HAWKEYE HAPPENINGS, November, 2006

HAWKEYE HAPPENINGS, NOVEMBER 2006

Our stay in American Samoa was a month long; it always takes longer to clear in and out than one expects. We enjoyed our stay there even though the harbor is filled with garbage when it rains and when the wind blows from the east, which it usually does, we got the smell of baking fish. Starkist Tuna has its processing factory here and it provides employment for most of the people living on the island. The island itself is very beautiful but seems to draw bad weather.

We had a wonderful tour of the island one day with some other cruisers and were able to go from one end to the other. It was on “White Sunday” which is a day set aside to honor children. The day consisted of the family dressing all in white and, after attending church, sitting down to a very large meal and then sleeping away most of the afternoon with another meal in the evening. Samoan people are quite large, very friendly and most eager to help in any way. They stop you on the street and ask if they can help in any way.

It was nice to visit a store similar to Costco/Sam’s Club and stock up on some of those luxury items like hamburger, cranberry juice, sliced turkey, bacon, corn on the cob, snacks and ohhhh those baby carrots!

When we first entered the anchorage, we saw a boat we had known in Mexico several years ago, KUMFY. The next day the owner, Mitch Hart, dropped by to say hello and told us he and Rise had been in American Samoa for 5 years. Mitch is an engineer working on a major remodeling of the LBJ hospital and Rise is working for the National Park Service. We visited with them at least twice a week. Mitch begged John to come work for him for a year as he is in desperate need of engineering help to complete the job. He said it would be no problem getting Linda a job at one of the local banks. We said thanks, but no thanks. We are too old to go back to work! We want to keep cruising before we have to give it up.

One day four of us cruisers decided we would try making one of the local dishes. We went to the market and bought taro leaves, onions, and coconut to make the dish. Two of us were busy washing the taro leaves and a small piece of one broke off of the leaf Linda was washing. She put this small piece, about the size of a little fingernail in her mouth and chewed it and swallowed. Immediately, it felt like she had eaten fiberglass. The feeling of little tiny splinters under her tongue and down her throat. Turcan, one of the other cruisers who is from Turkey, took a small bite as she couldn’t believe what Linda was saying and had the same problem. Gert, from Denmark, took a big bite and his wife Carolyn took a small bite. We all had the same reaction. The only thing that would help was a piece of bread and large glasses of water. We then looked on the Internet and learned that you should NEVER eat raw taro leaves, as there are calcium “splinters” which go away when the taro is cooked. We cooked the taro and it was very good but it sure was a painful learning experience.

Another day we took a bus over to the other side of the island to a small village and walked out on a rocky point that was quite beautiful but very warm. We walked through a forested area and found several papaya trees that obviously did not belong to anyone as we could see that the birds were eating the ripened fruit. So we picked a few papayas and headed back to the place where the bus driver said he would pick us up. While waiting for the bus, a fellow that had been on the bus on the way over to the village invited us for lunch at his home. We declined, as we had wanted to get back as we knew another boat we had met in Costa Rica was coming in and was only stopping (they thought) for one night. So we missed an experience that could have been fun but one never knows. At the bus stop we met a woman with a little girl about 2 years old. We talked and told her of the man inviting us to lunch. She said that is very common in Samoa. She was the daughter of the chief of the village and was taking her daughter to the doctor for a checkup. Her daughter’s name is Amazing Grace and she has a twin brother named Mercy. Obviously the church is very important to the people of Samoa!

On the way back, we asked the bus driver to let us off at the top of the mountain pass. We wanted to have a leisurely view from the top down into the bay and surrounding mountains and lush valleys. It was a beautiful sight but we had a very steep hike down the mountain. A few days later, Linda met the woman with the little girl in the post office. She asked how we had gotten back to Pago Pago and we said we walked down the hill. She was quite amazed that we had done that. She also told us that her daughter kept talking about the “palangis” she had met, meaning us. Palangi is used quite frequently to describe a “white” person versus a native in many of the islands.

