March 31 Enroute to Pitcairn

Position: S26deg28min;W124deg30 min. Day 8's run: 129 nm. We've been running straight down wind for over 24 hours and the wind vane is liking it, much to my surprise, as most folks will tell you that wind vanes don't steer very well dead down wind. The wind has still been about 20 knots; seas are still 8'-10'. By forecast, the wind is supposed to calm down to less than 8 knots later tonight for us, so we're hoping we can sail in the rest of the way using our light wind sails (we carry a code zero and a reacher-drifter; they're large, light weight nylon sails used on different points of sail depending on what direction the wind's coming from) as we don't carry enough diesel to motor the last several hundred miles. 311 nm to go.

Mar 30 Enroute to Pitcairn Island

Position:S26deg53min;W122deg12min. Day 6 run - 131 nm. We've had a pretty good last 24 hours and are now running dead down wind under partial jib only, making 5+ knots.

Mar 29 Enroute to Pitcairn Island; Uncomfortable conditions

Position: S26deg53min; W120deg18min. Day 6 run: 121 nm. We're broad reaching under a poled out furled yankee jib. Yep, this morning we set up the reaching pole in order to try to get a better angle on the wind. We're slewing around something terrible as the headsail is our only sail up. Conditions continue to be moderate, with less than 20 knots of wind, but the seas are 10'-12' and seem to be getting larger and more confused, and trying to have the self steering vane steer with these crazy waves hitting us on the stern quarter is difficult as at times the waves seem to be coming from different angles. We're really getting pushed around and just moving down below takes a lot of energy. We're about 540 nm from Pitcairn, so hope to be there in 5 more days. Are we having fun yet or what?

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Mar 28 Enroute to Pitcairn "All or nothing!"

Position: S28deg06min/W118deg43min. Day 5's run: 124 nm. After 19 hours of motoring, then sitting around with no wind at all for the next 8 hours, the wind finally found us! We've reduced sail to a triple reefed main, have a storm jib hanked to the staysail stay, and a very small handkerchief of a jib out. Seas are 10'-12' along with the 22 knots of SE wind, which peaked at 28 knots in a gust. The swells are on our aft quarter and we're rolling quite a bit. Well, another day or so of the same thing and we should be over the top of this bad stuff and the wind is forecast to drop to less than 5 knots then! It's all or nothing! Sue says if you like roller coaster rides, you'd really enjoy this one...except it doesn't stop and you can't get off! (She says really IS enjoying this; and the moon lit nights are beautiful).

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Mar 27 Enroute to Pitcairn Island

Position S28deg31min/W116deg39min. Day 3 and 4's 24 hour run (in nautical miles, respectively) was 113 and 104; possibly giving you an idea of conditions reflected in these numbers. Yesterday, for example, we motored for 19 hours in an effort to find any wind to sail; it had remained around 4 knots. Moving this 36000 pound boat in winds of 4 to 5 knots is especially difficult, and coupled with big swells is a lousy way to go. The sails slat around, and the boat just doesn't make good headway. We finally picked up a decent light breeze (less than 8 knots) late this afternoon, but it's still slow going (a glance at the meter reading wind speed says 4.5 knots true wind) and we've been going anywhere from 0-3.8 knots boat speed. We don't carry enough diesel to motor all the way to Pitcairn, yet alone have the desire to do so, so we'll endure the light wind conditions and be thankful we had a bit of them rather than too strong a wind that honks up and causes all hell to break loose. Meanwhile, we've put a few small sail patches in some areas of chafe in the mainsail and are getting more familiar with some of the intricacies of our MaxSea navigation software, which we're using at this time rather than our other program, Coastal Explorer. Btw, if anyone who knows our SailMail address would be kind enough to email and let us know if our daily blog entries have been posted, we'd appreciate it. We've been sending them thru the Chile SailMail station, and just received an email stating that the station's dial-up modem had been out, so we don't know if our daily blog has made it into the ether zone or not. We're slowly getting to Pitcairn; all's well.

