Sailing on Stap Isi

May 20 & 21 – Waiting for the Wind

The wind filled in a bit on Saturday and for most of the day we made about 4 knots. The weather predictions were for the regular trade winds was that they should start filling in around the first of the week and if that is true, we would have no problem making the Marquesas by next weekend.

Saturday we made almost 100 miles and had high hopes that the conditions would continue to improve. But starting Sunday morning the wind began laying down again until by mid-afternoon it was barely blowing hard enough to keep the wind vane steering operational. Throughout the day it shifted from easterly to southeasterly and back again so that we were kept busy trimming the sails and making adjustments.

We did see one interesting thing on Sunday. Two round white floats about 2 feet in diameter drifted by. They had netting on them an one of them had a vertical rod that looking like an antenna. We have no idea what they were for and resisted the temptation to go pull them out of the water and find out. Probably some kind of research thing. Later we saw two other pairs of floats like that. Still have no idea of what they were.

May 22 – Squalls and Lots of Wind

Well we finally got some wind. LOTS of wind and a bunch more besides. At 9:00 PM on Sunday night Kathy woke me to tell me that it looked like a bank of clouds were moving towards us. I quickly got dressed and came up to see what looked like a squall line approaching fairly quickly. Even though we had not encountered any serious squall activity so far on this trip yet we decided to get the main reefed down just in case. Good thing. While I was in the midst of reefing the main, the squall hit with 25-30 knot winds. For a while we were on a bit of a sleigh ride but the wind and rain quickly passed and the sky filled with stars again. For the rest of the night, however, we endured squall after squall. Most of them were pretty benign but a couple made life briefly quite interesting.

Finally this morning at 8:30 the mother of all squalls hit. We could see it coming a long way off and it looked ugly. It was not the normal grey line of clouds. This one had horizontal bands of grey along its leading edge. What little we knew about weather told us that that indicated high winds. Kyle quickly put three reefs in the main and got the pole off the jib while Kathy made sure everything was secured down below. We were soon thankful for the preparations. Conservatively we figure that we had 35-40 knot winds but it may have been more. The tops of the waves were being blown off and the wind was screeching in the rigging (or maybe that was Kyle). The winds and rain lasted about 30 minutes and then in short order two more squalls blew through with winds in the 25 knot range. By mid afternoon the ugly weather had abated and we were back to the lovely tropical blue sky and small cumulus clouds.

With the passing of the squalls, however, the wind picked up to 15-20 knots out of the east and we were soon making over 5 knots under a poled out jib and no main. If all goes well this could be our first 100 mile day in over a week. We are thankful for the Lord’s continued protection and grace through the good weather and the bad.

May 23 – Resting up from the Squalls

The wind stayed throughout yesterday afternoon and all night last night and only this afternoon has laid down a bit. We still made well over 4 knots under a poled out jib alone. The weather settled down and all around us are blue skies and fluffy white trade-wind cumulus. Both us were able to get about 6 hours of sleep last night and after the night of squalls on Sunday night we needed it. With the good night’s sleep both of us were back to feeling relatively human. The seas are fairly high, running 6-8 feet, so the ride is bumpy and rolly and we are not doing much today but reading and trying to hang on.

• May 24 – More Squalls and a Rolly day

We experienced another squally night last night but without anything big or serious -just some wind and rain about every three hours. We are really thankful for the radar. With the ambient star-light we can see that a squall is coming but really can’t know anything about its size or potential winds etc. But with the radar we can get a good view of the extent of the squall line and how much rain there is. The amount of rain seems to be a good indicator of how much winds to expect.

This morning the wind had filled in to nearly 20 knots and by mid morning the seas were developing nicely to 8-10 feet. Normally we really like driving a small boat. It is cheaper to run and easier to handle. But in high seas it does give a lively ride. Fortunately it is small enough that there is always a handhold close and we can usually wedge ourselves in somewhere so we don’t get tossed around too much. With the building seas we had a few waves join us in the cockpit today so everything was thoroughly drenched by noon. By this afternoon though the wind had laid down and we were gliding along in 6 foot seas and enjoying ourselves completely. With less than three days to go to landfall, our excitement is building and there is not a lot that could disturb us now.