We had finally received our packages from the U. S. via the good old US post office and waited several days for a good weather window. John checked the GRIB files (computer-generated surface wind and pressure maps), the net weather, and local radio weather. Finally, they all agreed that it was a good time to go the 375 miles to the Vava’u Group of Tonga. We had squalls in the harbor on the way out of Pago Pago, which were quite common, and headed out to the open ocean where we again had squalls with torrential rain (at least, it was warm rain!). We figured once we were away from the island, the weather would improve as all the forecasts had predicted. That was the roughest 375-mile passage we have ever had! As it turned out, a convergence zone (low pressure trough) had moved south over Samoa and followed us all the way down to Tonga. All our friends followed our progress on the radio nets and were happy when we arrived safely, as were we. So much for paying such close attention to the weather forecasts…

The talk of Vava’u was all about weather as everyone was waiting for the “Go” to head to New Zealand. We just wanted to lick our wounds and settled in for a rest. Our “wounds” included the breaking of the genoa’s roller furling line while the sail was reefed way down due to the high winds and seas. Getting the wildly flogging sail down in those conditions was not a piece of cake but we finally managed it and raised the storm jib in its stead. This slowed us down somewhat, and we lost several miles towards our destination by running off downwind. We did not want to be out in those big seas and 25-30 knot winds another night and happily made it in to a wonderfully calm anchorage just before dark. The other “wound” was a problem that we didn’t find out until we were safely in the anchorage. When John went up the mast to replace our flag halyard, he found small cracks in the lower spreaders. This was the same problem that kept HAWKEYE from going to the South Pacific back in ’97.

So, once again our plans have changed. We are not able to go on to New Zealand until we get new spreaders installed. We can order the new spreaders but are not inclined to do so now. If you have been listening to the news of the Kingdom of Tonga, a feudal monarchy in which the King appoints ten of the fourteen cabinet ministers and the hereditary nobility the remainder, you will know that “pro-democracy” rioting recently took place two hundred miles south of here in Nuku’alofa, the capital of the Kingdom. We are in Neiafu, Vava’u Group, in the northern islands, which is the second largest city in Tonga. With 80% of Nuku’alofa’s central business district burned to the ground, there is very little business going on so getting anything sent in (everything has to go through Nuku’alofa), is next to impossible. Linda’s daughter, Trish, sent Linda’s prescriptions the day before the coup started and we are still waiting for that package to arrive. There are some other cruisers going back to the states in a few weeks and will return in a month so we are hoping they will bring back the new spreaders for us.

Other exciting news from the Kingdom of Tonga is that a new island recently arose from the ocean deep, on a sea of floating pumice, about 60 miles west of here. On top of that, Cyclone season is now underway with a new storm, Yani, forming to the west of us. It is 1,500 miles away and is not considered a threat to this area - for now. From the above, you could be forgiven for considering Tonga to be politically, geologically and meteorologically unstable, and hardly a fit place to spend the next several months. In fact, we are enjoying the beautiful island anchorages of the Vava’u group and the friendly people here. We have obtained a cyclone mooring in Neiafu Harbor, a good “hurricane hole”, which consists of two concrete blocks weighing about two tons each plus a lot of heavy chain. John calculates that the mooring should be good for at least 100-knot winds. If and when a cyclone is approaching, we will dash in, secure HAWKEYE on our new mooring, strip the boat of all sails and canvas to minimize windage - and get a hotel room ashore for the duration of the cyclone!

Meanwhile, we will celebrate Thanksgiving today with a turkey dinner attended by 5 different boats. One fellow is from Spain and said he has always wanted to attend an American Thanksgiving as he has only seen it in the movies! Should be fun and interesting. Best wishes to you all for turkey day.

Our hope is to visit New Zealand for about 6 weeks in Feb-Mar via airplane instead of sailing there. Plans are being made already for celebrating Christmas here with an “Umu”, which is a feast where the food is cooked in a pit in the ground lined with hot rocks or coral and covered with banana leaves. It will be a group effort and should be lots of fun.

Just in case you get the impression that cruising is all about lazing around in exotic locations (only partly true), some of our friends have had some really bad experiences. One Canadian couple from Vancouver, whom we met in Ecuador, lost their boat in the pre-dawn darkness on the reef surrounding the island of Niue. They both escaped with minor cuts and bruises by climbing a steep cliff and fighting their way through dense brush to the nearest village. Sadly, their uninsured boat was a total loss. An English couple had the bad luck to require major medical treatment while at sea – not once, but twice! Happily, they arrived in Opua, New Zealand this week and are now getting expert medical attention. A German couple, en route from Samoa to Kiribatis, suffered a broken steering cable in heavy weather with the skipper incapacitated by a kidney stone! Fortunately, the great majority of passages are completed without incident.