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Mar 26 Enroute to Pitcairn Island

Position: S28deg44min./W114deg52min. It's all or nothing. We either have winds and seas that are strong and confused, or no wind at all with big swells. I finally lowered the main as we're motoring right now in less than 4 knots of wind thru the aforementioned swells; the main was slatting something fierce. As it was, it was a good thing I lowered it, as it was ripped high up in the sail where visualization is difficult. So, out came the sail repair tape and contact cement. In these seas, I don't want to be hand stitching anything. We tried our code zero (a sail for light wind) sail earlier but the swells prevented effective filling of the sail with air enough to drive it, so we took it down, and then discovered I had wrapped the halyard around the headstay wrong anyway so it was just about chafed thru. Again, another lucky thing we dropped that sail, as it would have ended up in the water, making retrieval a pain, but the spinnaker halyard would have parted, and that would have been a problem. Seems like someone's looking over our shoulder; no major disasters...we're catching them early :) All's well aboard. Approximately 843 nautical miles to Pitcairn, although we don't do a rhumb (straight) line. Let's hope the winds and seas cooperate a bit more; it would be most appreciated by this crew!

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March 25 Enroute to Pitcairn/Gambiers

Distance run day 1 - 125 nm
Distance run day 2 - 142 nm
Most of the day and all night yesterday were spent in what we call "challenging" conditions. In other words, conditions sucked! Winds were high, seas were large and confused, and we lost count of the number of waves that inundated the boat, came over the dodger, or into the cockpit. Were we having fun, or what? I finally put a third reef in the main (made the mainsail smaller) and that helped a whole bunch, but the boat motion was still whip sawing us around like crazy. I can't remember the last time we needed to go to a third reef. This morning the winds and seas have moderated just enough to make things more tolerable, in other words we're not getting tossed around like rag dolls. We're keeping a sharp look on the weather, which we get via Sailmail on SSB radio, and seem to be attempting to thread our way between the highs and lows that rapidly form out here as we gradually go northwest towards Pitcairn Island. We're also talking several times daily on the SSB radio with two other boats going the same way (Soggy Paws and Visions of Johanna) to compare notes and "share the experience...." I have a feeling there's more "challenging" weather in front of us....

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Mar 24 Enroute to Pitcairn/Gambiers

Position: S8deg40min/W110deg25min.
Not much to report except lousy weather leaving Easter Island. Lots of squalls and confused seas. Right now we're squandering petrochemical, motorsailing thru light wind south, in the hopes wind will (it should...) pick up from the SE around latitude 30 south. No, we're not going to the roaring 40's...All's well. From the look of the forecasted weather about the time we'd get to Pitcairn, a new low pressure area is forecast to develop which may preclude our stopping there as it would bring heavy winds and seas. We'll see day to day...

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Tues. March 23, Enroute to Pitcairn Island (hopefully!)

S27deg20min;W109deg40min. We spent two rolly nights at the Hotuiti anchorage at Easter Island. The scenery was unsurpassed, and 15 moai are erected by the water's edge; quite beautiful. However, the weather was changing and the Armada actually shut down all ports due to impending bad weather, so it was time to go. We were disappointed we didn't see the quarry where the moai were carved out of rock, but we've got such wonderful memories of the island and the people we met, with special kudos and regards for the Armada. They were incredibly sensitive to the needs of mariners and responsive to all requests and, in our case, went over usual expectations in response to our "dinghy flipping" episode. So, three boats are leaving for the Gambiers, somewhat together. Ourselves, Soggy Paws, with our friends Dave & Sherry aboard their CSY 44, and Visions of Johanna, a 62' custom Chuck Paine design with Bill, Johanna and Gram aboard (they're waay ahead of us!). We've set a SSB radio contact twice a day amongst our three boats, and our collective goal is to stop at Pitcairn Island if weather permits. If not, we'll continue on to Mangareva in the Gambier Islands, which would be our first stop in French Polynesia. All's well aboard Infini, and we'll continue to attempt to post daily blog updates. We're also celebrating our son-in-law Sean's return to home, family and safety after a long overseas deployment. Cheers, well done and God bless!