May 25 – Preparing for Landfall

Last night was a beautiful night with no squalls. By morning the winds had risen to 20-22 knots and the seas were up in the 10-12 range which again made for a rolly ride. The winds have slowly laid down during the day and the seas are following suit.

It has been a LONG passage and both of us are running on autopilot at this point. We just feel too tired to do much other than read, eat, and sleep and check the GPS to see the number of miles to landfall. Still, we are both in good spirits. It has been a long passage though and we are ready for a bath, a meal out, and a good nights sleep.

May 26 – Land Ho!

Throughout the day, as we approached Ua Hika, the easternmost island of the Marquesas group, we kept scanning the horizon for some sign of land. These are high volcanic islands so they should be visible for 30 miles more. But today it was quite hazy so we were within about 20 miles when Kathy sighted the island looming in the haze on the horizon. Even with the GPS giving us our exact postion, course and speed throughout the trip, there is still something magical about arriving at precisely the point you aimed at after a long passage. Ua Hika is located about 20 miles east of Nuku Hiva, our final destination in the Marquesas. That would put us at the mouth of Taiohae Bay at about dawn if the wind holds.

We are thrilled, relieved, thankful, and excited to be this close. I suspect that it will be hard to sleep tonight – but that’s OK, we have all day tomorrow!. Since we will be arriving on Saturday we will probably just hang out on the boat until Monday and then check in. Praise God for His grace!

May 27 – Arrival in Taiohae Bay

At 8:00 AM local time we dropped the anchor in Taiohae Bay, completing the 3055 mile passage from Galapagos to Marquesas. It took us 27 days and 22.5 hours for an average of 109 miles/day at 4.5 knots.

Another series of squalls came through over night but nothing too serious and certainly nothing that would dampen the wonder of the day. We just put on our foul weather gear, checked the radar, and kept navigating along towards Nuku Hiva. This morning as we approached the entrance to the bay, three other sailboats appeared from the south. It looks like this is going to be a popular place.

Since it was Saturday when we arrived, we did not even try to get checked in. Basically all we wanted to do at this point is enjoy some long uninterrupted sleep. Taking care of official paperwork can come later.

This in an incredibly beautiful place. The bay is surrounded on 3 sides by steep high mountains covered in lush greenery. What we can see of the town from the boat looks fairly prosperous and well kept. There are 30 other boats here including a few that we knew from Panama. So it will be nice to catch up with friends and share stories. But for now it is time to get some sleep.

May 14 – Mothers’ Day

Another good day of sailing making about 5 knots in 10 knots of east wind. Today was Mothers Day so I told Kathy that I would catch her a fish for Mothers’ Day. I put out the line and within about an hour we had a strike. This was obviously a bigger fish than anything that we had tangled with before. As the reel whined with the fish taking out line, Kyle struggled to get the drag tightened down. Finally just as the line was almost gone, it broke. The fish got our best lure, the only one that had gotten any strikes or fish, and almost all our line leaving us with limited fish catching ability for the duration.

Well if we can’t fish, maybe we can charge the batteries. We have three ways to keep the batteries up. Our primary source is a wind generator but with sailing downwind it has been able to generate little or no power. Our primary backup is a small Yamaha generator which runs a battery charger. Kyle got this out and started it up and connected it to the battery charger. An hour into the charge, though, it coughed a couple times and died. Hmmm. This is not good. We can always use the third way using the alternator on the diesel engine to charge the batteries but that is not an efficient way to do it. Also running the engine without a load is not particularly good for it. So it was important to try to get the generator fixed. Kyle tore into it looking for a problem but by the end of the day had not been able to find anything wrong.