Best wishes to all of you for a great holiday season and exciting adventures in the new year. Linda and John s/v HAWKEYE

P.S. We learned at our Thanksgiving dinner that we have to wash the “spinach leaves” we get here in strong bleach water, as there is a snail that leaves a slick on the leaves that causes meningitis. You can believe those leaves are
clean now!

HAWKEYE HAPPENINGS, October, 2006

HAWKEYE HAPPENINGS, OCTOBER, 2006

From the lagoon and that wonderful pass at Fakarava Atoll, in the Tuomotu Archipelago, we sailed about 180 miles to Tahiti. It was a good passage and as we arrived at the pass through the reef to Papeete, the wind decided to escalate to 30 knots. It was a nerve-wracking sail through the pass and through the narrow passage with reefs on both sides. Some of the marks into the anchorage were missing so it got quite confusing in the heavy wind, a hefty current, around the airport runway and into the lagoon where we finally were able to get a slip at the dock as we had a long list of things that needed to be done. After a week at the dock at $42 U.S. a night and a few of the projects completed, we headed for the anchorage before we had gone completely broke! Things were slow to happen and we ended up in Papeete for 3 weeks. Papeete is not one of our favorite cities in the world. There is lots of traffic and smog from vehicles and the prices are outrageous. We did, however, manage to spend one day with our friend, Joe Scirica. We had sailed with Joe on his boat, MUSIC, to the Galapagos and then on to Panama the year before. He had single handed his boat from Costa Rica to Tahiti and was shipping his boat back to Mexico and flying back to the U.S. We so enjoyed visiting with him and will miss him as we cruise.

From Papeete, we sailed to Moorea. It is only about a 20-mile trip but we ended up in a squall with high winds. At one point, our wind meter decided to quit when we were blasted with 30-knot winds. During the squall, the rain was so heavy we were not able to see mountainous Moorea even though we were less than 1 mile away. We sailed towards Cook’s Bay and Opunohu Bay using radar and GPS and finally, as we approached the bay, the squall cleared and we could see the pass through the coral reef and the protected bay beyond. It was great to get inside the reef with calm seas and get the anchor down in 10 feet of clear water and relax.

One morning we took a long dinghy ride down to the place where the stingrays hang out and got in the water with them. They come right up and eat out of your hand and rub up against you and there are a LOT of them. Small black tipped reef sharks swam around looking for scraps of food also. Later, we heard of an Aussie swimmer who died from a stingray on the Great Barrier Reef. A sobering thought.

Another day we hiked up to the Belvedere lookout with people from two other boats where we could see down into both Cooks and Opunohu Bays and the surrounding reef. A great hike through the forest to a marae and then up to the viewpoint. Our reward was a wonderful sorbet treat on the way back down.

One evening we went with cruisers from two other boats to the Bali Hai Hotel to watch the dancers perform and sing. It was then time to think about heading to the island of Raiatea where we had scheduled a date to haul the boat as our repaired max prop was being sent back from the states after being balanced and bearings replaced. This seemed to be the problem of the clanking since leaving Ecuador. Seems they had slipped up and not done all the repairs. They will never understand the grief it caused us! But, they did pay for all the shipping charges and repairs they should have done in the beginning…

Anyway, it was an overnight trip to Raiatea and we arrived through the pass into a beautiful anchorage where we stayed waiting out high winds. We took a trip up a river through jungle to beautiful botanical gardens and had a tour and explanation of plants of the area. It was an enjoyable float back down the river and a fun afternoon visiting with cruisers on two other boats. One day we hitchhiked (the accepted way to travel around these islands) to Marae Tapataputea, the most important religious and historical site in French Polynesia.

The fun was over for a while as we headed to Raiatea Carenage Marina and the haulout. We were out of the water four days. John took off the fixed blade propeller and installed the Max Prop. He did a bunch of other maintenance and repairs and Linda cleaned and waxed the hull. Once again, we had a guy come out to work on our refrigeration. It had worked 1-½ weeks since Papeete where we had a guy work on it for 3 weeks. Once back in the water, we headed for the town of Uturoa. The propeller now vibrates at 2600 rpm instead of 2400 rpm (no vibration at all with the fixed blade prop, but that one slows us down too much when we are sailing. I guess we will live with the vibration). We tied to the dock and spent 3 days there. The hike up the hill to the microwave tower was worth the climb as the view was spectacular. We could see the island of Tahaa across the channel and the reef that surrounds both islands and could see Bora Bora 20 miles away. During this time, we had high winds again that blew us on to the dock so we had every fender we have out trying to protect our newly cleaned and polished hull. We also ran numerous lines to different cleats on the dock. It was a rough stay and we were glad to get away early one morning when the winds were down a bit. People from 3 other boats helped us to get away. We had done the same for boats leaving before us.

