Nordhavn Around The World (ATW)
Voyage Highlights
Nordhavn and crew successfully complete seven-month circumnavigation. Hundreds gather to celebrate Nordhavn 40’s return to Dana Point, Calif.
After more than 24,000 miles and 170 days at sea, the crew of Nordhavn returned to Dana Point, California, successfully completed the ultimate sea trial of a 40-foot production motor yacht. Escorted by the Dana Point Harbor Rescue boat and a fleet of Nordhavn motor yachts, Jim Leishman and his crew of Pacific Asian Enterprises (P.A.E.) staff and others landed at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 30. Several hundred well-wishers, including family, friends, Nordhavn owners and trip sponsors, were on hand to celebrate Nordhavn’s return.
During their voyage, the crew battled a typhoon in Micronesia and storms in the Mediterranean. They crossed pirate-plagued waters of the South China Sea and the uncertain waters of the Red Sea. They transited two canals (Suez and Panama) and three oceans (Pacific, Indian and Atlantic). Despite these challenges, Nordhavn completed the voyage without a single, major failure.
The purpose of the voyage, conceived by the P.A.E. staff and supported by the suppliers and equipment manufacturers featured on the vessel, was to demonstrate the capability and reliability of this off-the-shelf production Nordhavn 40. Additionally, P.A.E. wanted to conduct the ultimate sea trail, evaluating the design of the vessel and its equipment in the most challenging conditions. The crew described the voyage as a success and will undertake an extensive de-brief of their trip to incorporate what they have learned into the entire Nordhavn line.
Around the World Voyage
November 3, 2001 – June 30, 2002
24,000 Nautical Miles Traveled
In the midst of worldly pressure to strike the American flag, battling typhoons, storms, pirates and uncertainty, the crew of Nordhavn 40 remained faithful to Old Glory and proudly flew her around the world.”
Boat Specifications
There are few boats so uniquely qualified to take two people and their guests around the world as comfortably and as economically as the Nordhavn 40. Strong, rugged and handsome in a no-nonsense way, her special personality was inspired by salty commercial ships fishing the world’s deepest oceans. She stirs a passionate interest and curiosity along docks and throughout anchorages everywhere, with people enthusiastically asking her crew “where have you been” and “where are you headed?” Indeed, the Nordhavn 40 looks like the serious passagemaker that she is. But above all her seriousness of purpose, there is a wonderfully romantic, emotional element to the boat that strongly attracts a wide base of seasoned sailors, experienced power boaters and those just entering the world of boating.
The result of over three years of development by Pacific Asian Enterprises, (P.A.E.), she represents the smallest of Nordhavn’s fleet of ocean-crossing motor vessels. Yet her modest size does not limit her incredible, non-stop cruising range. Thanks to a highly efficient, full displacement hull design and a fuel capacity of over 900 gallons, a heavily loaded boat ready for ocean crossing will cover more than 2,400 nautical miles at 7 knots. For instance, the fully stabilized Nordhavn 40 used during P.A.E’s Around The World Voyage (ATW) was tested in relatively calm conditions and yielded the following results:
| Speed | S/L | GPH | RPM | Range |
| 6 knots | 1.01 | 1.6 | 1,300 | 3,450 |
| 7 knots | 1.18 | 2.6 | 1,600 | 2,458 |
| 8 knots | 1.34 | 4.0 | 1,900 | 1,840 |
Depending on weather, the actual performance can fluctuate for better or worse. On the run from California to Hawaii, the ATW boat pushed through contrary winds and currents which negatively impacted its output. However, when experiencing favorable seas in the Western Pacific, the boat made 7.4 knots at 2.6 GPH.
Previously published numbers were based on tests of an unstabilized, lightly loaded boat in favorable conditions.
More important than her range is her impressive seakeeping ability. This stout, tough ship is designed to punch through heavy head seas without hesitation and to track down swell as if on rails. Her high bow provides extraordinary buoyancy and contributes to her dry ride. Beneath the surface her forefoot of moderate depth eliminates pounding and helps provide a smooth, gentle motion. Her long keel with a large, protected rudder keeps her going exactly where she’s pointed. When equipped with Nordhavn’s highly dependable TPS (Towed Passive Stabilizers) or gyro-controlled fins, side roll caused by beam seas is minimized, greatly enhancing the comfort of her captain and crew.
Even if her owner’s cruising plans do not include crossing oceans, the Nordhavn 40’s remarkable capabilities will be greatly appreciated and utilized during long-range, coastal cruising. Her solid, seaworthy performance instills confidence in the captain and a sense of safety in the crew. Being caught in an afternoon squall on Lake Michigan or in a nasty Nor’easter while crossing the Gulf Stream, her crew will continue on, knowing their ship can take whatever the sea delivers.
News
SEA: “We Won’t Be Home for Dinner” Taking a really long cruise has become a lot more doable
Gallery
ATW send off
California to Hawaii
Hawaii to Majuro
Majuro to Kosrae to Pohnpei
Pohnpei to yap
Yap to Singapore
A look at Nordhavn's Interior
Singapore to Oman
Oman to Djibouti
Suez to Athens
Athens to Majorca
Majorca to Barbados
Barbados to Panama
ATW Homecoming
Video
Underway
PORTS OF CALL
Majuro
After the brief stop in Hawaii, it’s on to the Majuro in the Marshall Islands. Made up of nearly a thousand flat coral islands, this Pacific paradise provides some of the most spectacular diving in the region. The islanders may not be singing Bali Hai as the Nordhavn 40 pulls into the populated lagoon at Majuro, but many of the pre-colonial traditions are still practiced today, especially in the outer islands. The traditional dug out canoes are still found plying the many turquoise lagoons that make up the Marshall Islands.The Nordhavn 40 will lay over in Majuro, home to nearly have of the Marshall’s 60,000 people. Although Robert Louis Stevenson called the atoll the “Pearl of the Pacific”, the Nordhavn crew will find a far less pristine environment, although perfectly suited for fueling, provisioning and changing crew.
Pohnpei
Departing Majuro, the Nordhavn 40 will head towards Pohnpei, the capital of the Federated States of Micronesia. Covering 274 square miles, Micronesia is a visual departure from the low-lying atolls of the Marshall Islands. Here the crew will find flowering hibiscus and lush vegetation, flowing down the steep hillsides, pouring into the sea, providing the more typical South Pacific image many of us have. Pohnpei is the largest island in Micronesia covering 129 square miles, with many smaller islands sprinkled around its coast. The laid back town of Kolonia hosts the islands airport and most of its hotels, making it a good spot for another crew change.
Yap
Still in the Federated States of Micronesia, Yap is the most traditional district in Micronesia, where the chief still has a lot of pull and native dress is not unusual. Although the U.S. dollar is used, stone money remains the currency for some exchanges on the islands. Yap consists of four islands, Yap, Tomil-Gagil, Map and Rumung. Yap is also accessible by air with connections through Guam and Palau.
Cebu
The Nordhavn 40’s arrival in the Philippine island of Cebu will coincide with the tail end of the tropical storm season, although there is a low incidence of tropical storms in this region. The Nordhavn crew will make port in Cebu, southeast of Manila, the same spot where Magellan marked the beginning of Christianity in the Philippines. Cebu will provide an easy port for refueling and provisioning. After leaving the Sulu Sea through the Balabac Strait, bound for Singapore, the route will run parallel with the North Coast of Borneo. The approximate distance is 870 nautical miles.
Singapore
Singapore may be the only country or city in Southeast Asia with a section called China Town. This ironic tidbit gives a hint of how westernized this country has become, although it still retains some of its colonial charm. Over the years, Singapore has grown as land has been reclaimed from the sea, evolving from a country of bamboo shacks to one of the regions financials powerhouses and one of the busiest ports in the world. The Nordhavn 40 will dock at the Raffles Marina, a place quite familiar to the PAE crew who delivered on 62-01 from Hong Kong to Singapore for the Indonesian owner. The modern marina is full of amenities including a fully stocked marine store, travel lift, hotel, and a quaint pub, providing the perfect stop for the nearly seven-day layover. While berthed at Raffles, PAE will host a party for local yachtsmen, friends, and the press.
Phuket
After enjoying some r and r in Singapore, the Nordhavn 40 will cruise up the Strait of Malacca calling on the island of Phuket in Thailand. Phuket is the largest island in Thailand, located off the southwestern coast. Phuket has long been a popular stop over with cruisers and over the years has hosted a variety of sailing events and local rendezvous’. The exterior of the island is lined with good beaches, rocks, and limestone cliffs while the interior is full of rice paddies, plantations and a rain forest.
| Timestamp | Position | Location | Course | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-6-18 | 32.39°N 117.15°W | In route to San Diego | n/a | 7.0 knots |
| 2002-6-17 | 27.72°N 115.84°W | In route to San Diego | n/a | 7.0 knots |
| 2002-6-16 | 27.32°N 114.64°W | In route to San Diego | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-6-15 | 25.11°N 112.62°W | In route to San Diego | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-6-14 | 22.84°N 109.97°W | In route to San Diego | 287m | 7.0 knots |
| 2002-6-13 | 21.69°N 107.58°W | In route to San Diego | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-6-12 | 20.68°N 105.37°W | In route to San Diego | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-6-11 | 19.11°N 104.42°W | In route to Puerto Vallarta | 266m | 8.3 knots |
| 2002-6-10 | 19.11°N 104.40°W | Holed up at the Bahia Navidad due to weather | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-6-8 | 18.54°N 103.79°W | In route to Las Hadas | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-6-7 | 17.02°N 100.41°W | In route to Las Hadas | 295m | 7.8 knots |
| 2002-6-4 | 16.13°N 98.73°W | In route to Acapulco | 292m | 7.5 knots |
| 2002-6-3 | 15.45°N 97.43°W | In route to Acapulco | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-6-2 | 13.42°N 93.61°W | In route to Acapulco | 295m | 5.8 knots |
| 2002-6-1 | 12.29°N 91.51°W | In route to Acapulco | 296m | 7.2 knots |
| 2002-5-31 | 11.63°N 90.28°W | In route to Acapulco | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-5-30 | 10.05°N 87.33°W | In route to Acapulco | 297m | 6.9 knots |
| 2002-5-29 | 08.28°N 83.96°W | In route to Acapulco | 304m | 6.8 knots |
| 2002-5-28 | 07.14°N 81.55°W | In route to Acapulco | 277m | 7.2 knots |
| 2002-5-27 | 07.43°N 79.94°W | In route to Acapulco | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-5-22 | 09.71°N 78.72°W | Anchored in San Blas Islands | 253m | 6.7 knots |
| 2002-5-21 | 10.62°N 76.71°W | In route to San Blas Islands | 250m | 6.8 knots |
| 2002-5-20 | 11.71°N 74.15°W | In route to Panama | 253m | 6.7 knots |
| 2002-5-19 | 12.10°N 73.27°W | In route to Panama | 275m | 7.7 knots |
| 2002-5-18 | 12.77°N 69.57°W | In route to Panama | 279m | 7.3 knots |
| 2002-5-17 | 12.98°N 65.44°W | In route to Panama | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-5-16 | 13.02°N 62.38°W | In route to Panama | 281m | 6.8 knots |
| 2002-5-14 | 13.26°N 59.64°W | Anchored at Port St. Charles, Barados | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-5-12 (Local) | 13.10°N 57.70°W | 110 miles to Barados | 284m | 5.6 knots |
| 2002-5-11 (Local) | 13.21°N 55.39°W | 250 miles to Barados | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-5-10 (Local) | 13.40°N 50.25°W | 550 miles to Barados | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-5-8 (Local) | 13.60°N 45.26°W | In route to Barados | 286m | 6.2 knots |
| 2002-5-6 (Local) | 13.87°N 40.23°W | In route to Barados | 285m | 6.1 knots |
| 2002-5-5 (Local) | 13.97°N 38.12°W | In route to Barados | 285m | 6.1 knots |
| 2002-5-3 (Local) | 14.17°N 32.74°W | In route to Barados | 284m | 6.1 knots |
| 2002-5-2 (Local) | 14.29°N 30.41°W | In route to Barados | 282m | 5.8 knots |
| 2002-5-1 (Local) | 14.38°N 28.10°W | In route to Barados | 281m | 5.9 knots |
| 2002-4-30 (Local) | 14.47°N 25.71°W | In route to Barados | 281m | 5.8 knots |
| 2002-4-27 (Local) | 14.91°N 23.50°W | Anchored in Praia | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-4-26 (Local) | 17.57°N 21.71°W | In route Cape Verde | 220m | 7.8 knots |
| 2002-4-25 (Local) | 20.20°N 20.16°W | In route Cape Verde | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-4-24 (Local) | 22.52°N 18.73°W | In route Cape Verde | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-4-23 (Local) | 27.44°N 15.64°W | In route Cape Verde | 216m | 6.7 knots |
| 2002-4-19 (Local) | 28.12°N 15.42°W | Anchored in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-4-18 (Local) | 30.26°N 12.92°W | In route Canary Islands | 230m | 7.4 knots |
| 2002-4-17 (Local) | 31.58°N 11.31°W | In route Canary Islands | 231m | 7.6 knots |
| 2002-4-16 (Local) | 34.18°N 08.02°W | In route Canary Islands | 230m | 7.6 knots |
| 2002-4-12 (Local) | 38.50°N 00.21°E | Anchored in Puerto de Villajoyosa | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-4-11 (Local) | 39.12°N 02.26°E | Next stop Canary Islands | 216m | 6.0 knots |
| 2002-4-8 (Local) | 39.56°N 02.63°E | Anchored at Palma, Mallorca | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-4-7 (Local) | 38.90°N 06.45°E | Bound for Palma, Mallorca | 277m | 7.8 knots |
| 2002-4-6 (Local) | 38°49'N 010°16'E | Bound for Palma, Mallorca | 263m | 7.4 knots |
| 2002-4-5 (Local) | 38°26'N 013°42'E | Bound for Palma, Mallorca | 269m | 5.5 knots |
| 2002-4-4 (Local) | 37°84'N 016°39'E | Middle of the Ionian Sea | 270m | 7.0 knots |
| 2002-4-3 (Local) | 37°99'N 020°00'E | Mouth of the Ionian Sea | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-4-2 (Local) | 37°86'N 023°45'E | Underway to the Corinth Canal | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-3-30 (Local) | 37°52'N 023°44'E | Anchored at Glyfada Marina No. 4 | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-3-25 (Local) | 35°25'N 026°59'E | Anchored at the north end of Kassos Island. Due to weather conditions | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-3-22 (Local) | 33°07'N 030°01'E | Bound for Athens | 314m | 7.6 knots |
| 2002-3-20 (Local) | 31°15'N 032°18'E | Bound for Athens | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-3-18 (Local) | 28°52'N 032°49'E | Bound for Suez | 334m | 6.9 knots |
| 2002-3-12 (Local) | 16°56'N 040°24'E | Bound for Suez | 323m | 7.4 knots |
| 2002-3-8 (Local) | 11°36'N 043°04'E | Anchored in Djibouti | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-3-6 (Local) | 11°38'N 043°12'E | Bound for Djibouti | 254m | 7.3 knots |
| 2002-3-3 (Local) | 14°15'N 051°46'E | Bound for Djibouti | 243m | 7.4 knots |
| 2002-2-26 (Local) | 16°55'N 054°00'E | Anchored in Salalah Port, Oman | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-2-22 (Local) | 13°04'N 060°18' E | Next stop, Salala, Oman | 304m | 6.8 knots |
| 2002-2-20 (Local) | 10°23'N 064°21' E | Next stop, Salala, Oman | 308m | 6.5 knots |
| 2002-2-18 (Local) | 07°39'N 068°23' E | Next stop, Salala, Oman | 308m | 7.2 knots |
| 2002-2-17 (Local) | 05°38'N 071°23' E | Next stop, Salala, Oman | 307m | 6.2 knots @1561rpm |
| 2002-2-15 (Local) | 04°10'N 073°29' E | Moored at Bondos Island Resort | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-2-11 (Local) | 04°23'N 076°19' E | Next stop, Maldive Islands | 269m | 7.3 knots |
| 2002-2-10 (Local) | 04°43'N 079°48' E | Next stop, Maldive Islands | 268m | 8.4 knots |
| 2002-2-9 (Local) | 05°06'N 083°58' E | Next stop, Maldive Islands | 268m | 8.6 knots |
| 2002-2-8 (Local) | 05°25'N 087°26' E | Next stop, Maldive Islands | 267m | 8.0 knots |
| 2002-2-7 (Local) | 05°43'N 090°42' E | Next stop, Maldive Islands | 266m | 7.2 knots @1575rpm |
| 2002-2-6 (Local) | 05°56'N 093°08' E | Next stop, Maldive Islands | 266m | 7.2 knots @1575rpm |
| 2002-2-5 (Local) | 06°50'N 096°04' E | n/a | 253m | 7.4 knots |
| 2002-2-4 (Local) | 07°46'N 098°26' E | Distance to next landfall, Maldive, 1520nm | 200m | 7.0 knots @1600rpm |
| 2002-2-2 (Local) | 07°57'N 098°23' E | Anchored Phuket | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-1-31 (Local) | 07°44'N 098°46' E | Anchored in a cove called Hin Dot | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-1-30 (Local) | 06°21'N 099°40' E | Distance to next landfall, Phuket, 115nm | n/a | 8.0 knots @1700rpm |
| 2002-1-25 (Local) | n/a | Anchorage at Singapore | n/a | 0 |
| 2002-1-23 (Local) | 02°22.544' N 106°11.053' E | Distance to next landfall, Singapore, 135nm | 225m | 4.6 knots @1400rpm |
| 2002-1-22 (Local) | 03°28.567' N 108°17.945' E | Distance to next landfall, Singapore, 270nm | n/a | 7.0 knots @1500rpm |
| 2002-1-21 (Local) | 04°55.343' N 110°40.152' E | Distance to next landfall, Singapore, 470nm | 238m | 7.0 knots @1500rpm |
| 2002-1-20 (Local) | 06°08.032' N 113°03.713' E | Distance to next landfall, Singapore, 680nm | 257m | 7.3 knots @1400rpm |
| 2002-1-19 (Local) | 07°13.761' N 116°13.637' E | Distance to next landfall, Singapore, 840nm | 234m | 7.3 knots @1400rpm |
| 2002-1-18 (Local) | 08°08.235' N 118°15.643' E | Next waypoint is 235.4nm tip of Palawan Island | n/a | 7.6 knots @1400rpm |
| 2002-1-17 (Local) | 08°35.707' N 121°10.723' E | Next waypoint is 235.4nm tip of Palawan Island | 256m | 6.2 knots @1400rpm |
| 2002-1-16 (Local) | 09°00.812' N 123°30.735' E | Next waypoint is 370nm | 255m | 7.1 knots @1400rpm |
| 2002-1-15 (Local) | 10°28.203' N 125°54.000' E | n/a | 276m | 7.7 knots @1500rpm |
| 2002-1-13 (Local) | 09°53.809' N 132°23.831' E | Distance to next landfall, Cebu, 542nm | 274m | 8.5 knots @1600rpm |
| 2002-1-12 (Local) | 09°39.399' N 135°11.145' E | Distance to next landfall, Cebu, 880nm | 274m | 7.3 knots @1700rpm |
| 2002-1-7 (Local) | n/a | Anchorage at Yap | n/a | n/a |
| 2002-1-6 (Local) | 09°18.165' N 140°49.115' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Yap, 158.4nm | n/a | 6.8 knots @1575rpm |
| 2002-1-5 (Local) | 09°06.700' N 143°36.432' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Yap, 325nm | n/a | 6.4 knots @1600rpm |
| 2002-1-4 (Local) | 08°55.212' N 146°23.807' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Yap, 491.1nm | 272m | 7.8 knots @1700rpm |
| 2002-1-3 (Local) | 08°32.410' N 149°27.000' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Yap, 703nm | 287m | 7.6 knots @1700rpm |
| 2002-1-2 (Local) | 07°49.555' N 151°27.131' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Yap, 824nm | 278m | 7.0 knots @1700rpm |
| 2001-12-30 (Local) | n/a | Anchorage at Chuuk | n/a | 0 |
| 2001-12-27 (Local) | 07°16.029' N 155°26.949' E | Distance to next landfall, Chuuk, 207nm for replacement parts | 267m | 7.1 knots @1600rpm |
| 2001-12-26 (Local) | n/a | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Yap, 1190nm | 280m | 6.8 knots @1600rpm |
| 2001-12-25 (Local) | n/a | Anchorage at Pohnpei | n/a | 0 |
| 2001-12-22 (Local) 0146 UCT | 05°57' N 161°09' E | Distance to next landfall, Pohnpei, for fuel only 183nm | 276m | 6.2 knots @1700rpm |
| 2001-12-21 (Local) 0244 UCT | 05°27' N 162°51' E | Distance to next landfall, Pohnpei, for fuel only 599nm | 241m | 3.2 knots @1600rpm |
| 2001-12-18 (Local) Time n/a | 05°19.855' N 163°01.289' E | Anchorage at Kosrae Island | n/a | 0 |
| 2001-12-17 (Local) Time n/a | 05°19.855' N 163°01.289' E | Anchorage at Kosrae Island | n/a | 0 |
| 2001-12-16 (Local) Time n/a | 05°19.855' N 163°01.289' E | Anchorage at Kosrae Island | n/a | 0 |
| 2001-12-15 (Local) Time n/a | 05°19.855' N 163°01.289' E | Anchorage at Kosrae Island | n/a | 0 |
| 2001-12-14 (Local) Time n/a | n/a | Lelu Harbor, Kosrae Island | n/a | 0 |
| 2001-12-13 (Local) 1100 hrs / 1300 UCT | 06°55.633' N 166°05.022' E | Distance to next landfall, Kosrae Island, 204nm | 234m | 7.2 knots @1800rpm |
| 2001-12-12 (Local) 1300 hrs / 1300 UCT | 07°10.995' N 168°23.526' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Pohnpei, 599nm | n/a | 6.2 knots @1700rpm |
| 2001-12-11 (Local) 1530 hrs / 0430 UCT | 07°16.898' N 168°49.280' E | Anchorage at Alinglapalap Atoll | n/a | 0 |
| 2001-12-10 (Local) 1420 hrs / 0230 UCT | 07°14.180' N 171°05.218' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Pohnpei, 726nm | n/a | 6 knots @1575rpm |
| 2001-12-6 (Local) 1600 hrs | 07°26.201' N 171°35.077' E | Anchorage at scheduled landfall, Majuro Atoll | n/a | 0 |
| 2001-12-5 (Local) 1920 UCT | 08°34.983' N 174°01.633' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Majuro Atoll, 183.5nm | n/a | 5.9 knots @1500rpm |
| 2001-12-4 (Local) 1210 UCT | 09°27.659' N 175°55.077' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Majuro Atoll, 306nm | n/a | 6.6 knots @1575rpm |
| 2001-12-3 (Local) Time n/a | 10°36.191' N 178°22.856' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Majuro Atoll, 467nm | 237m | 7.3 knots @1575rpm |
| 2001-12-1 (Local) Time n/a | 12°00.991' N 178°33.829' W | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Majuro Atoll, 659nm | 235m | 7.6 knots @1575rpm |
| 2001-11-30 (Local) 1209 hrs/1117 UCT | 13°11.116' N 176°04.117' W | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Majuro Atoll, 833nm | 227m | 7 knots @1600rpm |
| 2001-12-12 (Local) 1300 hrs / 1300 UCT | 07°10.995' N 168°23.526' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Pohnpei, 599nm | n/a | 6.2 knots @1700rpm |
| 2001-12-11 (Local) 1530 hrs / 0430 UCT | 07°16.898' N 168°49.280' E | Anchorage at Alinglapalap Atoll | n/a | 0 |
| 2001-12-10 (Local) 1420 hrs / 0230 UCT | 07°14.180' N 171°05.218' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Pohnpei, 726nm | n/a | 6 knots @1575rpm |
| 2001-12-6 (Local) 1600 hrs | 07°26.201' N 171°35.077' E | Anchorage at scheduled landfall, Majuro Atoll | n/a | 0 |
| 2001-12-5 (Local) 1920 UCT | 08°34.983' N 174°01.633' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Majuro Atoll, 183.5nm | n/a | 5.9 knots @1500rpm |
| 2001-12-4 (Local) 1210 UCT | 09°27.659' N 175°55.077' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Majuro Atoll, 306nm | n/a | 6.6 knots @1575rpm |
| 2001-12-3 (Local) Time n/a | 10°36.191' N 178°22.856' E | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Majuro Atoll, 467nm | 237m | 7.3 knots @1575rpm |
| 2001-12-1 (Local) Time n/a | 12°00.991' N 178°33.829' W | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Majuro Atoll, 659nm | 235m | 7.6 knots @1575rpm |
| 2001-11-30 (Local) 1209 hrs/1117 UCT | 13°11.116' N 176°04.117' W | Distance to next scheduled landfall, Majuro Atoll, 833nm | 227m | 7 knots @1600rpm |
Onboard Commentary
ATW crew members online commentary.