Without the generator we are going to have to really watch our power consumption. That means limiting our computer work, and keeping lights and other power draws to a minimum. Maybe tomorrow Kyle can figure out the problem.

May 15 – Generator Back on Line

While on watch in the night Kyle had an idea of what the generator problem might be so at first light he got it back out and tore it down again. It had to be a fuel issue but yesterday he could not find anything wrong with the fuel system. Today however, tracing the fuel route he found a small orifice in the carborator that appeared to be clogged. Running a pin through it cleared it out and on reassembling the generator it started right up. Actually it ran better than it had for some time. We ran it for about six hours to get the batteries topped up and while it was running made about 8 gallons of water with the watermaker.

Each day it seems like the wind has laid down a bit more and our daily mileage is dropping each day. Today we had only made 120 miles. This is still respectable but we are concerned about what the trend might mean. This afternoon the wind has really died out and we are running wing and wing (the jib poled out on one side and the main tied out on the other) and making only about 4 knots. Boats ahead of us are reporting little to no wind. One guy reported on the radio sked that they were drifting quietly on a “sea of gently undulating glass.” While that might be interesting to see, with over 1000 miles to go, it could make a long trip for us. Still one must play the cards that are dealt.

May 16 – Ecquadorian Fishing Trawler

Our daily distance was down to 109 miles today and it looks like probably more of the same lite winds for tomorrow. We are still running wing and wing at 4 knots so that would make for a 100 mile day. Still today we will pass the 2000 point from the Galapagos and a bit later this evening will pass the 1000 mile to go point. That is a real cause of celebration. The light at the end of the tunnel is barely visiable but it is definitely there.

Late this morning we were sailing along when we heard a voice over the radio hailing a sailing boat. We had not seen another boat for over two weeks so were quite surprised to look up and see a large fishing trawler. He was calling out to us. Roberto, the captain, spoke excellent English and he explained that they were based in Ecuador and were four weeks into a six week stint at sea. They had already caught 400 tons of fish and were needing 200 more before they could head for home.

Roberto asked if there was anything that we needed – fish perhaps. Since we had lost our fising line on Mothers’ Day we told him yes, a dorado would be nice if he had one. He said that they had a fresh one and that he would send a couple guys over in a dingy to deliver it. Awesome. The trawler came closer and when it was a couple hundred yards off we saw a yellow dingy speed away towards us. The two guys pulled along side and we looked and saw the bottom of the dingy was full of fish. They started off loading more fish than we could use in a month. Two huge dorado, a wahoo, and when I tried to stop them they insisted that we take a tuna. They horsed a 100 pound tuna into Stap Isi along with the other fish and with a wave they were off. About that time the trawler was along side so we waved and snapped pictures while the 26 man crew waved and snapped pictures. then they were off.

After they left we just looked at each other and at the fish filling the cockpit of the boat and just laughed. Well we wanted some fresh fish but what could we possibly do with nearly 150 pounds of it. I think there is something in the Bible about God providing abundantly – this must be an example.

Kyle got out the filleting knife and got to work. There was no finesse here, it was strictly hacking out fish steaks until our small fridge was completely full. That still left about 120 pounds of fish. There was nothing else to do as we had no way to store it so with a certain sadness we consigned the remainder to the deep. And the next few days we ate like kings.

May 17 – Just Another Day

The wind veered around to the NW last night and we are still sailing along at 4 knots. Our mileage for a day total dropped just below 100 for the first time in two weeks. Still the boats ahead of us that are still bobbing along in no wind would probably trade with us.

Ran the generator today again to keep the batteries up and make another 8 gallons of water. That reverse osmosis water maker is a God-send. We could probably have carried enough water for the shorter passages but can see no way to have kept enough on board for this one. Being able to make 15 gallons or so a week means we can do laundry, take an occasional fresh water shower, and enjoy drinking a bit more cold water than we might otherwise have been able to.