The sail over to Tahaa was very enjoyable and we relaxed on a mooring in a beautiful, quiet bay and a night of uninterrupted sleep. The next day we were ready to sail the 30 miles to Bora Bora. Again, we had an enjoyable sail and arrived to the pass into the lagoon of Bora Bora just as a freighter was coming out and another coming in. We all three passed at the pinch of the reef. John steered HAWKEYE as close to the side as was safe in order to get out of the way of the two big guys.

We managed to find a mooring right in front of the famous restaurant, Bloody Marys and had a wonderful dinner to celebrate Linda’s birthday, which was back in July. It was worth the wait! We shared our table with another cruising couple on the boat SONGSTER. They are from England and he also worked in the airplane business so there was a lot in common to talk about.

Jackie told us about her having terrible pain in her leg towards the end of their crossing from the Galapagos to Marquesas. Upon arrival in the Marquesas, she was airlifted to Papeete and had surgery to remove a non-malignant tumor. Brian had to sail the boat from the Marquesas to Papeete single-handed and of course was extremely worried about her the whole time. It was quite an experience but they have overcome it and are heading further west.

We had two great snorkels while in Bora Bora with lots of pretty fish and one enormous Moray Eel. The water was crystal clear and warm. The boat looked like it is sitting in air, the water is so clear!

As soon as we had a good weather window, we headed further west. We were going to stop at Palmerston Island in the Cooks but the weather was not good in that direction and so we headed directly to Suvarov (or Suwarrow), which is also one of the northern Cook Islands. This motu is spectacular!! It is a national park about 475 miles from any other land and there is only the caretaker and his family living on this island. John and Veronica and their 4 boys are a joy to meet and visit with. They love having the cruisers visit and want to keep Suvarov unspoiled. Last year they had 114 boats visit and this year 92 have been here. It is just about the end of the season and they will be returning to Rarotonga in October for the hurricane season and will return next April if the government will allow them to. There is a wonderful book written in the 60’s named “An Island to Oneself” by Tom Neale, a New Zealander, who lived on the island alone and wrote of his experiences here. It was a very special read for us.

In the week and ½ we have been here, we have had 3 potlucks and gone on several excursions. We walked the reef from Anchorage Island, which is the main island where John & Veronica live, to Whale Island. It was a wonderful walk mostly in ankle deep water looking at all the beautiful coral and fish-keeping an eye out for sharks and eels that tend to come up and bite on the ankle if given a chance. Another day John took a group of us over to Gull Island to visit the Frigate, Terns, Boobie and Tropic Bird nesting places. We got to see eggs, young, and adult birds of all species. The Tropic Bird is noted for its’ long tail and there were also red footed boobies which we hadn’t seen before. We did a great snorkel on the reef by the birds.

Yesterday, we went with two other boats in our dinghys to Lewin reef inside the lagoon and did a wall snorkel. The most exciting thing seen on this snorkel was the eagle rays. It was so neat to check them out as they fluttered through the water like large butterflies. At one point, a small one went straight up and out of the water and landed with a large splash just a few feet from us. The spotted eagle ray has five barbs at the base of their tail and one does not want to monkey with them!

Today we did another drift snorkel with some other boaters near the pass and went along with the current holding on to the dinghy. At one point, we got behind the reef and had just gotten back into the water to look at some Napoleon fish and a huge shark with big teeth came cruising by. He was 10 to 12 feet in length and quite large around and had spots on him. Not anything like any of the other sharks we were used to seeing on or snorkels here. He was about 20 feet away and we quickly jumped into the dinghy and headed back to the anchorage. Upon checking in our shark book, we concluded it was a Tiger Shark which are quite vicious and have been known to eat just about anything including humans. Well, that was today’s excitement!