| Leg 1 - Dana Point, CA to Singapore | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Correspondent | Position | Course | Speed |
| 2002-1-25 (Local) | Ray Danet | Anchorage at Singapore | n/a | 0 |
| January 25, 2002 (local) Hi Everyone, We've made it into Singapore! Captain Dave was only 5 minutes late on his predicted landfall. Dave has done a fantastic job of keeping the boat and his crew safe. You couldn't ask for a better captain. When we arrived at the Raffles Marina, we were greeted by the new crew of the second leg: Capt. Jim Leishman, vice president of P.A.E., and crew members Brian Saunders, a P.A.E. sales rep; and Paul Grover, a friend of the company and Nordhavn caretaker. It was great to see them. They were joined by some marina employees who were super helpful in helping our Nordhavn get all tied up and secured in one of the best slips in the entire place. This is one of the nicest marinas I have ever visited. Raffles' rep, Michael Lee, made us feel right at home and today invited us to lunch at the marina restaurant. The decor and the furnishings were equal to if not better than any place I have been. They served traditional dishes of the local region, all of which were excellent. We're so grateful for Michael's hospitality. So, for the crew of Leg 1, our journey has come to an end. For me, personally, this has been one of the highlights of my life. I won't soon forget all the adventures and special people we met on the beautiful little islands and atolls. The time has come for us to say goodbye to all of you out there and as I type this, it feels like I'm losing a good friend. From the crew of Nordhavn, we would like to thank you for joining us. But soon you'll get to know and enjoy the adventures of the incoming crew. There's sure to be some very interesting stories to come! |
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| 2002-1-23 (Local) | Ray Danet | 02°22.544' N / 106°11.053' E | 225m | 4.6 knots @1400rpm |
| January 23, 2002 (local) Hi Everyone, All is well on the Good Ship "Nordhavn". I can't believe that the curtain is falling on the first leg. Dave has been out here three months, I've been out here for almost two months, and Brad, a couple of weeks. Let's not forget Tom who was out here from Hawaii all the way to Yap Island. We should be in Singapore sometime tomorrow morning. We have experienced good times and hard times, we have seen the most beautiful places and not so beautiful. When all is said and done, I would have to say that the people we met along the way was, for me, the true essence of the trip. I'll never forget them. It has been a real gift to be able to share our adventures with you - all over the world. I've received some very nice well-wishes from all of you folks out there and I'd like to thank you for that. I've said a couple of times that I wished all of you could have joined us and personally shared the adventure. Hopefully, through these updates, you got a taste of the cruising lifestyle. I have two pieces of great advice for all of you who would like to go cruising. The first is to put together a plan, because without a plan, there's a good chance it will never happen. When you have your plan, start picking away at it. It may not happen on time but I can assure you that it will happen. For my last cruise, I had planned on taking 2 years to prepare for it, and it ended up being five years before I left. But it did happen and I spent 3 1/2 years in the South Pacific, an experience of a lifetime. My second piece of advice is for those of you can afford to go cruising now, don't put it off. Enjoy it now while you have your health. It's a lot more fun being able to hike the islands and swim the lagoons. There's a saying that goes "for every year you're cruising, add that one year to your life". And if you have kids, that shouldn't be a deterrent, rather it should encourage you to get out there. The kids I met while cruising were more well-rounded, better spoken and very intelligent. These kids who had been cruising for 3-5 years came back into the school system 1-2 years advanced of their peers. Schooling was only 2-4 hours a day but they'd learn first-hand about geography, science/physics, culture and probably most importantly was the bond that developed between child and parent. I could go on talking about the cruising lifestyle forever and encourage you to contact me directly when I return home if you'd like to chat more. Or, if you happen to be going to the Miami Boat Show, I'll be on another Nordhavn 40 there and would love to talk in person about the adventures I've had on the ATW. Today's sponsors: Spurs Marine Manufacturing which provided the line cutters mounted on our prop shaft just forward of the prop. This type of hardware prevents a line from winding around the shaft and pulling the shaft right out of the boat. Switlik Parachute Company, whose donation we hope we never need but are glad we have and Wilimington Prop which provided our propeller round out today's generous sponsors. Before I sign off, I'd like to share a poem that has helped keep me in check - on and off the boat. One ship drives east, another drives west, With the self-same winds that blow. 'Tis the set of the sails and not the gales Which tells us the way to go. Like the waves of the sea are the ways of fate, As we voyage along through life. 'Tis the set of the soul which decides the goal, And not the calm or the strife ---Ella Wheeler Wilcox The trip facts are as follows; The date is 01/23/2002 and the day is Wednesday. The time is 1:20 am and 0120 uct. Our position is N 02*22.544' / E 106*11.053' . Our course is 225 degrees M. Our speed 4.6knts at 1400rpm. Singapore, our final landfall is 135nm distant. The Barometer is at 1009.5 and holding steady. The wind is over our starboard aft quarter at 20knts. The seas are 4-6 feet. The skies are over cast with some rain. Well that's about it for now, we'll do a short update tomorrow to let you know how the arrival went. Tomorrow I'll introduce the crew of the second leg. Stay tuned, the second leg through the Red Sea should be really exciting. |
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| 2002-1-22 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 03°28.567' N / 108°17.945' E | n/a | 7.0 knots @1500rpm |
| January 22, 2002 (local) Fuel on board - 273 gallons Distance remaining to Singapore-270 Range with remaining fuel - 827 nm Distance made good last 24 hours - 170 Average speed last 24 hours - 7.0 Fuel burn last 24 hours - 50 RPM's - 1500 Speed - 7 kts. Current location - N 03'28:567/ E 108'17:945 To Singapore: Today everything is the same, wind at 21, seas at 6' - squalls blowing through. Boat is really riding nice right now, just up and down, really smooth. Should be a lot of fishing boats out tonight as we are seeing many already. Most of these guys were altering course and coming over for a look today. They would head towards us and then make a pass and stare. Some guys would wave, most just look and then go back to work. They must think we are kind of odd looking, no long deck for working, cooking and sleeping, no carvings, no bright colors, no place to hang your tires - it doesn't even roll like a real boat. American boats...you can have 'em. |
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| 2002-1-21 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 04°31.857' N / 109°58.782' E | n/a | 6.8 knots @1500rpm |
| January 21, 2002 (local) Fuel on board - 323 gallons Distance remaining to Singapore- 440 nm Range with remaining fuel - 915 nm Distance made good last 24 hours - 172 Average speed last 24 hours - 7.16 Fuel burn last 24 hours - 57.6 RPM's - 1500 Speed - 6.8 Current location - N 04'31:857 / E 109'58:782 To Singapore: Today we have a bit of a confused sea running. I should have known, I said it looked good for a smooth ride to Singapore. It's not all that rough just really confused. We have 5 - 6' seas coming from three or four different directions, along with 22 knots of wind. The Naiads are keeping up with it and I look forward to a good night's rest, although a bit lumpy. A few more days and then it's in to the Raffles Marina for a little r&r and some clean up and fuel before handing the boat over to Jim Leishman and the new crew. The boat looks really good and there are only a few items on our work list: oil change, water maker service and a few odds and ends. At this time we should be to the Raffles about midday on Thursday. Jim Leishman, Brian Saunders and Paul Grover make up the new crew. Brian is a salesman for PAE and Paul is a friend of PAE and has a sailboat one dock away form our office. Paul just recently piloted a Nordhavn 46 "Valhalla", from California to Hawaii. This was a twin engine boat owned by Jack Chrysler. At this moment we have the AC going, nice and cool down below, a load of laundry in, spare ribs cooking, country music playing (Cowboy's girl left him, that's a first) and a few cold beers cracked. Tough duty out here. |
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| 2002-1-21 (Local) | Ray Danet | 04°55.343' N / 110°40.152' E | 238m | 7.0 knots @1500rpm |
| January 21, 2002 (local) Hi Everybody, All is well and it's another nice day in the South China Sea. The winds are light and the seas are calm. As we progress, the ocean is becoming more crowded. We're seeing more fishing and cargo vessels. Wait a minute we have a fish on the line. OK I'm back, it was just a Mackerel so we threw him back. It's going to prove to be very interesting as we close in on Singapore. We're doing to a bit more clean-up on the boat today in preparation for our arrival. Dave mentioned yesterday that if we get ahead of schedule, we will try to find a spot to anchor the boat the evening before our arrival. It would be nice to get a full night's sleep before the big day. In the last report, I mentioned that Wahoo was one of the best fish for sashimi. I'll take that back. The Dorado was better and Yellow Fin is the best. We are going to take the rest of the Wahoo and make fish burritos for lunch today. Today is our tenth day out and we have about another 475nm to go. If we can maintain 7knts, we'll be out another 3 days or less. I promise you that I would let you know how Dave did in the football playoffs, he broke even 2 for 2. On the meal side of things, last night's dinner consisted of Hamburger Helper and the reason for that is that the cook (yours truly) didn't defrost the spare ribs in time for dinner. Can't think of much more to tell you and with that I'd like to mention a few more of our sponsors. Seaward Products provided our stove and water heater. The stove has been put thru the wringer, but here in the tropics we didn't use the water heater very much. This will change, however, on later legs of the ATW. Two others, Shorepoint Insurance Services, which helped fund the trip, and Pioneer Research which donated two pairs of Steiner binoculars. I can't state how much we use these every day. Trip information is as follows; The date is 10/21/2002 and the time is 12:15 local and 2415uct. Our position is N 04*55.343' / E 110*40.152. Our course is 238 degrees M. Our speed is 7knts at 1500rpm. Singapore our next landfall is about 470nm. The Barometer is at 1009 and holding steady. The wind is over our starboard aft quarter at 12knts. The seas are 5'6 feet. |
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| 2002-1-20 (Local) | Ray Danet | 06°08.032' N / 113°03.713' E | 257m | 7.3 knots @1400rpm |
| January 20, 2002 (local) Hi Everybody, All is well. The weather last night picked up a bit. We had 22knts last night and the seas around 10-12ft. Everyday now we see lots of traffic…so different from the North Pacific. We caught a 18-20 pound Wahoo yesterday. Wahoo makes the best sashimi in the world and today for lunch we are going to partake of this raw delicacy. It always amazes me to catch fish in the middle of an ocean. Today we continue to clean and wax the boat, getting ready for arrival in Singapore. As we get closer we all are getting more excited. What else, oh yes Dave is in 4 football wagers and so far he's one for four. Not bad for being isolated for eleven weeks. Will let you know the results. Can you imagine being on this trip while making money back home? (Monopoly money, of course.) As I near the end of my leg, there's something I want to address about our ATW trip. There are those in the industry who have questioned this trip, claiming the hurried-up nature is a misrepresentation of the cruising lifestyle. It was never our intention to say that someone should do a circumnavigation in the short amount of time that we are. Our intentions are: 1. To show the world that our smallest expedition boat, this Nordhavn 40, is fully capable of doing a circumnavigation and doing it safely. 2. To really get a close look at the design and see if we can improve upon it and carry these findings on to our bigger boats and newer designs to be built in the future. 3. To evaluate the after-market items that we use on our boats and to test new equipment like Raytheon's latest electronics. 4. And lastly, we at Nordhavn have always strived to build the worlds best trawlers. We are always upgrading and refining our boats and what better way to show the competition that once again we are leading the industry in design, construction and safety. If this was my boat and I was retired, I would take at least five years to do a circumnavigation in order to fully examine, explore and experience the world. The daily log follows; The date is 01/20/2002 and the day is Sunday. The time is 1:50pm local and 1650uct (time zone is +9). Our position is N 06*08.032' / E 113*03.'713'. Our course is 257 degrees M. Our speed is 7.3knts at 1400rpm. Our nest land fall is Singapore, 680nm. The barometer is at 1008.5mb and holding steady. The wind is off our aft starboard quarter at 13knts. Seas are 5-6ft. |
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| 2002-1-19 (Local) | Ray Danet | 07°13.761' N / 116°13.637' E | 234m | 7.3 knots @1400rpm |
| January 19, 2002 (local) Hi Everybody, All is well aboard the Nordhavn. I did not get a report out yesterday and I have a good excuse. Dave, our captain (we call him Captain Bligh now) had us cleaning our boat. This included washing, compounding and polishing. It seems that there is going to be a big reception upon arriving at Singapore - PassageMaker Magazine is supposed to be there. All kidding aside, Dave has not been using the "Cat of Nine Tales" or the threat of "Keel Hauling". We're pretty proud of our little ship and we all want her to look her best upon arrival. In fact, we would like to put the challenge to the other two crews on the next two legs to get this boat looking better at the end of their legs! There has to be some type of handicap for total miles on each leg, oh and lets not forget that we need an air conditioning handicap also. The two crews will buy dinner for the winner. We've been receiving some really good questions for the "Forum" section. Don't forget to check them out. Last night we transited the Nasubata Channel which is part of the Balabac Straight and that means we are now in the South China Sea. Singapore is about 840nm distant. It continues to be very calm (knock on wood) with little wind. The humidity is low, which is a nice change. As they say, "no news is good news" so I'll wrap this up. What was that you asked? Oh, you want to know what was for dinner last night. I made spaghetti with a marinara meat sauce that had 2lbs of hamburger in it. The whole thing cooked for three hours and was reduced by half when it was done. You could stand a wooden spoon in it and it wouldn't fall over. I would have liked to add a really good Merlot, garlic French bread and a Caesar salad, but that was not meant to be. Our first sponsor today is Outbound Yacht Services, owned and operated by Kevin Ryan. Outbound installed our Spectra Watermaker and is also our local dealer for the Hurricane Heating Systems. Kevin has long history with P.A.E. He's a professional who takes pride in his work. Second is, Pacific Seacraft, the builders of the Nordhavn 40. Pacific Seacraft has generously donated the hours when this boat gets back to make her look brand new. The trip facts are as follows; The day is 01/19/2002 and the day is Saturday. The time is 10:10am local and 0110uct (time zone is +9). Our position is N 07*13.761' / E 116*13.637 . Our next landfall is 840nm distant which is Singapore. Our course is 234 degrees M. Our speed is 7.3knts at 1400rpm. The Barometer is 1008mb and holding steady. The seas are calm and the wind is off our port aft quarter at 8knts. |
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| 2002-1-18 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 08°08.235' N / 118°15.643' E | n/a | 7.6 knots @1400rpm |
| January 18, 2002 (local) Miles to go to Singapore - 982 Fuel on board - 470 gallons Range with fuel on board - 1433 Fuel burned last 24 hours - 48 Average speed last 24 hours - 6.4 Distance made good last 24 hours - 158 Current RPM's 1400 Current speed - 7.6 Current location - N 08'08:235 / E 118'15:643 Sulu Sea, Philippines We have one more night in the Sulu Sea and then into the South China Sea. One more hard left turn and an almost straight shot down to Singapore. We will be going down the coast of Borneo and then cut across when the time is right and head direct to our destination. The weather has been accommodating here on the Sulu, I don't think the wind ever got over 14 knots and there is no swell to speak of. It has been sunny and hot so we have been doing our work in the morning or evening hours. Midday is spent lazing around reading, sleeping or just staring out the windows. It's a nice way to spend a few hours, staring out at a place that until a few weeks ago we'd never heard of. There have been no fish for us here on the Sulu. We have lines out every day, many lines, different lures...but nothing. There seems to be fish at night as there is lots of boat activity. I like to think we are doing our part not to deplete the schools too much during the day and leave some for the night crews. While there are many fishermen about during the nights, by day we see maybe only one or two off in the distance. When night comes the seas are full of boats large and small. At one glance on the radar screen there is nothing - look away for a few minutes and then there are four, and fairly close. We usually don't pick up the small ones until they are within a few miles. No lights, made of wood and really low profile make it hard to spot targets in the black of night. We run with our standard running lights and for those that pop up close by we have spotlights at the ready. I am hoping that we spot each and every fisherman that comes our way, but for the one we miss our lights should give him the warning he needs to keep clear of our path. I am also hoping that the one that gets by and pops up close is indeed just a friendly fisherman. There are some reports of less than honest yachtsmen in the Sulu sea and surrounding areas. No lights, made of wood, low profile and very fast. There is much to see...on a night watch on the Sulu. |
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| 2002-1-17 (Local) | Ray Danet | 08°35.707' N / 121°10.723' E | 256m | 6.2 knots @1400rpm |
| January 17, 2002 (local) Hi Everybody, All is well on the good ship Nordhavn. It's been so calm for the last few days. I guess we paid our dues before entering the Sulu Sea. There's been very light winds and calm seas - comparable to our summer waters back at Dana Point, CA. The one thing that we're not lacking is ship traffic. We've seen a lot of tankers and many more small fishing boats. The other difference is the color of the water. It's not the deep pretty blue of the Pacific Ocean. Are all of you ready for a pirate story? Last night on Dave's watch he picked up a blip on the radar. The target was forward of our beam about 6 miles, at that time it turned towards us and came within two miles of our starboard beam and paced the "Good Ship Nordhavn" at the same speed that we were doing, say around 7knts for about 20 minutes. Then all of sudden it turned towards us doing about 25knts. This was an eye opener for Dave who immediately woke up Brad.and then Brad came and woke me up. The three of us are in the pilothouse with no visual on the pirate ship. So Dave is steering the boat and cranks up the ships spotlight. In the meantime Brad grabs one of the portable spotlights and is standing outside the door of the pilot house and I grab the other portable spotlight and head for the stern cockpit. We still have no visual on the pirates who are coming at us at full speed. All of a sudden Brad catches him in his beam, not far behind Dave has got him also and a few seconds later I have him zeroed in. Now picture this, here is a poor fishermen in about at 25ft narrow craft stabilized with two outriggers with a small covered aft section. He's coming over to see who we are and all of sudden he gets hit with a combination of 3,000,000 candle watts of light. I think the poor old guy may never be able to see again. There was so much light that it caused the fish to jump out of the water all around him. After all was said and done we continued on our. The poor fisherman started a small open fire in his boat to cook dinner or then again maybe he had to dry his knickers out after washing them! That's the pirate story and many years from now when we tell our grandkids this story, I'm sure that it will be quite different with many more heroes. Not much more to tell except for what we had for dinner last night which was three cans of chili spiced up with pinto beans, lots of prime rib left-over along with chunks of oven baked pork chops, crushed tomatoes and for toppings there was fresh graded cheddar cheese and fresh chopped onions. With this type of meal the beverage of choice was a can of beer. Our sponsors today our Naiad Marine Systems which provided us with all the spare parts we could ever need and Para-Tech Engineering Co. which gave us an 18" sea anchor and a 72" Drogue. Thank heavens we Haven't needed either of these, but it's nice to know that they're on board. The trip facts as follows; The date is 01/17/2002 and the day is Thursday. the time is 1:30 local and 0331uct. Our position is N 08*35.707' / E 121*10.723'. Our course is 256 degrees M. the speed is 6.2knts at 1400rpm. The distance to our next waypoint is 235.4nm, which is off the tip of Palawan Island. The temp is 86.9 degrees F. the wind is aft of our beam at 7knts. The Barometer is at 1008mb and steady. The seas are very calm. |
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| 2002-1-16 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 08°58.230' N / 123°23.755' E | n/a | 7.2 knots @1400rpm |
| January 16, 2002 (local) Possible next stop - Koto Kinabula Distance - 649 Distance made good last 24 hours - 177 Average speed - 7.4 Distance remaining to Singapore- 1500 RPM's - 1400 24 hour fuel burn - 50 gallons Current speed - 7.2 Fuel on board - 580 gallons Range at 6.6 - 1914 nm Current location - N 08'58:230 / E123'23:755 The Philippines, Sulu Sea. We are currently in the Sulu Sea. Winds are 13 from due north, small choppy sea at our beam. Sunny and warm. Last night was a long one. We had so many targets at any one time, we just had to pick out the closest ones and deal with them first and forget about the others. We somehow ran into the middle of a fishing fleet with the big processing ships roving around throughout the fleet. Of the fifty or so boats that we had on radar throughout the night, about half had lights on. We never had a really good look at any one boat as it was a really dark night. We would be going along with a few targets on the screen and out of nowhere two would pop up on the screen right in front of us. Some of them we never did see on the radar just a little twinkling white light 50' to 100' to port or stbd. At one time I just threw my hands up and pulled the throttle back to idle and coasted through a herd of a half dozen skiffs, we could see a few lanterns wave in the night. Fishermen working the same banks their fathers did in their day. The fleet finally thinned out, but it was 0530 by that time and we just decided to go the distance and see the sun come up. Warm winds blowing through, Allison Krauss on low, burnt orange sunrise and smell of rum from my coffee cup. You can't buy that feeling. Fair winds and full nets to our fishermen friends..... and maybe just a touch of rum as well, adios. |
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| 2002-1-16 (Local) | Ray Danet | 09°00.812' N / 123°30.735' E | 255m | 7.1 knots @1400rpm |
| January 16, 2002 (local) Hi Everyone, Last night the seas were dotted with lots of boats fishing. Dave and Brad had a hectic night watching the radar and trying to figure out all the running lights and where everyone was going. The two of them stayed up the entire night and I'm ashamed to say that I slept through the entire event. News flash, Dave our captain has decided to make the big push all the way to Singapore. We should arrive about the 24th, which will be on the 23rd back home. We all look forward to a homecoming soon. Last night we powered between Panaon Island and Mindanao Island. In a few hours we will pass Negros Island to our starboard at which time we will leaving the Bohol Sea and entering the Bohl Sea. Our next waypoint is just off the end of Palawan Island just about 380nm away. The sponsors I'd like to mention today are Martec Props which donated the folding prop on our wing engine. It's one of those items that you don't notice until you need it. We use it when it is time to check the main engine oil or for oil changes while under way. Maxwell Winches, Inc. provided us with a complete 2200 anchor winch. This is one item that has been put through the torture test. Every place we've stopped has required that we anchor and at one time we had 300 ft. of chain with a 110 lb. Bruce anchor and the Maxwell never even slowed down and performed flawlessly the whole time. The cruise facts to follow. The date is 01/16/2002, Wednesday. The time is 3:10pm local and 0510uct. Our position is N 09*00.812' / E 123*30.735. Our next waypoint is 370nm distant. Our course is 255 degrees M. Our speed is 7.1 knts at 1400 rpm. The temp is 90 degrees F and the seas are very calm. The wind is off our starboard aft quarter at 8knts true. At the moment we have 5 targets (boats) on the radar forward of the beam. |
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| 2002-1-15 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 10°26.528' N / 125°36.755' E | n/a | 8.6 knots @1500rpm |
| January 15, 2002 (local) Departed Yap - 1300 local time Friday, Jan 11, 2002 - arrived Desolation point, Philippines 1600 Jan-15 Fuel burned - 290 Miles - 789 Average speed - 7.49 Average GPH- 2.91 Possible next stop - Koto Kinabula Distance - 649 Distance made good last 24 hours - 158 Distance remaining to Singapore- 1500 RPM's - 1500 Speed - 8.6 knots (Big current) Fuel on board - 630 gallons Range at 6.6 - 1799 nm Current location - N 10'26:528 / E125'36:755 The Philippines Well it's on to a new sea and a new adventure. The Nordhavn 40 will not be back in the Pacific Ocean for many months. She left the Pacific today at 1530 hours. Next will be the Sulu Sea in the middle of the Philippines. After that the South China Sea and then on to her next passage. Months from now she will enter the last lock in Panama and once again be surrounded by Pacific waters. I still have a few adventures left with the 40. First we'll be passing through the Philippines. We have elected not to stop in Cebu for fuel. We can stretch it out and make it through without stopping. There is a little port called Kota Kinabula on the Northern tip of Borneo that has fuel and services. We are currently running down the Surigao Straits and will be in the Bohol Sea by morning. We are surrounded by dark islands as it is very overcast with little light. I think there will not be much sleep tonight. This has been quite an adventure so far for the 40. When we reach Singapore there will be a celebration as old crew meets new, as there always is. We will help load the 40 with new gear and goods, wash her one last time and then say goodbye. I will be sad to leave her. I will help push her out of the slip and watch as the new crew starts their adventure. I wonder what sights they will see, what storms they will endure, what tests there will be for the 40 and her crew. I will wish them well. I'll wish them blue Pacific waters once again. |
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| 2002-1-15 (Local) | Ray Danet | 10°28.203' N / 125°54.000' E | 276m | 7.7 knots @1500rpm |
| January 15, 2002 (local) Hi Everyone, Within the next 30 minutes, guess what? We will have crossed the PACIFIC OCEAN! We drew a line between Suluan Island and Daco Island and once we cross that line we will be in the Philippines. We are headed for Desolation Pt. on the island of Dinagat. We will round this point and that will put us in the Surigao Straight. We will be transiting this area during the night. OK here we go! Our Nordhavn has just crossed the Pacific! The local time is 2:55pm and 0455uct. Our little Nordhavn keeps chugging along and I feel like we should have a party. I need to mention that to the crew. In the following days I will keep you posted on the different areas as we transit them. The sponsors I'd like to mention today is Flowscan which has provided us with the 9500 model that keeps track of the fuel that we are burning, and Forespar Products Corp. which provided us with our mast and cargo. Vitals are: The date is 01/15/2002 and the day is Tuesday. Our position is N 10*28.203' / E 125*54.000'. Our course is 276 degrees M. Our next landfall is open at this time and I will keep you updated. Our speed is 7.7knts at 1500rpm. The Barometer is 1009.5 and holding steady. The temp. is 89.2 degrees F and the seas are calm. The wind is off our starboard aft quarter at 6knts (the lowest that we have seen). |
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| 2002-1-14 (Local) | Ray Danet | Next landfall, Sebu in the Philippines | n/a | n/a |
| January 14, 2002 (local) Good Day to All, This is our third day out and we couldn't ask for a better passage. There was one hour yesterday were we hit 9.4 knts.! At the moment we're doing 7 knts. over the bottom. Dave has been putting in the time plotting our course through the Philippines. This area will likely prove to be our most challenging. In plotting this course, Dave has to contend with reefs, currents, day or night movement and unsavory characters. All of this will be starting in about 30-35 hours. For that leg we will be increasing the crew watches. A very long time ago, a close friend shared this saying with me. "Life is a series of experiences. The more you experience, the more your life will be". Isn't that great? I mention this because of the next area that we'll be transiting. It will be an experience and if we're lucky, maybe a once in a lifetime adventure. Yesterday I caught a 20 lb. Dorado and I made ceviche which is the raw fish, fresh lime juice, olive oil, crushed tomatoes, a bit of hot salsa, some peas - all spiced with garlic salt, salt, pepper, a wee bit of Italian spice, dried parsley with a dash of Tabasco. Mixed it all together and chilled for about an hour. We served it over Ritz crackers and it was really good! The best part of the fish, we saved for today to make Sashimi, which is raw fish dipped in a mixture of wasabi -Chinese green mustard, and soy sauce. Unfortunately, we are missing the chop sticks to eat with. Sticking to the subject of food, last night's dinner consisted of baked pork chops, flavored brown rice and apple sauce on the side. Dessert was oatmeal cookies with canned whip cream on top, What can I say, you work with what you have. (Dessert was a Tom Selman creation, but the original recipe called for Oreo cookies.) Hopefully all of you out there are getting the flavor of cruising. Let me say that if you took all the ATW reports that have been written and multiply them by ten, you would have a better idea of what cruising it all about. With all that said, get yourself out here! Today's sponsors are C-Map USA and Diamond/Seaglaze. C-Map provided us with all the electronic charts for our voyage. Diamond/Seaglaze builds all the doors (including engine room) and all windows we use on our boats. We have taken some serious bluewater over the boat with no leaks or breakage. More on our adventure tomorrow… |
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| 2002-1-13 (Local) | Ray Danet | 09°53.809' N / 132°23.831' E | 272m | 8.5 knots @1600rpm |
| January 13, 2002 (local) Hi Everybody, It's around 8:00 a.m. here and what a nice day it is. Brad got the air conditioning installed yesterday which has made sleeping so much better. On the weather front, it looks like Tropical Depression #1 is moving away quickly and will not be a problem. We're all glad about that. Now to continue my tales of Yap… The Yapese, more than any other Micronesian peoples, have been reluctant to adopt Western ways. Their culture remains largely undiluted by outside influences. In the villages the men still wear loincloths that are called THRU, and is most commonly worn in red blue or white. The women still wear grass skirts or lava-lava. Both men and women wear these from the waist to just below the knees. There are only 11 villages and if someone from one village wants to walk through another village, they must approach with a green bush and ask for permission to pass. While we were there, we heard that one of the boys walked through another village carrying a ghetto blaster which was very loud and offended the people in that village. The offended chief complained to the boy's village chief who had to pay stone money as a consequence and the boy was made to do community service there for his punishment. The people of Yap are a very proud people, and it was an amazing experience to visit these people and their culture. While on Yap, we met Bill & Patricia Acker. Bill is the owner of the "Manta Ray Bay Hotel and Yap Divers". This entire resort is one of the nicest places we have been to date. Manta Ray is a one stop vacation destination. It offers everything a person or couple could desire. Yap Divers can give anyone the total dive experience. The restaurant meals were one of the best I've had to date. The chef, also named Bill, takes pride in all the food preparation and presentation. Every meal I had was excellent. Tied along side the hotel is the 100 year-old, 170 foot, two masted, 3 deck, South Sea Schooner. She is permanently moored with easy access from the hotel. S/V MNUW has a restaurant, Nautical Weaver Bar, Crows Nest Bar as well as sun decks, an internet cafe, a micro brewery, meeting facilities, a children's lounge, and industrial kitchen! Bill and all his crew were a great help to us during our stay. It's hard to grasp that this modern and traditional place can be on an island whose character and traditions are so alive. You can email Bill and his crew at yapdivers@mantaray.com . I hope to come here again. Today's sponsors are Alcom Marine Electronics represented by close PAE friend, Robert Kinney. Robert and Alcom provided our Iridium sat phone and threw in the labor to insall all our electronics. Bellingham Chart Printers provided all of our charts for the entire world. They also gave us routing suggestions. Like they say; "don't leave home without them". When you're ready to take off, these are the people to contact. Trip facts: The date is 01/13/2002 and the time is 9:40am local time and 1140uct, the time zone is 10+. Our position is N 09*53.809' / E 132*23.831'. Our next landfall, Cebu in the Philippines is 542nm. Our speed is 8.5knts (with the current last night we hit 9.1knts. a record) at 1600rpm. The Barometer is at 1009mb and holding steady. Our compass course is 272 degrees M. the wind is off the aft starboard quarter at 12knts. The seas are calm. |
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| 2002-1-12 (Local) | Ray Danet | 09°37.959' N / 135°27.628' E | 272m | 7.5 knots @1700rpm |
| January 12, 2002 (local) Hi Everybody, We're on our way, we left Yap yesterday and our next landfall is Cebu in the Philippines. This leg is going to be around 840nm. This may change as we get further along depending on what the weather is doing. At the moment we have a Tropical Depression (number 01) that is 350nm in front of us, however it is moving away from us at the moment. Our Nordhavn is doing great. The weather has been nice although we had some rain and lighting last night. The wind has stayed under 15knts so the seas have been comfortable. Brad has been working on the air conditioning and there's a good chance we may have air conditioning tonight. We had the fishing lines out yesterday with no luck and today I put the line out a couple of hours ago with a medium blue feather with no luck. I just changed the feather and put on our "Nuclear Warhead" lure - a gift from one of our newly made friends on Majuro atoll. He promised that we would get a 100-l.b Yellow Fin. I'll keep you posted. As promised in my last report, I wanted to talk about Yap. I'm not going to say that I haven't seen prettier places, but when you add to the island's beauty with the cleanliness, the customs and the people who are very proud and very industrious, you understand why it is so awesome.The people strive to maintain their traditions that have been passed down thru the ages. I know I've said this before but I would highly recommend coming here, even if one flew in. Dave, Tom and I were very fortunate to have received a personal tour. On our second to last day there, we rented a car and after talking to one of the local islanders, she agreed to show us her island. It was breathtaking. As beautiful as it is, Yap is also rich in interesting history. There are 11 villages on Yap today and each one has a chief. The chiefs wield a lot of power and pretty much decide who runs for election and actually who wins in general elections. The Yapese people can vote for whomever they want, but they still generally follow the advice and leadership of their chiefs. One unusual - and remarkable - thing about Yap is their stone money. I'm not talking about a couple of stones you see on the side of the road and put in your pocket. The original stone money was made on the island of Palau about 250 miles away. The stone is actually a hard crystalline limestone that the Yapese quarried into huge flat discs of all different sizes, large and small. In the middle of each stone, holes were to allow for logs to be slipped into and then picked up and carried down to the beach. They were then put on long narrow barges built out of trees and bamboo, and towed by a canoe. The value placed on each stone was not determined by their size but by the cost of human lives that were lost while transporting the stone back to Yap. Stone money can range up to 12 feet in diameter and weigh as much as 5 tons. The Japanese government counted 13,281 stone coins in 1929. The stones remain in use today for some traditional exchanges, but the US dollar settles most transactions. Tomorrow I will continue the monologue on Yap island. There's so much to tell. Our voyage facts are below. The date is 01/12/2002 and the day is Saturday. The time is 12:00pm local time and 0200uct (time zone is +10). Our position is N 09*37.959' / E 135*27.628'. Our next landfall (Cebu) is 744nm. Our boat speed is 7.5knts @1700rpm. Our course is 272 degrees Magnetic. The barometer is at 1009mb and holding steady. The wind is off our starboard aft quarter at 15knts. the air temp. is 87.1 degrees F. Clear skies with clouds on the horizon and the waves are 5-6 feet. |
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| 2002-1-9 (Local) | Ray Danet | Anchorage at Yap | n/a | 0 |
| January 9, 2002 (local) Hi Everybody, We are now on the Island of Yap and have been here for a few days. When you get here, it's always hard to jump on the computer and write updates every day. You just want to go ashore and start exploring. We were suppose to leave today, but guess what? We have another tropical depression that is located 160nm northwest of us. The good news is that it is moving away to the northwest at 11knts. To be on the safe side were waiting 24 hrs to depart. Tom has left the boat and is flying out early Friday morning. We're going to miss him - great crewmember and a good cook. Tom took most of the pictures that you see on our web page, but Dave and I will try to pick up the slack on picture taking. Thanks, Tom for all the help and good food. Our new crewmember is Brad Smith. Brad is part of the Nordhavn family at PAE, and one of our commissioning technicians. We were very glad to see him because he brought new books, music CDs and, most importantly, the air conditioning unit! Yea! Brad is in the process of installing it as I type this. I know it seems like I say this with every stop, but to date, Yap has truly been the nicest island we have seen. There is so much that I want to tell all of you about this wonderful place but I'll save it for future reports from the boat. I'm looking forward to telling you all about it. I know you're going to love reading it. |
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| 2002-1-6 (Local) | Ray Danet | 09°18.165' N / 140°49.115' E | n/a | 6.8 knots @1575rpm |