May 18 – Drifting Quietly on a Gently Undulating Sea of Glass

We had felt blessed that our wind had held as long as it had. Boats ahead of us were still drifting in almost no wind while we had been scooting along at 4 knots in 6-8 knots of wind. But during the night last night the wind slowly died down until by dawn we were making less than 2 knots in almost zero wind. By 8 AM there was no wind at all and we dropped the sails to allow the boat to drift. There was a bit of current so for most of the morning we were making 0.2 knots – a speed that would put us into the Marquesas some time in September.

Kathy took advantage of the gentle motion of the boat to bake bread and cookies. Kyle dug into the deep storage areas to find charts for the Marquesas and beyond. Part of the morning we sat looking over the side at the sea life we normally would not see. No fish, but what we thought had been bubbles were actually small jelly fish. And then there were worm type things up to 18 inches long drifting along and other unidentified small zippy critters that were not fish but probably helped sustain the fish population. It is incredible how much life the ocean contains.

Finally at 11:30 AM we saw a wind line to the north and soon we were hit by 2 knots of wind gusting to 3. The light air genoa (great big sail of about the weight of a kleenex) went up and within minutes we were skipping across the ocean at 1.5 knots. WHEEEEE! Kyle told Kathy that if he fell over, don’t try to rescue him – he would just swim ahead and be there when she arrived in Nuku Hiva.

May 19 – 49 Miles in 24 Hours

Still moving west VERY slowly in almost no wind. The sails are rigged wing and wing again but there just aren’t enough air molecules moving to push. So we took it easy today, did some laundry, and sailed slowly westward. It could be frustrating if we let it but after three weeks at sea, what is another few days. At least we have nice weather. It is beautiful blue skies and star filled nights with temps in the low 80s.

Kathy put it in perspective. If there had been a nice island right here we would have anchored and taken a day off to rest. The seas are so calm right now that we might as well be at anchor. So this is an anchor day – and if we make a few miles that is a bonus. Kathy said that as soon as the wind appears we can pretend we are off on a new short passage.

The only concern is that we only have enough fuel for about 3 more battery charges. That should take us to the end of next week but shortly thereafter we do need to be making landfall.

May 20 – The Wind Reappears.

It was a peaceful night making about 3 knots in 5-6 knots of wind. The moon is not rising till about midnight so the early hours on watch are spent star gazing. Being so far from outside light sources reveals billions of stars. We enjoy looking through the binoculars and watching for satellites and shooting stars.

We normally see phosphoresence that is produced by small creatures that emit light when they are disturbed by the passing of the boat. Looking behind the boat at night we see a long green trail of this light. Last night, though, something new occured. When Kyle was on the 10 PM to 2 AM watch he noticed large flashes of light all around the boat. Some of these were the size of saucers and some were 2-3 feet in diameter. Some were near the surface and some appeared to be quite deep. Many were far enough from the boat that they could not have been triggered by the passage of Stap Isi.

It was at first a little unnerving to see these tiny depth charges of light all around the boat. Our guess though is that they are caused by the same creatures that produce the normal phosphoresence but that something is triggering them to go off simultaneously – like a symphony of light. It would have been a beautiful thing to have seen from above as it was occurring over a large area.

This morning the wind began to build again and we were soon making over 4 knots in 10 knots of ENE wind. Still running wing and wing and hoping to see the wind veer around to the SE soon so that we can get on a tack and begin making some better progress. Downwind sailing is rolly and slow. But no one is complaining about actually having good wind again. We are just praying that it will take us all the way to the Marquesas. We could be there next weekend if the wind cooperates.

Synopsis of Week 2

This week was much like last week in terms of sailing conditions. Winds were from the NE to the SE anywhere from 6 to 17 knots. We made good progress throughout the week, racking up a total of 965 miles for an average of 137 miles a day. Our best day was Monday with a total of 165 miles made good. The lowest mileage day was Wednesday with 116 – still a respectable day.