We are now waiting for a weather window to head to Pago Pago, American Samoa where we hope to have parts shipped in. HAWKEYE has not seen U.S. waters since 1994 and her crew is looking forward to getting some American products. Our progress has been slow and we are definitely at the end of the pack but we hope to have less crowded anchorages and better weather than those that have gone through so quickly. We are fortunate in that we have no schedule and are sticking to it! John and Linda s/v HAWKEYE
P.S. Oct 6. We have arrived in Pago Pago, American Samoa. We had a good crossing of 475 miles from Suvarov, averaging six knots, and are enjoying being in a US protectorate. We are busy on the Internet ordering parts to be shipped here, as there is no duty. This is a beautiful island and the people are really nice and go out of their way to help us Palangis as we are called. We will probably be here for at least 2 weeks waiting for the different parts to be shipped and then off to Tonga and New Zealand.

HAWKEYE HAPPENINGS, June, 2006

HAWKEYE HAPPENINGS

At the close of our last update, we were in the lagoon at Kauehi Atoll in the Tuamotus awaiting two springs for the injector pumps for our Volvo engine. After three weeks of waiting, well we did snorkel several times, beach comb, visit the pearl farm, had a wonderful full moon beach party-BBQ, visited the church and small village grocery store for fresh food and ICE CREAM while waiting, our parts arrived. John spent several hours studying the engine manual trying to get past the part where it says "Do not attempt to do this-send it back for repair by a qualified mechanic." He devised a tool for putting in the new springs and talked to the Volvo service manager in Seattle several times who was VERY helpful after John explained where he was calling from and what the circumstances were. Finally the big day arrived and John went to shore in the dinghy to get to the tiny airport (one flight a week) to get the parts.


We had originally wanted to be in Papeete for the Bastille Day celebrations which go on from June 30 to Aug 2. We were quickly closing in on July 14 which is the actual Bastille Day. Once the guys got the engine running, we headed out the next morning at 5:30 a.m. just as it was getting daylight. We motor sailed, yes, motor sailed as no wind (and we were so happy to be able to motor),to the atoll of Fakarava. We passed through the north passage on a flooding tide, to the town of Rotoava, anchored, and headed into town for the festivities. That evening we watched participants in a dance competition do the famous Tamure to the rousing applause of the audience. The next day we watched the javelin throwing contest. A coconut it attached to a pole about 25 feet off the ground and the men take turns throwing their home made javelins trying to stick them in the coconut. Another day was a weaving contest where women were shown items such as a basket, hat, mat, and purse. They were timed and graded on how tightly woven and appearance. Everyone had a great time in all the competitions with lots of laughter and cheering. Each evening there were more dance competitions or singing competitions and we really enjoyed it. We had some great meals ashore and were able to shop for fresh food in the two grocery stores in the village.

After the festivities wound down, our thoughts were focusing on the south pass of the atoll. The lagoon in Fakarava atoll is 30 miles long and 10 miles wide. It was a strange feeling of sailing on this placid lagoon hearing the ocean waves crashing on the coral fringe of the atoll.

THE SOUTH PASS. We have found paradise and we don't want to leave!!! This is supposed to be one of the best dive sites in the world. We haven't seen most of the dive sites in the world but have seen quite a few and we LOVE this place. Our first day here we did a drift snorkel. We could see the bottom at 60 feet plus through the brilliant blue water. The trick is to take the dinghy out the pass during the tidal flood and float back in holding on to the dinghy. The center of the channel is sand where the grey sharks congregate-lots of them. Up the side of the channel is a carpet of different kinds of coral and teaming with all different fish from open water tuna to tiny brilliant colored reef fish. There were lots of white tipped and black tipped sharks that are curious and check us out and then swim off. The second day we did a drift tank dive. Even 9 year old Jamie. It was his 4th dive of his diving career and it will be tough to beat that dive. Sharks much bigger than him were in abundance. So many we couldn't count them. There is also a very large Napoleon Parrot fish that lives in the pass and frequents the small resort located right on the pass. The restaurant workers throw food scraps into the water and "Napoleon" is always looking for a handout. He doesn't do much fast swimming to catch his own food and likes to hang out with the people in the water. They also "feed" the black tips who swim around the restaurant which is built over the water and we could sit for hours watching the underwater show from a table overlooking the crystal clear water. Anyone looking for a great dive vacation in a quiet, away from it all place, check out this resorts website at www.tetamanuvillage.pf. Great food and wonderful people and of course the diving and snorkeling. We were supposed to leave today for Papeete and had a "goodbye" dinner at the resort last night. They invited all 7 of us back for a free pancake breakfast this morning and as the weather isn't quite perfect today, we have decided to stay a few more days... Today's drift dive is scheduled for 1 p.m. You can bet we will be there! We did the pass twice yesterday and were tempted to do it a third time as it is so wonderful.

