice.
So we are double reefed and have about 3/4 of the jib out. The wind is forecasted to lighten in the next day or so maybe get more south in it. We'll see.
All is good. Check our tracker if you want. I can't remember the address but I posted it in a earlier blog.
----
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80 degrees out
Wind 19 knots apparent from the East. We are sailing at 60-70 degrees to it making 8 knots at times. We are pushing through the water pretty quick.
We left Honolulu at 1100am Sunday. Went around the windward side and got pounded by waves. 7-10 footers and we had to beat to weather to get out of there. Jugurtha got seasick and is just now recovering. Jeremy is off and on but generally is doing good. Pete, Papa Fox and myself have been alright so far.
We caught our first fish yesterday. 10 pound Mahi. Bright blue when we landed it. Beautiful fish. I filleted him and PF baked the fish and made a mango salsa to go with. Served on a bed of rice.
So we are double reefed and have about 3/4 of the jib out. The wind is forecasted to lighten in the next day or so maybe get more south in it. We'll see.
All is good. Check our tracker if you want. I can't remember the address but I posted it in a earlier blog.
----
This e-mail was delivered via satellite phone using GMN's XGate software.
Please be kind and keep your replies short.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
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