While the sailing went well, this week was still probably the most difficult of the passage just from a psychological standpoint. We were a long way from where we started but an even longer way from our destination. It was not until Saturday that we reached the half-way point in the passage – and we were still looking at 1500 miles to go. So even though everything went well, we found it hard to remain upbeat sometimes.

But by the end of the week we had reached the half way point and are now each day tangibly closer to Nuku Hiva. High points of the week included our 165 mile day, going below 2000 miles to go, reaching the half-way point, and seeing many dolphins and one sea turtle.

A Day in the Passage

Some people have asked us what a day is like on a lengthy passage. So instead of giving a day by day log of a week that was basically sailing, we wanted to present a typical day.

We start our day at 6 AM when Kyle comes off the last watch of the night. The sun is coming up and usually there are some rain clouds around that time of day. We might have a sprinkle or two or sometimes something more substantial. Kyle enters in the 6 AM log entry and plots our position on the chart. When we are on the open sea, we usually only make one or two log entries and one plot a day. When we start getting closer to land we start making three hourly plots and if we are close to anything dangerous like a reef we make hourly plots. That helps to make sure that an unexpected current doesn’t put us on a reef or rock.

Kathy is up by then and gets started making breakfast. She rotates between toast, pancakes, omelets, fried eggs on toast, and oatmeal. It is amazing the meals she can cook up in a galley that is pitching and rolling.

Shortly after breakfast we check in on the first cruisers net of the day. These nets are held on marine SSB frequencies and they give the cruisers a chance to touch base with each other. Each boat gives their position and weather conditions and then after the net anyone can go off frequency to chat. STAP ISI checks into two different nets each day. There is a group of boats ahead of us that has a net and a group behind and we are right in the middle so we check into both.

The value of these nets was demonstrated last week when the husband on one of the boats ahead of us fell seriously ill. Through the radio the wife was able to talk to a physician about his symptoms and they were able to arrange an evacuation for him to the hospital in Tahiti. The wife is in the process of bringing the boat in by herself.

After the nets we work on any of several tasks including laundry, email, equipment repairs, or changing the sails. Depending on what the wind is doing, trimming and changing sails might occupy a good part of the day. Other times we go all day without touching the sails. Some time each morning each of us tries to get a nap to catch up on sleep that was missed during the night watches. When all the jobs are caught up we read or just watch the ocean. We don’t keep a formal watch during the day but whoever is on deck is supposed to keep a lookout for other boats and to watch the sail trim. The importance of the watch was demonstrated a couple of days ago when a couple on a boat (who apparently were not keeping a watch) were startled awake by a loud crash and found that a French boat (also apparently not keeping a watch) had run into them in the night. The French boat careened off their boat and kept right on going. It amazed everyone that two boats could run into each other in the middle of hundreds of thousands of square miles of empty ocean.

The afternoons are much like the mornings. Sails are trimmed, odd jobs are finished, baths are taken, and books are read. We also try to get in a short nap in the afternoon.

After supper (again usually a culinary miracle) we have devotions and get things squared away for the night. We have divided the night into four watches. Kyle sleeps from 6 PM to 10 PM while Kathy is on watch. Then he is on watch from 10 to 2 AM. That gives each of us a good block of four hours of sleep. Then from 2 to 4 AM Kathy is on watch and Kyle finishes up the night with the 4 to 6 AM slot.

When we first started cruising we were apprehensive about the nights but they have become our favorite time on the water. It is cooler and most nights there are a billion stars in the sky. Since we’re sailing southwest we get to watch the Southern Cross on our port and the Big Dipper on our starboard rotate on the horizon. Also we have a challenge to see which one of us sees the first satellite of the night. Early morning just before light is the best time to watch for shooting stars. Occasionally dolphins swim along with the boat and some times we have gulls or other sea birds that fly around us. But the best part is that it is a great time to pray and think and read.

We have been amazed at how quickly the days go by on passage. One would think that with limited things to do the days would drag by. Instead we find that it seems like we are just getting up and it is time to begin another night watch.