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March 20 Dhinghy flipping adventure in Hanga Roa....

I guess I won't get any pictures posted any time soon...my camera was drowned along with other important items. Yes, my friend Sherry and I got flipped in the dinghy head over heals through a monster wave we couldn't avoid....timing departure (back to Infini) for that 'break' in the series of waves didn't work out when trying to return with a huge load of provisioning we had just done. I grabbed the bigger bags, using them for floatation, only to have them ripped from me when the next wave hit. There were many surfers around who came to help. The feeling of being a human tumbleweed in big surf is something I hope to never repeat. The dinghy was upside down, and Sherry eventually reached it, and managed with difficulty to right it. Engine and tank still intact! They got to shore before me....the Navy people were there to see if we were OK. The surfers gathered what they could...our oars and dinghy seat, a few of the now mostly empty shopping bags we used; Sherry got her sandals back, my Teva's are history. Also gone: our Standard hand held VHF, tiller extension, Sherry's credit cards, both our sunglasses and Sherry's regular glasses, my well used Franklin Translator that I was going to put the French chip in soon. We dried out all we could and a wonderful lady from a nearby restaurant dried our important papers...my passport, etc. M and Dave went out in Dave's dinghy to try to look for any floating stuff when they finally heard the news, and managed to retrieve a bunch of veggies, but no credit card wallet. The surf was too high for them to come into shore and help. The Armada took our Tohatsu outboard and cleaned it out, delivering it back to us at the boat later in the afternoon. We waited all day for the breakers to lay down, and when they weren't getting any better by 5pm we asked a returning fisherman to take our dinghy aboard his launcha, and Sherry and I got a ride back to our boats thru the big surf (M says we were airborne, but he couldn't get the camera out in time for a picture). So, another lesson learned the hard way....surf can be really dangerous here (and elsewhere). We're both fine; a bit battered and bruised, but nothing serious. We still have our dinghy and outboard, oars and most of our valuables, so we feel very fortunate. The people here were great, and the Armada was concerned and very responsive. Thank you all!