Friends and relatives ask what our plans are-we may never leave this paradise!! Linda & John s/v HAWKEYE

HAWKEYE HAPPENINGS, April, 2006

HAWKEYE’S crossing of the South Pacific

We had been nervous and apprehensive about the trip since we decided to go in January and hadn’t said much about our decision to friends and relatives as well as other cruisers as we have seen and heard of many other cruisers that changed their plans, for one reason or another, after telling everyone that they were going to do something like this. We didn’t inform our families of our plans until we were well into getting ready to go. Several times during the three months of “getting ready” we changed our minds as things broke and were difficult to fix. Some of the major things we found out about when we hauled the boat in Salinas, Ecuador was blisters on the bottom which after much discussion with professionals decided to go with it “as is”. The next major hurtle was the propeller problem. When we hauled the boat, we found severe corrosion on the propeller. After weeks of trying to find someone going to the states to take it back for us so that it could be sent off the be repaired, we bit the bullet and paid to have it sent DHL to PYI in Seattle, WA. We were lucky to find someone coming down to visit other cruisers that were willing to bring it back for us.

Hundreds of projects were on our “To Do” list and gradually that list was brought down to minor things that could be done underway or at anchor in the Galapagos. After two months “on the hard” in the boatyard we were able to launch HAWKEYE, provision, and headed to the Galapagos.

We had a good breeze leaving Salinas, Ecuador and sailed well until the second night out on the 600-mile plus trip. John was on watch and had two fishing boats come within ¼ mile of HAWKEYE in light winds. He turned on the engine so we could motor away from them and that is when we heard the clunking noise for the first time. He turned the motor off after we had gotten a safe distance from the fishing boats and we the next day, when it was calm, he went over to check out the propeller and shaft to see if he could see anything wrong. There was a plastic bag wrapped around the propeller, which he was able to unwind and take off. We thought our problem was solved; but the next time we started the engine and put a load on it, we had the same clunking noise. Lucky for us we were able to sail the whole way to Isla Cristabol, Galapagos and were able to motor slowly to get into the bay and anchor without the clunking noise. John checked the propeller and shaft and all zincs upon anchoring; everything looked good. He next checked over the engine, shaft, and everything inside the boat. He finally found a broken motor mount that we were able to get fixed and John reinstalled. We then took HAWKEYE out for a spin and still had the clunking at high rpm under load. After having another cruiser that was a mechanic in his “former life” and the mechanic from the Port Captain’s office look at it, the consensus was to go with it and have the propeller rebalanced at first opportunity. John had also been in touch with the PYI via e-mail on the problem.

The decision was made to sail to Isla Isabela, Galapagos where we did some sightseeing, worked on chafing gear and got ready for the “puddle jump”. April 14, 2006 at 9 a.m. local time, we left Isla Isabela, Galapagos, Ecuador heading for the South Pacific with a tentative destination of the Gambiers, Tuomotos, French Polynesia.

We had a nice breeze and a good weather prediction when we left and that breeze held up until the middle of the night when the wind quit and we decided to motor for a few hours as the batteries needed to be charged anyway. After a couple of hours motoring, the motor reduced speed and stopped. John changed the fuel filter and we motored for a few hours more and it happened again. John looked at the new fuel filter and it was o.k. At that time it was early morning and a breeze had come up so we sailed. After checking with a mechanic friend, Rick, on SHE WOLF via the SSB net, we put reverse pressure with a tire inflator on the hose from the fuel tank to the filter. Rick said that biobore, a chemical we put into the diesel fuel to kill algie, kills the algie, but then sticks together and makes clumps which may have caused the clog. We were able to sail after this exercise.

Night two, two days after the full moon, there was an incredible moonrise and the moonlight on the water was beautiful. We sailed well all night under clear skies and perfect conditions.

Day three and we are still sailing. Our 9 a.m. 24 hour run was 133 miles. When John listened to the net, he heard that SAFIRE had lost a lower shroud yesterday and another one today. They are still about 600 miles from the Marquesas and not enough fuel to motor the rest of the way. Those closest to them have offered to divert to their location and give them fuel. This may take several days as there are no boats close by them. Theresa and Kevin are experienced sailors having sailed from England and around Cape Horn. Ran the engine from 7:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. to charge the batteries. Some squalls around but have managed to miss them so far. Had a few sprinkles this afternoon but no winds with it. Getting into the grove but John still not getting enough sleep. We both had trouble sleeping today as the seas were lumpy and the sails would slat. Sailed wing and wing most of the day. Did a jibe mid afternoon and put in one reef just before nightfall.