April 29 – Departure from San Cristobal

We could have stayed in the Galapagos forever. It is a beautiful place with a wonderful climate and friendly people. There were many interesting things to do and places to see but even though we had a permit for 30 days, we felt like after a week we needed to be on our way again. Some day maybe we can come back and explore and spend weeks there like real cruisers. But for now it is time to get back to our ministry.

The hardest part of leaving was having to say goodbye to Tom and Kathy Crafton and their kids. We met them over a year ago and have been cruising south with them for over three months. They are a wonderful family and have become good friends. Unlike us, though, they are not on a schedule and are wanting to use their 30 day Galapagos permit to its fullest. We have met so many wonderful people the past months and saying goodbye is always hard. This was harder than most.

We made one more trip into town for fresh veggies and bread, then had breakfast with Tom and Kathy, and then with tears and hugs we were off to the boat. Kathy stowed all the final provisions while Kyle worked on getting things ready to cast off. At 12:30 the anchor came up and we were on our way to the Marquesas, a mere 3042 miles to the southwest.

We had light winds so we ran the motor most of the first day. That got the batteries good and topped up. About 3 PM a pod of huge dolphins swam by and three or four got under the bow and swam along with Stap Isi for a half hour. Twice we saw sea lions swim by. We wondered what they were doing so far from shore. This first day we were always within sight of one of the Galapagos Islands. It was sort of comforting being able to see land yet.

As evening came, Kathy cooked up dinner and we began settling into our nightly routine. The hardest thing about long passages with only two people on board is feeling like we get enough sleep. Even though we will be out of the shipping lanes for most of this trip, for safety reasons someone is still on watch all night. Kyle sleeps from 7-10PM and from 2-4 AM. Kathy gets to sleep from 10-2 and again from 4-6 or so. Then during the day we try to catch another hour or two. After four or five days we both get used to running on less than normal sleep. But for the first couple days it is an adjustment.

By 2 AM the wind had died completely so for the next few hours we were forced to hand steer. Normally our wind vane handles the steering, leaving us to read, sleep, or do other chores. But when the wind dies completely we have to get back on the tiller. That disrupts the sleep schedule even more so by Sunday morning we both were feeling pretty groggy.

April 30 – Caught in a current

This morning the wind came up a bit and at 9:45 AM Kyle switched off the motor and we rigged the sails wing and wing. This is useful when running straight downwind and involves poling the jib out on one side and tying the main off on the other. That gets the maximum sail area out to catch the wind. We ran that way for about three hours and then the wind dropped again. We dropped the sails and the motor came back on for a couple of hours.

At 2:30 PM we were approaching the west side of Isla Isabella, the westernmost island in the Galapagos. The wind came up again and once again we got the sails up. We were looking forward to getting past Isabella, catching the west setting current and SE trades and making some good progress towards the Marquesas.

As we were passing the south west corner of the island, however, we were suddenly caught in an unexpected southeast setting current. None of the guidebooks or charts had ever mentioned a southeast current in this area so it came as a big surprise. What was also surprising as the strength of the current. Even though we were on a heading of 220 degrees, our GPS was indicating a course over ground of only 165. We were being swept back east by the most powerful current we had encountered to date.

Because this was so unexpected, we did not have a good idea of how to counter it. Do we try to motor west out of it or do we run south with it for awhile? Was it a local phenomenon or did it run for hundreds of miles? We did not have a clue. Finally we decide to keep our heading of 220 and let it take us south. The winds were supposed to be better to the south anyway so going that direction for awhile would not be a problem.

Through the night the wind stayed up enough that we could continue to sail along on our heading. But all night we were being swept almost due south. By morning it was obvious we needed to do something different.