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March 18, 2010

What a lovely island! Of the 4500 people here, 4000 live in and around Hanga Roa. We spent the first day aboard, and watched launcha after launcha with 10 Japanese tourists at a time go back and forth from the ship "Oceanic," which had large lettering 'Peace Boat' on its side, and was also decaled "fight to end world poverty by 2015.".... We relaxed, and M. got our pressure water working again by replacing the high pressure switch on the Shurflo water pump that had failed. The day after, we ventured in through the surf (not too bad) to stretch our legs and explore. And walk we did....to check out the many tienda's (small shops where you can get fresh fruit, veggies, chicken, meats, eggs, spices, alcoholic bevs, etc...), pay our 'health dues' at the bank (about $80.00 US), and visit the Armada (navy). Our friends on Soggy Paws came ashore after getting checked in, and we found an internet cafe. It's always good to log on and feel connected....even for a little while. We celebrated everyone's arrival aboard Infini...and had the crews from Pursuit IV (Gary & Tara) and Zepherus (Andy & Rhian) join us also. Canadian registered, Zepherus had come from Juan Fernandez Is. (between Chile and here)---having experienced the tsunami effects (due to the recent earthquake in Chile) first hand. They plucked people out of the water floating by, corralled a loose dinghy, and 'donated' their outboard engine so a family of 4 could get back to shore, since they were ordered to leave before the second wave hit. They said there was no warning on the island, and the destruction was horrible. The next day we took a very scenic walk to the P. Sebastian Englert Anthropological Museum. It's named for a German Capuchin missionary who studied the way of life and language of Rapa Nui society. He came to live on Easter Is. in 1935 and published many books about the culture. It gave us a good introduction about the different sites we want to see while here. Walking along any road you may encounter horses grazing on any available grass....even if it's between the pavers of the sidewalk! They're beautiful, friendly,and all branded. We took a half day tour the next day; Christian was a young local who spoke good English. Our first stop was Ana Kai Tangata (ana meaning cave)- where we saw petroglyphs of frigate birds on the walls...very scenic and dramatic, being right on the ocean. Next was the Orongo Ceremonial Village, with 54 stone houses built into the side of the cliff, and more petroglyphs. This village was only used once a year for their 'birdman' competition---which determined what family was going to rule the island for the next year. It involved a marathon to get to the offshore islet and come back with a specific bird egg intact...and took place in the 'winter,' which means cold weather and lots of wind, as well as sharks! The Rano Kau Crater was an easy walk next...the spectacular view awesome. This extinct crater is now the main location for the conservation of the island's native flora. The totora reeds covering the lake in floating bogs make it a dreamlike, unreal place. Ahu Vinapu (ahu: burial site, platform, ceremonial altar; 350 around the island) was our last stop, apparently showing the finest level of the old architecture. The Moai (monolithic statues) were interesting. If I remember correctly, it was explained to us that about 900 moai were originally constructed over the span of hundreds of years, but only 400 actually were placed upright by a series of ropes and levers. In war time, opponents wanted to pull down their enemies moai, as it was thought that the moai contained the spirit of the person or family it represented, so taking the shell eyes out and pulling it face down gave mani (life force) to the tribe who was more powerful. At this time only a relative handful of moai (was it 40?) stand upright and intact, and it's thrilling to stand next to these giant (some are over 40 ton!) depictions and memorials to man's spirit life. I'll have to take some time to download those pictures soon....but there's still so much to see!

March 16, 2010 Hanga Roa

MON: We stayed aboard all day...enjoying the scenery; and watching the constant parade of Japanese tourists getting shuffled to shore and back ten at a time via launcha. The ride through the surf has to be to be timed just right, as not to get pooped (water over your stern). M got our pressure water pump working again...and we just relaxed, knowing we´ll be touring with our friends on Soggy Paws.
TUES: We walked the town...finding the bank to get Chilean pesos, the grocery tiendas, and just to stretch our legs. Dave & Sherry joined us in town after they got checked in...then it was back out to Infini for our celebration party...which also included Andy & Rhiana, svZepherus, and Gary & Tara, svPursuit IV. Zepherus had quite the tales to tell of the tsunami at Juan Fernandez (an island between Chile and Easter Is.) The town had no warning...so the surprise was catastrophic. They rescued a family and a few others...floating by. And when an empty dinghy came by...they grabbed that, and donated their outboard so the family could get back to town. So now they row everywhere. They were ordered to leave before the second wave hit...and sail straight to Easter Is. We saw them sail in, thinking they were just out for a sunset sail (clean decks, no clutter)--30´ custom Alberg design.

TEAM INFINI IS ANCHORED AT EASTER ISLAND!!