| January 6, 2002 (local) Hi Everybody. All is well and we keep pushing our way West. The big seas and wind have finally settled down. Naps will be on the agenda today so we can catch up on a little rest. We are doing 6.8knts at only 1575rpm and this is with both the active and passive stabilizers deployed. We are going to slow the boat down so that we're not too early tomorrow for arrival at Yap Island. Tom is getting pretty excited about flying home from Yap. We will certainly miss having him aboard but welcome our new crew member, Brad Smith, part of PAE's commissioning team back in Dana Point. Last night we passed Sorol & Ngulu Atolls. These two are very small islands and there are only 40 people living on the two. The lagoon is very large, around 148 sq. miles and it supports the nesting area for sea turtles. In a few hours we will be passing Fais Island. Fais is a single island of raised limestone with just over 1 sq. mile of land. Unlike a lot of the other islands, Fais has only a partial reef around it, with a lot of cliffs and sea caves. During WWII the Japanese had a phosphate mine there and one can still see relics of those times. There is only one village with a population of 400. Today's sponsors are West Marine and IMTRA. West Marine donated all those miscellaneous items that are so valuable to a boater - but are too numerous to list. I know that you're all familiar with West. They provide a great service to the boating public. IMTRA provided us with our Side Power bow thruster, which greatly helped us maneuver into all the tight places where we had to get fuel. They also kicked in the Cantilupe Lighting throughout the boat. The halogen technology really makes a difference. That's all for now and below are the stats. Today is Sunday, 01/06/2002. The time is 8:54 local and 1054uct. Our position is N 09*18.165' / E 140*49.115'. Our speed is 6.8 knts. at 1575 rpm and our next landfall (Yap Island) is 158.4nm. The Barometer is 1010.5mb and rising. The wind is 12knts and at our aft starboard quarter. The temp. is 86.2 degrees F and the seas are 3-4 feet. The sky is clear with just a few clouds. |
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| 2002-1-6 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 09°19.860' N / 140°24.448' E | 273m | 6.8 knots @1600rpm |
| January 6, 2002 (local) Departed Chuuk Lagoon - 0630 local time - Wed, Jan 2, 2002 Next stop - Yap - for fuel and a crew change Distance - 824 nm Distance made good last 24 hours - 160 Distance remaining - 136 Course - 273m RPM's - 1600 Speed - 6.8 knots Time to destination at this speed - 20 hours Fuel on board - 465 gallons Range at this speed - 1141 nm Current location - N 09'19:860/ E 140'24:448 Chuuk to Yap We currently have 8' seas and 22 knots of wind, both from about 040 - aft stbd quarter. We are having squall lines come through about every hour. The wind picks up a little and we get a brief shower and then it's gone. Sun comes out, doors open and we wait for the next. We will be arriving in Yap at about 0800 in the morning and hopefully will clear customs and immigration quickly. Tom Selman will head directly to the airport to see about flights home and we will begin looking for Brad, our new crew member. The first order of business is to get the boat fueled, after that we can relax a little and get to the other maintenance items as we can. I'm looking forward to a day off and a long walk. See you in Yap. |
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| 2002-1-6 (Local) | Dave Harlow | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| January 6, 2002 (local) Passage from Chuuk to Yap Day 5 First sight. A hundred times I have heard these words and seen this sight. The first time was as a kid on my dad's sailboat on the way to Catalina. My dad at the helm, seven of us kids and my mom on board, each more excited than the next to see the island. It was only a 30 mile crossing to the island, but it didn't matter. We all wanted to be the one, the first, who got to yell it out. Years later I would be at the helm, and my daughter Crystal, all bundled up at my side, eyes straining forward through the cool morning haze, looking, looking. Suddenly she gasps, tugging on my shirt with one hand and her little finger pointing forward with the other and she yells out, "There it is! I see it!" "No," I said, smiling down at her. "You have to say the words." She lets out a little giggle and yells, "Land Ho!" as the silhouette of the mysterious island came into view. I have seen a hundred landfalls and heard a hundred "Land Ho's" since then, but the thrill is still there. A little different each time, but your heart still skips a beat when you first see land again after loosing sight of her, even for just a few hours, a few minutes. When you hear it today, coming from the pilot house or deck it is said in fun, but you just can't resist saying it. It's somehow in our blood, woven into out hearts from a thousand books - from a thousand movies. It has the ring of adventure to it and everyone on board wants to be first, the first to see it. Whether it be just across the bay or across the mighty Pacific - different emotions are stirred as land comes into view. From relief that the crossing has been made, pride in a little one's first voyage, the joy of seeing home and family again, the excitement of a fresh start and what may lie ahead… to the sadness of a journey at its end. It's these things and more that keep us headed beyond our shores and it's these things that have us climbing the mast and looking ahead to the next. In every sailing adventure, be it in a book or in a movie, fact or fiction, there is the captain on deck, crew at hand, all looking to the masthead as "Land Ho" sounds down through the rigging. The lookout high above points off the starboard bow at a distant shore, a new land, a new beginning, an adventure that lays waiting. This was where the story really started…a search for riches or for glory of king and country. In the end - truth be told, it is always for the girl. It was all there, just up ahead…and it still is today. Each time you go out, whether fishing for the day, a weekend sail or to some far off harbor, coming back to land marks a new beginning, a new start. Make of it what you will. I look back on that first crossing with my dad. He was my hero - our captain at the helm with treasure chart in hand, guiding our ship across the high seas. Someone yells out, and there dead ahead lies not Catalina but a Pirate Island. It was a lot for a little kid. I wonder what Crystal was thinking, with me, years later on her first passage. |
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| 2002-1-5 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 09°08.284' N / 143°05.466' E | 273m | 6.6 knots @1600rpm |
| January 5, 2002 (local) Departed Chuuk Lagoon - 0630 local time - Wed, Jan 2, 2002 Next stop - Yap - for fuel and a crew change Distance - 824 nm Distance made good last 24 hours - 160 Distance remaining - 296 Course - 273m RPM's - 1600 Speed - 6.6 knots Time to destination at this speed - 44.8 hours (1 day 19 hours) Fuel on board - 531 gallons Range at this speed - 1265 nm Current location - N 09'08:284/ E 143'05:466 Chuuk to Yap Weather gave us a little trouble last night, 30 knot winds and some really confused seas but this morning it seems to be laying down a bit. We are really looking forward to getting to Yap. Everywhere we have been, everyone says that Yap is the most unspoiled of the islands. We plan on spending two days in Yap, but we have said this before and always managed to come up with some excuse to stay longer. I have a twelve item work list to get done before I can go out and look around, but it shouldn't take to long. The list is as follows: 1) Change oil and oil filter on main 2) Change out main engine fuel filter 3) Change out the Racor filter we have been running on. 4) Rebuild bilge pump. 5) Install bolts on Honda outboard pull starter. These rattled loose and were lost. 6) Tighten gyro on Naiads to specs. Check for leak and maybe change out gasket. 7) Check trans oil 8) Look into water leak from Iridium cable at top of pilot house. 9) Check all raw water strainers. 10) Tune rig a little. 11) Buy oil and fuel. 12) Change out water maker filters We are looking at an AM arrival and will hopefully get cleared and into town first thing Monday morning. That's all for now. |
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| 2002-1-5 (Local) | Ray Danet | 09°06.700' N / 143°36.432' E | n/a | 6.4 knots @1600rpm |
| January 5, 2002 (local) Good Day, Not too much to report today. The last 20 hours have been trying. It wasn't two hours after I did the last report that the wind picked up to over 25knts and a few hours after that the waves started building. Later in the day the wind was gusting to 30knts. At that time we deployed the paravanes and put the fish in the water. That was more comfortable and the boat was handling great. For the crew it was a different story. The three of us didn't get much rest and we'll be napping later today. We did manage to get a decent dinner together. I made lamb chops with rice and a glass of red wine. On the passage side of things we just passed Faraulap Atoll. Within this atoll are two islands, Faraulap and Pig, with a total area of only 100 acres. The total number of islanders who live on these islands is 220. I'd like to start something new today. Each day I'm going to list two of our sponsors. You might think that's not very interesting, but I beg to differ. First of all, this trip would not have been possible without them. Second of all, using the equipment on the ATW boat further proves its capability on a long-range cruising boat. All this gear is going thru the ultimate test and it might be a good idea to take note of these products for the time when you ready your own boat for cruising. Our first sponsor Northern Lights, has provided our Lugger main engine and generator and are covering all fuel costs. They also came through in record time when we needed a replacement oil hose. Company representatives - as well as the product - offer superior support and reliability. Our second sponsor is Rixen Enterprises, who provided the Hurricane Heating system. Prior to leaving on the circumnavigation, this boat had her shake down in Alaska. Despite the chilly Alaskan temps, our crew on board stayed cozy and comfortable and always had plenty of hot water for showers. Great system. That's about all for now and following is the Tech. report. Today is Saturday, 01/05/2002. The time is 8:30 local and 1030uct. Our position is N 09*06.700' / E 143*36.432'. Our boat speed is 6.4knts at 1600rpm (the paravanes are deployed giving us a slower speed). Distance to our next landfall (Yap Island) is 325nm. The Barometer is 1010mb and holding steady. The temp. is 86.5 degrees F. The skies are overcast. The waves are 8-11 ft and aft of our starboard side. The wind speed is 25knts and off our stern. |
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| 2002-1-4 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 08°57.863' N / 145°45.325' E | 272m | 7.4 knots @1700rpm |
| January 4, 2002 (local) Departed Chuuk Lagoon - 0630 local time - Wed, Jan.2 Next stop - Yap - for fuel and a crew change Total distance - 824 nm Remaining distance - 456 nm Course - 272m RPM's - 1700 Speed - 7.4 knots Time to destination at this speed - 61 hours ( 2.56 days) Fuel on board - 597 gallons Range at this speed - 1425 nm Current location - N 08'57:863 / E 145'45:325 Chuuk to Yap - Day three We are about 2.5 days away from Yap. The weather this morning was rough with 31 knots of wind from about 030. We have 6-8' waves from about 030 as well. At this moment it is blowing about 14 with the same swell, much nicer. We have had squall lines blowing past us for the last 24 hours, some hit us and some just pass on by. Each one holds a nice shower for the boat. It's 87 degrees outside but feels cooler than days past. We are passing by a series of small atolls and shallow reefs. Most of these we never see. A few stand tall enough to be picked up on radar but most we will only see on the charts. We have been zig-zagging our way for the last day or so but now we are on a bee line for Yap. Just to the north is the famous Mariana's Trench. Shallow reefs on the left and deep trenches on the right. There is always something out here but many times it's not to be seen. We saw a freighter last night, less than 2 miles off, turned towards us for awhile and then veered away. No call, no sound, two lights and then just gone. I think after Yap we will start rotating a second man on night watch. |
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| 2002-1-4 (Local) | Ray Danet | 08°55.212' N / 146°23.807' E | 272m | 7.8 knots @1700rpm |
| January 4, 2002 (local) Hi Everybody, All is well on the good ship Nordhavn. Today the temperature has dropped to 82 F. We're having a cold spell! Should I put a shirt on…I don't think so. As I look at the radar, we have several areas of rain all around us. It would be nice to get the boat washed off. I'm on watch and the time is 7:30 in the morning. Dave is still sleeping and it smells like Tom is making coffee. Everything smells better when at sea. Correct that, Tom made noodle soup. So much for sense of smell. The boat is running great and for the last two days we've had great weather. At 1700rpm we have consistently hit 71/2knts and for one hour we did 8knts (hold me back). Still en route to Yap but passing some different islands/atolls along the way. Today, on our port side, we just passed Lamotrek Atoll. This atoll is shaped like a triangle with an island on each of the three points. The main island, Lamotrek is the only one where people live, the population is around 300. It would only take one about 10 minutes to walk from side to side. One can still see the remains WWII planes. Right next door to Lamotrek (16mi) is Satawal. Satawal is the most populated of these surrounding islands. It is the home to some of the world's most skilled navigators who still sail vast expanses of oceans in outrigger canoes - without charts or compass - relying on their knowledge of star positions. There are around 560 people living on this island. Also on our port side we will be passing Elato Atoll. It consists of 130 acres and there are 120 people living there. Their main export is copra. The last island that we will pass today is Gaferut. There are no people living on this island, but there is an abundance of turtles and birds. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I wish all of you could be out here to enjoy the beauty and the adventure of it all. That's about it for now. Stats to follow. The date is 01/04/2001 and the day is Friday. The time is 8:30am local and 1030 uct. The time zone is 10+ hours. Our position is N 08*55.212' / E 146*23.807'. Distance to our next landfall (Yap) is 491.1nm. The course is 272 M. Our speed is 7.8knts at 1700rpm. The Barometer is at 1010mb and holding steady. The temp is 82 degrees F. The seas are 2-2ft with a full cloud coverage. The wind is off the starboard aft quarter. |
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| 2002-1-3 (Local) | Ray Danet | 08°32.410' N / 149°27.000' E | 287m | 7.6 knots @1700rpm |
| January 3, 2002 (local) Hi Everyone, Another day and more miles under our keel. The boat is running great and the new oil hose seems to be working well. In the past we have written about all the great meals that we've had aboard. What I haven't mentioned is the first two or three days. We call this our survivor meal days. Due to the fact that we haven't gained our sea legs. On those days we all fend for ourselves, only because one does not want to spend a lot of time in the galley with their head down. The items we eat are Chinese noodles (just add hot water), chips (some time with a dip), candy and crackers. The goal is to keep it simple and a little bland. The noodles and chips seem to work the best. I think the salt in these helps out also. Tomorrow will be our third day and we'll be back to our big breakfast and dinners. We had a school of dolphins (small) with us yesterday. I stayed on the bow for quite awhile - more so than ever in the past - just to watch them. After a while, you begin to see a pattern in their play. I'll try to explain it. As a full displacement boat pushes through the water, it creates an underwater bow wave. So this is what they do. Off of our starboard bow, ocean waves form and the dolphins catch that wave and surf towards the bow of our boat. When they get there they surf our bow wave and then catch another ocean wave. At the end of this they either come back through the wave and are air born or three or four would jump out of the water in unison. They would only do this if they caught an extremely good wave. I can almost picture them giving each other a high-five. After about an hour, this group of 6 or 7 grew tired of playing and peeled off to go on their way. When it was time for the last one to leave, he shot forward of then came back and as he passed the boat he leaped out of the water about 5 feet, looked at me and I would like to think he was saying good-bye and thanks for the surf. If any of you have the chance to see a school of dolphins off your bow, stay and watched and you will see an order to their play and you will also be able to pick out one or two that will be doing something totally different from the rest. Take the time and I think you'll be in for a great surprise. It's a beautiful day out here this morning, As I'm writing this we are passing Namonuito Atoll. The atoll is triangular in shape with a very large lagoon and great distances between each island. The largest island is Ulul on the western side of the atoll. At the end of the runway there is a Japanese WWII fighter less the engines but pretty complete. If you are lucky enough to arrive on a special occasion you can expect to see young women performing custom dances and village men performing stick dancing, wearing beaded necklaces and colorful ceremonial dress. There are no accommodations on Namonuito, so if one were to visit, it would have to be by boat. If I were in my own boat, I'd make a right turn and head on in. A lot of the descriptions of the islands that I give you are out of the "Lonely Planet" titled Micronesia. Highly recommended reading - both for the armchair cruiser and the people who may make it out here some day in their own trawler. Last night Tom spotted a big ship on his watch. You don't see many ships out here. This morning Dave spotted a big school of fish feeding on smaller ones. That's about it for now, so we will leave you with the following information. The date is 01/03/2002, the day is Thursday (were a day ahead of you) and the time is 8:34am and 1034uct. Our position is N 08*32.410' / E 149*27.000. Our compass course is 287 degrees M. Our speed is 7.6 at 1700rpm. Distance to our next landfall (Yap Island) is 703nm distant. The temp is 86.4F. The wind is off our port aft quarter at 14knts. The seas are 2-3ft. The barometer is at 1009.5mb and holding steady. Sunny with puffy clouds. |
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| 2002-1-2 (Local) | Ray Danet | 07°49.555' N / 151°27.131' E | 278m | 7.0 knots @1700rpm |
| January 2, 2002 (local) Hi Everyone, A very Happy New Year to all of you and may the year bring you everything you desire. Like maybe a new Nordhavn (and if it is a new Nordhavn and you purchase it through me, I can say without any reservations that my New Year will be exactly what I wished for… just kidding! No, really.) OK, lets see what's new with the Nordhavn 40 "Around the World" adventure. Last time we talked, we were at the Blue Lagoon Resort in the Chuuk Island group waiting for an oil hose. Yesterday, (Tuesday 1st) we did get our hose. We thought that we would have it installed, check out and be on our way that same day, but once again the Customs and Immigration people had their land mines in position. Alas, it was not to be. You see Tuesday the 1st was a holiday and trying to track these people down was an adventure or better put, a day trip into the Twilight Zone. Dave and Tom were on this adventure while I stayed with the boat. Their first stop (remember, not one of us has been to town yet) was going to be the police station, only because that's the only public office that Dave could find open by phone. So Dave and Tom left the resort to find a taxi. But there were no taxis to be found, so they started to walk. They both commented that once they left the resort, it was like walking into a battle zone. A lot of the people were drunk, all the cars had at least one broken window, there was graffiti on all the houses, kids were throwing bottles in the streets. They were misdirected two times when asking directions to the police station (pretty much a shack). All this gets worst and much too graphic to put on paper. Anyway, by the time they finished getting all the paperwork and paying all the bribes - I mean fees, it was already late afternoon, and Dave and Tom still had to install the new hose and do an oil change. We all made the decision to get to bed early and be on our way at day break the next morning. We have been underway for the last eight hours. Our New Years Eve was spent at the Blue Lagoon thatched roof outside bar. We partied with a lot of great people who were from all over the world - New Zealand, England, Germany, Brazil, Italy and Japan . Once again the gentlemen from New Zealand won the drinking contest. We all started out drinking Australian beer, then rounds of tequila shots, can't remember how many, somebody had a cocktail made in their mouth with their head backwards over the bar. Dave and someone else had a Tequila Sunrise, wine showed up some time during the night and then around midnight, glasses of champagne and some really large bottle rockets showed up, one of which, someone put in my hand and told me to hold it while they put a match to it. NO, I didn't hold it, I wasn't that bad off, yet! Throughout that night we took different people out to the Nordhavn, it was a special treat and was enjoyed by all. You have to remember that all of these people are divers and after being on the boat they all started to see the possibilities of having one of these boats and being able to dive anywhere in the world. No one fell in the water and to me that was amazing considering the level of happiness that everyone was feeling. Some of the people at the party were Steve and Shirley from England, they also own their own diving company back home. The couple that I had too much fun with was Zane and Sue Cleaver from New Zealand. By the end of the evening, they were very good friends. They invited me to go trout fishing at their lakeside home (NZ has some of the best trout fishing in the world) and in turn, they are going to come out to California for some boating. Lots of other people, but I didn't get all the names. However, I do remember Francois Diamond, our bartender and host, who made the whole night happen. The best thing about cruising is that it's a gateway to meeting new people and making everlasting friends, plus much much much more! I envy all of you who will follow in our foot steps, because you will be able to take all the time that you desire to experience and explore so much more than we have. The date is 01/02/2002 and the day is Wednesday. the time is 3:30pm, local and 0531uct. Our position is N 07*49.555' / E 151*27.131'. Our course is 278m with a speed of 7knts @1700rpm. Distance to our next landfall (Yap) is 824nm. The wind is 20+knts and is off our aft starboard quarter. The seas are 8-10ft. Temp. is 88.3 degrees F. The sky is sunny with scattered clouds. The Barometer is at 1008mb and holding steady. |
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| 2002-1-2 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 07°22N / 153°46 E | 286m | 7.2 knots @1600rpm |
| January 2, 2002 (local) Departed Chuuk Lagoon - 0630 local time Next stop - Yap - for fuel and a crew change Distance - 824 nm Course - 286m RPM's - 1600 Speed - 7.2 knots Time to destination at this speed - 144 hours ( 4 days - 17 hours) Fuel on board - 750 gallons Range at this speed - 1949 nm Current location - N 07'22 / E 153'46 The Islands and Lagoons of Chuuk (Truk): Once again we are driven to a place that has caught us by surprise. We had not planned on stopping here in the Chuuk Lagoon, yet here we are. A small oil leak has caused us to err on the side of safety and pull in for parts. I cannot describe the feeling these particular islands have. This is unlike the stops we have made before. This is an atoll with a dozen large islands within. The atoll itself is stunning. A ring of reefs and low lying small islands covered in palms, emerald green water and pure white crushed shell beaches. If there were no islands within this would still be a place to see and feel. But there is more. There are six or seven main islands with many smaller ones in between, each with its own set of reefs and coral heads. All are completely covered in thick jungle and towering palms. Maneuvering a boat through these waters is not to be taken lightly for there are dangers. Hundreds of charted coral reefs and outcropping, and many more that weren't on any chart. You have to keep a watchful eye inside the Chuuk Lagoon…both in the water and on the land. This place does not have the simple beauty of Kosrae or the warmth of the people of Pohnpei. This place, like the others was born of fire, molten lava and rock. Unlike the other atolls and islands in the chain, Chuuk has both a protective coral ring and large islands within, all the ingredients for a large harbor with the land to support it. The Japanese Navy realized this, and in 1914 moved in. Chuuk was to see fire again. Almost sixty years ago, a great battle was shaping up, to be fought over and in her lagoons. Hundreds of Japanese supply and warships called Chuuk home. On board these great ships were thousands of young sailors preparing for a battle they knew must come. They braced for the arrival of the American planes and pilots off of the carrier Yorktown and her fleet. The battle would last for two days and two nights. Thousands would die in the days to come. In the end some 60 ships were sunk within the waters of Chuuk Lagoon. Over three hundred planes were destroyed, many were to lie on the bottom of the lagoon, alongside the ships they were to protect. This was to be Chuuk's key to the future. You can see burnt out bunkers on the shore side and on the mountains. I could see gun placements in the side yards of homes as I walked to town and parts of tanks on the beaches near the wharfs. I paddled a kayak up and down the coast of Moen Island and saw bombed out battlements, dozens of half submerged wrecks and at the edge of a mangrove a Mitsubishi bomber half buried in the sand. Under the calm surface of the Lagoon lie in wait a divers paradise. Within minutes of shore there are wrecks from four to two hundred feet deep just as they settled to the bottom on February 17, 1944. These wrecks are what draw people here today. This battle was the beginning of independence for the people of Chuuk and the ships that were lost have been the dream of divers around the world. Thousands of divers come each year for weeks of diving on these sunken monuments. At a New Year's Eve celebration, we shared toasts and wine with divers from seven or eight different countries who have come to see these wrecks. Many Japanese, American and Chuuk veterans of the battle also come to remember and to share a few words with old friends who did not return from the sea. This is a place see, but not to relax in, a place for diving, but not for laying on beaches or walking in to town. This is a place to come to remember, and never forget to keep an eye out for yourself. She is still not tamed. I am glad to have seen her but also glad to back in deep water again. Next stop - the islands of Yap. |
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| 2001-12-30 (Local) | Ray Danet | Anchorage at Chuuk | n/a | n/a |
| December 30, 2001 (local) Good Day to All, Another day, another island. Today is Sunday (Saturday in the states) and we are at the Chuuk Atoll anchored at Weno Island. Tourist books describe Chuuk as "colorful, lively and rough around the edges. Houses are commonly painted in several bright contrasting colors. On hot days village women sit bare-breasted in streams doing laundry and their children run around naked". From our last update you'll remember that the reason we are in the Chuuk group is that we need an oil hose line. We had a pin hole leak in the original and then another leak on the spare hose we put on. It looks like it may have been a faulty hose. New hoses are supposed to arrive by plane Monday or Tuesday. Other than that we are full of fuel and provisions, and the three of us are eager to be on our way. We got here on Friday last and once again we made it to the commercial dock in the rain and almost dark. Just once would we like to arrive in the morning with the sun shining at our back…oh well, we have a few more stops and we may get lucky. As I look out the Pilothouse, right in front of me is the Blue Lagoon Resort. This location is one of the nicest that we have seen so far. I'm just talking about the resort and the reason that I mentioned this is because we hear that the town is not so nice. The resort is on fourteen palm tree covered acres that front the Chuuk Lagoon, a world class underwater preserve. This lagoon measures almost 40 miles across at its widest point, and beneath the clear waters is a museum of World War II wreckage. More than 60 WWII Japanese warships, some with planes and trucks still latched to their decks, lie on the lagoon bottom. Just around the corner from where we are anchored is the front half of a B-29 bomber and half of which is exposed to the air. If you would like to contact the Blue Lagoon Resort for information, you can do so by email. blresort@mail.fm. I have to say that if you are a diver and would like to experience a different type of diving with a lot of history, this is the nicest spot I've seen. We met a nice couple, Ron & Laurie Richardson from Brainerd, MN, at the outside bar last night and Dave picked them up today to have a toddy aboard "Nordhavn". They are staying at the resort and diving every day. Ron did say that if anyone would like to email, they would be more than glad to comment on the diving. You can email Ron & Laurie at captron@brainerd.net That's it for now…I'd like to say that we have some project to do, but in reality the resort bar is about ready to open. Wish all of you could be here, drinks would be on us and they have really ice cold beer from Australia. |
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| 2001-12-27 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 07°16.289' N / 155°21.698' E | n/a | n/a |
| December 27, 2001 (local) Present location: N 07'16:289 E 155'21:698 We have diverted our course once more. Now we will go to Chuuk before we continue on to Yap. Chuuk was one of the stops in our original agenda and then was deleted as we spent so much time in Kosrae waiting out the storm. It's not so much of a diversion as it is a stop over since it's almost right on our path to Yap. As fate would have it we have developed a slight leak in an oil hose coming from the filter and we'll stop in Chuuk for a few hours for repairs. We had a spare oil line on board but it is suspect as well so we are having a new one sent by Fed Ex from Alaska Diesel Electric. This should arrive this weekend and will give a day or so for a little looking around the islands. Weather at this time is about 13 knots of wind from our stern - 4 to 5' seas at our stern and about 88 in the shade. A very nice way to wind up the year...I hope it lasts. Talk to you from Chuuk. |
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| 2001-12-27 (Local) | Ray Danet | 07°16.029' N / 155°26.949' E | 267m | 7.1 knots @1600rpm |
| December 27, 2001 (local) Hello to All, It's been kind of an exciting couple of days. We are now two days out of Pohnpei. In yesterday's ATW update I mentioned one of the problems that we had was an oil line. It turns out that the new one that was put on has the same type of defect. Dave got an email out first thing this morning to get two new hoses. Our new destination is now Truk Atoll where the new hoses will be flown in on Saturday. Tomorrow night (Friday) we should be anchored off of Weno island which is part of the Chuuk Atoll. Delays like this would be the norm if one was on a regular cruise, but hard on the ATW schedule. While Dave and Tom were changing the oil line, we had the chance to run the wing engine (emergency motor). It held a course with the auto pilot on and the boat was doing 31/2-4knts. At this very moment we are passing Oroluk Atoll. It must be very low because we are only 7 miles off of the south end and we can't see it. From the information that we have on board it says that only a dozen people live there, but it does have a sizeable population of Hawksbill and Pacific green turtles! There are 19 islands in this atoll, but they all total out to less than a quarter of a mile. The lagoon is very large and it has a pass to get inside. If this were my boat, I'd be over there in a flash. If any of you cruisers happen out this way, definitely check Oroluk out. Remember, enter in the daylight only and if possible have the sun behind you. The date is 12/27/2001 and the day is Thursday. The time is 12:21pm local time and 0021 uct. Our position is N 07*16.029' / E 155*26.949'. Our course is 267 degrees M and our landfall (Chuuk Atoll) is 207nm. Our speed is 7.1knts at 1600rpm. The Barometer is 1010mb and holding steady. The temp. is 88.0 degrees F and the wind is aft of our starboard quarter blowing 15knts. |
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| 2001-12-26 (Local) | Ray Danet | 07°02.466' N / 158°01.185' E | 273m | 6.9 knots @1600rpm |
| December 26, 2001 (local) Merry Christmas Everyone, Well we're underway and glad to be doing so. Today is Christmas back home and we miss our families. We are very fortunate, however, that we have a SAT phone aboard so we could wish our loved ones well. We got underway at 11:00 am local time this morning. It's a great day to start this next leg. The seas are calm and the sun is out. Everyone who we needed for check out was on time and after a quick trip to the local market for last minute items, we were on our way. Dave did the shopping and showed up with some special items for our Christmas dinner, namely a large pizza and ice cream. This is not your typical Christmas dinner, but nevertheless a treat for us. Our Nordhavn has been doing a great job with only a few minor problems: 1. The engine oil hose had a small leak so we replaced it 2. The reverse flush on the water maker needed to be fixed with a simple adjustment 3. We had to take apart a choker valve on the head and reinstall it 4. The coax cable developed a short and we are using a portable cable for now. A new one is on the way. That's about it and I have to say that Dave fixed all these items with Tom and I simply passing tools or whatever small job the Captain needed us to perform. While in Yap, we had read about this one waterfall in our guidebook. So we called a cab and after an hour, no cab. A gentleman who was listening in on our conversation offered to drive us. Lim, our volunteer driver, was great considering the road that we had to take - we all kept saying, "Thank God it's a rental." (The muffler made a great skid pan.) After an hour's drive we finally got to where the guidebook said we should be. We parked the car by the side of the road and took this little path for about 25 minutes. The waterfall was spectacular. We raced to the water (Tom won) and jumped in and swam underneath the main fall. It was great to cool off. We had a throw away underwater camera so we could take lots of photos. That's about all for now except that all of us on the Nordhavn at sea would like to wish all of you "A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS". It's sure been one we won't soon forget. The date is December 26th (25th back home). The time is 12:30pm local and 0030uct. Our position is N 07*02.466' / E 158*01.185'. Our speed is 6.9knts at 1600rpm. The course is 273 degrees M and our landfall (Yap) is 1190nm. The seas are calm and the air temp. is 87 degrees F. The wind is off our aft starboard quarter at 13knts. The barometer is 1010mb and steady. We have the fishing lines out. |
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| 2001-12-26 (Local) | Dave Harlow | Departing Pohnpei, Next landfall, Yap | 280m | 6.8 knots @1600rpm |
| December 26, 2001 (local) Departing Pohnpei at 1100 local time Next stop Yap. Distance to Yap - 1190nm Course - 280m RPM's - 1600 Speed - 6.8 knots Fuel on board - 920 gallons Fuel burn at this RPM's - 2.77 gph Range at this RPM's and speed - 2258 At sea once again. Each place we stop it gets harder and harder to get going again. Pohnpei was a place that had so much to offer…and I barely touched it. I, for one, did not want to go. I will be back. We had planned on leaving on Christmas Day (your Dec. 24) and pulled anchor and moved to the commercial dock to meet with customs. It was a very quiet boat that laid up against the dock as we waited. The idea of one more day sprouted… all we needed was an excuse, any excuse. It would not take much. Then it came to us: it would be such a shame to force the customs and immigration folks away from their families and homes on Christmas Day just because of our needs. A call on the radio and within 15 minutes we were back at our anchorage. A half-hour's drive and a 2-mile hike later we were in a river's pool, beneath a 20' high, cool water fall sipping beer on the rocks below. Feeling pretty happy with ourselves that we could help out others on this Christmas Day. Merry Christmas to all. |
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| 2001-12-25 (Local) | Ray Danet | Anchorage at Pohnpei | n/a | 0 |
| December 25, 2001 (local) Hi Everybody, Today is Christmas on the Island of Pohnpei. But on the boat, we've decided to wait and celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 PST with all of our family back home. We thought that we would be underway yesterday but once again the fuel and officials took more time than what we thought. Not only that but since it was Christmas eve for them, they shut down at noon. As I'm writing this, we are pulling into the commercial dock to do our final checkout. It's been very a warm stay here. Can't wait to get to Yap Island to get our new air conditioning. Pohnpei is a very lovely island but - in my opinion - not as nice as Kosrae. This island is very populated with a much faster pace. We were actually able to go into a new WalMart to do all our provisioning! They had a very good selection of everything we needed. Phonpei is located halfway between Hawaii and Manila and lies in the middle of the eastern Caroline Islands. It is the largest island of the Federated States of Micronesia with a land area of 334 square kilometers. Its main topographical features are the outer barrier reef, the intertidal lagoon, the fringe reef and the mangrove forest, the lowland area on the outer edges of the island and the central mountain rain forest. The population is 34,000 - most people live on Phonpei with a small percentage on the outer atolls. Pohnpei has been called the Garden Island. This island abounds in tropical forest, cascading mountain streams, spectacular waterfalls, hidden pools and the most amazing flora. One of the boats here in the anchorage is called Nepenthe, the owners are Jim Karczenski and Carol Robert and their guest is Dee Sampson from California. Talk about a small world, Dee is a neighbor of Wendell Streech who is the father of Dan Streech, the President of PAE/Nordhavn (our boss). Another very nice lady that we met was Kaori Mizumoto. We first met Kaori on Kosrae Island at the Kosrae Village Resort while she was on vacation. She was very helpful when we arrived on Pohnpei and certainly thank her for all her help. When you're out cruising, it is so easy to make friends in a very short time. The only problem is that you have to say goodbye so soon. After much consideration, we have decide to give ourselves a Christmas present and spend another day. We are going to one of the famous waterfalls and go swimming in its pools. So from our location at the Rumors Marina & Bar, we're going to say goodbye for now and go play. This is going to be a treat for us. |
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| 2001-12-24 (Local) | Ray Danet | Anchorage at Pohnpei | n/a | 0 |
| December 24, 2001 (local) Good Day to All, Well we made it to Pohnpei. Once again we made it just before nightfall. The entrance was very tricky but well marked. At the moment we are tied up to the commercial dock waiting for all the people to check us in. Can't wait to leave this dock. The time right now is 6:30 pm. |
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| 2001-12-22 (Local) | Ray Danet | 05°57' N / 161°09' E | 276m | 0 |
| December 22, 2001 (local) Hi Everybody, We've been underway for just about 28 hours. We are still in the process of getting our sea legs back into condition. It seems funny that just after 6 or 7 days in port we should have a need to get acclimated to the sea once again. Because of this, I'm going to have to cut it a bit short today. Each one of us is fending for themselves in the food department, mostly snacks and instant noodle cups. Anything with salt in it seems to make you feel better. P.A.E. is having their annual Christmas party today. We wish them all a Merry Christmas and sure wish we could be there celebrating with them. Don't have too much fun (we know they will). All the stat's, are as follows, Date is 12/22/2001 on Saturday. The time is 1:46pm local and 0146uct. Our position is N 05*57' / E 161*09'. Our speed is 6.2knts at 1700rpm. our course is 276m toward our landfall (Pohnpei) which is 183nm. The Barometer is 1007mb and falling. The wind is off our starboard quarter at 8knts.The air temp. is 90.5 and blue sky's with thunderheads around. The sea's are confused and 7ft. Best wishes and love to all our friends and family, Ray, Dave, and Tom |
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| 2001-12-21 (Local) | Ray Danet | 05°27' N / 162°51' E | 241m | 3.2 knots @1600rpm |