May 1 – Slow progress

Our guidebook for this area indicated that boats should avoid traveling through an area between 3 and 8 degrees south and 90 and 95 degrees west. It said that this was an area of calms, squalls, strange currents and confused seas. By 9 AM we were at 2 degrees 25 minutes south, only about 35 miles from the no-go area. Kyle decided to try motoring west to see if we could get beyond the current, or at least beyond the worst of it. So we took down the sails again and started the motor and set a heading of 300 degrees. That gave us an actual over ground heading of about 270. Slowly, throughout the day we could see that the current was loosing strength. Our actual and our compass headings were coming closer and closer. But still since we were heading into the current now our speed was below 3 knots most of the day. We had hoped for 150 mile days – these first days we were seeing only about half of that.

The high point of the day came this afternoon when a voice came over the radio hailing us. There was another sailboat out there! It was a French boat by the name of Zongra that we had seen in Panama. They left a day after us from one of the islands further west and had encountered the same current. We had a nice chat and exchanged some weather information and then they were off. Theirs was a bigger boat and was able to go a knot or two faster than us. By evening they were gone and we were alone again.

May 2 – Light winds and south current

Wednesday the winds were still light and there was still a bit of current pushing us south. Most of the day we were able to make only about 3.5 knots on an actual heading of 230. This was still setting us too far south and too close to the “weird” zone. This was going to be the fourth 75 mile day. We were hoping to complete this passage in about 25 days. Things were going to have to pick up soon if we were to have any hope of that.

Today was laundry and bath day. Both are done initially with salt water followed by a light fresh water rinse. Using that method we are able to keep our fresh water usage to a minimum. Kathy can do a load of laundry and we can both take baths using a total of about two gallons of fresh water. Even though we have a reverse osmosis watermaker on board, it takes electricity to run it and we have to be nearly as frugal with electrical usage as we are with water.

Apparently we have left the Humboldt current behind. The weather is getting warmer and there is no longer any need for the sweaters and jeans. We are even having to run the fan at night when we are sleeping. Feels good to be back in the tropics again.

May 3 – Finally, the winds pick up

It was a good night and we both are feeling like we are getting into the routine. The sky was brilliantly clear and we were able to see billions of stars. It is fun to get out the binoculars and see what we can see.

Finally at 6 AM the wind began to pick up and by 9 we had seen the last of the south setting current. Our speed increased from three to four to five knots. We felt like finally we had turned the corner and were on our way. We poled out the jib and sheeted the main in the center of the boat. That allowed us to run straight downwind under the jib while the main stabilized the boat and cut down on the rolling that characterizes down-wind sailing. It was an absolutely wonderful day; all the more so because we were finally making good progress.

Each day at 10 AM and 6 PM we check in on a radio net with other cruisers heading for the Marquesas. It is mainly a way to monitor each others’ progress and to make sure that everyone is doing OK. There are about 15 boats that check in on our net and about 40 more that check in on another net. There are still about that many boats behind us in Panama or the Galapagos. This is a popular route this time of year. Even though we probably won’t see any of these boats before the Marquesas, it is nice to know they are out there and it is great to hear other peoples’ voices a couple times a day. The Pacific is vast and sometimes it feels a bit lonely out here.

The first four nights of sailing we did have some company though. Just after dark sea gulls joined us to fly around the boat. The mast’s tricolor light casts enough light on the water making it easier to see any fish near the surface (for the gulls anyway.) As they fly around they pass though the lighted area and go from being a shadow to a white bird. To us it seemed that they looked a little like our guardian angels sent to help us along our way during the night.

May 4 – A Dorado for breakfast and the SE Trades

It was a beautiful night and Kyle was at the end of his 4-6 AM watch when he noticed the splashes of fish feeding around the boat. Maybe part of the reason that we were not having luck catching fish was that we were getting the line out too late. So he went below and got the rod and sent a lure out about 100 feet behind the boat. In only about 30 minutes the reel sang out and the rod bent as a fish struggled on the end of the line.

“Fish on!” Kyle shouted below to the sleeping Kathy. In seconds, while he was getting the rod untied, she was dressed and on deck to help land the fish. She got all the cushions and blankets out of the cockpit and went below for the gaff and the fish net. This fish was obviously larger than the last one we caught. It was putting up quite a fight and the only time Kyle could get it reeled in was between its struggles.