We arrived at Hanga Roa and were anchored in 52' by 6:30 pm. We had a good sail during the afternoon in a light 10-12 knot breeze, but when we were 33 miles away from the island the wind fell to 7-8 knots and we motor sailed the rest of the way in. The clock is an hour later here at Easter Island than in the Galapagos; it stays light until about 9 pm, and gets light around 0800 in the morning. Our friends on the sv Visions of Johanna welcomed us in, and we chatted via SSB (single side band radio) with our buddy boat, Soggy Paws, who were still about 160 nm away. There are presently four sailboats anchored here at Hanga Roa, as well as a 150' expedition yacht.
Our final stats (Isla Isabela, Galapagos to Hanga Roa, Easter Island) are as follows:
total nautical miles 1956
total time 13 days, 6.5 hours (318.5 hours. I count time from anchor up to anchor down, and this includes the 1.5 hours motoring out from Isla Isabela)
average speed 6.14 knots
total engine run time 9.5 hours (this includes getting the anchor up, and charging the batteries and the reefer(refrigerator) system)
Overall, I think the above represents a very respectable showing for Infini. There were times when we were hanging on by our prehensile toes, but conditions varied and our modus operandi is to keep the boat moving and to stay (relatively) comfortable. It's time for a cuppa, and we'll await officialdom to arrive soon. Ordinarily, they would have been here as soon as we anchored, but as it was late Sunday afternoon, we notified "Pascua Radio" by VHF radio, let them know we're here, and arranged for a Monday morning check in..... And yes 8 officials came out for the layers of paperwork...and the only thing they took from the boat was a half jar of honey (miel); they're very protective of their bees....so no sticky stuff allowed! Our friends had onions, some of their garlic and some limes taken...but they didn't take them from us!

March 14 - day 14 enroute to Easter Island

position: S26deg45min;W108deg53min
day 13's run - 149 nm
average speed - 6.2 kn
dist to go - 38.3 nm
wx - average 10-12 knots ENE, just aft of the port beam; swells are about 4-6'
sails - full sail
r/r (repair/replace) - 0
comments - we hope to make landfall around 9:00 pm tonight. Full reporting and final stats in tomorrow's blog entry.

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March 13 - day 13 enroute to Easter Island

position: S24deg54min;W107deg07min
day 12's run - 150 nm
average speed - 6.25 kn
dist to go - 184 nm
wx - a bit more settled weather, with winds averaging 18-20 knots; swells are now coming from the NE at 8-10'
sails - 2 reefs in main; staysail; partially furled yankee jib; we're broad reaching to running as we try to get a bit closer to our rhumb line
r/r (repair/replace) - electric fresh water galley pump quit; it's getting 12v to the pump, so maybe the high pressure switch failed; I have a replacement pump, and will r/r this one at anchor; meanwhile we'll use the manual pump, which is what we usually do anyway. the electric fresh water pump is typically used to fill our drinking water bottles as it has two filters in line that our manual pump doesn't have.
comments - Our dear friends Susan & Tom of the beautiful Nordhavn 40 Limerick suggested we add a bit more explanation of the Pacific Seafarers Net, so here goes....this Net is run by Ham radio operators for Ham operators aboard vessels voyaging thruout the Pacific region. I counted 12 Ham relay station operators from Hawaii, Tonga, Alabama, New Zealand, California and a few other places I didn't get, and one main controller who runs things in a structured fashion. Vessels voluntarily participate in a "roll call" and opt in or out depending whether they are underway or in port, so the number of vessels participating daily fluctuates. There were 8 vessels checking in our first night of participation, and they were voyaging to the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia, Kirabati of the Line Islands, Easter Island (4 boats), and one boat each to Kwajalein Atoll and Yap Lagoon. So, you can see that boats underway thruout the Pacific are voyaging far and wide. Each vessel provides the following information: time of report in UTC, boat latitude and longitude, boat course and speed, wind direction and speed, sea direction and height, % of cloud cover, and barometer reading and changes of same. This is the data entered into the computer to effect search and rescue efforts should the need arise. A boat can "call traffic" with another vessel or land based station, and phone patches can be arranged if necessary. The Net operates at 0300 UTC, and is on for about one hour....I think that covers most of the pertinent details. Meanwhile, team Infini continues her steady progress and we expect to drop anchor sometime Sunday evening at Hanga Roa. Winds are supposed to lighten up as we get closer to Easter Island, so that will affect our speed and time of arrival. Btw, the 240 meter long cruise ship "Oceanic" (or was it "Oceanus"??) is scheduled to stop at Easter Island on March 15, discharging, if I recall correctly, 650 passengers onto this speck of island! LOL! We don't know how long they're scheduled to stay at Easter, but one can only hope they'll be on their merry way before too long.....Of further interest is that we haven't seen a single other vessel since departing the Galapagos. It's a big ocean out here! We've been on a port tack the entire passage so far, and the Sailomat self steering vane has steered over 95% of the time, with jury rigged repairs (totaling approximately 6 hours or so) being the only time it's been down. We stand watches 24/7, which means that one of us is on deck and "on watch" thruout the night. Fortunately, we really enjoy night sailing, so it's not so much of a burden as one might think, although catching up on our sleep can be difficult with the boat pitching and rolling.