Day 4 we moved right along doing 130 miles in 24 hours. Winds manageable in the 15 knot range with some squalls at night but no high winds.

Day 5 was mostly wind in the 20-25 knot range with confused seas of about 6-8 feet. We triple reefed the main and jib and were still flying along. Not a comfortable day at sea. Had trouble with the engine quitting after motoring for 45 minutes. John bled the lines and managed to get it going again but quit again. This was our fastest day so far at 163 uncomfortable miles.

This proved to be an ongoing problem with John trying different things and managing to keep it going enough to charge our batteries. It does not give us confidence in going through reefs, however. Day 6 at 9 a.m. we had gone another 147 miles in the previous 24 hours in uncomfortable seas. Day 7 at 9 a.m. we had gone 149 miles. The windvane lines show signs of chafe and we end for ended some of the lines. Also, made leather covers for the blocks to make it quieter. There are lots of moans, groans, clinks and clanks going on all the time. Still under triple reefed main and jib. Seas down a little this day and not as uncomfortable as the day before. Got the towing generator in the water successfully and will see how it does getting more amps in.

The towing generator turned out to bring in enough amps to keep us from having to run the engine on a daily basis to charge the batteries. We now run the engine every third day for about one hour. It sure made a big difference.

Our engine problem persisted and John would do a number of tests and finally surmised that there is sludge in the fuel tank that clogs the intake to the engine, thus the engine is starved of fuel and quits. After talking to a number of people via radio and e-mail, he devised another fuel tank to feed the engine. Using a jerry jug of fuel, he installed lines to the engine bypassing the main fuel tank. This took several hours working under very rolly conditions but he succeeded and we once again had a reliable engine.

He debated back and forth about going to the Gambiers. If we needed some work done, it could not be done in the Gambiers. Finally the decision was made when we got word that 2 cyclones were heading to the Gambiers. We then deviated to the Marquesas. One boat got to the Gambiers just before the cyclone hit and another, Valella, backtracked to a safe distance until it went by. Another boat, Stinella, headed for the Marquesas also. Each day the seas settled down more and it was easier to be on the boat. Still a lot of movement where you can’t set anything down on a counter top and expect it to be there for over a second. The best place I found to work was on the floor. I made Calabasas soup and bread while sitting on the floor as well as preparing chicken enchaladas. Washing dishes is hard as you have to use a foot pump, which then only gives you one foot for trying to balance yourself. I find myself hopping around a lot. Cooking is a challenge and I am glad I had prepared a lot of things ahead of time.

We have had some beautiful weather with sunny skies and very little squalls. None of the squalls so far have packed a lot of wind. We are thankful for that and that there has been very little rain. If we do have some rain, it is usually at night. Other boats have had squalls at night accompanied with wind. Our daily runs average in the 140 mile area and we are most frequently reefed down at least 2 reefs in the main.

John does a check for chafe on a daily basis and there has been chafe on the jib, and screws loosen on the vang. He has had to repair the towing generator and the windvane lines. The jib tends to rub on the turnbuckles of the lifeline at the bow and has caused holes in the bottom of the sail. We sewed a piece of leather on the bottom of the sail and now it chafes above the leather.

We are now in a new moon phase. John has the moon on his 9 p.m. to midnight watch and last night I had it for about the first hour of my watch. Oh, we had a 3 green flash sunset one night and a 2 green flash another night. Also, caught a dorado and had 3 good meals from it. Fresh food just about gone and have started to eat canned fruits and veggies. Still some fresh meat in shrink-wrap left. Doing well in the food department.

Lots of good wishes from people sending e-mails. Have had numerous problems sending update through email and John has had difficulty in connecting.
FIGMENT had 3 broken shrouds and has jerry rigged and going slow. TRUNDLE lost his prop and is sailing but needs help getting into anchor. One boat has engine problems.

In the early morning of May 4, we passed a boat, Morning Light. On May 5, we passed ALK and Wind Castle. More moonlight at night now, until 3 a.m. No more squalls and beautiful skies. Had less wind night of May 5 but managed to keep going. Passed another boat on morning of May 6.