We had beautiful sailing in unexpected NW winds of 18-20 which allowed us to sail to windward at a 25-30 degree relative wind angle at 5.5 knots. We had to reef down the sails to slow the boat down, and keep her sailing efficiently and comfortably. At 0400 a line of squalls started, and we saw 27 knots in the higher gusts. Let out the main, furl the jib more, feather the boat into the wind in the higher gusts; by that time we had taken Max off the job as it was easier (and more fun) to steer the boat ourselves; Max had done an outstanding job until then. We ended up having to motor sail the rest of the way to Hilo, as the winds were directly on the nose. The weather was forecast to turn worse Monday and Tuesday, so we didn't want to be out tacking all day and night working our way towards Hilo. We called Customs on our cell phone at 0900, and they said to come directly in for clearance when we tied up in Radio Bay. We turned the corner of the long breakwater leading into Hilo and were boarded by the USCG for a safety inspection! The guys were very nice, efficient, and stayed aboard until I swung the boat around to tie stern to the wall (Med moor style) in Radio Bay. We were secured by 1045 and happy to be in still water.
Final stats are:
total miles: 2154
avg speed: 5.3 knots
total elapsed time: 407 hours
total engine run time (including charging batts, bringing the reefer down): 33 hours, which represents 8% of the total elapsed time
number of fish caught: 2
highest wind gust: 27
total sleep deprivation: incalculable....
Once again, Team Infini enjoyed a wonderful transit, and we thank Neptune for allowing this opportunity and look forward to exploring the delights of Hawaii (and completing a long list of boat projects!) over the next six months before returning to French Polynesia.
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