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March 12 - day 12; enroute to Easter Island

position: S23deg01min;W105deg27min
day 11's run - 137 nm
average speed - 5.7 kn
dist to go - 328 nm
wx - pretty good overall; occasional higher wind gusts 28-30, but not sustained
sails - 2 reefs in main; staysail; partially furled yankee jib
r/r (repair/replace) - port cheek block for windvane control arm let go; jury rigged OK.
comments - seas continue on the beam or aft of the beam at 8'; we're doing well; expect landfall Sun late or Mon early.

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March 11 - Day 11 enroute to Easter Island

position: S21deg15min;W104deg01min (location of Hanga Roa, where we check in at Easter Island, is S27deg09min;W109deg27min)
day 10's run - 146 nm
average speed - 6.1 kn
dist to go - 461 nm
wx - squally; mixed wind conditions; highest wind 32 knots; avg wind 23-25; it's settled down a bit to avg 18 knots
sails - 2 reefs in main; staysail; completely furled yankee jib
r/r (repair/replace) - port cheek block for the steering vane let go; explanation below.
comments - we're trying to keep the seas aft of the beam; Pacific Seafarer's Net; "team Infini"

This past evening wasn't too bad; we clocked 7-8 knots boat speed all night in winds 18-20, with occasional higher gusts. Of note last night was our first official check into the Pacific Seafarer's Net. This is a structured Ham net, and operates thru out the Pacific areas with specific information gathered from each boat participating in roll call, and that data is then entered into a computer data base. In case of search and rescue, which the Seafarer's Net has been involved in many times, including our personal knowledge of two successful rescues, one acute medical that I participated in, and another when one of our friend's boat (a catamaran) capsized offshore, rescue was coordinated by this same Net. So, you can see they take things very seriously, do tremendous work, and those of us out here sailing are really appreciative of their efforts. What also got me stoked was talking to one of the guys living on Pitcairn Island (Dave Brown, VP6DB), our very next stop after we depart Easter Island. More about that in a later blog entry. They're expecting us now, and I'm sure we'll talk again long before we get there. So getting back to this morning, we had just finished checking in with our friends and buddy boat Soggy Paws, when the winds came up and the port cheek block for the wind vane let go. Winds maxed at 33, and boat speed was 8-9 thru out the hour or so these higher winds lasted. With wind vane self steering, the forces the lines endure into the blocks are tremendous, and we're still adapting line leads and blocks. It took over three hours to finally get an effective repair I liked, and that was after chamfering the holes (portable drill and chamfer bit, hanging on in 25 knots of wind :)) in the base of a stainless steel 1/4" pad so as to not chafe thru any other lines that are lead thru them, while Sue was having a blast hand steering thru out. So, winds are now down to about 18 knots, and it seems like we're standing still! Btw, our friends Dave and Wendy on the Westsail 42, Elysium, came up with the concept of "team Infini." They're currently in Antigua in the Eastern Caribbean, and Elysium is one of the most beautifully finished W-42's you'll see. And you know, they're right. As we close Easter Island, it's the very many encouraging thoughts and prayers coming from so many of our friends and family that make this, indeed, a team effort of sorts, albeit vicariously. So, thanks, everybody, and team Infini continues on track and all's well.

