Day 12: Getting Close Now

16* 22.2' North
153* 02.5' West
July 31, 2010

Sunset behind a squall

We say goodbye to July and our eleventh month of this adventure today. Even though we are technically out of the ITCZ and into the trades, we are still experiencing some unsettled weather and squalls. I spent most of yesterday trying to recover and catch up on sleep lost two nights ago as we sailed through a patch of 30 - 40 knot winds for several hours. The last 24 hours have been more consistent with winds hovering around 20 knots, only occasionally gusting to 30. The seas have remained pretty rolly, but again our bodies seem to be getting used to it. Brad really hasn't had anything to fix or MacGyver recently until last the I-Pod charger broke. I guess that is how he amused himself on his watch, because when he got me up, it charged and ready for me!

Day 10: Big Left Turn

12* 46.2' North
148* 44.5' West
July 29, 2010

After trying to motor due north through the doldrums, we have picked up the wind and made a nice big left turn towards Hawaii. Not only are we again moving faster through the water with the wind, but the miles are clicking off more quickly because we are taking a more direct route. For the time being, the winds gods have smiled on us with an almost southerly wind direction which we expect to change to the east as we enter the trades. We will certainly take this gift for as long as it presents itself.
Last night was a rough night that made sleeping difficult. We were starting to see the swell waves coming from the north, but we did not have the stabilizing effect of our sails since there was no wind yet. The result was a very rolly night.
I am just glad that we are no longer pointed at the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska and instead, we are now aiming for the leeward side of the Big Island of Hawaii!

Day 9: ITCZ

09* 50.2' North
148* 31.0' West
July 28, 2010

Well, here we are again . . . . . traversing the ITCZ (or ITCZed, as our friend Andrew likes to refer to it) . . . . . The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone or in the olden days . . . . . the Doldrums. Today, weather forecasting computer models can pretty accurately predict the movement of this unstable band that circles the earth expanding and contracting between about 10* North and 10* South. Weather conditions inside the band can consist of squalls and/or no wind at all. The models are showing it to be just finishing an expansion phase with the expectation of contraction to happen over the next 24 hours, meaning that the northern edge of the zone should be moving towards us as we continue north. On our previous trip through the ITCZ, we did see a few squalls and light winds with all but the fewest of sprinkles missing us. Not so this time. Yesterday after hoisting the chute for a couple of hours and watching a few squalls pass in front of us, a large one set itself directly in our path. We did not pass in front of the leading edge where there can be a period of increased wind, but rather after dousing the spinnaker, we entered from the side just behind the leading where the heaviest rain activity can be seen. Suffice to say that the boat is now cleaned of salt and so are Brad and I. The air temperature is still quite pleasant, so we took advantage of the heavy rain and showered! The ocean swell has remained very gentle and we were able to have tacos (think: lots of ingredients awaiting assembly on a not so stationary counter, hence the infamous "one dish meals" that we have been consuming of late) last night without incident. It was a treat. Since we have been able to open hatches without so much fear of rogue waves pouring in through them, Bryce took the opportunity to bake us a batch of cookies. As much as our sailor ancestors dreaded the doldrums, we are very contently motoring our way through them, enjoying the break from the pitching, heaving and heel of life while sailing fast!

Day 8: Triple Digits

07* 10.7' North
148* 52.0' West
July 27, 2010

As of my watch this morning, our distance to Hawaii has dropped below 1,000 miles. The dolphins that greeted me as I came on watch seemed excited for us!
After seven solid days of winds hovering around 20 knots and the boat traveling through big swell at 7 to 9 knots, I awoke from a good night's sleep to lighter winds, calmer seas and the boat's much gentler motion. It is a welcome respite. I can now take two or three steps without the boat lurching. We were expecting this change as we are approaching the ITCZ. Beyond it, we should hope for the consistency of the Trade Winds. But for today, we will enjoy the little bit of variety in our lives at sea. We may even get the opportunity to do laundry or have a little more complex dinner! Who knows - we may even have to turn on the engine for the first time since leaving Rangiroa!

  Complex Cooking

Day 7: Halfway Day

04* 15.2' North
149* 05.5' West
July 26, 2010

Early this morning, we reached our halfway point of this leg. The second half of the trip should go a little faster because thus far we have been pointing a little to the east of Hawaii to compensate for an east to west current and possible wind shifts that could make our sailing angle to Hawaii very tight and uncomfortable. The closer we get the less these two factors will matter and the more we will be able to point the boat directly at Hawaii.
We are close enough to our friends on Mulan that we were able to talk to them on the VHF radio this morning and share the sunrise with them.

Day 6: New Shellback on Board

01* 14.0' NORTH
149* 22.2' West
July 25, 2010

As you can see from our position, we have crossed back into our home hemisphere! Upon crossing the equator after dinner last night, we were again visited by King Neptune. He checked and verified the status of those aboard alleging to be Shellbacks and found one pollywog. After Lydia, the pollywog in question, met Neptune's requirements she was also granted the status and joined the ranks of the Shellbacks. Among other things: hair was cut, grog sacrificed and drunk, and sea creatures (or their sweet tart semblances) were consumed! We then celebrated Lydia's accomplishment and new privileges and protections with champagne and thin mint cookies!

As we have instantly changed from Winter to Summer as we crossed the equator, we have noticed that our days are lengthening a little as each passes. For the last year, the course of our adventure has kept us pretty much in places at the times of the year that we visited them where the days have been about 12 hours long give or take. There is a joke among cruisers that when the clock strikes 9:00 pm it means cruiser midnight. I think those of us who reside (when living on land) in the higher latitudes feel this phenomenon more acutely. Seattle is, after all, a little more than halfway to the Arctic circle from the equator! For us, when the weather is warm in summer, the days are long and when the sun sets it is pretty much the end of the day. We associate sunset during warm weather with bedtime, so for a year now, we have been having sunset around dinner time when it is downright hot out and then often being awake for 3 or 4 more hours afterward. It might be interesting to see if we feel any after effects once we are back to our "normal" rhythms.

Day 5: Last Day in the South Pacific

01* 44.3' South
149* 14.1' West
July 24,2010

There is not much news to report from CAPAZ (which is good news because this status quo is quite a good thing!) except that Lydia finished yet another book!  Right now, we just keep making miles. In the next couple of days there will be some definite milestones: crossing the equator and a brand new shellback will join our ranks, halfway between Tahiti and Hawaii, less than 1,000 miles to go, etc.
As we spend our last day in the South Pacific Ocean and prepare to enter our home hemisphere, I look back on the last just over three months. They have been incredible, truly the experience of a lifetime. We have had great times with old friends and made some fabulous new friends. The places and people who we have met along the way have been as diverse as the many rainbows we have also encountered. My French deinfitely improved and I even learned a few phrases in Marquesan and Tahitian. So to the South Pacific, from the crew of CAPAZ, I say,
Naa naa and Maru uru,
Au revoir and Merci beaucoup,
Good-bye and Thank you!