I hope my friends in B.C. have a good long weekend holiday - Happy B.C. Day! I'll be celebrating with you on Monday!
Friday 10am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Fri 2000 GMT) Bright, sunny day with lots of scattered light cloud around but very few grey clouds, so heavy overnight rain seems to have cleared away. Swell quite big, from NNE at 2.5-3m and quite close, so pretty rolly conditions. Making good speed at 6.4 kt. Getting warm.
12:30pm Was busy writing email when realised we were heeling, accelerating... and sunlight had disappeared with a big cloud overhead - a rainsquall...! Took in a lot of genoa, since easy to do, and left main with first reef... Expected the heavy rain and strong wind to stop soon and be back into sunny calm weather, once we'd get beyond the edge of the dark grey cloud overhead that I could see ahead ... but not so! Beyond that dark cloud was an extensive area of lighter grey rain cloud with plenty of wind still... Big seas tossed us around like a toy boat in a bath tub... Not enjoyable!
Just downloaded the latest satpic - it's showing a SE trailing band of cloud from TS Erick (to our NW) joining up with a trailing WSW band of cloud from below TS Flossie (to our ENE - still a good distance away) - and we seem to be right in the middle of it all. Hopefully, we'll leave it behind soon, as we head N into clearer skies...
12:50pm Must get something to eat - it's been so rough I've only had a handful of almonds so far today. Think things are calming down now - some sunshine is getting through...
7:25pm Heavy rain and an increase in wind - so we were speeding along at 6kt for a short time while the rain lasted. Very short-lived and we hardly heeled at all - unusual but welcome! Busy with evening radio Nets and contacts - all very pleasant and sociable, as usual. Nice to chat to Gil, N2GG, in New Mexico, tonight - we could neither of us hear the other yesterday but clear tonight - great!
Saturday 6:30am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Sat 1630GMT) Sailing gently in 2.2m swell and wind of around 10-12kt from NE, making COG of 355T with bow pointing due N. Wind only just filling the main when the swell moves the boat around, so not going very fast just now - only making around 4kt despite the full genoa I just let out from overnight. Keeping the first reef in for time being, in case of squalls - have had frequent rain overnight but only rainclouds now seen are astern of us or on a distant horizon ahead. might shake it out later.
Sky mainly covered in cloud of one kind or another - a real mix of cloud types, with mostly a thin, well-broken layer overhead and plenty of blue sky showing... A pleasant-looking morning.
Found three small flying fish on deck from overnight - and every so often, see a small shoal of tiny ones take off, glistening in the light, close to the water surface, as we disturb them on passing through.
Running the generator and watermaker and about to have breakfast (looking forward to opening a fresh mango juice) before latest downloads of weather info and any incoming emails. Spent quite a time last evening catching up with emails - still some to deal with but nearly up to date.
Decided I ought to measure out my remaining cereal - have made the daily portions (using a measuring cup) rather smaller as a result! Glad I did that now...
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North (Queensland) ABC (Cairns) interview went out on air Thursday morning and a link will be posted once available.
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While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.
It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!
(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless
they are notified in advance.)
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1900GMT (= 9 a.m. LT = Tahiti/Hawaii time) - end of Day 304. We made 105 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions.
Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 304 (by daily DMGs): 25,030 n.ml.
Distances (at 1700GMT): Cape Flattery LH: 2395 n.ml. to NNE; Honolulu: 547 n.ml. to NW; East Cape, N.Z.: 3589 n.ml. to SW; Papeete, Tahiti: 1949 n.ml. to S
Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):
TIME: 2019/08/03 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 14-53.90N LONGITUDE: 151-06.08W
COURSE: 000T SPEED: 4.2kt
WIND_SPEED: 12kt WIND_DIR: ENE SWELL_DIR: NE SWELL_HT: 2.5m CLOUDS: 80%
BARO: 1013.9hPa TREND: 2 AIR_TEMP: 30.0C SEA_TEMP: 36.0C
COMMENT: TS Flossie soon to pass to N - might need to heave to, to stay clear
