Mexico-Hawaii Log2

• Day 3 - night

Getting ready for the 3nd night at sea. Moon still come really late then the first watches are in deep dark with only the stars to guide us. And 5 GPS devices. We split the night in 4 3 hours shift. 8-11,11-2,2-5,5-8. It feels alright but with the cold and the tiredness, it is still challenging. Seas and wind built during the day, with  the ground swell reaching few meters and time to time wetting the cockpit. We are reefed on the main and the jib and still flying at 6 To 7 knots. Anemometer is not working but it is clearly windy. Still forreaching, after 3 days it is a little tiresome. We pray for the wind to shift East which would mean we will on the trade route and in a straight downwind to Hawaii. But this is unlikely to happen before next week. But overall, moral is up and we are happy to make such good progress. We are on track for a short passage.

• Day 4

 Last night we double reefed the main in the dark and rough conditions at 5am. Went well; I suppose I am getting Xp acceleration... Gilles is very experienced and easy to go with From this perspective, this is a good start. Sailing is fast, we did 140nm yesterday on a  reach... Which is good but tiring. Looks now the wind are easing a bit, we might let out some sail again. At least something to do:) the boat is sailing by herself so well, it become a bit repetitive.. Sky is cloudy now which is not that good for our solar panel and batteries - so far we did not run the engine at all - we are on a self sufficient boat - I love that !

Incredible. In a few hours weather changed drastically and now it is almost perfect sailing conditions and sun is up, drying the boat and the crew. Now it feels like a Sunday and vacations :) you could even believe you are on your way to Hawaii... Afternoon was a hot am sunny, an easy sailing for a change. Perfect timing to reload our batteries, literally as well. We are still  cruising at 6 knots on an easy reach. Wind is mellow at 10-15knots. Would be cosy if it wasn't for the chill of the falling night and the dark clouds ahead symbol of rain. It might rinse the boat, which is always nice, but we might find new leaks as well. In any case, that will be something new. An new is good. As always.

• Day 5

Fighting now with lighter winds. Direction is acceptable for now, we have a light 5 to 10 knot aft the beam. We won't break a record tonight... In the middle of the 4th night (already!). With less winds in deck, it is warmer and the watch is easier. The 2-5 am is still a pain and I am using The single handed technique of sliced naps of 30 minutes, even if we are 2 on the boat. Traffic is slow, only cargo ships so far, and they hall have Radar and Ais. The night is pith black and we would not see an island in front of us anyway. But there are no islands in the middle of the pacific before Hawaii it would be known by now - except the elusive trash island. Few dolphins crossed our way but looked too busy to play with our bow. Maybe next time.

At 0400 we lost our tiny wind and started the engine. To avoid the fumes to go back into the cockpit we had to deroute 20d South. We still cruising at 5kts Under the rain and black clouds now. I suppose the wind might come back once we clear this perturbation. The only positive point is the engine is strong as always and hold the pace for hours without complains. There was not much to do before, now the options are even more limited, we are stuck inside. We had a small fear during the night, we heard a stump noise on the hull. Not very strong, but still. Likely we hurt a wood piece or something. Obviously, we did not sink and did not see any damage or water entry, still, it remind you why there is no place for lack of luck in the middle of the pacific.

Getting ready for the 5th night at sea. Looks we already done 1/4th of the journey and time flies by. Weird considering we aren't doing much during the day. Chit chat, reading, boat handling, naps, as everything is difficult in a always balancing boat, always takes time.
Weather is nicer and warmer, and we mostly have the wind on the beam, which is more comfortable than close reaching like before. Only issue is the size an direction of the swell. Cross between aft and beam, and quite big, up to 3m, it swings the boat quite hard and unbalance the sails. Nothing scary, the period is really big, it is more like riding hills than surfing a breaking wave :) but the wave energy is there and pushes the boat at 7knots and more. And we are not even surfing them yet, our course is more side to side. Anyhow, this is refreshing after the 6 hours motoring of today. Again, it is pitch black, few stars, no moon and lots of clouds. It is always amazing to feel   The boat sailing herself blindly through the sea. With a six sense you start to guess the waves and motion of the boat. Sea sickness is long gone now, but it is still hard for me to read down below for a long time. Then I spend most of my watch time in the cockpit, daydreaming.

Monday, April 13

Wind map April 13 11pm HST, April 14 1am PST

FYI. They don't have access to any file or weather forcast so unfortunately they cannot see this wind map. I am doing the weather report via text!!! - Christelle