| December 21, 2001 (local) Good Day All, We are underway! It feels good to be moving again. For this leg, once again our crew consists of Dave, Tom and myself (Ray). Unlike our arrival, we left in very excellent weather. The sun is out and puffy clouds abound. We left at 10:30am local time. We were going to go around the other side of the Island to get fuel, but after Dave had a brief discussion with the people who supply the fuel, it was decided to head straight out and pick up fuel at Pohnpei Island. We intend to just pick up and head right back out and set our course for Yap Island. Last night, being our final night on this wonderful island, we went out to dinner. After careful consideration, (there are only two places that serve dinner) we decided to go to the "Kosrae Village Restaurant". Like everywhere else on the island, it was very busy. There were three tables with people. Being the shy people that we are, we invited a couple from one of the tables to join us. They were on their Honeymoon. Kosrae Village is the ultimate getaway place. It offers some of the best diving to be had. When you visit Kosrae Village you would stay in a "lohm" (a traditional Kosraen thatched bungalow home) and experience the relaxed pace of village life. This resort is small, with only 10 lohm and very private. It's built in the "eco style". Also on site is the "Sleeping Lady Divers", a PADI 5 Star dive center with everything one would need including repairs. I must say that this is a place to really get away. There is no TV and only one telephone in the main office and your cell phone will not work here. If you would like to contact them, you can do so by email kosraevillage@mail.fm telephone 691 370.3483 Normally on most islands when you check out, there is a departure fee due. When Dave went ashore to do the paperwork and check us out, he asked about how much the departure fee was. The gentlemen in charge asked him if we spent a lot of money during our stay, Dave said yes and the Customs man said, "you owe us nothing". We love this island! Just before we raised our anchor, Patrick and Sabrina (S/V Rebecca) stopped by and gave us some home made croissants and to wish us farewell and safe journey. Sabrina also mentioned that it was her mothers birthday and would it be OK to use our Sat phone to wish her Happy Birthday. And what do you think three men who have been on a boat by themselves would say to a good looking lady who just baked them croissants? She thanked us profusely. Kosrae Island is a very special place. The stats are as follows, The day is December 21st and the time is 2:44pm local and 0244uct. Our position is N 05*27' / E 162*51. Our speed is 3.2knts SOG ( one heck of a current) at 1600rpm. The temp. is 85.1 degrees F and the Barometer is at 1006 and falling. Our next landfall (Pohnpie) is 280nm on a course of 241M. The wind is off our port beam at 11knts. |
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| 2001-12-20 (PST) | From Jim Leishman to Dave Harlow | Dana Point, CA | n/a | n/a |
| December 20, 2001 PST Dear Dave, Ray and Tom: It now appears that you have a green light to depart for Yap - anytime after your 10:00AM today. As of 6 hrs ago - 1200Z - Dec 20th - the storm was 118 NM @ 242 mag. At 1200Z Dec 21 - it should be at 515NM @ 230 mag. We'll watch it closely and suggest you lay a direct course for Yap. [Forecaster Walt Hack] feels the reliability of the storm's continued northwest movement - towards Guam - is good. He expects some sloppy conditions on your departure with light south to southeast winds backing to the northeast in three days. The long term Raytech forecast shows light, mostly easterly, somewhat variable winds along your route for the next 7 days. Maybe you'll get a break.... |
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| 2001-12-20 (Local) | Dave Harlow | Anchorage at Kosrae Island | n/a | 0 |
| December 20, 2001 (local) It is late Wednesday night here in Kosrae Harbor, winds are 25 to 40 knots depending on when you look up to see the meter. One minute it is 25, a few minutes later it is blowing 35 or 40 knots. We are happy with 25, happy with 35, even happy with 40. The boat handles it well, the anchor is holding and we are kind of used to it here in this little harbor. You just kind of roll your eyes, look at the two boats to port to see what they are doing and smile as the wind dies. We would be very happy not to see anything higher for a day at least. We are a bit tired and need just a day or two to get ready for sea again. We have been driving around, into and been surrounded by this storm they called TS/31 and now is known as "Faxai", for the last nine days. She has moved to the left, slipped to the right, two steps back and forward and then just stopped in our path. She has been beautiful and spirited at times and down right mean at others. She has taught me much I did not know. The lessons are quick, the tests are hard and there is either a pass or fail grade. She will accept no excuses, no notes from home and there is no make up test. She is the sea. Faxai is now headed northwest. The Nordhavn, Scappare and Rebecca are not sorry to see her go. We are three ships seeking shelter. We had shared our information, lent a hand, stripped our decks, set our hooks... and as Faxai looked to returned once again we prepared for the next fight...no, fight is not quite right...for the next test, only it did not come. The storm turned. We neither passed nor failed. But we are here and we are well...and by God, the coffee sure tasted good this morning. At this time we believe Faxei is headed for Pohnpei and building again. She will be stronger and faster. We were headed to Pohnpei. I am glad to be here in Kosrea. We now know of several sailboats in Pohnpei through our new friends, Don on board Scaparre and Patrick and Sabrina on board Rebecca. I do not know these people in Pohnpei, but I wish them the best. These are friends we have not yet met, but they are people who will help us with a tool, join us in a meal, or share a bottle of wine and offer a story or two. We will know them once and remember them forever. They will be tested in the days to come. I know they will pass, they studied long to get here. Good luck to our future friends. |
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| 2001-12-20 (Local) | Ray Danet | Anchorage at Kosrae Island | n/a | 0 |
| December 20, 2001 (local) Hi Everyone, We're still sitting here on the beautiful island of Kosrae. I guess if one has to be stuck somewhere, this would be the place to be. At the moment we are waiting for one more weather update and if it looks good we will be on our way. Had a great experience today. I was detailed to do the provisioning for our next leg. After dropping Dave and Tom off at the post office (to mail Christmas cards), I explained to the taxi driver what we needed in the way of supplies. On this island there a lot of very little stores and no one store has everything. Thus began my 4 hour taxi adventure. I think we hit every store on the island and put a pretty good dent in the list. It would seem some of the items - like fresh bananas, papayas and limes - would be a snap to find. But since these items are growing in everyone's yard, there's no need to stock them in the markets! My driver is named Alle, and as we drove along he told some really interesting stories and as time went by, we formed a friendship. Soon enough, he's taking me on dirt roads through valleys and showing me waterfalls. He takes me to the fuel dock so we know where to go. He stops by this gravel pit, introduces me to the owner and asks for permission to show me a cave that is not open for public viewing. We hike back for maybe a half-hour through this very lush greenery. Suddenly, in front of us is this mammoth cave with water dripping from the overhead. From the top was hanging vines and flowers. It was unbelievable. In the end we had about checked everything off my list, except the bananas. We made one last stop before heading back to the boat. Alle dropped by his father's house and introduced me to his family. His mother offered fresh lime-ade and his father asked all kinds of questions about the Nordhavn and where we were going. He told me one of his sons goes to Chico State College in California, and he hopes to visit him. (The mere cost of airfare from Kosrae to California is very comparable to the amount a family could survive on here for quite a few months.) Alas, it was time to move on and as I'm saying my farewells, Alle's father goes around the side of his house and comes back with a big stalk of bananas and says, "this is my Christmas present to your boat." It wasn't the gift, but in the way that it was presented that moved me so much. It's hard to explain in writing the emotions I felt at that time. This is what cruising is really all about. It doesn't get any better then this. This will be one Christmas present I won't forget. |
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| 2001-12-18 (Local) | Ray Danet | 05°24' N / 163°11' E | n/a | 0 |
| December 18, 2001 (local) Hi Everyone, We have been out of touch for a couple of days with our hands full dealing with the weather. At this moment, tropical storm Faxai is 63 miles Northwest of our location with 55-60 knots of wind. We are now waiting for a new update and if possible, we are going to try to leave tomorrow. We have been able to get ashore a little bit, but with the weather and little notice we've had to make the mad dash for the dingy to make sure the boat is safe. This island is the nicest one we have been on to date. Everyone is smiling and everywhere it's very clean. Not much in the way the way of food supplies, but we are still in pretty good shape for the moment. We are all pretty much rested up and ready to put some miles under our keel. We do need to pick up some fuel. Yesterday we invited everyone in our anchorage (2 sailboats) over for poo-poo's and librations. Joining us for lots of good conversation, sea stories and weather stuff were Sabrina and Patrick Andores from Switzerland who are here on the sailing vessel "Rebeca", a 1960 51-ft. wooden schooner built in France as well as Don Post, a Californian whose wife, Karen, is back home having knee surgery. Don's got a real interesting story in that he and Karen sailed their 38-ft. cutter rigged Down Easter here a little over a year ago for a three month stay. As you can see, he is still here. The Posts have found what they think is the most perfect place to spend the rest of their lives. They're very involved with the local people and the lifestyle. Don is learning the language and in the process of creating an exchange program for school children between the US and the local natives. Oh, to change places with Don and Karen garners more than a fleeting thought, don't you think? As I write this the Sun is trying to peek thru. Lets all keep are fingers crossed. The stats are as follows: We're on the Island of Kosrae, Lele Bay, N 05*24' / E 163*11'. The date is December 19th, the day is Wed. Local time is 12:05pm and 0005uct. Lots of rain and 25 knt winds out of the west. The air temp is 83.5 Degrees F and the water is 85 Degrees F. The Barometer is 1006 mb and holding steady. |
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| 2001-12-18 (Local) | From Dave Harlow to Jim Leishman | Anchorage at Kosrae Island | n/a | 0 |
| December 18, 2001 (local) Dear Jim: Thanks for the report. It is reassuring to have something in my hands saying, "this to shall pass". The knock on the boat this morning in the dark with the voice yelling that "the typhoon has turned and is headed right at us" was a little unsettling as we had 40 knots of wind to seemingly back up his claim. After talking to you and seeing the report from Walt, we spent twenty minutes talking about whether to have steaks or ribs for dinner. We chose steaks and started thawing same. If Walt is wrong we will have wasted good beef. I hate to waste a good steak. As I write this it is blowing 2.5 knots, five seconds ago it was 49.3, now its 36, now its 18 - 22 - 27 - 31 - 38 -13 -11 - 15 - 18 - 22 - 25 - 29 - 33 - 38 - 42 knots, up and down as fast as I am writing this. (I'm a slow typist.) As we look out through the channel and out to open sea, we can see these big squall lines blowing past. Rain angled back about 45 degrees, moving fast. One - two - three will pass outside and then one will come over the peak ahead and go right over us. Black as night, wind and rain slam into the boat, chain stretched tight, boat shakes and vibrates...then it's gone. You look out to see if you've slipped any and then pour another cup of coffee. We will send another report as conditions change. Dave |
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| 2001-12-18 (PST) | From Jim Leishman to Dave Harlow | Dana Point, CA | n/a | n/a |
| December 18, 2001 PST Dear Dave Here's the latest I have on the storm. It's now 11:10 AM PST - 19:10 GMT - December 18th. The report is four hours old now - another report will be issued in two hours. It looks like it's weakening but has turhed back to the East. They say that within 12 hours it will move back to the west. I spoke with (weather forecaster) Walt Hack a few minutes ago and he feels that you might be able to depart tomorrow around your noon time. Regards, Jim WTPN31 PGTW 181500 1. TROPICAL STORM 31W (FAXAI) WARNING NR 028 01 ACTIVE TROPICAL CYCLONE IN NORTHWESTPAC MAX SUSTAINED WINDS BASED ON ONE-MINUTE AVERAGE WARNING POSITION: 181200Z2 --- NEAR 5.8N3 161.4E2 MOVEMENT PAST SIX HOURS - 090 DEGREES AT 03 KTS POSITION ACCURATE TO WITHIN 060 NM POSITION BASED ON CENTER LOCATED BY A COMBINATION OF SATELLITE AND SYNOPTIC DATA PRESENT WIND DISTRIBUTION: MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 055 KT, GUSTS 070 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 030 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 070 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT 090 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT 090 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT 060 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT REPEAT POSIT: 5.8N3 161.4E2 FORECASTS: 12 HRS, VALID AT: 190000Z0 --- 5.9N4 160.8E5 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 055 KT, GUSTS 070 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 025 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 090 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT 070 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT 070 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT 090 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT VECTOR TO 24 HR POSIT: 285 DEG/ 05 KTS 24 HRS, VALID AT: 191200Z3 --- 6.1N7 159.9E4 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 060 KT, GUSTS 075 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 040 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 100 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT 080 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT 080 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT 100 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT VECTOR TO 36 HR POSIT: 295 DEG/ 07 KTS 36 HRS, VALID AT: 200000Z2 --- 6.7N3 158.7E1 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 060 KT, GUSTS 075 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 040 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 100 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT 080 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT 080 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT 100 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT VECTOR TO 48 HR POSIT: 305 DEG/ 07 KTS EXTENDED OUTLOOK: 48 HRS, VALID AT: 201200Z5 --- 7.5N2 157.5E8 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 065 KT, GUSTS 080 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 045 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 110 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT 085 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT 085 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT 110 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT VECTOR TO 72 HR POSIT: 300 DEG/ 08 KTS 72 HRS, VALID AT: 211200Z6 --- 9.1N0 154.7E7 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 065 KT, GUSTS 080 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 045 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 110 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT 085 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT 085 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT 110 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT REMARKS: 181500Z5 POSITION NEAR 5.8N3 161.3E1. TROPICAL STORM (TS) 31W (FAXAI), LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 185 NM EAST-SOUTHEAST OF POHNPEI, HAS DRIFTED EAST DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS. THE WARNING POSITION IS BASED ON 181130Z4 INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY AND SYNOPTIC DATA. THE WARNING INTENSITY IS BASED ON SATELLITE CURRENT INTENSITY ESTIMATES OF 55 KNOTS. ANIMATION DEPICTS A RECENT BURST OF DEEP CONVECTION OVER THE VORTEX CENTER. MAXIMUM SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT AT 181200Z2 IS 15 FEET. REFER TO WWPW31 RJTX FOR ADDITIONAL SEA HEIGHT INFORMATION. NEXT WARNINGS AT 182100Z2, 190300Z3, 190900Z9 AND 191500Z6.// |
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| 2001-12-18 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 05°19.855' N / 163°01.286' E | n/a | 0 |
| December 18, 2001 All is well here. From talking with the other boaters, it looks as if no one is going anywhere for a couple of days at least. This place is nice. I took the kayak for a run up into the mangroves today. Dead still, big rain drops filtering through the canopy. It winds its way back into the forest and around again back to the sea. If the water clears up there is going to be some great fishing back there. This has been a good trip so far and I have learned a lot. I want to finish this trip and see my kids and get back to work. But I really want to finish this trip - all the way and maybe more… Tuesday, December 18, 2001 on Kosrae Island |
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| 2001-12-17 (Local) | Ray Danet | 05°19.855' N / 163°01.286' E | n/a | 0 |
| December 17, 2001 (local) Tropical Depression #31 is getting to be an old friend, you know the type, they come to visit and never go home. As I write this, we are sitting in Lele Harbor on the Island of Kosrae. For the last two days we were not able to leave the boat due to lots of wind and rain. Due to the murky water here in the harbor we have not been able to make water but Dave and Tom came up with a way to trap and divert rain water into the water fill which is working our well. We're anchored right in front of the church and yesterday (Sunday) we could hear all the singing, which is something to hear. To date, we still haven't seen much of the island. Sunday being a special day, we had planned for a "Movie and a Dinner". The movie was Random Hearts and the dinner was Roasted Leg of Lamb with baked potatoes and least not forget, a bottle of 1996 Mount Pleasant "Shiraz" from Australia. A good time was had by the three of us. On a more serious side, we are ready to get moving again. We are getting behind schedule for this leg and we do miss our friends and family. Hopefully this storm will move on shortly. Monday, December 17th 2001, on Kosrae Island. |
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| 2001-12-16 (PST) | From Jim Leishman to Dave Harlow | Dana Point, CA | n/a | n/a |
| December 16, 2001 PST Sunday 2:05 PM PST -- your Monday 9:05 AM Dear Dave: I just tried to call you -- got your message on my cellular. The last email I got from Walt was my Saturday night (Dec. 15) I have been down loading the weather every few hours and the latest is that the storm is about 90 miles northwest of you. It is showing winds of 35 knots within 50 miles of the storm. The track is taking it almost directly to Pohnpei with it moving only about 60 miles north west every 24 hours for the next two days -- then accelerating after 48 hours to about 120 miles a day -- still moving northwest. It shows the storm 50 miles southwest of Pohnpei at 1800 GMT on the 19th. This thing is still being shown as a tropical storm with sustained winds of 35 with gusts to 45 now -- and increasing over the next 48 hours. The Raytech overlay shows no problem -- you'd never even know there was a storm in the area. It's predicting winds of 20 knots or less all the way past Pohnpei for the next 72 hours. I can't figure it out how it can show conditions so different from what is being predicted by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center - Navy and Airforce. I'm sorry to say -- that unless we get some compelling information from (forecaster Walt Hack) or higher - I don't see you leaving for at least another 24 hours -- and only then if the storm improves from what is predicted. |
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| 2001-12-16 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 05°19.855' N / 163°01.286' E | n/a | 0 |
| December 16, 2001 We are currently anchored here in Kosrae, Lele Harbor. There is a little bit of bad weather outside and we will wait here until the blue skies return. We are in a well-protected spot with two sailboats anchored to the east of us, the "Rebecca" and the "Scappare". From out the front windows I can see 10-ft. surf breaking on the reef, a little confused swell but I bet when it's calm here there is some good surf, both a right and a left. All along the shore in back of us is a row of small houses, all old, some brightly colored, some just.. old, and all right on the waters edge. The tide was high last night and with the wind blowing more water in, some of the front row houses were flooded - not much, maybe 6 inches or so. From our aft deck we are about 75 feet from the backs of these houses. With the lights of the houses we could see people out back watching us and watching the water rise. It was kind of surreal, rain whipping by, 35 to 49 knots of wind, islanders in bright colors on the shore watching us to see if our anchors would hold against the rising wind and us watching them and wondering how much higher the tide would go. Then the island power went out and all went to a deep black. The island was gone, rocks loomed up on either side of the boat, wind began to howl, we were dragging anchor, the boat next to us had broke free and was washing down on us ...I was sure... I could feel it. Then my eyes became accustomed to the night, one by one flashlights lit the shore and the monsters disappeared. We were safe once again. In the future, when my daughter asks for a light on at bed time...I think I'll do it. This morning the tide is low and the winds have calmed. Both boat and homes are safe. The locals are all gathered about 100 yards behind us at a large white church for Sunday service. If you listen close you can hear the singing. High, steep peaks surround us, completely covered in a thick blanket of green, tops lost in the clouds as if to hide one final mystery. This is a place I would love to walk and spend a week just looking around. Mountains, mangroves, beaches and towns - there is so much to see. The storm has brought us here and it is the storm that lets us stay. I know when the storm passes we will have to leave this place. Once the peaks are revealed it will be time to go. I think for the time being I will go out back and try to be a part of the service, say thanks...and maybe pray for just a little more rain. |
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| 2001-12-15 (Local) | Ray Danet | 05°19.855' N / 163°01.289' E | n/a | 0 |
| December 15, 2001 (local) Good Day to All, It's been too exciting the last 24 hours. We made it into the anchorage at Kosrae Island, but not without some adrenaline-pumping moments. As we made the approach it was raining hard with wind gusts around thirty knots. The most important thing to remember when entering a new harbor is to make sure that you have a confirmation on the nav aids. Keeping this in mind, the seas were running fifteen feet plus, and there were rain squalls. On our first approach, we did ID two of the starboard entrance markers but nothing on the port side and we were still a little ways out. So moving slowly forward, with Captain Dave at the helm, Tom and I watched with the binoculars while John called out the changes in depth. Just at that time a big rain squall shut down all visibility. Dave made a 180 degree turn and we headed back out. We were losing daylight and knew that we might have only one more chance. It'd been a couple of rough days and we were really looking forward to a good night of rest. Just as the rain lightened up, Tom, who was at the stern looking back at the entrance, yelled that he has located the markers that eluded us on the first go-around. We made it in and dropped the anchor. We all had a toddy for the weary body and toasted to a job well done by all. The wind did pick up last night and once again but the first half of today it finally eased up and we were able to launch the dinghy and go ashore to check in with Immigration. John checked into a nice hotel and bought us lunch at the hotel restaurant where we heard that the wind is supposed to go 50knts tonight. After lunch we immediately headed back to the boat. It's already gusting to 30knts. We put the dingy back up on the boat deck, got everything on deck secured and made sure the second anchor is all set to go. Dave and Tom double check the engine and make sure it's ready to go just in case we need to take the stress off of the primary anchor. I'll let you all know tomorrow how the evening went. Maybe it will be nice tomorrow and we can go ashore and give you a description of this Island. From here in the anchorage I can see sharp mountains and valleys covered in dense lush vegetation. I know after reading all this you won't believe it, but we are, one and all, having a great adventure and wouldn't trade places with anyone. If it weren't for the challenges, the rewards would not be so great. Today is Saturday the 15th of December (10 days till xmas). The time is 4:40pm local time and 0440uct. Our position is N 05*19.855 / E 163*01.286. The Barometer is at 1000mb and falling (the lowest to date has been 1006mb). The wind is out of the SE at 29knts. The temp is 82.4 degrees F. The depth is 33 feet, sandy bottom and we have 150 feet of all chain out. We are all very comfortable and feel very secure. We hate to see John Wooldridge leave. He's been a great trooper and excellent crew member. Make sure to see his story of the "Nordhavn 40 Adventure" planned for the March issue Motor Boating Magazine. |
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| 2001-12-14 (Local) | Dave Harlow | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| December 14, 2001 After a departing Ailinglapalap bound for Pohnpei we once again had to seek shelter from the storm. The winds grew from 15 knots at Ailinglapalap Atoll to 27-35 knots with 40+ knot gusts. The weatherman said it would get worse before it got better so we elected to head for the island of Kosrae to hole up and wait the thing out. This would be a two-day run. With the seas and wind building we were very concerned about an after dark arrival in Lelu Harbor, Kosrae. The harbor entrance is fairly narrow with reefs on both sides. We ran the boat a little harder than usual in order to arrive with as much daylight as possible. Most of the day was spent running on instruments as the heavy rains knocked visibility down to almost nothing. We arrived a mile or so outside the harbor entrance at about 6:00 pm local time with heavy rain and 30 knots of wind. We made a very slow pass at the harbor trying to get our bearings and confirm our location in relationship to the harbor mouth. High seas and blowing rain made the radar reading a blur and with the chart plotter showing our boat high and dry on the reef ahead, we lost confidence in using the plotter. This would be a purely visual approach. We had lookouts on either side of the boat, rain blowing sideways at 30 knots, 10-12 foot breaking seas on the reefs to port and starboard, one guy at the wheel and the fourth standing behind calling out depths. We had just confirmed the port entrance marker and were about 60 seconds from making a run at the harbor in the fading light…and then things started getting bad. The wind increased to 35 knots and the visibility went to nothing. We called for a missed approach and turned 180 degrees and back to the relative safety of open water. The 35 knots of wind and 12-foot seas at our back were now at our front and everything that had previously fallen on the floor was now bouncing off the walls as we bucked into head seas. The light was fading quick and we knew that we would have only one more pass at getting in if the rain would let up for just a few minutes. There would be no way to do this in the black of night, a second missed approach would mean going around the island to a smaller harbor in the dark or heading back out to sea. Both of these options were very poor. We held station at a half-mile off of the island at about 1000 RPMs in order to keep close by if the rain should let up. We had been holding for about 30 minutes when a yell from the cockpit says that he can see the harbor. We waited to fall in between the waves and then went to full throttle, came about and throttled back to 1000 RPMs. We were running down wind again and just outside of the harbor. We picked up the port and starboard markers and sped up to maintain steerage through the passage. We were in. Inside was fairly flat water, 30 knots of wind and pitch back. All signs of daylight were gone. We picked up a guy on the radio from a sailboat in port and he advised us of a good spot to drop anchor just beyond a second sailboat. Thirty minutes later we were hooked, engine off, gen set and all lights on, sitting on the aft deck eating baked ham and toasting Neptune for our good fortune. I have heard it stated that upon living through a stressful or dangerous time that "it took ten years off of my life". I now know what that means. This last leg has left me bone tired tonight, but I feel ten years younger in spirit. |
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| 2001-12-13 (Local) | Ray Danet | 06°55.633' N / 166°05.022' E | 234m | 7.2 knots @1800rpm |
| December 13, 2001 (local) Hi Everyone, All is well on the good ship Nordhavn. It's been pretty rough the last couple of days. Our progress changes by the hour. Yesterday we were headed for Pohnpei. It now looks like a cyclone is starting to build in that area again. So once again we have changed course for Kosrae Island. Kosrae is the easternmost island of both the Federated States of Micronesia and the Caroline Island chain. The location of Kosrae is N 05*20.379 / E 163*02.184'. From the information that we have on board, Kosrae is similar to that of Alingslapalap Atoll from which we just came. The date is 12/13/2001 and the time is 11:00am local and 2300uct on a Thursday. Our position is N 06*55.633 / E 166*05.022. Our speed is 7.2knts @ 1800rpm. Our distance to Kosrae Island is 204km. The Barometer is at 1008mb and rising. The temp is 87.3 degrees F. Sky is overcast and the sea's are 10-12 feet. Wind is off our aft port stern at 13knts. Our course is 234M. Note: our email has been down here at the boat. There may be a lapse in time between upcoming future email. |
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| 2001-12-12 (Local) | Ray Danet | 07°10.995' N / 168°23.526' E | n/a | 6.2 knots @1700rpm |
| December 12, 2001 (local) Hi Everybody, We're underway again. Alinglapalap Atoll fades from our stern and Pohnpei is off our bow about four days. The Cyclone that we were worried about yesterday looks like it's not going to form, but we will keep track of that region. Alinglapalap is a very beautiful Atoll. Dave and Tom went ashore to see about checking in and find out the best place to anchor. John and I stayed on the boat, but after their description, we wish we would have joined them. The atoll has an abundance of palm and banana trees. The primary economic means is in harvesting coconuts. There is a large area where the ground is imbedded with coral rock. They split the coconuts in half and put them on the coral base, face up. When dried out this forms what is called copra. They described Alinglapalap as very unspoiled with grass shacks, some tin buildings, lots of flowers - and everything so clean. The village has only one phone and maybe a few places had electric lights. Alinslapalap is what you might visualize as a typical island. As Dave and Tom were walking thru the village, a group of little kids were following them, so Dave ran forward a bit to take a picture of Tom with kids behind. With Dave ready to take the picture, Tom turns around to say hi and all the kids scattered. After a bit of coaxing and smiles, the kids came back to hang on to Tom's legs. The children, shy but friendly, were all wearing bright colors. The adults were also very friendly. Standard island behavior. Here are the stats. The day is Wednesday, December 12th. The time is 1:00pm and 1300uct. Our position is N 07*10.995' / E 168*23.526. Our speed is 6.2knts @ 1700rpm. The distance to our next landfall, Pohnpei, is 599nm. The Barometer is at 1008mb and rising. The wind is at 11knts coming from our starboard aft quarter. The temp is 87.3 degrees F. As I'm writing this everyone else is having leisure time. It's quiet on the boat. |
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| 2001-12-11 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 07°16.977' N / 168°49.431' E | n/a | 0 |
| December 11, 2001 Majuro to Ailinglapalap Atoll, Marshall Islands December 11, 2001 1200 Majuro Time Latitude 07'16:977 North Longitude 168'49:431 East Course - Anchored RPMs - None Speed over ground - Drifting back and forth at about .2 Knots Distance run - 140 nm Distance to go - Launch the dingy and head to shore, .3 nm We left Majuro knowing that there was a slight chance of a Tropical storm developing around the island of Pohnpei. We elected to play it safe and divert and hole up inside of the Ailinglapalap Atoll. This is 140 miles to the West of Majuro and an easy 24-hour run. As so often happens on long trips, it's the short unexpected stops that you remember most, such was the case with Ailinglapalap. This is a very low laying atoll with a ¼-mile wide unmarked channel with waves breaking on either side. It was an easy approach and with 20 minutes of watching out for shallow spots, we were in. Once inside we found what I had always thought what a Pacific Island was to be like. White sand beaches extending out from thick growth, coconut palms and banana trees. Blue-green waters that were so clear you would swear that you could reach out and touch bottom in 40' feet of water. Light winds, a few high clouds, air 87 water 87, man, this is what it is supposed to be like. Three of us were in the water before the anchor took hold. All around the boat were big towers of coral heads covered in ever color you can imagine. Each coral head stands like a tower or island in itself, some within a foot or two of the surface - all surrounded with 20 different kinds striped, spotted or solid colored fish. Coral fans laying out, fish darting back and forth with reef creatures swaying in the current. If you put your back to a pillar and look out across the sea floor you see 50 or 60 feet of bright white desert sand and then another tower with our boat in between, chain angled down to the anchor laid in the sand. Ours was the only anchor on the seafloor at Ailinglapalap Atoll this day. Islanders later told us that the last boat was a couple in a sailboat over a month ago. On the beach was about twenty or thirty kids all waving us in, so in we went. We found a place like Gilligan's Island: all green with banana and coconut trees, grass huts amid some wood and tin roofed homes and a bunch of really friendly people. About 300 people live on this island. It was about dusk and you could see and smell the wood fires going with little groups preparing meals outdoors. Dead calm and quiet except for all the kids running and laughing around us. This is one of those times and places that you will never forget. In the morning we will be gone, off to Pohnpei. The breeze will still settle as the day goes on, the fires still burn in the calm of the evening and the lagoon will sit empty except for the kids playing at its shore. Then one day another ship will glide through the reef and drop anchor in the cove. Who will be on board? Here are today's fuel and range calculations: Fuel remaining on board 831 gallons Fuel burned last 24 hours 69 gallons Distance made good last 24 hours 140 nautical miles Speed made good last 24 hours 5.8 knots Distance remaining to Pohnpei 625 nautical miles Remaining range at 1600 2007 nautical miles. |
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| 2001-12-11 (Local) | Ray Danet | 07°16.898' N / 168°49.280' E | n/a | 0 |
| December 11, 2001 (local) Hello Everyone. Just to catch you up - we've been underway since yesterday and at the moment we are anchored. You might be asking yourself what went wrong and why aren't we underway. Well, it's nothing… and something. Late yesterday we received our weather report to discover there is a chance that a cyclone may be developing at our next landfall. So the decision was made to pull in. The atoll we're currently anchored at is called Alinglapalap which is located at N07*16.898' / E168*49.280'. It's not a very recognized atoll, there are no hotels or restaurants. We are anchored in 33ft of crystal clear water and off of our starboard side are Palm trees and one of the whitest beaches that you have ever seen. The locals are waving to us from shore. At the moment we cannot go ashore due to the fact that we have not checked in. As I write this, however, Dave and Tom are launching the dingy. If we get a good weather report, we hope to get underway first thing tomorrow morning. Wish us luck. Today is December 11th and the local time is 3:30 PM and 0430UCT. The wind is out of the North East with a 10knt breeze. |
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| 2001-12-10 (Local) | Ray Danet | 07°14.180' N / 171°05.218' E | n/a | 6 knots @1575rpm |
| December 10, 2001 Hi everyone, We're back online! Today is Monday (your Sunday) on the Atoll of Majuro. What can I say about our time here? We have experienced nothing but generosity and kindness from the people of this beautiful and fascinating atoll from the moment we first made contact. As we approached our anchorage, we were met by Ben Chutaro, a local who couldn't have been nicer. Ben had heard from someone in Hawaii that we were coming to his island and went beyond the call of duty to make our stay as hospitable as possible. He started by bringing Dave ashore to help clear customs with a rep from the Port Authority. Since it was pouring rain, the group handled the paperwork from the comfort of Ben's car. Twenty minutes later, the group had finished and Dave was back on board. (From previous experience, clearing customs can take up to half a day!) From there, Ben acted as our tour guide, chauffeur and activities director. A native of Majuro, (who was schooled in the States), Ben is very active in trying to develop the tourist trade on Majuro and the outer atolls. It's a beautiful, interesting place - a stop I recommend to anyone…but don't expect to find something like Hawaii. Instead, you'll find Majuro is a locale in its natural state with natives who are true to the island life. Right now Ben is focusing on building a small Marina with moorings and slipways and accommodations for the yacht owners to work on their boats. His company, B.C.I., also does custom charters to the outer atolls (email address is bako@ntamar.com). Yesterday Ben stopped by and presented Nordhavn with a "Current and Wave Stick Chart" which is made out of bamboo and sea shells. He told us that long ago, all the local villages would designate a navigator and that person made up their own chart. Now we have our own piece of the Majuro culture to share with everyone back in California. At I write this, Ben is helping Dave check out. Ben, I would like to say thank you from all of us at PAE for sharing yourself, your knowledge and your love of Majuro. It's people like you who make cruising an unforgettable experience. If anyone is planning on heading out this way, contact Ben on his e-mail. He'd love to hear from you. So many more tales about our encounters with the locals…One day we were pulled up the quay and as we loaded up on fuel, Nordhavn caught the interest of a couple of fellows named Scott Howe and Will Haworth. We invited them aboard and showed them around. Most gracious for the tour, they invited us to throw back a few beers. Being the good guys that we are and dutifully representing the U.S., we agreed… and then it was down hill from there. That cooler seemed to have a never-ending supply of beer and we made the mistake of trying to keep pace with Scott and Will. (Never and I mean never try to keep up with a Kiwi.) It was really too much fun. Later that afternoon Ben stopped by to take us ashore and watch the weigh-in for the local fish tournament. You can't believe the fishing here. A couple of the fish - one a Yellow Fin tuna, one a Marlin - were over a hundred pounds! While there, we happened upon Will and Scott…and it started all over again (just kidding.) Both of these Kiwi's are very involved with the Sportfishing Club and they also run a company called "Billfish Chartering". Anyone looking to do some "real" fishing and enjoy the company of two of the funniest people you want to meet, should email them at haworth@ntamar.com. From the crew of the Nordhavn thanks for the Billfish polo shirts, but especially for your friendship and the lessons on beer drinking - you two are still the masters! The list of fabulous people we encountered during our stay is so numerous, but I especially wanted to mention Bren Morris, the Minister of Public Works, Liz Rodick & Richard Belcher aboard the yacht ISIS and Gerry Smith who makes custom fishing lures called Nuclear Warheads which he promises will "catch a 100 lb. Marlin." They, like all the people of Majuro, had a smile on their face and a cheerful hello or good morning wherever we'd walk. Even the children would wave or utter a timid hi. These people do not have very much but they are always happy. Their values are worth more than all the gold in the world. Despite the natural state and laid back ways of the atoll, Majuro is not without its hustle and bustle - and yes, there is a rushour here. There is an approximately 20-mile two-lane road that runs from one end of the atoll to the other and serves as the major thoroughfare. The center of town is clogged mostly with taxi cabs which the locals use extensively. They charge only 50 cents US for a ride that goes as far as you would like. We all left feeling the town reminded us of what you might see around any of the coastal towns of Mexico. There were Coconut trees, a few Banana trees and lots of Breadfruit trees (which make a great type of potato chip). And lots of different flowers. The atoll is long and narrow - to walk from one end of Majuro to the other and back would take around 4 hours; to walk from side to side, maybe 15 minutes. We were scheduled to shove off on Dec. 8 (UCT) but we were held up with obtaining clearance papers, so decided to anchor out at one of the outer atolls. Upon Ben's recommendation, we anchored at Anemwanot Atoll about an hour and a half from town. This was truly a beautiful location. We anchored in 38ft of crystal clear water. I put on the mask and fins and dove in to check on the anchor. All was well. I turned to head back up and right before my eyes was a DC 3 aircraft minus its wings and tail. You could still see the writing on it which said "Sea Star Airlines". It was amazing! I wished I could have taken a picture. Later we took the dinghy to go beach exploring. We learned that this one atoll is used by all the people on Sunday for get-togethers and volleyball. Dave got all of us into looking for coral and sea shells which he was going to mail back to his daughter's class - whose school project is to keep track of us via e-mail. Through various questions, they learn about geography, math, science and culture. (You can check it out on the Forums section.) Dave is also working on getting one of the local kid's classes to email back and forth with his daughter's class. We hope to get this up on the web site also as it should really be something to read. Our last day there, we wanted to celebrate in grand style. It was our first successfully foreign port of call and also just happened to be our editorial guest from Motorboating Magazine, John Wooldridge's birthday. We barbecued lamb chops, had stuffing, green beans and Tom made a terrific upside down birthday cake. It was a genuinely fun, relaxing good time for all. John said he would never forget this birthday. As I write this we just cleared the pass of Majuro Atoll and on our way to Pohnpei Island Ships information follows. The date is 12/10/2001 and the time is 0230UCT and 2:20PM local time. Our position is N 07*14'180 / E 171*05.218". Our speed is 6knts @ 1575rpm. The barometer is at 1006mb and falling. The temp. is 89 degrees F .The wind is off our stern at 20knts. our land fall (Phonpei) is 726nm distant. Crew is settling in. |