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March 10 - day 10

position: S19deg20min;W102deg33min
day 9's run - 153 nm
average speed - 6.4 kn
dist to go - 602 nm
wx - squally in the early morning; highest wind in squalls 35 knots; S saw boat speed on the GPS surge to 13 knots as we surfed down the face of a wave! Ha! We were hoping the weather would moderate some, but it looks like another 24-36 hours of same before conditions ease a bit.
sails - 2 reefs in main; staysail; furled yankee jib completely during highest wind gusts; it's back out to about 50% at this time.
r/r (repair/replace) - 0
comments - 8' beam seas are rolling us as we make a gradual turn towards Hanga Roa.

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March 9. Enroute Galapagos to Easter Island

position: S17deg03min;W101deg33min
day 8's run - 139 nm
average speed - 5.8 kn
dist to go - 746 nm
wx - squally; mixed wind conditions; highest wind in squalls 27 knots; avg wind 18-20
sails - 2 reefs in main; staysail; partially furled yankee jib
r/r (repair/replace) - 0
comments - beam seas continue

March 8; day 8, Enroute Galapagos to Easter Island

position: S15deg06min;W100deg26min
day 7's run - 148 nm
average speed - 6.2 kn
dist to go - 869 nm
wx - squally; mixed wind conditions
sails - 2 reefs in main; staysail; partially furled yankee jib
r/r - 0
comments - the beam seas are rolling us a bit; about the time we put out more sail area the wind picks up and we have to reef down again!

S: The goal is to do the best speed you can in the direction you want to go - as comfortable as possible. Sounds so simple! We've been lucky to have wind and not have used our engine since we left. (We do run it in neutral for an hour every 2-3 days to run the water maker and engine driven refrigerator. Our wind generator has been having a workout. Last night we weren't so comfortable when the wind was 26-30kts. with waves crashing around and over us. Not ideal sleeping conditions, though Infini takes it in stride. We just needed to reef the jib in more; with the double reefed main and staysail, there's not much work other than releasing the sheets when we feel overpowered. Oh, besides hanging on!--the simple rule of 'one hand for the boat' gets changed to two hands! I kept having the Grateful Dead song 'Truckin' playing in my head (thanks Matt for downloading all those songs on my Ipod!) Oh yea; another party aboard-(cheese & crackers, smoked clams, cranberry juice!)- we've passed our half way point, and are celebrating being a week out! Cheers! P.S. We really do love hearing from you all and keeping up with happenings in your life too!!

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day 7

pos - S12deg55min;W099deg26min
day 6 run - 158 nm
avg speed - 6.6 kn
dist to go - 1011 nm
wx - strong winds thru the night; moderated this morning to SE @ 14 knots, seas 4-6'; wind and seas are expected to build again over the next 24-36 hours
sails - main has 2 reefs; staysail; partially furled yankee jib.
r/r (repair/replace) - 0
comments - we're presently on a beam reach, rolling a bit, as we make a very slow turn to starboard towards our rhumb line. our halfway party (955 nm to go) will be this evening, so please think of us and raise a toast - cheers!

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day 6 March 6, 2010

day 5's run - 151 nm
avg speed - 6.3 kn
distance to go - 1163 nm
wx - partly sunny; 20 knots SE wind; swells 6'; close hauled
sails - single reef main (probably will double reef it soon); staysail; partially furled yankee jib
r/r (repair/replace) - 0
Had a very comfortable night and morning as the wind was 15kts. and the seas much calmer. Our 4 hr. night watches seem to be working fine...day is informal. (10pm-2am Michael. 2am-6am Sue)

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Why and where is Easter Island? 3-5-10

Day 5
Day 4's run - 142 nm
avg speed - 5.9 kn
dist to go - 1310 nm
wx - wind 18-20, seas 6'
sails - double reefed main, staysail, partial furled jib
r/r (repair/replace) - 0