Slowly, however, it tired and we began getting it reeled in. Suddenly it jumped and we could tell by its golden color that we had hooked a dorado. There is no finer eating fish than a dorado and we were excited at the possibility of getting it on board. That was going to be the problem. He was too big for the net and every time Kyle got him close to the boat he tried to take off again. Finally Kyle told Kathy to stand back while he tried to heave him onto the deck. This is where the fish usually goes sailing off into the ocean again but this time the dorado stayed hooked and landed, exhausted, on the deck.

The fish measured 37 inches long and probably weighed in the area of 10 lbs. Kyle got it filleted and that evening Kathy cooked it all up in her cajun fish batter. Awesome. And there was enough left over for two more meals.

After that start the rest of the day went fairly uneventfully. The winds were still out of the east so we were sailing downwind at only about 4.5 knots. This was not going to do if we were to make the Marquesas in under four weeks.

Finally about 8 PM the wind died altogether. We have learned, though, that this lull often signals a wind shift and sure enough in a few minutes the wind began clocking around to the SE and filling in. Soon it was blowing at 15 knots and we watched as the GPS indicated 6 then almost 7 knots. We finally settled in at about 6.5 knots for the rest of the night.

It appears that these are the trade winds that we have been looking for ever since leaving the Galapagos. Since entering them they have remained steady from the SE at anywhere from 8 to 15 knots. That makes for absolutely wonderful sailing.

May 5 – Out of the current and heading west again

Today was the first full day to enjoy the SE trades. Stap Isi flew along at nearly six knots all day – a rate that would give us 135 miles or more a day. With the stronger winds the boat was healed more so we had to get used to a new motion. But the increased speed and faster passage was definitely worth a bit of discomfort.

With the trades filling in last night neither of us got very mush sleep last night so today was spent resting and napping. Dory went exploring first thing in the morning and started bringing in flying fish and a squid. We regularly find the flying fish on deck but this was the first for a squid. We wondered how it got there – given that it does not fly and we had never heard of one jumping. Certainly it didn’t climb up the boat like something out of a Jules Verne book. Dory, however, didn’t seem to care anything about its origin. She was more into the culinary aspects of a flying fish and squid breakfast.

Just at dusk another pod of dolphins came by. There were about a dozen and they swam along side the boat and slid from side to side under the bow. Occasionally one would jump. These were a bit smaller than the others we had seen. Regardless of size, they all appear to enjoy swimming with the boat and we always feel like it is a gift from God when they make their appearance.

May 6 – Laundry, cleanup, and more flying fish

Another beautiful evening. We left the Galapagos just a day or two after the new moon so each night we have enjoyed seeing it get a bit bigger and brighter. It is now at the quarter so it is will be with us most of the night for the next couple of weeks. It certainly makes changing sails and other tasks easier at night to have a bright moon up there.

This morning Dory got up and as usual her first task was to go forward to explore around the boat. She immediately came back with a flying fish and dropped it in the cockpit. Then she went and got another and another. Soon she had a small pile of flying fish and another squid. Kyle got up to see where she was getting them and looking forward saw the entire bow covered in flying fish. We counted 20 of them altogether along with the single squid.

We had seen flocks of flying fish numbering as many as 50 take off together and sail over the waves. We figure that some predator had startled a large flock like that into flight and in the dark they collided with the boat. Dory, of course, was thrilled and we are hoping the fish bounty will continue as it stretches her cat food.

Besides cleaning up the flying fish mess, today is also laundry day, bath day, charge the batteries day, and probably a few more projects before the day is up. Today we have been gone a week and it amazes us how fast the time flies out here. There is always something to do and it seems like we no more than get things squared away in the morning than it is time to get ready for the night. Now that the trades are settled in, at least we don’t have to do much with the sails. They are trimmed about as well as we can get them so we just leave them alone until the wind shifts again – maybe in a week or two.