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| 2001-12-7 (Local) | Ray Danet | Anchorage at Majuro Atoll | n/a | 0 |
| December 7, 2001 (local) Hi everyone, Just a short note to let you know that we made it here safe and sound of mind. We are in a nice little anchorage with a few cruising boats around us. Today we are doing the maintenance that one cannot do while underway. We have also started provisioning which we must do by dingy, but we are not complaining. Dave has done a fantastic job as Captain. His attention to detail has been awesome. Tom has been very gracious and got each of us a room at the Outrigger Hotel. The voyage thus far has been amazing. Thank you all for joining us electronically on our adventure - wish you could be here in person! Daily stats below. Today's date is 12/07/2001. Time is 0420UCT. Our speed is 0 @ 0000rpm. The Barometer is at 1007 and falling. It's raining very hard. The temp. is 82 degrees F. Distance to landfall-we're here. |
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| 2001-12-7 (PST) | From Jim Leishman to Dave Harlow | Dana Point, CA | n/a | n/a |
| December 7, 2001 3:30 PM Friday (PST)- Dec 7th Dear Dave: I could not remember from last night's conversation if you're leaving tonight or tomorrow. I've looked at the weather and it looks the same with 15 to 20 knot easterly winds - through your Tuesday. There are a lot of little variations in atmospheric pressure (lows) to the south of you along the equator, which are effecting the winds around them. It shows one cropping up on your Tuesday that will create some wind variation… however at your latitude, it does not look like it will effect you as the winds will still blow easterly along your track (the low will be below you). Although unlikely, it is possible in December to still get a tropical depression and typhoon, so we'll want to keep an eye on any developments. I put a call in to Walt Hack and have asked him to give us coverage until you reach the Philippines. I suggest you download the Raytech weather prior to your departure. Also e-mail Walt your daily position reports until you get through the Philippines and are headed south below Palawan. Jim |
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| 2001-12-6 (Local) | Dave Harlow | 07°26.201' N / 171°35.077' E | n/a | 0 |
| December 06, 2001 We arrived in Majuro on Thursday 1600 hours. 20 knots of wind and the usual 8 to 10' seas. The entrance to the Atoll was well marked and 120' deep. Inside we had about a 2 hour run to the city of Delap. Beautiful place, great people. I will send along fuel and range numbers on Sunday. Sorry for the late and short report, we are trying to pack a year's worth of experiences into two or three days. There's a lot to see and so much to do. There are big fish everywhere, 5:00 weigh in everyday, big event. I'm not looking forward to leaving, but once we get back out into blue water we will write a full report. This place is truly amazing. This trip will prove to be a curse and blessing. I'm blessed with being able to see and experience all of this, but cursed in so much as I'm left wanting more. There is so much more. |
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| 2001-12-6 (Local) | Ray Danet | 07°26.201' N / 171°35.077' E | 231m | 5.0 knots |
| December 6, 2001 (local) A big HI to everyone! It's a great day! Here we are…the last day of our leg from Hawaii to the Majuro Atoll in the Marshall islands. At the moment Majuro is only 29 miles out and we should there within six hours. We worked all this morning getting the boat ship shape. We are looking forward to a dinner ashore and maybe a toddy or two. Our next guest , John Wooldridge of Motorboating Magazine will be joining us for the next leg. John will be aboard from Majuro to Pohnpei which should be about 7 days. You can look for an article detailing his journey in a forthcoming issue of Motorboating. Well I'm going to wrap this session up for now. There's a chance that we may not be up for a couple of days. We have boat maintenance and provisioning and numerous other items to do. The date is 12/6/2001 (Remember, we're on the other side of the International Date Line.) Our position is N 07*26.201' / E 171*35.077' the speed is 5knts @ 1650rpm.Our course is 231m. The barometer is at 1009mb and holding steady. The wind is off our stern at 25knts, the seas are 15ft and confused (for the first time we have used the paravanes and both fish in the water). Distance off our landfall is 25.5nm. |
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| 2001-12-5 (Local) | Ray Danet | 08°34.983' N / 174°01.633' E | n/a | 5.9 knots @1500rpm |
| December 5, 2001 (local) Good Morning to All, I'm writing this a bit early today. We have some things to do before our arrival at Majuro tomorrow. We hope to make landfall sometime between 12 & 3 in the afternoon. We thought we would be earlier but we had storms all of last night and the seas are big and confused. The rain was unbelievably strong. The boat did get a good rinsing off. We did see an inter-island ship yesterday. She was going the opposite direction doing about 12knts. That's our second boat sighting to date. Below I've indicated our fuel burn for the trip. Some of this is estimated due to the fact of weather that we may encounter on the rest of the trip. For the first two thirds of the trip we ran at 1400rpm @ 1.94 gph, the last third we ran at 1600rpm @ 2.77gph. At this moment we figure that we will have about 188 gallons of reserve fuel, a very safe cushion. We carried a total of 920 gallons of fuel. We did not put aboard any bladders or drums of fuel. The fuel tanks are standard in the amount that they hold. Again, this Nordhavn hull #21 is a stock boat with no modifications other than items that one would normally put aboard for a extended cruise. Below are trip facts. Date is 12/05/2001. The time is 1920uct. Our position is N 08*34.983' / E 174*01.633'. Distance to our landfall (Majuro Atoll) is 183.5nm. The Barometer is at 1009mb and steady. The seas are at 8ft and confused. The wind is from astern at 28knts. The air temp. is 85.s degrees F. Our Boat speed is 5.9knts @1600rpm. |
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| 2001-12-4 (Local) | Ray Danet | 09°27.659' N / 175°55.077' E | n/a | 6.6 knots @1575rpm |
| December 4, 2001 (local) Hello to Everyone, We have been out to at sea for 11 days now and we are starting to get excited about landfall. We started cleaning up the boat and putting things away in anticipation of our arrival. Only out 44 hours from Majuro which puts us right on schedule - we had anticipated a 13 day trip. Majuro is the capital of the Marshall Islands. If you were to fly or come by boat this is where one would check in. There are 1,225 Islands and 29 Atolls in the Marshall group. The ocean area is over 750,000 square miles. The distance from Oahu is 1,963 nm and we can attest to that number! Average air temperature is 81 degrees F and the water is 85 degrees F. Anyone tempted to visit us? The date is 12/4/2001 and the time is 1210 UCT (Were going to stay to this time format to ease the confusion). Our position is N 09*27.659' / E 175*55.077'. We are 306 nm from Majuro Atoll. We are going 6.6knts @ 1575 rpm. The barometer is at 1009mb and holding steady. The temp. is 87.1 degrees F. Sea state is calm with 15knts of wind off our stern. Lots of flying fish. |
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| 2001-12-3 (PST) | Ray Danet | 10°36.191' N / 178°22.856' E | 237m | 7.3 knots @1575rpm |
| December 3, 2001 Hi Everyone, All is well on the good ship Nordhavn. I'm a few hours late on this report. We had a lot of questions in the "Question/Answer" forum today. Some very good questions from all of you out there. Today has been very hot with hardly any wind. A few rain squalls here and there. Dave has been busy cleaning and polishing the chrome. Tom downloaded the digital camera onto a CD so when we get into Majuro we can get the pictures into the mail and hopefully on to the website soon. Big event on last night's watch as we crossed the International Date Line. What that means is that we never saw Sunday, so now we are a day ahead of you. Last night's dinner was Tom's famous chicken and rice with vegetables. Eating is one of the big highlights when one is passage making (as you can tell by the daily detailed descriptions of dinner.) Were lucky to have the extra freezer. Monday 12/03/2001 Our position is N 10*36.191 / East 178*22.856. Our course is 237m. The speed is 7.3 knts @ 1575 rpm. Distance to our landfall (Majuro Atoll) is 467nm. the Barometer is at 1008mb and falling. The temp. is 87F and the wind is dead astern @ 10knts. |
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| 2001-12-1 (PST) | Dave Harlow | 11°57.396' N / 178°40.234' W | 236m | 7.2 knots |
| December 1, 2001 Current position and speed Latitude 11' 57 :396 North Longitude 178' 40 :234 West Course 236 M RPMs 1600 Speed over ground 7.2 Knots Distance run 1287 nm Distance to go 663 nm Today the winds are at our back at 16 to 20 knots, the seas are about 8'. Sunny, 87 with a few high clouds. Each day now we get 3 or 4 line squalls that pass over us. The first show up on the radar in yellow and blue undefined targets. You watch them for awhile on the screen and track their course. As they get close, you put down your book, get up to look behind you, you either see a small cloud with a little rain or a big growler that darkens the sky. If it's a small cloud, you put your feet back up, grab your drink and try to remember what you were reading. If it's the growler, you quickly run around and close all of the hatches, ports and doors and settle in for 15 to 30 minutes of heavy rain. The wind picks up about 5 to 10 knots, there's the sound of a thousand slabs of bacon frying as the rain pounds down...then its over. You open all of the windows, ports and doors, the boat is clean, the air is fresh, you put your feet up, grab a new drink as you spilled yours trying to get the hatches closed, and you forget about your book as you spend the next hour watching the backside of the storm pass to the west. "Hey, who won the Rams game today?" Who cares....I got the Growlers on the big screen! Nice way to spend the day. Here are today's fuel and range calculations: Fuel remaining on board 449 gallons Fuel burned last 24 hours 66 gallons Distance made good last 24 hours 175 nautical miles Speed made good last 24 hours 7.3 knots Distance remaining to destination 663 nautical miles Remaining range at present speed 1167 nautical miles. |
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| 2001-12-1 (PST) | Ray Danet | 07°16.977' N / 168°49.431' E | n/a | 0 |
| December 1, 2001 Good day to all, Tom on his watch last night saw our first ship. He saw her range lights so that meant that she was pretty good size and it was a good blip on the radar. Today was another beautiful day, lots of flying fish. We are going to hit the "International Date Line" (Latitude 00*00.000') tonight. That will put us a day ahead of all you back home. A little quiz, can anyone tell me at what location on the world where each day begins? Hint: this location is also the last nation that is a Kingdom and has a King. You can answer on our "Question / Answer Forum" on our ATW web page. I'll have our office let me know who was the first to answer and I will post it on my next report as soon as I receive it. As of 12/01/2001 Saturday 12:00 PM local Our Position is N 12*00.991' / W 178*33.829'. Heading is 235m. Our speed is 7.6knts (over bottom) @1575rpm. The temp. is 85.1f. The wind is aft of port quarter @18knts.The Barometer is 1008mb.Distance to our next landfall (Majuro Atoll) is 659nm. I would like to thank all of you for sharing the adventure with us as our Nordhavn 40 follows the Sunsets. I truly wish that all of you could be here with us! |
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| 2001-11-30 (PST) | Ray Danet | 13°11.116' N / 176°04.117' W | 227m | 7 knots |
| November 30, 2001 Good day to all. Another day another nautical mile. Another fantastic day with trade winds from behind and puffy clouds on the horizon with a temperature of 85 degrees. We increased our engine RPM to 1600 which took our oat speed to 7knts. At this rate we are making up time and should be at Majuro Atoll as planned. Dave changed the pre-filters on the water maker today, the old ones looked OK but we wanted to make sure we don't overload the high pressure pump. We shut down the main engine yesterday to check fluids which was really strange for me not hearing any noise. After a few moments we started the wing engine to keep the pace up. It's also good to run the wing engine now and then. I brought some CD's from my own boat but I should have brought more. At the moment we have Shania Twain singing "Don't be Stupid". Our dinner last night was Rib-Eye steaks on the Barbie and baked potatoes with a cabbage salad, yum! Thanks to of our chef, Tom. Yesterday we passed the half way point to Majuro. In our 40ft world, each of us has developed our own pattern and we each help each other as needed. We have a great crew and we all get along well. One of the highlights each day is receiving email from our friends and loved ones. It's really amazing to hear from family every day. On my last cruise I was in the South Pacific for few years and at that time all you had was a phone patch thanks to fellow ham operator and only if the conditions were right. Next year we will be talking thru our watches with live pictures. That brings up a point. We were going to try to upload pictures on this link but it wasn't to be. We'll resort to burning digital photos onto a cd and sending them back home when we get to Majuro. The Vitals as follows. 11/30/2001 the local time is 12:09pm local / 1117 utc. Our position is N 13*11.116' / W 176*04.117. Our course is 227M. Distance to our next landfall "Majuro Atoll" is 833nm. The Barometer is at 1012mb and falling. The temp is 85F with 19knts of wind directly on our stern. Our speed is 7knts @ 1600rpm. |
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| 2001-11-29 (PST) | Ray Danet | 14°32.272' N / 173°27.216' W | 234m | 7 knots |
| November 29, 2001 Another day and all is well. We are almost at the half way point and today we upped the RPM by 100 and that brought our speed to 7.0knts with the current sea conditions. At the moment we have the paravanes out but not the fish and the reason that I mention this is because as I sit at this laptop I can look out and sea two Bobbie birds on the port side and one on the starboard side. What we can't figure out is how do they rest when no one is around. Tom made a great dinner last night which was baked chicken and rice with fresh cabbage salad. We have the fishing hand line out with the idea of having a fresh Ceveichi for lunch, I'll let you all know tomorrow if we were successful. ATW stats as of 11/29/01 @ 11:45 local and 0945UTC Our position is N 14*32.272' / W 173*27.216'. Our speed is 7knts @ 1500rpm. The course is 234M. The sky is overcast with 11knts of wind over our port stern quarter. The barometer is at 1013mb and rising. Our landfall to Majuro is 1005nm distant. |
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| 2001-11-29 (PST) | Dave Harlow | n/a | n/a | 6.6 knots |
| November 29, 2001 Jim, We were going to throttle up on Friday but with your notes we will do it today. We were concerned about the weather holding, after 20 days of head winds it definitely is good to see some tail winds in our future. I think we will stay at 1500 for a day, figure our burn at 1500 and then bump up to 1600 in the morning. 570 gallons remaining We have about 1000 miles to go. 1500 rpms @ 6.6 knots Majuro in 151.5 hours 6 days 8 hours @2.31 gph 349.9 Gallons needed x 1.05 safety = 367 gallons to Majuro 203 gallons reserve @ 2.31 gph = 87 hours running time / 574 miles @ 1.05 safery = 83 hours running time / 547 miles In the last hour we did 7.1 knots Thanks for the help. Dave |
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| 2001-11-29 (PST) | From Jim Leishman | Dana Point, CA | n/a | n/a |
| November 29, 2001 Dear Dave, Ray and Tom: Checking the weather - 10:00 am November 29 - I see more of the same for you. The easterlies should be consistent for the next three days with winds - ranging from 10 to 18 knots. The current should be favorable too - showing 1/2 to 1 knot flowing in a westerly direction. I would think your speed should start working upward. There's nothing brewing that looks like it will give you trouble in the foreseeable future. I figured by 12:00 Hawaii time today (Thursday 29th) you should have only 996 miles to go and if you had 620 gallons yesterday - you'd have to average 1.74 MPG to make Majuro - running out of fuel. If you had 680 - it's only 1.57 MPG. I just finished analyzing the remaining fuel and distance and I'd like you to consider the following: If I'm correct about your distance remaining at 12:00 today (Nov. 29), you have 996 miles to go. You probably have 48 gallons less fuel than you had yesterday so I assume it's 572. At 572 gallons you have to make 1.74 MPG to run out of fuel at the entrance to the lagoon at Majuro (you still have 10 gallons in the day tank). If you had 680 yesterday than you'll have about 632 today so you only have to make 1.57 mpg. If you increase speed to 1500 rpm your boat speed should increase by by 4/10 of a knot. If you've gotten 6.2 knots at the 1400 rpm you should get 6.6 at the 1500 and be getting 2.85 mpg. You'll burn 2.31 gph. If you increase to 1600 rpm your speed should go up to 6.9 knots and burn 2.77 gph and get 2.49 mpg. At 6.9 knots you should be to the lagoon entrance in 144 hours and burn 359 gallons. You would have 261 gallons in reserve (29%) or up to 321 gallons remaining if you actually have the 632 remaining today (35%). I think you need to reconfirm all these numbers, check your fuel - and if I'm right - it's time to speed up. Regards, Jim |
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| 2001-11-28 (PST) | Tom Selman | 15°29.000' N / 171°50.400' W | n/a | n/a |
| November 28, 2001 We have had a beautiful day today. The seas are 4 to 6 feet and it's a sunny, 85 degrees. We are just about to the half-way point between Hawaii and Majuro. There will be a full moon tonight so visibility will be good. Our current position is 15 29 000N and 171 50 400W. Just had a great dinner and settling into the evening watch. We shut down the main engine today to check fluids and it is a little unsettling to not hear that engine chugging along. After so many day, its purr blends into the background. Yesterday we passed within 15 miles of Johnston Atoll but never saw anything except on radar. Couldn't raise them on VHF. Coffee pot broke several hours ago so we are going without. Maybe we can pick one up in Majuro. Looking forward to seeing something besides the smooth clear horizon. |
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| 2001-11-28 (PST) | Ray Danet | 15°39.453' N / 171°06.698' W | n/a | 6.5 knots |
| November 28, 2001 Hi everyone, Another day at sea and what a great one it is. Trade winds are blowing from our stern at around 10knts, little puffy clouds and a sea that is the most beautiful blue there is. Dinner last night was hot dogs and french fries. For breakfast this morning Dave made scrambled eggs with onions, sausage and toast on the side. Sure miss that coffee pot I broke. We got up this morning, all feeling great. Tom got all the fishing gear straightened up along with the aft deck. Dave did a wipe-down of the interior to rid the boat of the fine salt mist that gets every where. I washed down the outside of the boat with fresh water, thank you water maker. We tried to raise Johnston Atoll on the VHF radio with no success. This was understandable knowing that our military has their hands full at this time. God bless them! Below is our trip information for 11/28/2001. The time is 11:55 local and 0955UTC. Our position is N 15*39.453' / W 171*06.698'. Our speed is 6.5knts @1400rpm. The Barometer is 1012mb and rising. The wind is aft of our starboard quarter @8knts. Sea condition is a 4ft consisting of a long gentle swell. Our landfall, Majuro Atoll, is 1156nm distant. |
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| 2001-11-27 (PST) | Ray Danet | 16°35.898' N / 168°52.961' W | n/a | 6.5 knots |
| November 27, 2001 Hello one and all, The sun is finally out. Nice change from all the rain squalls yesterday. It's still a bit unruly out here today. The wind is around 20 plus knots and the seas are 10-12 feet. One good thing is that the wind has clocked around to our stern quarter. I'm sitting on this little bar stool at the nav station which is located in the wheel house. Every time a big wave comes by I have to grab something as the stool starts to topple. I'm learning to use one hand for typing and the other for the boat. We just finished our showers. Our Nordhavn has a shower fixture in the cockpit. This works out quite well in the tropic weather that we are encountering here. I can't imagine what it would be like taking a shower in the head in this sea condition. As I type this Tom is in the galley making lunch which will be hot dogs and chili. Dave is in the engine room (120 degrees) checking up on all those items that need attention. Johnston atoll is just twenty miles off our starboard bow. This atoll is run by the US military and they allow no pleasure yachts to enter. We will still try to raise them on the VHF radio and say "hey" (that's Texan for Hi, my wife taught me that). I have sold six of these Nordhavn 40's and it really amazes me how much more I've learned about this boat. The way she handles the different sea conditions, the way the active and the passive stabilizers work and the steady hum of the Lugger engine as she performs day in and day out. By the end of this first leg, I'm sure I'll have learned a lot more. I can't wait to share all the information that I have learned. To follow, trip facts as of 11/27/2001 12:00PM Local and 1000 UTC Position N 16*35.898' / W168*52.961'. Our landfall, Majuro lies 1297nm. Our speed is 6.5knts at 1400rpm. Barometer is at 1011mb The wind is 23knts out of the north. Outside temp is 82.6 degrees. Sea state is BIG. Best wishes and love to all our friends and family |
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| 2001-11-26 (PST) | Ray Danet | 17°29.246' N / 166°28.381' W | n/a | 5.2 knots |
| November 26, 2001 Good day to all, Conditions on the good ship Nordhavn are not as nice as the last few days and the reason that this update will be short.We got into a big low last night and it looks like it will go thru late tonight. The wind is just off the bow and we have had wind speeds up to 32knts with rain squalls. Everyone is in great sprits but not eating much. Its truly amazing how well this little boat handles everything. I have never felt more safe than in this N40. She's handling it better than I can. I almost forgot. Tom our "Cruise Director" said that there will not be any tennis on the aft boat deck today. This is Ray signing off for now but I will try to write more tomorrow, weather permitting. Trip facts to follow. Position is N 17*29.246' / W 166*28.381'. Our speed is 5.2knts @ 1320rpm. The barometer is at 1009 which is down. Wind speed is 20knts coming out of the Northwest. Air temp. is 77.2F. Seastate is very confused and waves at 4-6 ft. Local time is 11:55 am on 11/26/02. Best wishes and love to all our friends and family, Ray, Dave and Tom |
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| 2001-11-25 (PST) | Ray Danet | 18°20.464' N / 164°40.376' W | 238m | 5.54 knots |
| November 25, 2001 Hello out there, This is Ray signing in from another day at sea. This is our 4th day out and all is well. We had a few scattered showers last night on the radar but we missed them all. The wind clocked around to forward of our beam so our speed is down. We are between lows and should be past them by tomorrow. A big high should be coming in soon. We caught a 4ft Dorado yesterday afternoon. Tom made a big bowl of cevichie which was great. These fish are really beautiful when they come out of the water. At the time of capture we had two hand lines in the water, one was blue and green and the other was yellow and red which we caught the fish on. I know that a hand line doesn't sound very sporting but when you crave something fresh you go for the gusto. Everything is working well on our Nordhavn. Dave has been very conscientious about checking all the systems. The only bad thing was this morning when we lost the glass coffee-pot on a big (not so big) wave. It looks like we will be brewing into a pan for the rest of this leg. Tom has just announced that at 1:00 there will be a shuffle board contest on the boat deck just aft of the swimming pool. Dave will be serving cocktails to all, hope all of you can make it. The time is 12:00 pm on Nov 25th. Our position is N 18*20.464' / W164*40.376'. The course is 238* M. Majuro atoll is 1560nm distant. The barometer is at 1012mb which is down. Outside temp is 79.9F. The wind is out of the south at 15knts (off our port bow). Our speed is 5.54knts at 1409rpm. Seas are sloppy. Best wishes and love to our friends and family, we miss you one and all, Ray, Dave and Tom |
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| 2001-11-24 (PST) | Dave Harlow | n/a | n/a | 6.2 knots |
| November 25, 2001 Hello out there, This is Ray signing in from another day at sea. This is our 4th day out and all is well. We had a few scattered showers last night on the radar but we missed them all. The wind clocked around to forward of our beam so our speed is down. We are between lows and should be past them by tomorrow. A big high should be coming in soon. We caught a 4ft Dorado yesterday afternoon. Tom made a big bowl of cevichie which was great. These fish are really beautiful when they come out of the water. At the time of capture we had two hand lines in the water, one was blue and green and the other was yellow and red which we caught the fish on. I know that a hand line doesn't sound very sporting but when you crave something fresh you go for the gusto. Everything is working well on our Nordhavn. Dave has been very conscientious about checking all the systems. The only bad thing was this morning when we lost the glass coffee-pot on a big (not so big) wave. It looks like we will be brewing into a pan for the rest of this leg. Tom has just announced that at 1:00 there will be a shuffle board contest on the boat deck just aft of the swimming pool. Dave will be serving cocktails to all, hope all of you can make it. The time is 12:00 pm on Nov 25th. Our position is N 18*20.464' / W164*40.376'. The course is 238* M. Majuro atoll is 1560nm distant. The barometer is at 1012mb which is down. Outside temp is 79.9F. The wind is out of the south at 15knts (off our port bow). Our speed is 5.54knts at 1409rpm. Seas are sloppy. Best wishes and love to our friends and family, we miss you one and all, Ray, Dave and Tom |
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| 2001-11-24 (PST) | Ray Danet | 19°10.074' N / 162°31.949' W | 234m | 6.8 knots |
| November 24, 2001 Hi there, Like past days, all is well on the good ship Nordhavn. We ate our Thanksgiving dinner last night, The turkey and the wine was excellent the rest of the dinner was OK. The beauty of our surroundings made up for everything. We have had the fishing gear out for the last two days with no luck but the expectation is high. Tom had a good bite and the only way we knew this was that the lure was gone. The watch system that we are using is three on and six off with the exception of the hours between 9:00am and 3:00pm. During these hours we leave it open and if one is sleeping then some one steps up to the plate. We always have some one on watch. This system has worked out great for us on this part of the trip. This is our third day out and our Nordhavn is performing faultlessly. Lunch is ready, we are having turkey and egg salad sandwiches. I'll sign off for now with the trip facts below. Date 11/24/20001 Our position at noon local time is N 19*10.074' and W 162*31.949'. Our course is 234*M. Speed is 6.8kts @ 1400RPM and using 1.98 gph. The wind is from our stern @ 6.3knts.The Barometer is 29.9in of mercury. Outside temp is 85.5 F and the water temp is 75* F. Sunny sky's with a few clouds on the horizon. Our landfall, Majuro Atoll is 1694 nm distant. Our best wishes and love go out to our friends and family, Ray, Dave and Tom |
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| 2001-11-23 (PST) | Dave Harlow | 19°49.307' N / 161°25.488' W | 235m | 5.8 knots |
| November 23, 2001 Honolulu to Majuro, Marshall Islands 12:00 Hawaii Time Well it’s been a few days since there was a report from on board the Nordhavn. We have been pretty busy for the last couple of days with restocking goods, fixing a few items that needed attention and to let the Badger out a little. We met a lot of really good folks over here in Hawaii and I want to thank them all for there help and support. On board are Dave Harlow and Ray Danet from PAE and Tom Selman a long time friend of PAE and a Nordhavn 50 owner. We three will be on board from Hawaii to Singapore along with an occasional guest on selected routes We spent Monday and Tuesday as the guest of the Hawaii Yacht club. The club is located in the Ala Wai Yacht Basin with the surf of Ala Moana breaking to the right as you enter. The club itself is located at the end of a long pier overlooking the entrance to the harbor. There is a restaurant and bar, with the trade winds blowing through, friendly people and a great view of the city on one side and beaches and open water on the other. Very nice. We left the Hawaii Yacht club at 4:30 on Wednesday morning and headed up the coast to the Koalina Yacht basin for fuel and final provisioning. This is a brand new facility and is very clean and well laid out, with a small store, fuel dock, golf course and plenty of sights to see. Everyone was again very helpful and curios about the trip and our next stops. On Thanksgiving afternoon, we said our goodbyes to Jim, Sue and Eric Leishman as well as George Kolesnikov and Paul Grover and headed to sea again. I could think of a thousand reasons to stay…..but about a thousand and one to move on. So here we are, a day out, winds calm, the seas behind us and many adventures ahead. Ray has his feet up, Tom has a line in the water, and me, I think I’ll have a beer. Adios for now. DH |
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| 2001-11-23 (PST) | Ray Danet | 20°17.849' N / 160°22.637' W | 239m | 6.0 knots |
| November 23, 2001 Hi Everyone, All is well on the good ship Nordhavn. We are all still trying to get our sea legs, it looks like it will be the three day rule. Yesterday before we got on the boat we stopped by this store and bought a "Thanksgiving Dinner in a box", no kidding it had a pre-cooked turkey vacuum pack with mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry and rolls.We didn't eat it yesterday so today we are going to give it a try. At the current time we are running the Spectra water maker which is producing around 14 GPH. Having a water maker aboard is great, we get fresh showers each morning and we can also keep the boat washed off. I'd like to say hello to Greg LuQue. I sold Greg this Nordhavn 40 #21 quite a few months back. Greg, she's a great boat, everything is working super and we are taking really good care of her. Now for the vitals at 12:00 Local time on the 23rd of November, The current weather is sunny, the outside air is 80.8 F. The wind is out of the Southeast at 12knts. The Barometer is 29.9. The water is 75.5 F. Our course is 239M.Our speed is 6knts. We are using 1.96 GPH at 1400RPM. Our position is N20*17.849' / W160*22.637'. The distance to Majuro Atoll is 1822NM. Best wishes and love to our friends, family and the rest of the world, Ray, Dave and Tom |
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| 2001-11-22 (PST) | Ray Danet | 21°14' N / 158°17' W | n/a | n/a |
| November 22, 2001 Hello to all, Here it is Thanks Giving day and were starting the next part of our journey of the ATW. Aboard is Dave Harlow (our Captain), Tom Selman and myself Ray Danet. From here on out I'll use first names and there will be a test later. The good ship Nordhavn arrived in Hawaii on November 19th at 6pm local time. The guys were ready for the Hawaii Yacht club bar and a big dinner shortly after. All had too good a time. At this time we would like thank the HYC for help and hospitably. Also would like to thank the Koolina Marina for their help and one of the nicest marinas I've seen in a long time.. Our next stop is Majuro atoll in the Marshall Group. The current time here is 3PM and our position is N21 14' and W158 17'. we are 12NM out of Hawaii and have 1950NM to go. In the following days I will try to do these up dates at noon local time that way I'll be able to give you 24 hour updates. After I get my sea legs I should be able to get into more detailed updates. I have to tell you upfront that I am not a professional writer so please go easy on me . I'm just a boater like the rest of you or soon to be boaters. We also look forward to your questions and comments. We are going to do some fun things later. Best wishes and love to our family, friends and all of you out their, Ray, Dave and Tom |
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| 2001-11-17 (PST) | Jim Leishman | n/a | n/a | 7.2 knots |
| November 17, 2001 12:00 West Coast time We're just now changing our clocks over to Hawaii time - PSD minus two hours. After doing our 12 noon fuel review we note the following: 240 gallon remaining in tanks (includes 10 gallons in Wing Engine Daytank) 380 miles to Honolulu We've decided to increase our speed to 1600 rpm which is giving us 7.2 knots. We now can make Honolulu by 15:00 hrs (3:00 pm) on Monday - November 19th. We estimate we'll have 84 gallons in the mains and 10 gallons in the wing engine day tank. The weather is beautiful with air temp now at 77 degrees and water at about 75 degrees. The wind is still on our port beam but only at 9 knots (still no easterly trades). We've had spectacular sunsets the past few nights and if the calm weather holds - this evening I may launch a Kayac and take some shots of the NORDHAVN sailing southwest into the red setting sun and puffy cumulious clouds. Eric set the lines at dawn today and within 20 minutes - he had a triple hook up - three 20 to 25 pound Dorados. He got into a little trouble with me because we had to stop the boat and everyone was woke up to help. We released all three and within 30 minutes he had two more. I finally told him to pull the lines in - unless he wanted to clean the fish himself. Each one we bring aboard creates a blood bath in the cockpit - the equivalent of a human chainsaw murder. The fish splatters his own blood everywhere while he's violently beaten to death with a toilet pump handle. It's a half hour cleanup - including cockpit overhead, aft windows - it all has to be soaped down and washed and then the fisherman has to take a shower. These Dorados are one fighting fish - they don't die easily. Eric's caught dozens of them. Best Regards, Jim |
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| 2001-11-16 (PST) | Georgs Kolesnikovs | 23°41.973' N / 147°33.391' W | 246m | 6.1 knots |
| November 16, 2001 Day 13: Dana Point to Honolulu 0330 Pacific Standard Time Latitude 23.41.973 North Longitude 147.33.391 West Course made good 246 M Speed over ground 6.1 knots at 1,410 RPM Distance run 1,743.3 nm Distance to go 589.9 nm Of course, the wind is still in the wrong direction, 12-14 knots out of the south, giving us a bit of a beam sea on Nordhavn’s port side. Day 13: Dana Point to Honolulu 16 November 2001 1200 Pacific Standard Time Here are today’s fuel and range calculations: Fuel remaining on board 335 gallons (170 port, 115 starboard) Fuel burned last 24 hours 50 gallons Distance made good last 24 hours 150 nautical miles Speed made good last 24 hours 6.25 knots Distance remaining to destination 536 nautical miles Remaining range at present speed 826 nautical miles And here’s the latest look at the weather by Walt Hack. It bears out what we were able to download and examine with RayTech Navigator: We stand an excellent chance of having no favorable winds for the balance of the passage. To: Capt Jim Fm: O.M.N.I. NJ/USA 0130Z 16 NOV 01 Captain, still NW fetch across latitudes 25N-35N, generating NW-NNW swells thru your track. Little change over the coming 5-6 days as high pressure ridge remains east-west across abt 25N. Fairly wide frontal boundary 90nm to yr NW, incrsd clouds + showers thru Fri/16. Next front reaches Oahu by Tue/20th, likely near yr arrival. Today off Oahu, swells 5-7ft long 13-15secs, wind NW-NE 05-15kt. Not anticipating any tropical threat remainder to Oahu. No obvious advantage to diversion from the direct rhumb line route to approaches Oahu. Expect along the R/L route: Thu/15-Fri/16: S-SW shift NW-N 10-20kt and gusty late Thu into Fri midday. N-E 10-17kt remainder Fri. NW 6-8ft occ 9-10ft. Sat/17: Var 05-15kt, swell NW 6-8ft occ 9-10ft. Sun/18: N-NE to SE-S late 05-15kt, swell NW 7-9ft occ 10-11ft long. Mon/19 to arr'l: S-W to NW 10-20kt, some gusts last 12 hours NW-NNW 6-8ft occ 10ft. B/rgds, Walt/OMNI Day 13: Dana Point to Honolulu 16 November 2001 1330 Pacific Standard Time We stopped the boat for the first time since leaving Dana Point, so young Eric could land what appeared to be a record-setting fish. He struggled mightily for close to 15 minutes, before the catch came into view in the clear water. The fish was in fact a bucket. His Dad and Dave had concocted the practical joke while Eric was napping. I assured Eric I had nothing to do with the prank. The stop enabled us to jump into the ocean for a swim, with the depth being some 16,000 feet. The water felt warmer than the 77-degree air temperature. I had forgotten how salty the Pacific can be, and how badly out of shape I am. I didn’t even attempt my customary swim around the boat, and needed a hand back up on the swim platform pitching in the swell. So civilized this Nordhavn is: After the swim, we washed off the salt under a hot-water shower in the cockpit. --end--gxk |
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| 2001-11-13 (PST) | Jim Leishman | 25°17' N / 140°51' W | n/a | n/a |