S: Our landlubber friends and family probably don't realize this has been a dream of ours for 30 years. I vetoed the call to sail to Cape Horn; and Michael didn't want to see it unless it was from the deck of his own boat. But Easter and Pitcairn are in the warm climes still...although there's no guarantee we'll make it to shore if the weather isn't cooperating, as there are no safe all-weather harbors there. Also, it's a personal challenge to finally do some 'ocean cruising', though at times it's seems to be simply an endurance test. Even though there are no protected harbors on these volcanic rocks out in the middle of nowhere, every year more and more cruisers (thirty?!) are making the effort to visit. (We'll try to find out the numbers and post them in a later blog.) Easter was named by the Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen when he first sighted it one Easter Sunday in 1771. It's Chilean name is Isla de Pascua, and the islanders refer to it as Rapa Nui. It's been called "the world's loneliest island" by Thor Heyerdahl,(1985 mi. to the closest mainland point of Valpariso, Chile) who spent a year there studying the famous statues (moai) of a past lost civilization. I remember reading his book "Kon Tiki"(?) many years ago. I think that National Geographic and the Nature channel have some great info on these remote islands as well.
We joined the 2010 PPJ Group (Pacific Puddle Jump group) sponsored by Latitude 38 (a sailing publication). They have planning sessions/parties in certain central cruising ports (we left before the one in Balboa, Panama). Most boats have come down the west coast of the US...and jump from one of many points along the west coast of central/south America. We're taking a different route, and don't know that we'll make any of the welcoming parties that are held for the fleet in French Polynesia, but it's fun to hear of other boats' passage notes and trials....(when we get a chance to log on to the internet!)

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Day 4

Day 3's run - 157 nm
average speed - 6.5 kn
Distance to go - 1449 nm
Weather - evening calmed down a bit. SSE winds 16-18; seas 4'.
Sails - double reefed main; staysail, partially reefed yankee jib
R & R - 0

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Day 3

I figured I'd start an info sheet:
Day 2's run - 156 nm (Day 1's run was 132nm)
average speed - 6.5 - 7 knots
Distance to go - 1606 nm
weather - SSE winds 23-25; seas confused and lumpy! Partly sunny.
R & R - starboard upper spreader wire lift; fix: will have to wait for me to climb the mast
Garhauer double cheek block for wind vane steering broke; fix: two Nicro single blocks attached to the base plate are doing the job

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3-2-10 Enroute to Easter Island

S02deg33min;W092deg32min. We had a fairly comfortable night in lumpy seas, getting used to going to windward. Wind averaged 16-18 knots, and seas were 4-6' from several directions. Our noon to noon run for this first day was 132nm, not bad all things considered. We're still checking into the morning SSB net, but expect to change nets over the next week or so as propagation isn't so good for our reception. Our buddy boat, Soggy Paws, departed Isla Isabela this morning, so we're a bit ahead of them, but expect SSB radio contact once or twice daily with them. Another 1775nm to go!

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3-1-10 Enroute to Easter Island

We did a bunch of last minute preparation yesterday, and in late afternoon enjoyed happy hour aboard Elice, a custom 62' aluminum catamaran built in New Zealand headed back to the Chesapeake Bay area. We were joined by our friends Dave & Sherry (Soggy Paws) and Roger & Janice (Beaujolais). This morning we raised anchor and departed at 1145 hours, and expect to keep in radio contact with our buddy boat, Soggy Paws. Beaujolais will be spending time in the Galapagos, awaiting parts from the US and effecting refrigeration repairs before departing for Australia. From various e-mails to Sherry and from what we hear on the SSB net, it look like there may be 5-6 boats at Easter Island while we're there. From what we've heard, damage to the island was minimal, but we're hoping those reports are accurate. Again, you can track our progress on this 1910 nautical mile passage by going to www.pangolin.co.nz and typing in my Ham call sign, KJ4IHF. Sue's updated our photo album section of this blog, but we'll have to wait for internet before posting more pictures.

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