| November 13, 2001 Hello everyone: The past two days have been pleasant with sunshine and light easterly winds. We cooked a prime rib yesterday after noon and watched Operation Pacific with John Wayne while the smell of the roast wafted about the boat. The weather continues to be fair today however Walt Hack advises that there's another low passing to out north and we can expect more of the westerly winds that have slowed us up the past week. We are now gliding along at our same 1400 rpm - burning slightly less than two gallon per hour and making a steady 6.5 knots. Our remaining distance is 967 nautical miles and we have 430 gallons left aboard. We estimate that well arrive with adequate reserves. If we look at the remaining distance and figure the 2 GPH rate - at 6 knots - we'll be able to go 1290 miles - at 5 knots - 1075 miles and even at 4.5 knots we can still make it. We're not anticipating the weather Walt's predicting to be heavy enough to significantly slow us down. Our present position at 13:00 Pacific Coast time is N25'17 and W140'51. Paul Grover is flying to Hawaii today and we listened for him on the SSB. He said he'd give us a call at noon but we never heard him on the designated frequency. A few things we need and I thought these could be delivered to Sue and she can carry them over to us. 1. 25 of the little black screw caps which hold the instrument panels in the wheelhouse 2. New H.L. paper towel holder - the old one broke in rough weather 3. The balance of the C-map cartridges for the Raytheon chart plotter . Contact George Sass on this - Very Important!!! 4. We need a cover - maybe s.s. for the wing engine propeller. While checking the oil on the main - I put my bare foot on the spinning coupling - no problem but it could have been a disaster 5. I need the box for the small Canon camera - digital. It has the data cord in it, which Dave will need to down load pictures into the computer. 6. We need CDs for music. I have a bunch of these at home - maybe James can burn some more for us. Dave likes country music and is allowed to play it when I'm off the boat. That's it for now. You can tell that we have virtually no problems with the boat - everything is perfect. Best Regards, Jim Leishman |
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| 2001-11-11 (PST) | Dave Harlow | 25°51.181' N / 138°27.195' W | n/a | 5.8 knots |
| November 11, 2001 This is the first day of really good weather. We had weather report (below) that was pretty dismal. We now seem to be past the most severe portion of this and it looks real nice. At this moment it is 76f outside, sunny, water is about 70f I'm guessing. We are at N 25’51: 181 / W 138’27:195. The seas are still really big – we are guessing about 18’, big rolling seas headed to some distant reef – some far off beach. Somewhere right now some guys are saying “ Man, there’s a big north swell coming in…..” , well buddy we’ve seen it and rode it first, have fun when it gets to you. We have been watching the fuel pretty closely. We are running a 1400 rpm’s at about 5.8 knots. Burning about 2gph. We are betting that with the wind and swells behind us we can make about 6.3 at the same rpm's. At that speed and fuel burn we should make Honolulu with about 100 gals to spare. We hooked into a small Dorado at 2:00 this afternoon. He was green and blue, fought well and was cut up and cooled for this afternoon’s sashimi in about 10 minutes. Well if the weather holds we should be into Honolulu in about 7 days. Refuel, reload with food and needed parts and off to Johnstone Atoll and then to Majoro in the Marshall Islands. We do not get very detailed news out here but did pick up on the plane crash this morning in New York. All on board this little boat are hoping that it was an accident, but knowing that either way it is an awful loss of lives, dreams and adventures that will never be. Our best to those left behind. Jim Leishaman noted the other day that, “In years past a sailor went to sea and left all behind, wife, sweethearts, family and friends. All news of home and the world, the good news and the bad left behind. This is not so for today’s seafarer”. Last night I received a message from Jessica, made my day - made my week, I had to out on the back deck for a while and be alone. But with the good news also comes the bad. The sea will never again offer the same solitude and escape as in the books that my dad read to me as a kid. After last night….I think it is not such a bad thing. DH After writing this we have heard that the fateful crash of the New York flight was accidental. I for one am relieved, I hope that those on board the flight would understand. God speed. |
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| 2001-11-11 (PST) | Georgs Kolesnikovs | 26°22.938' N / 136°12.166' W | 243m | 4.9 knots |
| November 11, 2001 Dana Point to Honolulu 1615 Pacific StandardTime It looks like we may be facing another bout of unpleasant weather. There’s been a strange swell running from the west all day, and the wind has remained westerly—exactly the opposite of what the run to Hawaii is supposed to have. Now, the barometer has started a downturn. Below is the e-mail we received a couple of hours ago from Walt Hack, the forecaster and router favored by veteran voyagers such as Bruce Kessler and the folks at PAE. I reproduce it here in its entirety for two reasons: 1) People interested in offshore cruising often ask about the kind of service Walt provides. 2) The forecast will keep you entertained in the event it becomes too bumpy for me to prepare another report for a while. If you have a map or chart of the Pacific, you can plot where we are right now, heading WSW, and then Walt’s directions will have some meaning. To: Captain Jim - M/V NORDHAVN Fm: O.M.N.I./USA 1750Z 11 NOV 2001 Captain, good speaking to you yesterday. Synopsis: 1028mb high cell near 35N 168W with ridge ESE'ward 25N 140W then eastward. A cold front extending SW across 30N 135W to 27N 142W will continue to move eastward. Latest observations near and NW of the cold front indicate WNW-NW winds 15-25kts with WNW sea/swells 12-16ft. The high ridge is expected to drift southward and lay west-east along 28N-30N from 180 east to 120W by Mon/night and continue thru Tuesday before weakening again as a new cold front moves across the central N/Pacific and splits the high ridge with one high cell drifting NE'ward toward the US west coast for Wed-Thur and a weaker high cell remaining north of the Hawaiian Islands thru Thu/am. During the next 18-24hrs you will experience the adverse wind/sea conditions WNW-NW forces/5-6 with rough WNW-NW swells of 12-17ft. By Mon/1200Z wind/sea conditions are expected to abate and gradually veer to a more NNE-NE direction once you get south of the high ridge, which should occur by on Mon/12th. Basis your posn Sat/10th on a heading 244/deg for Honolulu, expect: Sun/11: WNW-NW 20-25kt, gusty. WNW-NW 12-17ft, upto 18ft at times. Mon/12: Veering NW-N 15-22kt to NNE-NE 10-18kt during late aftn-eve. NW 10-15ft thru midday, then slowly abate NNW 9-12ft by Mon/night. Tue/13th: NE 08-16kt. NNW 9-12ft. Wed/14th-Hono: ENE 08-18kt. NNW-NW 9-12ft, mix with NNE 6-8ft remainder. In order to provide the best route possible, Pls keep us advised of your posn enroute with actual port arrivals and updates on port departures. Thanks. B/Rgds, for Walt/OMNI nnnn |
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| 2001-11-10 (PST) | Georgs Kolesnikovs | 26°56.71' N / 133°50.730' W | 243m | 5.3 knots |
| November 11, 2001 Dana Point to Honolulu 1615 Pacific StandardTime It looks like we may be facing another bout of unpleasant weather. There’s been a strange swell running from the west all day, and the wind has remained westerly—exactly the opposite of what the run to Hawaii is supposed to have. Now, the barometer has started a downturn. Below is the e-mail we received a couple of hours ago from Walt Hack, the forecaster and router favored by veteran voyagers such as Bruce Kessler and the folks at PAE. I reproduce it here in its entirety for two reasons: 1) People interested in offshore cruising often ask about the kind of service Walt provides. 2) The forecast will keep you entertained in the event it becomes too bumpy for me to prepare another report for a while. If you have a map or chart of the Pacific, you can plot where we are right now, heading WSW, and then Walt’s directions will have some meaning. To: Captain Jim - M/V NORDHAVN Fm: O.M.N.I./USA 1750Z 11 NOV 2001 Captain, good speaking to you yesterday. Synopsis: 1028mb high cell near 35N 168W with ridge ESE'ward 25N 140W then eastward. A cold front extending SW across 30N 135W to 27N 142W will continue to move eastward. Latest observations near and NW of the cold front indicate WNW-NW winds 15-25kts with WNW sea/swells 12-16ft. The high ridge is expected to drift southward and lay west-east along 28N-30N from 180 east to 120W by Mon/night and continue thru Tuesday before weakening again as a new cold front moves across the central N/Pacific and splits the high ridge with one high cell drifting NE'ward toward the US west coast for Wed-Thur and a weaker high cell remaining north of the Hawaiian Islands thru Thu/am. During the next 18-24hrs you will experience the adverse wind/sea conditions WNW-NW forces/5-6 with rough WNW-NW swells of 12-17ft. By Mon/1200Z wind/sea conditions are expected to abate and gradually veer to a more NNE-NE direction once you get south of the high ridge, which should occur by on Mon/12th. Basis your posn Sat/10th on a heading 244/deg for Honolulu, expect: Sun/11: WNW-NW 20-25kt, gusty. WNW-NW 12-17ft, upto 18ft at times. Mon/12: Veering NW-N 15-22kt to NNE-NE 10-18kt during late aftn-eve. NW 10-15ft thru midday, then slowly abate NNW 9-12ft by Mon/night. Tue/13th: NE 08-16kt. NNW 9-12ft. Wed/14th-Hono: ENE 08-18kt. NNW-NW 9-12ft, mix with NNE 6-8ft remainder. In order to provide the best route possible, Pls keep us advised of your posn enroute with actual port arrivals and updates on port departures. Thanks. B/Rgds, for Walt/OMNI nnnn |
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| 2001-11-9 (PST) | Georgs Kolesnikovs | 27°34.879' N / 130°50.325' W | 240m | 5.8 knots |
| November 9-10, 2001 Dana Point to Honolulu 0330 Pacific Standard Time What a difference 24 hours makes! There’s a low-pressure disturbance developing to the north of us, sucking up weather from the south. The northeasterlies have become 15-to-20-knot southeasterlies, kicking up a beam sea again, with it the motion and thudding of confused waves. The barometer is dropping. The forecast calls for the wind to continue to clock around to the south and then the west, the direction we are headed. Saturday is likely to be bumpy as a result. The good news is that it’s getting warmer, now close to 70 F. And motion is a lot easier to take on Day 6 and 7 than it was on the first couple of days out. There’s been a question about accommodations in the e-mail received at trawlerworld.com. Day 7: Dana Point to Honolulu Accommodations aboard Nordhavn For a 40-foot boat, we have a lot of flexibility in sleeping accommodations. There are four men aboard and we each have our own berth, and storage space. Jim and Eric are in the forward stateroom where the queen-size bed is divided into two by a full-length lee cloth down the middle. In the guest stateroom, I have the lower berth while Dave has the upper. In a seaway, the best sleeping space is the settee in the salon. Almost always, during the night hours, someone is sleeping there. Often, when the ride is bumpy, another body will be on the warm salon floor above the engine room, curled up against the auxiliary freezer installed for the circumnavigation. During the night hours, the 12 hours of darkness at this time of the year, only the watchstander is awake. Thus, the fact that some crew are sleeping in the “living room” doesn’t impact on anyone or any activity. We have supper together between 6 and 7 p.m., and then, until about 7 or 8 a.m. everyone is asleep except for the watchstander. At night, you have the wheelhouse to yourself and the ship runs in silence with instruments providing the only light. Everyone carries a small pocket flashlight for moments when local light is needed. During the day, there usually are two in the wheelhouse, the watchstander and someone keeping him company or just sitting there on the raised settee and reading. I’ll be at the table in the salon, typing away, while the fourth person will be in the cockpit, galley or second settee. So, we have lots of space, a cordial and casual atmosphere, and no one is getting on anyone else’s nerves. The day goes by quickly. Spirits are high because we are all thrilled to be out here. There is some beer consumed during happy hour, and Dave and I take a glass of wine with dinner. From the numbers of cases stashed in a locker in the master stateroom, I’d have say that Coors Light is the Official Beverage of Nordhavn 40 Around The World. Day 7: Dana Point to Honolulu 9 November 2001 1130 Pacific Standard Time We seem to be getting Saturday’s forecast a day early, with 22 knots out of the south and a confused beam sea of 8 to 10 feet. Nordhavn soldiers onward, albeit at a slower pace, 4.8 knots. It’s remarkable how well the boat tracks in this slop, with the Raymarine ST6001+ autopilot making only minor adjustments. Why have I been using Pacific Daylight Time when, in fact, we’re functioning in Pacific Standard Time? What’s a Canadian to know, eh, about how Californians keep time? Day 7: Dana Point to Honolulu 9 November 2001 1545 Pacific Standard Time Boat speed is down to 4.5 knots as we take 16 to 20 knots on the nose, with the wind wave running diagonally across the swell, making for one confused sea and uncomfortable ride. All the references to boat speed in this journal to date have been at 1,400 rpm, indicating how much we are slowed by changing weather. The last of several squalls just left a fat rainbow in the darkening sky behind us. The one reassuring constant in the rocking and rolling is the murmur of the Lugger, ceasessly pushing us toward Hawaii at 1,400 rpm, an economical engine speed for minimal fuel consumption during at least the first half of the passage. The bummer about the deteriorating weather is that we have to delay the 46th birthday party for Jim. It would be too difficult to serve the ice cream cake his wife, Sue, secreted into the back of the freezer. Besides, I still have not found the candles she said were aboard. Day 8: Dana Point to Honolulu 10 November 2001 0315 Pacific Standard Time Latitude 27.09.283 North Longitude 132.51.586 West Heading 244 M Speed 3.8 knots Not the most pleasant watch I’ve started. As darkness wore on, the contrary seas continued to grow. By midnight, we slowed to 3.6 knots so we and the boat wouldn’t take a beating. The reduction in speed reduced, but not eliminated, the crashing and banging of sea against boat. RPMs are down to 1,280 as we plug along, with a fair bit of rocking but, thankfully, not much rolling. Some spray is flying. As darkness fell, we were looking at 8 to 10 foot seas, so it would not surprise me if out there now seas were 15 or even 20 feet, as the wind has strengthened to 25 knots. It’s a steamy 77 F in the wheelhouse this morning as all windows must remain closed on account of the spray. Only the aft-facing windows in the salon are open. This is not heavy weather, which starts in full gale conditions at 35 knots, but certainly this qualifies as medium weather. It’s the sort of unpleasant night at sea that seems to take forever to end. |
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| 2001-11-9 (PST) | Jim Leishman | 27°25' N / 131°32' W | 243m | 5.5 knots |
| November 9, 2001 Well so much for good weather. Yesterday we received a weather briefing from Walt Hack and he advised that a low to our north would move to the east and disrupt the easterly trades. Our wind clocked around to the south east last night and has been blowing 25 to 30 most of the night and today (right on our beam). There is some sunshine but the sea is rough and uncomfortable. We expect the wind to continue to clock around to the south - then southwest - all the way around to the northwest before it resumes it's normal flow from the East. We expect a difficult weekend. The boat is doing extremely well and with everyone aboard acclimated to the motion - we're all feeling fine. We are building a good reserve of range as we progress and don't expect this weather situation to cause fuel problems or delay. Our present position at 10:30 West Coast time (Nov 9, 2001) is N27'25 and W131'32. We're on course for Honolulu - 243 mag and making about 5.5 knots - down from our 6.3 in the fairer weather. Regards, Jim |
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| 2001-11-8 (PST) | Jim Leishman | 28°30' N / 127°58' W | 258m | 6.2 knots |
| November 8, 2001 It’s a little past midnight and the fifth night at sea since leaving Dana Point. Today, this afternoon and evening - a feeling of well-being are shared by all. Our weather – while still overcast is very pleasant with temperatures in the upper 60s and the wind has clocked around to our stern from the east – we are clearly in the trades. At noon today Eric caught his first Dorado, which as Sushi is much preferred to the cold water Albacore caught earlier in the week. After writing Sue yesterday that we had forgotten Wasabi she emailed be back and told me there was a fresh tube in the locker outboard of the microwave oven – sure enough. The Mahi Mahi was sweet and tender – chilled and eaten 90 minutes after being brought aboard. The wind while turning easterly has moderated from 15-20 knots – down to 7 knots. It was so pleasant this evening that we barbequed steaks, baked huge potatoes and with fresh spinach – thoroughly stuffed ourselves. As the sun set we could see a bright line on the horizon – indicating a break in this overcast many miles to the west and we hope to reach sunshine by tomorrow. It always takes time to adjust and settle into a long ocean voyage. The first three days – while not miserable – were typical of this classic California to Hawaii passage. Leaving the protection of Catalina and then San Nicholas Islands the unimpeded northwest wind and swell make for uncomfortable conditions. Departing Dana Point on Saturday – all the preparation – the huge send off party – the magnitude of the voyage that lie ahead and the rough conditions – combined with concern over the reliability of the new equipment installed – all succeeded to wind my springs pretty tight. Robert Beebe summed it up in an unpublished article he wrote where he spoke of the dread he always felt at the start of an ocean crossing and I had a pretty good case of it. After four full days now – the boat is performing beautifully. Our speed is exactly what was predicted and we are building a good fuel reserve, our water tanks are full of pure R.O. water, every system is operating perfectly and I’m beginning to feel that wonderful, confident, rested feeling that we hope for while passagemaking. It’s time now for a log entry and I need a cup of coffee so I’ll sign off from N28’30 – W127’58 – Course 258M – 6.2 knots….. Jim Leishman |
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| 2001-11-8 (PST) | Georgs Kolesnikovs | 28°10.364' N / 128°14.953' W | 240m | 6.2 knots |
| November 8, 2001 Day 6 0330 Pacific Daylight Time Latitude 28.10.364 North Longitude 128.14.953 West Heading 240m Speed 6.2 knots Like the giant roof being opened in a sports stadium, half of the sky behind me is cloud covered, but ahead, a multitude of clear stars finally becomes visible. We must be entering the genuine Trades, with a clearing sky, and 15 knots of breeze on our port quarter. The wind has clocked around about 180 degrees since we departed Dana Point. And now, the moon shows itself, sending down a silver shimmer on the sea behind us. I turn off the Boticelli and open the tops of the both Dutch doors in the wheelhouse so I can hear, in natural stereo, the bow wave foaming along both sides of Nordhavn. November 8,2001 Day 6: Dana Point to Honolulu 0500 Pacific Daylight Time Zowie! The gentle swell and steady breeze of the Trades are working wonders on our Speed Over Ground (SOG). Since I took the watch, our speed has increased to 6.4 knots from 6.2, the fastest yet on this passage. (Later, other members of the crew loudly question the 6.4 knots, saying I must have throttled up during my watch.) November 8,2001 Day 6: Dana Point to Honolulu 1215 Pacific Daylight Time Speaking of crew, it's time I formally introduced them. The captain of the ship is Jim Leishman, one of the founding partners of Pacific Asian Enterprises, creators and builders of the Nordhavn range of passagemakers that dominate the power segment of the trawler market. The director of the Nordhavn 40 circumnavigation project at PAE, Jim will get off the boat in Hawaii to rejoin it later in its 23,000-nautical-mile trek around the planet. Taking over as captain for the leg from Honolulu to Singapore will be Dave Harlow, a friend of Jim and his brother, Jeff, since childhood in San Clemente, California. Dave has been with PAE for eight years, project manager of the 46- and 50-footers for the last five years during which he has overseen the construction and commissioning of 50 vessels. Jim and Dave have colossal amount of sea time behind them, especially on Nordhavns. To say they are intimately acquainted with the 40 and its systems would be a gross understatement. Fuller biographical information on Jim and Dave can be found in the On File section of the Nordhavn 40 Around The World feature. The third member of the crew is Eric Leishman, Jim's 17-year-old son who is a high-school senior fortunate enough to be able to make an arrangement with his teachers for time off. If he completes a journal of the voyage and other assignments, Eric will not be reported to the truancy patrol. Me, myself, I provided some background on my participation in the first report in this series. Every 24 hours, we each stand watch twice for three hours, which leaves 18 hours for eating, sleeping, reading, e-mail, and exchanges of views and experiences about boats, motorcycles, and other endearing topics. The unseen participant in all this is Bob Towery back at trawlerworld.com who uploads these reports almost as quickly as I can churn them out. I'm using Jim's new HP Pavilion XH545 laptop to write the reports, and transfer them to a diskette for the trip up to the wheelhouse and the ship's computer which is a Toshiba Satellite model purchased at Costco. Outlook Express is the e-mail program used for transmission of messages via the resurrected Iridium satellite telephone system. Iridium is currently the best way to stay connected by telephone anywhere in the world. The hardware costs about $1,000, the antenna is tiny, and the usage toll is $1.50 per minute, anytime, anywhere, without any long-distance surcharge. That's a great deal, especially if you're circumnavigating, and the clarity in voice mode is startling, without any annoying delay. |
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| 2001-11-7 (PST) | Georgs Kolesnikovs | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| November 7, 2001 Dana Point to Honolulu 1630 Pacific Daylight Time Salvation! We discovered the wasabi just in time to enjoy fresh sashimi thanks to the dorado landed earlier today by young Eric.Yum, yum! Happy hour doesn't get better than this, with a gentle Pacific swell behind us, barely a breeze, and 1,736 nautical miles of open ahead of us. But it would be nice to see some sunshine, to make the gray go away. |
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| Leg 2 - Singapore to Athens | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Correspondent | Position | Course | Speed |
| 2002-3-25 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 35°25'N / 026°59' E | n/a | 0 |
| March 25, 2002 Position: 35.25' North -- 026.59'East Anchored at the north east end of Kassos Island We have crossed the Mediterranean – most of it anyway – and it’s been the roughest leg of the voyage. We were very anxious to depart Port Said as the Yacht Club was located in a filthy part of the harbor up against a very rugged concrete seawall. We set our anchor and moored stern to, however the constant wakes coming in from the harbor required that we stay six or eight feet from the wall and the stern was raising and falling two to three feet at times. To leave the boat, we would ease the anchor chain and allow the boat to drift up to the wall and then, quickly, tension had to be drawn on the windlass to prevent the swim step from catching on the concrete wall. I would not have considered leaving the boat unattended for any length of time. We finally left Port Said on Thursday,March 24 at about 1200. Jeff Leishman had e-mailed me and warned that we would have 20 to 25 knot northwesterly winds for the 600 mile passage and as soon as we cleared the breakwater we were bucking against a seven to ten foot head sea with a constant 25 knots of true wind speed. We knew it was going to be a slow rough trip and settled into a 1500 rpm, 5 knot crawl to weather. Checking the e-mail again, Jeff advises that we’re likely to have up winds up to 40 knots from the Southwest. Later, after consulting weather forecaster Walt Hack, Jeff advised we would have full gale conditions and the real threat would not be from the southwest, but from the north. He suggested that we run for the lee side of Crete, later suggesting the lee of a small island of Kassos – just to the east of Crete (it would be about 30 miles closer). By Saturday morning we were experiencing sustained southwesterly winds of 38 knots and occasionally higher gusts. We had been recording barometric pressure hourly and saw a pressure drop of 13 millibars in just 24 hours – starting at 1013 and dropping to below 1000 - this is the fastest I’ve ever seen a barometer fall. The seas were on our beam so we were able to speed up and tried to follow Walt’s suggestion of finding shelter no later than Saturday at midnight. The seas were in the 15 foot range with lots of blowing foam and streaking, although we were reasonably comfortable. As we approached Kassos the winds began to subside and we approached the anchorage known as Helathros. There are no lights to mark the entrance and the chart shows three unmarked rocks at the bay's mouth. I knew we would have to see the rocks on radar and feel very comfortable with the approach or we would stand off and wait for dawn to enter. Sure enough, the entrance was small and I could not identify the location of the three rocks so we turned to seaward and slowly motored up the island and waited for dawn. With light, the entrance looked much better however we never did see the three rocks and relied on the C-Map charting. Maintaining clearance electronically, we entered the tiny cove and dropped our anchor about 0630 Sunday morning. The Island of Kassos looks very much like our own California Channel Islands. Extremely rocky, high cliffs and covered with low shrubs, prickly pear, olive and fig trees. At the head of the cove we noticed some ruins of small buildings and as we studied the area with binoculars we noticed that the entire hillside above the cove was covered by terraced rock walls. It’s was amazing at how extensive an area was covered by these stone walls and we could not figure out if they were agricultural terraces or the foundations of buildings which must have existed many, many years ago. The entire landscape was covered by small blue and purple flowers and the more we looked the more I appreciated the beauty of this Helathros Cove. We were glad to be in and off the rough ocean. At about 1100 I decided to make up some lunch and just about the time I had the cooking utensils out and the stove going, we got a 30-knot blast of wind – straight in from the ocean from the south. Within 15 minutes we were seeing 40 knots gusts and the calm harbor had 4-foot breakers developing. It became very apparent that we could not stay another minute at Helathros Cove. Brian pulled the bridle off the anchor chain and returned to the wheelhouse and with the windlass pulling and the boat in gear we pulled up on our anchor. I had to use pretty good blasts of power and a fully deflected rudder to maintain directional control but all went well and the anchor stowed itself in its roller. Paul watched the chart plotter and gave me direction changes to maintain clearance of the rocks, which we cleared without a problem. The amazing thing was the sea condition. The wind was blowing very hard out of the west and it wrapped around the island bringing the seas right into the cove. As we cleared the headland and turned east we felt and saw the full strength of the wind. The seas were not huge but building by the minute. Our anemometer was showing about 50 knots true and we had numerous gusts up to 60 knots. The tops of the seas were being blown off and creating a sea smoke as it blasted off to leeward. The entire ocean was white with foam and the sky was devoid of any cloud and bright sunshine. It created incredible photo conditions and we have lots of amazing digital photos and digital video of the scene. Our boat handled the conditions beautifully – steering perfectly on autopilot – we raced down the island at 1800 RPM and made a solid eight knots. Our plan was to go around the island to another port that faced the north. We became concerned about the forecasted northerly winds and the fact that the wind might be just as bad on the other sided of the island with its east – west orientation. We considered crossing the channel over to Karpathos (about 14 miles east) but I was concerned about the building seas and how rough the ocean might get in another two hours. We decided to approach the north east side of the island and look for a lee even if it meant motoring in position and not anchoring. We got lucky as we spotted a cove with at least 1,000 foot cliffs and a small beach and area of 50 foot depth. The wind and sea calmed down as we approached and we anchored in a perfect spot. We heard the baying of sheep and looked up to see dozens of what must be domestic sheep grazing on shrubs that cling to the rocky cliffs and ravines. It’s now Monday and we’ve been comfortable in our anchorage for over 24 hours. Yesterday afternoon a cargo ship of about 300 feet approached our cove and anchored out about a half mile. We spoke to him this morning and gave him the latest weather information that we have from Walt Hack. The ship's captain told us that he is bound for Rhodes – to the east of us - and he felt the conditions were too rough to proceed. He was running down swell and elected not to continue. We’d have to beat into it...no way. Walt’s forecast this morning is as follows: "Unfortunately conditions not expected to improve rapidly. Latest observations and analysis indicate a double-barrel low pressure system over the northern Black Sea and midway between Crete and Athens, that is not expected to move significantly for the next 36hrs or so. A blocking 1042mb high pressure over northern Europe with a ridge south across the western Med Sea and across northern Africa is expected to continue producing gale force winds between N. Kason and Athens through Tue/morning. The W'ly wind/seas now are expected to veer more NW, then N'ly through Mon/night with little change in wind force. At times winds are likely to reach 45-50kts over the open waters north of Crete and Athens. Outlooks indicate the broad low pressure system beginning to move eastward across Turkey and the eastern Med Sea during Tue/night-Wed, while the high pressure ridge begins to weaken, but with cold air still moving south, N-NE winds of 25-35kts are still expected north of Crete through Tue/night-early Wed/am. Therefore, we still suggest you remain at port (N. Kason) through Wed/morning, at least in order to allow for the veering W-NW becoming N'ly gale force conditions to improve. So, we’re not going anywhere until this sorts itself out. I feel terrible – knowing we’re only 24 hours out of Athens – with Jeff, Pete, Justin and guest editor Tim Clark from Power and Motoryacht Magazine waiting on us but there’s not much I can do. At least we’re in a beautiful location. I’m not going to return to Port Said but the Greek Islands look fantastic and I will come be back to them. |
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| 2002-3-24 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 35°25'N / 026°59' E | n/a | n/a |
| March 24, 2002 Sunday – 3:00 pm Dear Jeff: Last time I emailed you we were in Ormos Chelantros – a beautiful cove on the Island of North Kasos. About 11:30 this morning, after a pleasant morning (we arrived about 6:00 am), the wind began coming into the cove which faces the south and within 30 minutes it was gusting to 40 knots and five foot swells were breaking into the cove. We threw our lunch in the sink and scrambled to break out of the cove, pulling the anchor and navigating our way past three unmarked rocks and into the open ocean. By then the wind, which was actually from the West, was blowing 45 knots and wrapping its way around into the Ormos Chelatros. We decided to run east and circle the island to look for refuge on the northern side. Jeff, we had gusts from the west of 60 knots with steady winds of 50 (force 8 or 9 conditions). It was awesome. The boat tracked perfectly and we got some amazing video and digital photos. We were able to find a good cove called Ak-Aktis (not marked as an anchorage on the charts) at the southeast side of the island. We’re tucked in now in a spectacular anchorage. But brother, I've got to tell you, it was a wild ride. I never had to steer the boat – autopilot worked perfectly and the boat seemed oblivious to the 12 to 15 foot seas astern. Thank goodness for bleach and the washer/dryer. Our position is now: 35.25' North -- 026.59' East. We’ll stay here and hope for a good forecast this evening or in the morning. It’s so frustrating...we ’re only 24 hours away– but this weather is serious stuff. We’ll play it safe after all these miles. |
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| 2002-3-23 (Local) | Jim Leishman | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| March 23, 2002 Dear Jeff, We're safe here at Ormos Chelantros on the island of N. Kasos. I contacted Walt Hack and his weather report is as follows: "Assuming you are near Karpathos (Island east of Crete) bound for Athens, the latest surface analysis indicates a 991mb low near 42N 30W with a trough trailing SW'ward to a second low near 36N 21E. A deepening upper level trough and developing upper level semi/stat (cut off) low over the Black Sea area will result in this broad low/trough pattern extending SW from the Black Sea area across Turkey and Crete the next 3-4 days. Cold, blocking high pressure over northern Europe extending south across the western Med Sea will help produce fresh to occ strong NNW-NNE wind and building moderate to rough across Aegean Sea and northward of Crete toward Athens Sun/24-Wed/27. As of now, conditions do no appear favorable for a safe transit between the Karpathos area north/west toward Athens through Tue/26th, at least. Proceeding from the Karpathos area north/west to north of Crete prior to Tue/26th could result in experiencing NNW-NNE winds at least 22-33kt with intervals of 35-40kts and building N'ly sea/swells of 5-10ft (highest exposed waters) at least from north of Crete toward Athens." We got pretty roughed up over the past 48 hrs so we want to sit tight for a few hours here. I'm going to ask Walt to give us a new forecast as soon as it becomes available. We're hearing of gale warnings on the VHF but can't get the information we need (language). Things that you can do in preperation: We will need engine oil. I have enough to add oil but not enought for a change. I suggest you get 20 gallons of suitable oil. We need a source for lanudry. A laundromat with big commercial machines to do all the linens, blankets and sleeping bags. If you can locate one in advance - we can assign a man to do this job. The marina must have a dock and water. I've tried to keep up with the boat but since entering the Red Sea, it's been tough. We had red dust stuck to the top of the mast due to sand storms. In one day we can make everything perfect. You'll need fuel - I estimate about 500 gallons. We'll need beer for our arrival party! |
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| 2002-3-22 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 33°07'N / 030°01' E | 314m | 7.6 knots |
| March 22, 2002 Friday @ 1800 local time Position: 33.07' North -- 030.01 East Course: 314 degrees magnetic Speed: 7.6 knots We've departed Port Said and are bound for Greece. Due to some reports of bad weather, we may stop at the Island of Creete to wait out the storm. At this time we have light winds off our port bow of about 10 knots, however yesterday and last night we had 20 knots on the bow. The barometer is beginning to fall. |
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| 2002-3-20 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 31°15'N / 032°18' E | n/a | n/a |
| March 20, 2002 1600 hrs Local time Position: 31.15’ N – 032.18’ E Tied stern to the Sea wall with anchor set off of bow – Port Said Yacht Club We’re only a couple of miles from the Mediterranean and will depart Port Said tomorrow morning for our final leg to Greece (about 575 miles – less than four days). We arrived in Suez on Monday, March 18th at about 1800, just before dark. The strong north wind that plagued us for the past three days finally let up and most of Monday was calm which gave us time to clean the boat. We contacted our prearranged agent, Felix Maritime, and were greeted in front of the Suez Yacht Club by Ahmed M.A. Ghany. From the yacht club tender he assisted us in taking the fore and aft mooring buoys and secure the boat. Having cleared into Oman and Djibouti by myself – hiring an agency do the footwork is well worth the minimal cost. Ahmed came aboard, collected our ship's document, passports and advised us that a surveyor from the canal authority would measure the tonnage of the vessel and that we could fuel and pass through the canal the following morning. With a vessel capable of 8 knots, it’s possible to navigate the entire 118 mile canal in one day. At 0700 Tuesday morning Ahmed was back aboard with the surveyor and within a half an hour the boat was measured and we cast off the moorings to fuel. Suez is the first fuel dock we’ve seen since Thailand. We’ve always taken fuel from trucks on the quay. At about 0900 we picked up our pilot and were on our way through the amazing Suez Canal – built over 150 years ago with French engineering and Egyptian labor. I’ve passed through the Panama canal several times but this is my first Suez transit and I found the Suez just as fascinating as the Panama – particularly in that it was built originally almost all by hand and completed in 1845. Our first pilot, Mohamed, immediately took the helm and would not relinquish it through out his leg which was about 2/3 of the way up the canal to Ismailia. We’d been studying the Indian Ocean cruising guide and there is a photo of a pilot steering the authors sailboat and the quotation reads: “For the most part the pilots of the Suez Canal are courteous and diligent although they will always nag you to “go faster, go faster” and will always be offended at the meager baksheesh you offer”. Sure enough, we got the same guy and I showed him his photo in the book. He laughed and nodded. First thing he says is “OK Captain. Full speed please, full speed” and the second thing he says, “Captain, some cigarettes please”. He would have nothing to do with the autopilot and insisted on hand steering for eight hours while smoking a whole package of cigarettes. Trying to get these guys not to smoke in the wheelhouse would probably be impossible and the concept of formula hull speed and wasted power is incomprehensible to them. Rather than go 8 knots at a reasonable 1900 rpm, our guy insists on full throttle increasing our fuel consumption by 50% and adding 4/10th of a knot. Upon arrival in Ismailia, the baksheesh thing starts. I planned – at the agent's advice - to give our man $25.00 and a couple of shirts. Sure enough, he’s appalled. We finally agree on $35.00 and four shirts and I thought we were done. “Captain, more cigarettes. Five packs please,” he says prior to leaving. I give him one and don’t feel too good about the process. We later found out that Mohamed is well paid (as are all pilots) and that he has four wives. As soon as Mohamed leaves our new pilot boards us. His name, too, is Mohamed and the process begins again. New Mohamed will take us the balance of the way to Port Said and we understand that we’ll run until 2200 or 2300 to finish. At about 1700 our pilot is told we must stop short of Port Said and wait until morning to complete the transit. It’s all a bit confusing but we do stop and tie up at a Canal Authority dock behind a huge tug boat. Our agent Ahmed and Mohamed will stay aboard with us until dawn and we begin again arriving here in Port Said about 1000 this morning. In all it was a neat trip. It just baffles me to think of this huge canal having been engineered and dug so long ago. Along the shoreline we noticed evidence of the two recent wars with Israel – 1968 and 1973. The banks are littered with torn and twisted parts of personal carriers, landing craft and other unrecognizable machines. A very interesting point is the preparation along the whole length of the canal for quick set up of strategic floating bridges in the event of a military action. Egypt seems like a thriving country with new construction everywhere we look. The town of Ismailia looked particularly nice with numerous resort hotels and palm lined banks, flowers and manicured gardens everywhere. I hope to return to Egypt some day – particularly to see the Nile River and the pyramids. But on this trip we are out of time. Hopefully we’ll have decent weather and will arrive in Athens next Sunday. Peter Swanson of Passagemaker left us today after three weeks aboard. We all enjoyed his company and appreciate Passagemaker's participation in our advernture. Peter was a great guy to have aboard through the Middle East leg. He's been to Egypt before and had an upbeat and refreshing attitude about everything we encountered and was an excellent person to have aboard a boat at sea. |
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| 2002-3-18 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 28°52'N / 032°49' E | 334m | 6.9 knots |
| March 18, 2002 Time: 0900 Position: 28.52' North -- 032.49' East Speed: 6.9 Course: 334 magnetic We're almost to the north end of the Gulf of Suez with only about 60 miles to go. There's been no surprises at all here on the Red Sea - right out of all the books I've read. Even Bob Beebe described the strong strong southerlies at the south end, calms in the middle, and tough northerlies at the north end...and this is exactly what we've had. For the past three days we've had 20 to 30 knots on the nose and seas to about eight feet - short and steep with boat speeds dropping as low as four knots. There's nothing you can do but just tough it out. There has been lots of shipping traffic up the Red Sea but we have maintained a position just on the outward boundary of the south bound shipping lanes. Running an electronic bearing line along that boundary has made ship avoidance easy as they all pass about a mile to our starboard side. I think all the ships are navigating on electronic bearing lines due to the consistency of their positions relative to the shipping lane boundaries. From a security standpoint, we have not experienced any strange approaches or had any instance which concerned us. We expect to arrive in Suez tonight at about 1800 and then we're in the hands of our agent, Felix Maritime. We hope he can arrange fuel and a canal transit as soon as possible. We're anxious to reach the Mediterranean and our destination of Athens. |
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| 2002-3-12 (Local) | Paul Grover | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| March 12, 2002 Djibouti is finally in our wake after three tries to leave. We’ve gone through all our local money and cigarettes, but we're free. Our next obstacle is the S end of the Red Sea to start our 1200 miles up the Red Sea to Suez. First is the famous Bab El Mandab strait - the narrowest point into the Sea, famous for its alumni of pirates. They hold their class reunions here, but we picked the night that even the heartiest of pirates stayed in. Nothing in sight, but even if they came out, these seas would have made it impossible to get on the boat. Besides 3 of the 4 of us would have been throwing up on them. The next day was not much better with 30-35 knots and 6-8 foot seas, and to top it off Djibouti was not through with our skipper Jim. He came down with (Abdul’s Revenge) of the stomach. But we're all back now and riding good in 20 knot following seas and 7.5 kts of boat speed. We have about 5 days to go to Suez, and then the Mediterranean and on to Greece. I think we are all ready for a little “American” shore leave in the good old USA. |
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| 2002-3-12 (Local) | Peter Swanson | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| March 12, 2002 Our guest and Editor of Passagemaker Magazine, Peter Swanson, has the greatest attitude of us all and has constantly uplifted my spirits with his enthusiasm and humor. Peter says “If things go bad – it makes for a great story”. He looked at Djibouti in a different way than I did and tells a funny story of the Qat phenomena (a local narcotic like Asian Beetle Nut) in Djibouti. Just got back from the black market. We came to Djibouti for a spare part to be delivered by FedEx. The FedEx office had no knowledge of the part. The next day, Friday, was the big Muslim holy day, but Jim, the captain, decided to check the office today anyway just in case the part, a gyro for our stabilizers, had turned up. He couldn’t find the FedEx office, but was guided by a cab driver to a second FedEx office that knew all about the part, but Jim needed money to pay customs at the airport. I came in with some cash, but it was in dollars, and the customs office only takes Djibouti Francs. The problem is that the banks and exchange offices are closed on Saturday as well as Friday, so we headed off to the black market. The black market currency exchange is a strictly female profession. Well-fed women wearing really bright colored dresses and scarves keep bankrolls of various currencies hidden in their dresses. We pulled up to a group of them and handed them $160 and got 28,000 Djibouti Francs in 5,000 and 1,000 bills minus the lady’s fee. None of this happens discretely. There is much rapid-fire communication between the cab driver and the moneychanger, who is surrounded by other brightly clad banker ladies all jabbering away as well as beggars. One woman put her henna dyed palm though the open window and I got a great shot of it. I have been photographing life here though the windows of taxicabs for three days now. It’s not really safe to photograph people in Muslim countries, so you have to be sneaky about it. A few days ago I bought some qat, but alas it’s only good for a day, so I can’t bring any back to share. We had to chew it ourselves, but it tasted terrible and bitter, an intoxicant to fit the landscape, and we didn’t chew very much. I gave most of it to our native guide, Samson, as a tip. And no I have no idea of its effects so small was my dosage. It reminded me of chewing on a maple or oak leaf as I was hiking through the woods as a kid. Qat is central to life here. You would not believe the tumult that surrounds its daily arrival by airplane from Ethiopia. All non-qat life draws to a halt as crowds gather on corners restlessly. Then a car horn honks somewhere. Then a hundred car horns honk. Crowds begin jostling. Cars carrying qat from the airport have a dispensation from traffic laws and careen 60 miles an hour down rutted, debris strewn streets to market. As the qat finds its way to the retailers the crowds surge and converge. Our cab driver and guide, sensible fellows who find this phenomenon amusing and seem to enjoy pointing out inanities to us, advise us to wait to avoid harm. “No good now. Five minutes.” We finally score 4,000 Djibouti Francs worth of what we are told is high grade qat. This is two bundles inch-and-half thick of leafy sticks tied with twine and packaged in little plastic shopping bags. Qat is legal for Djiboutians (though not the French). One theory being that the President is despised by 70 percent of the masses, so he makes it easy for them to chew their troubles away as he siphons what little wealth his nation has into Swiss bank accounts. “Big business. Qat is big business,” our guides tell us, noting the airport deliveries are often made in late model SUVs. I got caught by one guy, who had one tooth, as I was taking a picture of the qat awaiters. A hundred people surrounded the cab, and he started shaking his finger at me, saying “no good, no good.” He quickly forgot about it, though,and he and another fellow began to tease us. “You want heroin? Sensemilla? Eccstacee? All free here.” I had a frank and open political discussion through the taxi window with another qat-awaiter in the crowd. “English?” he asked. “No, American. George Bush. George Bush,” I replied. “George Bush diable, diable!” he argued. “George Bush Satan.” “Actually,” I reasoned. “If you got to know George Bush, you’d probably get along. People say he’s a very nice man.” He was unswayed. “George Bush no good! Muslim good!” Isn’t that damn qat ever going to get here, I thought to myself. Today we’re refueling and heading off up the Red Sea, toward Suez in Egypt. I’m going to miss my plane so I’m going to have to reschedule my flight home. I’ll get off the boat either in Suez or Port Said in Egypt. |
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| 2002-3-12 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 16°56'N / 040°24' E | 323m | 7.4 knots |
| March 12, 2002 Local time: 1600 Position: 16.56’ North – 040.24’ East Speed: 7.4 knots Course: 323 degrees magnetic We’re well on our way up the Red Sea and are encountering improved weather from when we departed Djibouti. The first third of the trip was a very rough ride with 40 knots of wind on our stern the past two days. It took a while, but finally the seas and our stomachs settled down. Now we have ESE winds of about 20 knots with a short steep following sea. The motion is acceptable and we are now able to catch up on our sleep and recover from those first couple of days out of Djibouti. As you know we ran from Salalah to Djibouti to take on fuel and to pick up a spare part we needed for our stabilizer system. The small Gyro that senses the roll rate of the vessel failed and needed to be replaced. My last report glossed over the sights & experiences of Djibouti, but really there is lots to tell. We arrived in Djibouti on Wednesday evening and anchored off the Club Natique (Yacht Club) in a well-protected anchorage – about a mile from the heavy traffic of the shipping port. We were told by the Port Captain that we could clear in the following morning so after securing the boat we rode the dingy into the yacht club for dinner and had a pleasant evening ashore. The following morning we went back to Club Natique passing through to the street side entrance. This is where the real Djibouti begins. In front of the Yacht Club no less than 20 rag tag locals approached us and offered their services to guide us into town, find a taxi, take care of what ever we needed . There are no taxis to be seen so we’re convinced by one fellow that for a small charge he can help us out and he leads us out of the yacht club compound on foot – still no taxis. We walk about a mile past groups of loitering, tattered indigents, people sleeping on the sidewalks and in the dirt, trash and debris finally to a complex that our guide tells us is the presidential palace and just then an armed guard yells at us from within the compound to walk on the other side of the street. Finally we reach the town and a taxi appears and we negotiate for a ride to immigration and the port authority. After about 2 hours of red tape and what seemed like complete confusion we were cleared into the country of Djibouti. Our next stop was to the Fed Ex office to get our gyro. We looked and looked for Fed Ex and finally found it through the DHL office. A kind DHL employee escorted us to Fed Ex which had no exterior sign. Its entrance was within the interior of a run down general office building. As I mentioned in my previous report, Fed Ex had not received a package for us and, since their computer was not working, recommended that if we had the tracking number we could go to the internet cafe to track the package through the Fed Ex website. They had no other suggestions for us. We returned to the boat after doing some minor re-provisioning and emailed off our request for the Fed Ex tracking number then spent the balance of the day servicing the boat. The following day (Friday) we explored Djibouti and the outlying Islands which the French members of the Club Natique visit regularly. Brian actually signed up for an inland tour with the crews of three sailboats that we had met in Oman. They went with a tour guide into the interior of Djibouti and saw some of the natural wonders of the area – a landscape much like California’s Death Valley with some large natural canyons and lava landscape. We had a digital picture show aboard Nordhavn that evening with the six sailors and the photos were very impressive. Paul and I ran the Livingston dingy 7 miles up the coast to explore the local islands where we found beautiful clear water, coral, and white sand beaches. This was Friday and many people from the Club Natique were spending their day picnicking amongst the Islands. My plan was to make one more trip into the Fed Ex office Saturday morning – armed with the tracking number - to see if by chance the gyro had arrived. If not we would leave port and have it shipped up to Suez or even Greece. I instructed the cab driver to take me to the DHL office. From there I could find my way to Fed Ex’s secret, hidden office but the cab driver told me he knew where the Fed Ex office was. I said OK and he took me to the American Express office. I tried to explain to him that these were two different companies but he insisted this was the right place and lead me into the office. A French woman confirmed that this was Fed Ex and told me the other office was no good and that I was in the right place (although there was no Fed Ex sign in this office, either). Exasperated, I presented the tracking number and she quickly confirmed that it was at the airport and her agent would take me there to clear and receive the package. Two hours later and about $130 in fees, I had the gyro. I returned to the boat, installed the new unit and it worked perfectly. The next job was to fuel the boat and a truck had been arranged to come to the commercial wharf. This was actually arranged by one of our sailing friends and he had ordered the truck to fill three sailboats and the Nordhavn. We knew we needed about 400 gallons, they each calculated their needs and the truck arrived with that much fuel aboard. It gravity fed the boats below from the bottom of the truck (there was no gauge) and no nozzle. They handed down a large hose and it was inserted into the fuel fill aboard the boat. This process spilled quarts – if not gallons - into the water while inserting the tube. The three sailboats went first and each complained of spraying fuel – back flooding of the fuel. Then each of the three truck attendants demanded a tip. The first two boats tipped $5.00 apiece and then at the arrival of the third sailboat a person from the port authority arrived telling the yachts owners not to tip the attendants and quickly left. The third sailboat tried to get away without tipping and the attendants became almost hostile scaring everyone. They tipped five dollars total. Fortunately the Nordhavn takes on fuel very quickly and we could easily fit the hose into our fills. The problem was that when the tanks were full there was no way to know it without fuel spilling up out of the fill pipe. At this point another person arrived and announced that he was with the EPA and was there to make sure that we did not pollute the harbor. I stopped the fueling and Brian talked to him. We found that a carton of cigarettes would allow him to resume his duties elsewhere and avoid the possibility of a large fine being imposed on Nordhavn. We completed the fueling and decided to tip each of the fuel attendants five dollars (to avoid a fight) and just when we thought we were done, the guy from the Port Captain’s office returned – very angry that we had not followed his orders to not tip the fuel attendants. I did not really believe that this guy had much authority but I had to clear out through the Port Captains office and did not want to risk problems so as a safeguard we decided to make him happy with another carton of cigarettes. We returned to the anchorage, secured the boat and I rushed over to the port authority to get our outward clearance only to find that the Port Captain had left at 13:00 and would not be available until the following morning...ugh, one more night in Djibouti. At 8:00 am on Sunday morning I was at the Port Captain’s office and cleared out over to immigration and by 10:00 we were free to leave, which we promptly did. I wish I could have had a better impression of Djibouti. It’s been three days since leaving and Brian and I are still suffering from the effects of food poisoning from the Yacht Club food. Maybe if we stayed longer and got more comfortable with the area I would have a more positive attitude. With the exception of a few nights at the Yacht Club and a little sight seeing during one day, I spent the entire time trudging around clearing in, clearing out, chasing down our gyro, fueling – all in an environment that is so foreign and frightening that I just could not enjoy it. We met some nice people – the Fed Ex Agent, the head Port Captain, our poor refuge helper from Ethiopia - but the majority of people we saw were at a poverty level, which I have never seen in any Central American or Asian country I’ve visited. While on the streets I felt a thousand desperate eyes boring into me – people that needed food to eat and while we hear that crime is low in town, I think about what I might do in their position to survive. Good luck to the people of Djibouti. |
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| 2002-3-8 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 11°36'N / 043°04' E | n/a | 0 |
| March 8, 2002 Position: 11.36' North - 43.04' East It's Thursday afternoon and we arrived in Djibouti last night (about 5:00 pm). This place is a far cry from the clean, friendly atmosphere we found in Salalah. Poverty appears to be rampant and there's not much in the way of modern ammenities. We had initially intended to bypass Djibouti and head straight to Suez but we are here to await a gyro that P.A.E. headquarters back in Dana Point fed exed last week. A trip to shore and the Fed Ex building revealed that the part is not to be found anywhere in the office - records indicate it is being held up in customs. I am frustrated and feel like we have wasted precious time here. I'm not worried about the boat's ability to perform without the gyro and am anxious to push off. After conferring with Jeff Leishman, he agrees and is going to try and have the package rerouted to Athens. Friday is a holiday here so we can't leave until Saturday. We'll check for the part one last time for we head tfor Suez. We've got one more stop on the other side of the Suez Canal at the port of Sa'id before we switch crews in Athens and Leg 3 commences. I've asked Jeff, who will take over as captain, to bring a few parts with him to Greece. These are very minor items. Essentially, everything is 100 percent. |
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| 2002-3-6 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 11°38'N / 043°12' E | 254m | 7.3 knots |
| March 6, 2002 Time: 12:00 Local Position: 11.38' North - 43.12' East Course: 254 degrees magnetic Speed: 7.3 knots It's Wednesday and we'll be arriving before dark in Djibouti. The 700 mile voyage down from Salalah, Oman has been uneventful and we've made good time. We left Salalah in company with "Millennium", a twin engine Choey Lee motor sailor, with the intent of convoying down from the Arabian Sea into the Gulf of Aden and into Djibouti. As it has turned out we have left Millennium behind and at last check she was about 100 miles astern. There has been such a huge presence of warships in the area that the concern over security has vanished and "Millennium" is more comfortable at a slower speed than NORDHAVN. We had a bonus yesterday afternoon as a twin-engine reconnaissance plane buzzed us at no more than 250 feet above our heads. Paul, our aviation expert, was not sure what type of aircraft it was but knew it was not American - also it was a land based plane - meaning it had to come to Djibouti or Aden. It was gray in color and we think was British or French. Throughout the day and night we continue to hear warships hailing vessels and asking a long list of questions. To our left now is Somalia, the "Horn of Africa". Yemen is to starboard and Aden is off of our starboard quarter. Some of the sailboats we met in Salalah are bound for Aden which probably would have been a better choice for us had we not been so concerned over security (the "U.S.S. Cole" bombing is still fresh in our minds). Peter Swanson has read every scrap of information we have aboard about Djibouti and has pronounced it a place worth visiting. Our main guidebook aboard opens its section on Djibouti by stating, "Before crossing this country, even the jackal makes his will". Djibouti is considered one of the tiniest countries of Africa and is little more than a port, however it's location at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia gives it significant strategic importance. It's stated that Djibouti was colonized by the French to thwart British ambitions across the waters in Yemen. The weather continues to be fair and with an easterly wind of 10 to 15 knots directly on our stern. Our sailing friends have had a hard time in these conditions - running directly before the light wind and sea with apparent winds so low that sails slat and bang - plus the rolling motion of the downwind sailboats has been uncomfortable. We'll give a complete report on Djibouti tomorrow. |
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| 2002-3-3 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 14°15'N / 051°46' E | 243m | 7.4 knots |
| March 3, 2002 Local Time: 14:15 UTC: 10:15 Position: 14.40' North - 051.46 East Speed: 7.4 knots Course: 243 degrees magnetic It's good to be back at sea again and making mileage. We have a new crew aboard - Peter Swanson, editor of the exceptional PassageMaker Magazine. Peter arrived on Thursday night after a grueling airplane ride with too many transfers to list. He found his way to "Nordhavn" even hitching a dingy ride right to our aft deck. Paul Grover was aboard to greet Peter while Brian and I were aboard the British Navy Supply vessel "Fort Rosari" - receiving hospitality and information, which we found quite remarkable. While approaching the Oman coast we heard a vessel hailing another - the radioman having a strong British accent and referring to themselves as Coalition Ship ###. We could only hear one side of the conversation but the hailing Coalition ship was asking a series of questions to the other vessel regarding cargo, destination, departure point, etc. We hoped that this Coalition ship might be providing some security but did not know. A day after arriving in Salalah, the British Aircraft Carrier "Illustrious" arrived along with the Supply Ship "Fort Rosari" and a small British Frigate. In another part of the harbor two additional supply ships berthed. The evening Peter arrived, Brian and I were returning from the Oasis Restaurant and as we walked we spoke with some of the British Merchant Marines that were returning to the "Fort Rosari". We were invited to join them aboard ship for a beer! Comfortable in their aft lounge we spoke with many of the crew and the second officer of the ship. I don't understand the exact details but the "Fort Rosari" is a gray Navy Ship but is crewed by British Merchant Marines. The ship carried supplies, ammunition and fuel. Technically the crew could not tell us where they had been nor where they were going but we did understand that the British Ships were part of the Coalition - made up of American, German, French, Italian and British Ships. Each person was careful not to give us too much information and would not be quoted however they had no problem in telling us that we were very safe in these waters. We have the impression that ships have been assigned specific areas and are blanketing the approaches and entry to the Red Sea. Plus we believe they are covering much of the Red Sea itself. It was suggested by some of the crew that if we key our mic on channel 16 anywhere in the region - make a distress call - that they would have aircraft in the air and over our position in less than 15 minutes. Last night running south out of Salaha we saw one warship and heard numerous ships of the Coalition hailing and questioning others. One ship with an American (accent at least) crew referred to his ship as Navy Coalition Ship ### and explained that they were the "Coalition of Navy War Ships for the prevention of terrorism". The morning after our visit to the "Fort Rosari" we invited some of the crew out to the boat for a tour and refreshments. By this time word had spread through the anchorage (about 16 yachts) of the protection being afforded by this Coalition and soon we found half the anchorage aboard "Nordhavn" followed by tours of the other sailboats. The British crew had a great afternoon and everyone was relieved and elated over the great news of security. So south we go, bound for Djibouti. We are enjoying 10 knots of northeasterly wind and calm seas. At the speed we're making we expect to arrive in Djibouti Wednesday evening. |
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| 2002-2-27 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 16°55'N / 054°00' E | n/a | 0 |
| February 27, 2002 Position - anchored in Salalah Port - Oman We arrived here mid morning on Monday and spent the day clearing in with immigration, customs and the Port Authority police. Everyone was very courteous and they came to us in the police launch - completing the whole process in less than 30 minutes. Yesterday and today have been spent changing oil, fuel filters, cleaning strainers and fueling our ship for the next leg up the Red Sea. We've also given NORDHAVN a thorough cleaning inside and out. We're ready to go now but are waiting for PassageMaker Technical Editor Peter Swanson to arrive. He should be here on Thursday night or in the early morning on Friday. We hope he can find the harbor and boat and worry that he'll be exhausted by the time he arrives. We were planning to leave on Friday morning but now plan to wait until Saturday to give Peter a chance to rest and to arrange our departure with another boat capable of cruising at our speed. We've been fortunate enough to meet up with some folks cruising on a twin engine Cheoy Lee 63-foot motor sailor. We plan to run with them at least until we reach the area of Djibouti where we may make a quick stop - only to top off our tanks to make the final 1200 mile push up the Red Sea. Port Salalah is a small but bustling man-made port and can handle seven or eight large container ships at one time. There are modern container cranes along with traditional single arm cranes for unloading non-containerized freight. There are also numerous fishing vessels and old wooden cargo ships loading and unloading their freight. We saw one woody - about 120 feet long - a traditional Dhow type vessel - unloading sheep and chickens today. Another fishing boat came in with hundreds of tons of smelly smelt type fish - all packed into burlap bags and stinking beyond description. They filled many trucks to the height of their freight fences and each lumbered off towards town. I noticed today that there is a cattle feed factory so maybe the fish are intended for that purpose. When we first arrived, there were no less than 30 sailboats crowded into a tiny section of the harbor and all anchored - some only clearing others by 10 to 15 feet. There is a little restaurant about a mile's walk from the harbor. It's a great little place with good food and they serve drinks. In this part of the world the restaurant is aptly named "The Oasis" and in the evening it's the meeting place for all the yacht crews. We met the Cheoy Lee crew there two nights ago. Yesterday and today about half of the fleet of 30 have departed, arranging convoys of boats based upon their speed and desire to stop along the way. We're the odd balls in the anchorage and there is a steady parade of people coming by to visit and we've collected a tremendous amount of information about cruising in the Middle East. Our confidence level has improved significantly since being here about the waters that lie ahead. We understand that there have been no reports of any incidences in as much as two years and that the whole region is being watched very carefully by a coalition of governments - including the German navy which we understand is on patrol at the entrance and south end of the Red Sea. I've been very impressed at how nice the people are here. They routinely stop to ask you if you need a ride, rarely pass by without a friendly wave and I've not detected the slightest animosity from anyone at all. I like it here as the climate and terrain is very much like what we have in the Sea of Cortez. It's warm but quite dry. We shut down the AC system yesterday and slept through the night very comfortably. So all goes well and we're looking forward to collecting Peter and putting to Sea. It's late afternoon now and the crew is anxious to begin the trek to the Oasis. |
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| 2002-2-26 (Local) | Brian Saunders | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| February 26, 2002 We have arrived in Oman…and it's amazing! I don't think any of us could have imagined it to be this way. The harbor is clean, large, efficient and friendly. Everyone here is open, friendly and helpful. They stop to offer a ride, sometimes even going out of their way to take you or offer advice. We went on a search for beer and even though the first place we walked into told us getting beer was "not possible," we were able to find a store that sold us 10 cases. The marina is surprisingly bustling. Thirty boats have left, and there are still twenty in the harbor with us. Ninety-nine percent of the cruisers here are well-maintained boats. There is a nice Deerfoot or Sundeer. There are two super yachts here - one a new Italian 120-ft. mega yacht, the other, a 120-footer made of wood from India complete with carvings and shapes reminiscent of 1001 nights. Funnily, the two boats on the forward deck of this boat are 30-ft. and a 50-ft. center console sportfishers. Most of the yachts here are leaving to make the passage of the Red Sea in groups of six. But upon getting all the local knowledge we can find, there have been virtually no reports of boardings or piracy. This makes us all the happier and definitely more comfortable. Still, while we wait for the arrival of Peter Swanson from PassageMaker magazine, we hope to find another boat doing the same speed to convoy with. The weather has been near perfect; 76-82 F, nice breeze clear air, walking even at noon is nice. I have walked past some beaches that would be easy entrants in a travel magazine. Clear water, good snorkeling, good anchoring, and nobody there. It is so nice to be so pleasantly amazed when you come to such an out of the way place. Fueling up at the seawall was easy to organize. They charge $1.57/gallon USD. We've got fuel, we've got beer. We are ready for the next leg. |
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| 2002-2-24 (Local) | Brian Saunders | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| February 24, 2002 We have had some most unusual visitors in the Indian Ocean after midnight. A few nights ago at 0200 I heard some splish-splash as I was walking on the Portuguese bridge admiring the brilliant stars. The noise kept up, so I looked down to find all kinds of little fish jumping. I went to the search light and illuminated an area on the port side near the boat. Well the activity increased many times. Now I could see that it was a school of flying fish and were they excited. They were jumping and flying to my eye level (about 10ft). It was a ballet and just carried on. These were small flying fish, maybe 5 or 6 inches. This is what cruising is all about. Literally, they came from out of the blue, and it was our entertainment. We are just now starting to see some bird life also. To date, the Indian Ocean has been very much short on birds compared with the Pacific. After the fish incident, we had one more mystery to solve. Who threw mud at us last night? The starboard side - all the windows and the side walkway was well doused with something brown, sort of muddy-looking. Upon looking up, I saw two large marks on the paravane outrigger poles. I've surmised that it must have been a squid that catapulted himself up at least 9 ft. to get bonked by our pole. Then I assume he landed on the side deck releasing his cargo of ink. Isn't that what they charge big bucks for, over a pasta in a good Italian restaurant? We didn't get the benefit. We did get to clean it up. Well so goes another day in the beautiful, benign, Indian Ocean...Dinty Moore stew anyone? |
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| 2002-2-23 (Local) | Paul Grover | n/a | n/a | 6.4 knots |
| February 23, 2002 Position: n/a Course: n/a Speed: 6.4 knots Well, 250 miles from Salala, Oman doing 6.4 knots that means about 40 hrs to get there, and guess what? Were down to 3 beers on board. Will we make it? As I understand it Salala is not known for its Octoberfest and beer gardens. What if, I hate to finish the sentence, what if there ain't any. Pray tell!!! Only civilized thing to do is catch the first jet to Munich. Who is to blame for putting the crew at such risk as this? Travel guides didn't tell us that you can't buy beer in the Maldives, our only stop between Thailand and Oman. So it falls on the Skipper who leads us out into this vast wasteland "under-beered". If Oman is dry, Skipper Jim will need all the skills displayed by Capt. Bligh, when his crew from the "Bounty" sent him adrift in his long boat. We all like Jim but it's the only proper thing to do under maritime law for the severity of the crime. Were all hoping that Feb 25th (Jim most of all) is October fest day in Salala, Oman. …To be continued. |
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| 2002-2-22 (Local) | Brian Saunders | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| February 22, 2002 Well Thailand...Beautiful to arrive from Lankawi, Malaysia Passing Ko Rok Nok, (the half way point) two islands where we found about 20 large colorful fishing boats anchored in the lee, snoozing through the heat of the day. We spent the night anchored at Phi Phi with its high straight limestone walls and anchored with a 300' new wind-jammer, looking very elegant and expensive. The next morning we weighed anchor for Ko Phuket (Ko means island) and the Boat Lagoon. A most unusual entrance, following serpentine pylons on one side with depths approx 8 ft. at high water. We found an entrance into the mangroves with a course reminiscent of the African Queen, only to find a sort of barge/dredge on rounding the corner forcing us close to shore. With the binoculars, we all swore Bogart was leaning against an upright having a smoke. Well a few more corners in the mangroves and we find Boat Lagoon; hotel, restaurants, shipyard, large fancy boats, lots of cruisers, and lo and behold 3 Nordhavns - two 46s and one 62. Plus some welcome waves and smiles from old friends. Jim and Cheryl, friends from Colorado, with a 43' sail boat, left the West Coast 20 years ago. They have been based in Phuket and Lankawi for 15 years. They do 6 months and 6 months, Jim is a contractor in Breckenridge, and it's easier to build in the summer months. Their boat is dry stored for that time. Lots of gossip and lots of Asian food, catching up with the old "cruizin' crowd"... I think they have their life in perfect balance. The next thing we did was to meet up with the crew and owner of Feeling (N62) again, after all those wonderful meals in Singapore. The plan was to leave Phuket together and make the passage to Male in the Maldives. This did not leave much time for sight seeing, so it was clean a little, provision a lot, and fuel up. Many miles and lots of meals to prepare. |
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| 2002-2-22 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 13°04'N / 060°18' E | 304m | 6.8 knots |
| February 22, 2002 Position @ 17:00 local: 13.04' North - 060.18' East Speed: 6.8 knots Course: 304 degrees magnetic Fuel aboard as of 12:00 local: 480 gallons Range remaining (12:00 local) at present speed and with generator running:- 1,056 nautical miles Distance remaining to Salala (@17:00 local) 431 nautical miles Before day's end we will be less then 400 miles from Salala, Oman. At our present speed we should be arriving midday on Monday. The excellent weather has held and the winds continue to blow from the Northeast - never exceeding 20 knots. The seas are mild and our motion quite comfortable. We are really beginning to see a cooling off with a high today of about 84 and last night the thermometer plunged to a chilly 78 degrees. The Indian Ocean is as lonely as any we've crossed. We have seen a couple of container ships but no fishing boats. We know there are sailing yachts out there because we've been talking to them…but we've seen nothing. We continue to talk with sailboats both en-route to Salala and some that are already there. We have gotten lots of reports that many boats have passed through the area and that there have been no reports of any incidents. We still hope to convoy with others however we won't be able to wait around long and if necessary will head out on our own. I received a confirmation today that Peter Swanson of Passagemaker Magazine will be joining us in Salala for the ride up to the Suez Canal. Also David Siedman of Boating Magazine will come aboard for our final leg up to Athens. We look forward to having some new faces aboard. Paul has put lines in the water this afternoon as our supply of fresh fish is getting thin. We are actually going to finish the last of the Wahoo that we caught between Phuket and the Maldives. The food aboard has been excellent and with the mild weather conditions, we have been able to do a lot of barbecuing. Last night we finished the last of the choice New York that we loaded aboard in Dana Point. The excessive freezer space aboard has been great. One interesting thing about the Indian Ocean is the excessive number of flying fish. We've seen these flying fish across the Pacific and everywhere else but not in these quantities. Last night we shined our powerful mast mounted spotlight at the water abeam and the ocean virtually boiled with the startled fish. There are billions and each morning I pick up eight or ten that have become stranded aboard. Additionally, over every square foot of the boat are little skid marks where we've been hit by flying fish. I spent an hour today cleaning the decks but the topsides of the hull will require a lot of work when we get to Salala. We'll be entering the Arabian Sea in the next few hours and biding farewell to the Indian Ocean that has treated us so gently these past few weeks. |
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| 2002-2-20 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 10°23'N / 064°21' E | 308m | 6.5 knots |
| February 20, 2002 Position 10.23' North - 064.21' East Course 308 Speed 6.5 We're nearing the end of our fourth day at sea since leaving the Maldive Islands and we're almost half way to Salala, Oman. If we do decide to stop in Salala we expect to arrive on Monday. We've been getting increasingly more information on the SSB each morning and evening and we understand that a convoy of six or seven sailboats has just left Salala and will stop at the seaport of Massawa in the country of Eritrea which is located on the west shore of the Red Sea - about one third the way up. We have been running at just under 1,600 rpm but have lost the favorable current we previously enjoyed and are now actually fighting a ½ to 2/3 knot current on our nose. We have not shut down the generator as the daytime heat is still in the high 80s but now at almost 10 degrees north latitude and we do perceive some cooling. We're hoping that once we enter the Red Sea the temperatures will cool sufficiently to shut the AC down and probably when we enter the Mediterranean, the diesel heater will be put into operation. We comment every day how wonderful it is to have the AC system in the sleeping cabins as it has worked to perfection. Thanks to Brad Smith for doing such a nice installation - under such tough conditions. I spoke with Jeff Leishman today - he called at the end of my watch - about 05:30 and just wanted to check it. He's up next to take the boat in the Med and he's now getting organized and is focusing on the needs of the boat. He questioned me about the condition of the various systems - what parts he should bring and we discussed the few minor issues. To recap that conversation: The biggest problem we have now is that our secondary lap top computer will not boot up and it's our own fault as we decided it would be wise to defrag the C drive and in the process a wrong button was pushed - some how deleting a driver that's needed. This concerns me as the computer has a read/write cd drive and I have been downloading all our digital pictures on it. We burn the pictures on CD and send it back to the office for publication on the web site. I have to figure this out and have all the recovery disks. The screen suggests that at the first window - hit R, which will allow the system to repair off of the recovery disks. I've been unsuccessful so far and am looking for suggestions. Our watermaker needs to be serviced as the output production is at 9 gph and it should be in the 16 gph range. It's been working perfectly and now I guess it needs to have the membrane cleansed. I have a detailed description of the symptoms into Spectra and as soon as they verify the procedure, I'll circulate the chemicals they have provided that should bring the machine back up to the original spec. The Naiads continue to work perfectly however we're getting a slight amount of slop where the hydraulic ram end - or eye - attaches to the wrist pin in the yoke of the stabilizer shaft. We have a replacement eye and pin however, I think I'll ask Jeff to bring two new eyes and two new pins. It's about a 10-minute job per side to replace these parts. Honestly, the above is all that's wrong! Our main engine and generator seem to be competing with one another as each wants to be best and both have been perfect - without and noticeable oil consumption, oil, fuel or coolant leaks. Nothing but satisfaction in the engine room. The Raymarine electronics have performed flawlessly with the only glitch a fowled paddle wheel for our through the water speed. I don't care about the paddle wheel speed but the problem does not allow the true wind speed and direction feature to work. Normally this is a simple task to pull the through hull out and clean it. However our field installation of the AC ducting makes the task more difficult. In the next day or so I'll pull the ducting and clean the sensor. |
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| 2002-2-18 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 07°39'N / 068°23' E | 308m | 7.2 knots |
| February 18, 2002 Time: 22:00 local Position: 07.39' North -- 068.23' East Course: 308 degrees magnetic Speed 7.2 knots The weather is still holding favorable and we're amazed at how lucky we have been. Again, it's 12 knots out of the northeast and seas are very mild. We've been talking to numerous other sailing vessels bound for Salala and they too have had light weather. We hear that there are 16 boats between Sri Lanka and Salala and 37 more in Salala getting ready to depart for the Red Sea. As we get closer to Oman we anticipate collecting more information which will help us with our decision - Salala or Djibouti. There's really not much to report here tonight. The Southern Cross will be visible on my next watch - from 04:00 to 06:00, the flying fish are abundant and we saw numerous large whales today paralleling the boat and running at the same speed as us. They were trying to keep up and staying only a boat length abeam of us. I'm not sure what kind they were but they were as big as our California Grays but without barnacles - slate gray in color with a small shark like dorsal fin and a double blowhole. They finally dropped behind but it was quite a sight to see them swimming at 7 knots and paralleling our course. It was another lazy afternoon of reading and relaxing. We barbequed hamburgers on the Magma today and had a delicious Dijon Chicken dinner tonight with potatoes and carrots - and our usual cabbage salad. Cabbage is amazing as it seems to last for weeks - unrefridgerated. I think tomorrow we'll drop the fishing lines in and hope for a Whaoo or Dorado for dinner. |
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| 2002-2-17 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 05°38'N / 071°23' E | 307m | 6.2 knots @1561rpm |
| February 17, 2002 Sunday - local time 16:00. Position: 05.38' North -- 071.23' East Course: 307 degrees magnetic Speed: 6.2 knots @ 1,561 rpm We left Male yesterday at 16:00 after a very pleasant day of refueling in the commercial port. Our excellent agent Nash of Island Sailors was able to save us the hassle and risk of fueling outside the harbor in the rough and unprotected harbor which "Feeling" had to endure the day before. Nash got us right up to a clean commercial bulkhead and a beautiful new fuel truck showed up with a big banner across the front - welcoming NORDHAVN and her crew to the Maldives. We had the local news paper people aboard and well as the TV crew from the Male TV channel. The fueling went as smoothly as can be and we were given a sample of the fuel in a clear container - right off the bottom of the truck. We cannot thank Nash enough and would highly recommend his services to anyone calling upon the Beautiful Maldive Islands. Nash can be reached at info@islandsailors.com. The weather continues to be favorable with light North-northeasterly winds below 15 knots and clear skies with temperatures in the low 90s. We're working our way north now and should begin to see a steady drop in temperatures as we will climb up to a latitude of 35 degrees north (Athens) from the low of 1 degree north (Singapore). We were able to talk to a number of boats this morning on the SSB - that were in or heading for Salala, Oman. We have heard some confirmation that the German navy has a fleet of ships at the south end of the Red Sea - which makes everyone very happy. We should be able to collect more intelligence during these morning SSB net exchanges. We still may turn to the left slightly and go direct to Djibouti but reserve that decision for a few more days. All is well aboard our little ship. We're well rested, well fed and feel very confident about how well our voyage is going. |
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| 2002-2-15 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 04°10'N / 073°29' E | n/a | 0 |
| February 15, 2002 Friday February 15, 2002 Position: Moored at Bondos Island Resort 04.10' North - 073.29' East After a very uncomfortable night anchored off of the Northwest side of Male we finally are underway for the resort island of Bondos - about five miles to the north. The same winds, which were making our anchorage so uncomfortable, were blowing hard out of the Northeast and the short ride was a wet one. Mohamed Shareef, Executive Secretary to the Managing Director of Bondos Island Resort, boarded Feeling at Male and guided our two NORDHAVNs to their resort island. Bondos is about a half mile across and is a completely self-contained resort with about 250 beachfront bungalows and a staff of over 400. They generate their own electricity, have a desalination plant, run a water taxi service to Male and the airport island of Huhule and operate numerous excellent restaurants, bars and shops. When a guest arrives at the Bondos resort, everything needed or desired is supplied. They offer daily scuba and snorkeling trips to the surrounding islands, there's sport fishing, wind surfing, catamarans, tennis, parasailing, everything and all within a five-minute walk. There's no need for cars. The resort management allowed us to use their harbor facility - a tiny man made harbor which provides shelter for the dozen or so resort boats. Plus it is used by the water taxis to load and off load guests. The entrance is no more than 75 feet wide and there is breaking surf along the north cut of the channel where the coral has been dredged. It was a white knuckle ride entering as lots of headway is required to maintain directional control. We literally surfed into the tiny harbor basin and went hard into reverse to keep from hitting the resort. There were plenty of helpful line handlers and we tied - bow to - with a mooring line astern to keep us off the seawall. The two NORDHAVNs dominate the little harbor and have created a lot of interest amongst the resort guests. We will leave tomorrow to return to Male where we will take on fuel. I'm not looking forward to this as they plan to send a vessel out to bunker our fuel. Feeling went through the process yesterday and said it was very unpleasant in the rough outer anchorage. We have asked our agent if he can get us into the inner harbor and take fuel from a truck on the seawall. We'll find out what the final program will be tomorrow. As soon as we fuel up and grab a few last minute provisions, we will run direct to Salala, Oman a distance of about 1,300 miles. Our original plan was to run direct to Djibouti however we've heard from so many people that Salala is a nicer stop. We hope to find other vessels that may want to convoy into the Red Sea with us. The diversion to Salala will only add 150 miles to the overall voyage. As previously mentioned - the passage from Phuket to Male was very pleasant. The voyage of 1,529 miles took eight days and seven hours. We averaged 7.7 knots for the voyage. Our total fuel consumed was about 670 gallons. Our average consumption including 100% generator run time was 3.36 gallons per hour. The winds remained constant from 10 to 20 knots - always from the Northeast and the seas were comfortable the entire way. We hope the second half of the Indian Ocean is as nice to us as the first. |
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| 2002-2-13 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 04°10'N / 073°29' E | n/a | 0 |
| February 13, 2002 Time: Feb 13, 2002 - 11:30 local Position: Anchored -- 04.10' North -- 073.29' East Just a short update: We arrived last night at about 21:00 at Male the main island of the Maldives Chain. It was a reasonably easy entry and we anchored in a designated area off the Northwest side of the island. The Coast Guard came aboard shortly after arrival and were clean, courteous and would not board the boat without removing their shoes. The were quick and efficient - primarily interested in any weapons we might have aboard. The anchorage is totally exposed and we spent the night bucking and bouncing. I thought I'd have a full night's sleep but I slept - or napped - on the wheelhouse settee watching the radar to be sure we nor anyone else did not drag. The anchorage is about 130 feet and I had 300 feet of chain out. The trusty Bruce held all night in the 20 knot winds and two foot chop. I was awoken in the predawn to the sound of Islamic singing (I assume prayer) - audible from town (300 yards to starboard) even in the strong breeze. This morning we were met by our Agent - Mohamed (Nash) from Island Sailors Agency. With him were the customs. immigration and the Port Authority - all of whom were as efficient and helpful as the Coast Guard. Within 30 minutes we were cleared in to the Maldives. Brian and Paul went into town this morning and stocked up on some groceries and had a quick look around town. Because of the rough anchorage - I chose to stay with the boat and catch up on a few chores. We'll be off in an hour or so for the 5-mile run up to the Bandos Island Resort where "Feeling" will be staying for the next two months. David Loh and his family will spend time aboard their Nordhavn 62 and return to Singapore with the Southwest Monsoon. I'll give a complete update on the 1,529 mile passage from Phuket and provide more information on Bandos and the Maldives Islands. |
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| 2002-2-11 (Local) | Brian Saunders | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| February 11, 2002 As we continue on our course, I am still reminiscent of my days here. It's unfortunate in this climate that so many are fearful of traveling these waters. It has so much beauty and culture to offer. One of my favorite places to be was Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, or KL as it is referred to locally. It's an exciting city with beautiful Victorian architecture, from the English Colonial days - and now also with modern styles of a country full of growth and money that the last 20 years have brought to Pacific rim countries. One arrives at the bustling port city of Port Klang and finds the Royal Selangor Yacht Club, a friendly and nice place to stay. Yes, that Selangor is the well-known pewter area (another great place to see.) As I neared the RSYC, I kept hearing of a race called the "Raja Muda Cup". A four-day race up the Malay Peninsula to Lankawi with stops every night and a hosted dinner - very gentile for racing. It was designed as a feeder race to the Kings Cup in Phuket (Thailand). The Raja Muda is the title given to the son of the Sultan. I think there are eleven in Malaysia. (An aside, this Raja Muda went to school in the San Francisco area and married a girl from Marin county.) One Saturday before the race, while having a cold beer at the yacht club, there was a lot of noise coming from the parking lot. Surprisingly, there were a dozen Harleys, with police escort; it was the Raja Muda and all his buddies out cruising. The race up the coast was fun, and who did I meet? Mason Williams and his family going around the world on his (P.A.E.-built) Mason 53. I got to know them well when at the Trophy Dinner in Lankawi. These are just some of the things to do while cruising in Southeast Asia. It's an area of the world I consider very safe, having cruised these waters two decades ago…and today. |
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| 2002-2-11 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 04°23'N / 076°19' E | 269m | 7.3 knots |
| February 11, 2002 Time: 22:10 Local Position: 04.23' North -- 076.19 East Course 269 degrees magnetic Speed 7.3 knots Fuel Information (as of noon local) Fuel aboard 360 gallons Distance remaining 235 miles We enjoyed another excellent run of 196 miles over the past 24 hours. This morning a large squall line caused the wind to clock around to our port bow and lasted a few hours - blowing up to almost 20 knots. This wind has disrupted the exceptional current we have been enjoying and for the past 12 hours we have been running much slower. As I write this we're only 157 miles from Malle however it's questionable whether or not we can make the anchorage in daylight hours tomorrow. We're running at 1,800 rpm tonight but still we're only making about 7.5 knots and this may not be fast enough. The entrance looks easy enough to do at night but I'd prefer a daylight entry. Things continue to go extremely well with no problems to report. |
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| 2002-2-10 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 04°43'N / 079°48' E | 268m | 8.4 knots |
| February 10, 2002 Time sent: 19:56 Local Position: 04.43' North -- 079.48'East Course: 268 degrees Magnetic Speed: 8.4 knots A great day - 207 miles over a 24 hour period. Conditions as of 12:00 today: Fuel aboard: 435 gallons 24 hour burn at 1,700 rpm with generator running constantly: 95 gallons Distance made good - 24 hours: 207 nautical miles Remaining distance to Maldives - 434 Remaining range at present speed: 947 Moving along at great speed with at least 1 knot of current. We take it where we can get it. All's well aboard ship today. Expecting to arrive in Maldives tomorrow. |
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| 2002-2-9 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 05°06'N / 083°58' E | 268m | 8.6 knots |
| February 9, 2002 Local Time: 14:35 Position: 05.06 North - 083.58 East Speed: 8.6 knots Course: 268 degrees magnetic As of noon local time Fuel aboard: 530 gallons Fuel burned over past 24 hours: 80 gallons (including 24 hrs of KW time) Distance remaining to Male: 640 miles Remaining range at present rate: 1,325 miles We've changed the watch schedule slightly and as the most valuable man aboard - our cook - has suggested that after dinner preparation he's tired. An immediate review of the watch schedule, and the fact that I'm not tired at all, reveals an equitable solution. I'll stay up a couple more hours until midnight and then Brian can take my spot which poses no interference with Paul's schedule at all. Personnel problem solved and as a side line benefit, I'm awake and on watch at the exact moment my wife's alarm clock goes off and she begins the task of waking our sons for school - a good time to give her a call. Today's report: The past 24 hours have been the best so far and possibly the fastest 24-hour run that this boat has ever had. Paul and I watched as the minutes clocked down and we agreed that we had just seen a 200-mile day - running at 1,610 rpm. Actually it was 199.6 but we felt it proper to round off the decimal. We predict the favorable conditions will continue and now anticipate an arrival in Male (Maldives) at about 14:00 on Tuesday the 12th (less than 72 hours from now). The weather is beautiful with 87 degrees of air temp and a sky bluer than we've seen in the past. There are some cumulous clouds about and we're painting a little moisture on the radar. We've not gotten any salt water on deck in the past 5 days of running but a little fresh water bath would not be too bad. Maybe we'll get some rain tonight but I hope it holds off until after dinner as I'm barbecuing steaks on the aft deck. All is very well aboard NORDHAVN - riding comfortable south of Shri Lanka - on the Indian Ocean. We'll sign off for now. |
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| 2002-2-8 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 05°25'N / 087°26' E | 267m | 8.0 knots |
| February 8, 2002 Local Time: 14:30 Position: 05.25' North - 087.26' East Speed: 8.0 knots Course: 267 degrees magnetic Long range yachting has been described as days and weeks of calm - sometimes boring routine - with short periods of virtual terror when things go poorly. Today we experienced the first real threat to the continuation and success of the ATW. Nothing in the past 10,000 miles can compare to the severity of this problem. I first noticed it this morning and through out the day continued to inspect and evaluate. Finally at 14:00 hours I realized that the icemaker within our Sub Zero box was failing. I was hesitant to mention the problem but as I discreetly worked to a solution - my crew began to realize the enormity of the crises. It's times like this that try our experience and resolve - I dug deep and prevailed in the end. We defrosted the Icemaker and returned it to its former glory. We've evaluated our fuel situation today and have concluded the following: In the past 96 hours we have burned 290 gallons of our fuel and traveled 679 miles. We have burned 3.02 gph and 2.34 miles per gallon. This includes constant generator run time as the AC system has been essential in the 87 to 91 degree tropical heat. Our average speed has worked out to be 7 knots however we are now enjoying a west setting current of approximately one knot - bringing our 24 hour runs up to 186 miles. We believe that this condition will continue for the next four days to the Maldives and estimate that we have enough fuel left to run 1,427 miles and with only 847 left to go (at local noon time) we have a comfortable reserve of almost 600 miles - far greater if we shut of the KW and lowered our rpm. So on we go. It's only four days to the magnificent Maldive Islands described as unspoiled, palm-fringed tropical islands with squeaky-white beaches and brilliant turquoise lagoons which all sound great until you read on in the book and find out that they don't sell beer and that it's illegal outside the resorts. I have high hopes for the Maldives. It looks like a great place and I hope to take some colorful photos of "Nordhavn" and our big sister "Feeling" in the islands. If we find no beer it may weigh heavily on our decision to stop in Salala, Oman - a slight variation of Pete Eunson's (N40 Project Manager) phrase of years ago "we'll be praying to Allah that they still sell beer in Salala." |
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| 2002-2-7 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 05°43'N / 090°42' E | 266m | 7.2 knots @1575rpm |
| February 7, 2002 Local Time: 13:30 Position: 05.43' North - 090.42' East Speed: 7.2 knots Course: 266 degrees magnetic During the Northeast Monsoon season - between December and March - the Indian Ocean is famous for its consistency. It's a westbound sailor's dream with steady winds of 10 to 20 knots from the northeast. We've just clocked another over 170-mile day, maintaining an average of 7 .1 knots running at a modest 1,575 rpm. Leaving Phuket I started the trip drawing off of the starboard fuel tank for the first 24 hours and then switched to the port for the past 48 hours. I'm just now seeing the fuel level occasionally appear in the port sight gauge. I'm back on the starboard tank now and expect to even the two tanks by tomorrow at noon. We then should be able to accurately gauge our consumption over the first ninety-six hours of running. I think at this point we're burning well under a total of 3 GPH - that includes running the generator continuously since starting. The voyage up from Singapore to Phuket took slightly less than four days and now we've been at sea for three. I feel we're entering into that magic time in a passage where everyone is getting into a comfortable routine of watch standing and enjoying the abundance of free time to relax, read, write or whatever we choose. We've adjusted to the motion and sounds of the ship and for me personally, after leaving her in Hawaii, I'm regaining the high level of confidence in the boat and systems that can only come after a few days of operation. We have divided our watch system into three, two-hour watches between midnight and 6:00 am; then between 6:00 am and midnight we run three-hour watches. This system allows plenty of sleep and the consistency of the schedule is easy to adjust to. Tomorrow we will have to once again change the clocks back by one hour - a process repeated after each 15 degrees of longitude crossed. We've had success in tuning in various short-wave broadcast that are available and have been keeping up to speed on world events through the BBC in London. They broadcast on a number of frequencies and depending upon the local time of day there is an appropriate channel to select. In the morning it comes in clear at lower band wave and higher ones as the day progresses. |
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| 2002-2-6 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 05°56'N / 093°08' E | 266m | 7.2 knots @1575rpm |
| February 6, 2002 Time: 16:45 Local Position: 05.56'N - 093.08'E Course: 266 degrees Magnetic Speed: 7.2 knots It's approaching 90 degrees outside but the air is fairly dry and the breeze is up to about 20 knots from the Northeast. We've got a four to five foot quartering sea. We're moving along at 7 knots and have covered 170 nautical miles over the past 24 hours. It should take about two more days before I can begin to read the bubbles at the top of the sight gauges and then I'll supply exact fuel burn information - mileage and fuel remaining. With a 1,500-mile passage like this, fuel consumption is not a great concern but we'll have to be more careful on the next run from the Maldives to Djibouti. Yesterday was a very pleasant one and to top off the afternoon Paul caught an approximately 10-lb. Wahoo which Brian sautéed in garlic butter and served with fresh broccoli, yellow potatoes and a garden salad. It was a very nice evening and we all slept well. Despite the increase in wind and sea , we're running down swell and the boat is very comfortable so we expect another restful night. "Feeling" continues to maintain her one mile separation and we leisurely talk throughout the day. We've now cleared the Great Channel (between the Nicobar Islands and Sumatra) and have entered the Great Indian Ocean. There has been a lot of very large ship traffic (mostly tankers) presumably coming in from the Middle East and having to negotiate this northern entrance to the Straits of Mallaca. I spoke with the office today and got a favorable weather report forecasted for the next 6 days. Jeff Leishman has taken on the role that I played for the Pacific leg - each day checking multiple weather forecasts and emailing the information to the boat. If the forecasts are anything but favorable we will call our friend Walt Hack for a professional opinion. So that's it for now. It's another pleasant and lazy day aboard "Nordhavn" on the Indian Ocean. Next stop: the exotic Maldive Islands. |
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| 2002-2-5 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 06°50'N / 096°04' E | 253m | 7.4 knots |
| February 5, 2002 Position: 06.50' North - 096.04' East Course: 253 degrees Magnetic Speed: 7.4 knots We're enjoying beautiful conditions on the Andaman Sea laying a course for the Great Channel which will take us to the South of the Nicobar Islands and north of Sumatra into the Indian Ocean. We're hoping for these ideal conditions for much of the Indian Ocean Crossing with steady 12 to 15 knot northeasterly winds and mild seas. The air temperature is 91 degrees with scattered cumulous clouds and pretty blue sky. In the past 24 hours we have made 165 miles and are seeing a slight increase in favorable current today and for the past four hours we have been averaging 7.4 knots - running at 1,568 rpm. FEELING is just ahead and running at only 1,300 rpm to match our speed. I have told them to go on their own if they wish but they seem intent on staying with us. Paul, Brian and I have a wager going about our arrival time in Malle and the bets range from 07:00 Wednesday the 13th to 12:00 the same day - only a five-hour spread). I think we're going to be earlier based upon our good speed. It's a lazy day aboard the ship with a lot of quiet reading going on. I resumed reading David McCulloughs "John Adams". I finished to chapter where Adams describes a winter time passage from Massachusetts to France aboard a 115 foot Frigate with 172 aboard. The ship encountered rough conditions and took storm damage. From my air-conditioned stateroom I read of the miserable six-week passage and marveled at how comfortable we are aboard our modern little ship. We've got a pretty good crew aboard NORDHAVN and most people know Brian and me, but Paul Grover needs an introduction. Paul, a long-time friend and Dana Point slip tenant, keeps his Catalina 42 a few slips away from Jack Chrysler's Valhalla (N46). Paul just retired from Continental Airlines and last spring skippered Jacks boat to Hawaii. This was a noteworthy passage as Valhalla is a twin engine Nordhavn and the first twin to take on such a long passage. Paul delivered the boat in a fast 13 days without incident. It's been interesting spending the past two weeks with Paul as I've extracted two amazing bits of information out of the modest man. First he tells an amazing story of ejecting from his A4 fighter jet after a combat collision and spending 5 hours in the water off the coast of Vietnam and second he wears a Rose Bowl ring as he was the starting quarterback for the University of Oregon in the 1957 Rose Bowl. I know there's lots more and I've got time to learn more about Paul in the weeks to come. So that's it aboard NORDHAVN, All is well. |
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| 2002-2-4 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 07°46'N / 098°26' E | 200m | 7.0 knots @1600rpm |
| February 4, 2002 Position: 07.46' North -- 098.26 East Course: 200 M Speed 7.0 knots 1,600 rpm At 14:30 we departed Boat Lagoon on the high tide. We fueled the boat this morning and are totally topped of with 920 gallons. At present we're burning 2.6 gallons per hour and we have the generator running which is burning slightly less than .3 gallons per hour. I tested this yesterday using the supply reservoir and running the generator only - I was able to accurately gauge the consumption at .27 gph. The total consumption is about 2.9 gph which at this speed should give us a range of 2,220 miles. The run to the Maldive Islands is 1,520 nm so we should be in good shape with an adequate reserve. About a mile off of our stern is David Loh's Nordhavn 62, "FEELING", and they will run with us all the way to the Maldive Islands. The weather is very nice now with an outside air temperature of 89 degrees. The AC is on in the staterooms however with the wheelhouse and saloon doors open we have a nice gentle breeze flowing through the boat. Our brief stay in Thailand has been enjoyable and the Boat Lagoon facility and staff were very nice. We found the prices in Phuket to be exceptionally low for food, taxies and provisions. This would be a great place to spend some time and cruise the many islands of Thailand. |
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| 2002-2-3 (Local) | Jim Leishman | Anchored in Phuket | n/a | n/a |
| February 3, 2002 It's Sunday afternoon in Boat Lagoon and tomorrow we'll top off our tanks and begin the 1,500 voyage to the Maldive Islands. We've laid out our course - entered our waypoints and agreed on radio frequency and separation distances with FEELING, Nordhavn 62#2 owned by David Loh. We'll be leaving on tomorrow's high tide at about 14:00. I've had a particularly enjoyable day as I've hired two boat washers and they're the best boat washers I've ever seen - and I know about washing boats. Thirty years ago I was a professional. For 800 Bhatts (Thiland currency) each (about $18.00) these two young guys have scoured every inch of gelcoat, detailed all the stainless, cleaned the windows, everything - working nonstop from 8:00 am to 5:00pm. We'll be leaving port in boat show condition. This morning I inquired about the quality of the dockside water and was advised that it was not good drinking water but that I could order up reverse osmosis drinking water which would be delivered in sealed 20 liter bottles. A couple hours later a small truck showed up and two guys hand carried 150 gallons of water down to the boat and filled our tanks to the brim. They worked for two hours in the hot sun and charged $8.00 for the service! I can see why so many people settle into Phuket and stay. It's a really nice place and an incredible value. |
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| 2002-2-2 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 07°57'N / 098°23' E | n/a | n/a |
| February 2, 2002 Position: 07.57North - 098.23 East We arrived at the entrance to Boat Lagoon at high tide yesterday after a nice 3 hour run up from Phi Phi Island. Boat Lagoon is a man-made harbor with a 2 mile dredged channel marked by a series of concrete pilings that, upon entry, must be kept to port by about 40 feet. No detail of the entrance or harbor are on our electronic or paper charts however we do have copies of instructions and a sketch type chart given to us by Captain Piruz of the Raffles Marina in Singapore. The harbor can only be entered at high tide. Upon arriving at the end of the dredged channel a hard right turn is made and you pass through a mangrove swamp. Then, around a bend, the Boat Lagoon complex comes into view. Within the marina are numerous restaurants, hotels, a first class repair facility and a variety of shops and services. There are three other NORDHAVNs here - including two 46s and David Loh's 62 (the vessel we'll be traveling with to the Maldives). I'd estimate there are another two or three hundred boats here including several that are in excess of 100 feet. Our journalist, Kim Lee, had to catch a flight out last night so we spent the next three hours dealing with Immigration to get her the clearance she needed to make her flight back to Singapore. We're grateful to the folks at the Raffles Marina for their interest in our voyage and for assigning Kim to cover our trip. Kim will be doing a series of articles which will appear in their NATIQUE magazine. Today we plan to do some clean-up - change the oil on the generator, refuel the boat and do a little re-provisioning in town. I have not calculated the fuel consumption from Singapore but will do so for the next leg to the Maldives. Because of the relatively short distance (less than 600 miles) we did not top off the tanks in Singapore. |
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| 2002-1-31 (Local) | Jim Leishman | 06°21'N / 099°40' E | n/a | n/a |
| January 31, 2002 After anchoring in Langkawi yesterday at 15:00 we had a nice dinner and planned to depart at 20:00 for Phuket. About the time we were to weigh anchor the wind came up - gusting to 30 so an easy decision was made to lay over until 05:00 this morning. We departed with gusty winds from the East but it settled in at about 18 knots off of our starboard quarter and we enjoyed a nice ride to the island of Phiphi, which is approximately 20 miles southeast of Phuket. To enter Boat Lagoon in Phuket we must arrive near high tide, which is around 14:00 and today we could not make it - thus the stop at Phiphi. We'll leave tomorrow around 10:00 and should arrive well before high water. Our position here is N07.44 and E098.46 - anchored in a cove called Hin Dot. There are beautiful white sand beaches with a neat village. We may take a run into town prior to departure tomorrow before leaving for Phuket. Good Night. |
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| 2002-1-30 (Local) | Jim Leishman | Distance to next, scheduled landfall Phuket 115nm | n/a | 8.0 knots @1700rpm |
| January 30, 2002 Position - 06.21 North - 099.40 East We are presently on the Island of Langkawi - in a cove on the West side of the island called Kuala Melaka. We have made excellent time up the coast of Malaysia averaging over 8 knots and running at 1,700 rpm. We are bound for the island of Phuket - to an area called Boat Lagoon. Phuket is about 115 miles north west from here and we must enter Boat Lagoon at high tide - which will be about 14:00 hrs tomorrow. Our plan is to rest up here and depart about 20:00 to make an on time arrival in Boat Lagoon. Weather had been excellent until about 04:00 this morning when the wind came up to 25 to 30 knots from the north-northeast and created a steep chop and uncomfortable conditions. We're happy to get a few hours rest here in Langkawi before pushing on. Right now we're tied up in front of this beautiful resort which sits at the head of the cove. There are 27 bungalows on stilts and larger resort buildings inshore. It looks very inviting with wind surfers, jet skis and a white sand beach. Unfortunately, we can't get off the boat and will have to explore this area another day. Air temp is 89 degrees and with wind is still blowing at 15 knots. |
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| 2002-1-29 (Local) | Jim Leishman | Bound for Phuket | n/a | n/a |
| January 29, 2002 Leg 2 - Completion of Day 1 and successful transit of the infamous Straits of Malacca After 24 hours of running, we have traveled over 180 miles and cleared the narrow Straits of Malacca without incident. We had northeast winds as high as 25 knots with mild seas. Staying close to the coast of Malaysia, the wind does not have much fetch to build up the seas so despite strong winds we had a fairly comfortable night. We've been running slightly to shoreward - outside the northwest bound shipping lanes - so shipping traffic has not been an issue. It's been interesting as the stretch of water from Singapore up to Bukit Jugra (about 180 miles) is divided up into 7 sectors and larger shipping is under positive traffic control. A radio frequency is assigned for each sector and as you pass from one to the next, a frequency change is required and the larger ships must report their position. Numerous times during the night I thought I smelled hot oil and despite careful inspections, I could not find the source. I finally figured out that it was coming from the shoreline to windward of us. The smells of the industry of the Malaysia coast could be detected 10 miles at sea. We're really making good time, running at 1,700 rpm and expect to be in Phuket (Boat Lagoon) by Thursday morning. We will be meeting with David Loh of Singapore. He presently has his Nordhavn 62 "FEELING" in Phuket and he wants to run with us from Phuket to the Maldive Islands. We expect that we will get underway again on Sunday or Monday for the 1,500 mile run and look forward to some good photo opportunities on the passage. David has a captain, engineer, and combination cook/dive master to accompany his family while cruising aboard "Feeling." |
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| 2002-1-28 (Local) | Jim Leishman | Bound for Phuket | n/a | 8.9 knots |
| January 28, 2002 Departed Singapore this morning at 09:19 bound for Phuket, Thailand. We estimate a three-day passage to Phuket. Aboard is Brian Saunders, Paul Grover, myself (Jim Leishman) and Kim Lee of Singapore. Brian is a sales associate of PAE; Paul, a long time friend (boat owner) and recent delivery captain of Valhalla, Nordhavn 46#41, which, in Spring 2001, became the first Nordhavn 46 with twin engines to make the passage from Dana Point to Hawaii; and Kim, the senior editor for Raffles Marine Ltd, publishers of Nautique magazine, circulated in Singapore and much of South East Asia. Kim will be aboard until Phuket and will be writing a series of articles for Nautique about the ATW voyage. Brian, Paul and I will be aboard until the Eastern Mediterranean where we hope to hand off "Nordhavn" to her new crew near Athens - about 7 weeks from now. We cannot say enough about the wonderful treatment we received at the Raffles Marina. This is a first class marina facility with every convenience and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. It's great to be at sea again. Dave Harlow, Ray Danet and Brad Smith delivered a perfect, spotless vessel to us on Thursday January 24th and we all worked together Friday, Saturday and Sunday to fuel and reprovision NORDHAVN. It's now 17:00 and we will be passing through the Straits of Malacca tonight and tomorrow morning. The wind is blowing from the Northeast at about 10 knots and we have a clear and beautiful afternoon. The air temp is 87 degrees but the AC is keeping the staterooms cool and dry. Our present position is 1.44 degrees north and 102.48 degrees east. We have a favorable current and are running at 1,722 rpm with sog of 8.9 knots (better than a knot of favorable current). |
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| Leg 3 - Athens to Barbados | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Correspondent | Position | Course | Speed |
| 2002-5-12 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 13.10°N / 57.70°W | 284m | 5.6 knots |
| May 12, 2002 19:00 UTC Well, we're finally on our last full day at sea and wouldn't you know it we have about a 1/2 knot of current against us! This will delay our arrival by a few hours. Oh well it will just get us in closer to happy hour (see there actually is a silver lining in every cloud). We received a phone call at about 9:00 pm last night from the crew of leg four. They had just arrived in Barbados that afternoon. They have arranged our slip at Port St. Charles Marina and have done all the leg work for us to have a speedy clearance. We spent most of the day cleaning and reorganizing the boat. After 6 weeks it's amazing how things get mixed up. About 1/2 of my CDs were in Jim's CD case and Justin had some of Jim's in his. So we did little detail things like that. Just really trying to stay busy. This last 24 hours is going so slow! The boat is ship shape and the crew is ready for the hand-off tomorrow. This will be our last position report for leg 3. Your next report will be from the crew of leg 4 and I think they will have some real interesting commentary so keep tuned. Thanks for cruising with us, this is Jeff, Justin and Pete - the crew of the good ship Nordhavn - signing out. Adios. Course 284 Speed/ 24 hr. average 5.6 knots Distance remaining 110 miles Remaining range with existing fuel 435 miles |
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| 2002-5-11 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 13.21°N / 55.39°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 11, 2002 18:UTC We are approximately 250 miles from Bridgetown Barbados. At our current speed we now except to arrive at day break on Tuesday the 14th. It was our hope to get in Monday night but after recalculating our fuel/speed we decided it would be wiser to slow down and get in in daylight than it would be to speed up and arrive at midnight. We are now running at 1400rpm and with our remaining fuel 200 gallons we have a range of 605 miles. Slowing down also allows us to run the genset as much as we like. As we get further west the humidity has increased and the air conditioning is a welcome relief. We also have a few loads of laundry that we can now do. With only two nights remaining, we're getting concerned that our wish for one more fresh fish dinner is vanishing and we are making plans for some of the last remaining frozen dishes that we have. We are still running with the paravanes out since we lost our Naiad cooling pump 2 days ago. About an hour ago upon my hourly engineroom inspection I noticed we had lost the belt that runs the small alternator that charges our engine start battery. We have plenty of spare belts onboard so we simply shut down, started the get home engine and changed the belt. That's a really nice feature that allows you to keep going safely in the right direction and enables you to service your main engine. And to top it, off we were stabilized during the whole process. The weather continues to cooperate although, as I mentioned, the humidity is getting up there. That's it for now we'll report in when we get there. |
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| 2002-5-10 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 13.40°N / 50.25°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 10, 2002 Just another perfect day on the water. The weather is beautiful, 82 deg. with tail winds of Today finds us with 550 miles to go to Barbados. We are currently running at 1500 RPM., making about 6.4 knots. We ran a series of fuel burn tests this morning using the "Jimmy Box", we will increase our RPM again when we are 24 hours out of Bridgetown. If all goes well we may be able to arrive before dark on Monday. We have the paravanes set since our last cooling for the Naiads went "south" on us this morning. The weather continues to be pleasant at 84 degrees with an easterly breeze of 15 knots. Justin has been unsuccessful in the fishing department so it's spaghetti for dinner tonight. We are all excited about our arrival in Barbados and are looking forward to being reunited with family and friends. |
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| 2002-5-8 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 13.60°N / 45.26°W | 286m | 6.2 knots |
| May 8, 2002 Just another perfect day on the water. The weather is beautiful, 82 deg. with tail winds of about 10 knots. We are all starting to think of our arrival and reunions with family and friends. It's been a month and a half since I've seen my wife and kids and I'll tell you, I'm ready to head to the barn. The boat, as usual is perfect. We have been using water like it's coming out of the tap at home. As we mentioned from Greece, Bill from Spectra water makers was onboard giving the system a nice tune up before we left and it has worked flawlessly the entire time. If any of you are considering what water maker to buy I can hands down recommend Spectra. Another piece of gear that has been great is the Raymarine autopilot. This thing has never hicupped and it steers the boat like she's on rails. We're running down swell and have been for some time and it just holds us right on course. We have the ST6001+. Justin continues to try and catch fish and to date has landed two beauties but we do need at least one more. Pete really has a way with cooking that fresh fish. Someone asked in our forum section why the reports have been getting shorter and shorter. There's just not that much exciting news to report. We don't just want to repeat the same old things, but if anyone wants more specific info on anything let us know through the question-answer Forums section and we'll get right back to you. As of 13:00 UTC: Course 286 deg. Speed 24 hr. average 6.2 knots Distance remaining 845 miles Fuel remaining 465 gallons Range at present speed 1447 |
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| 2002-5-6 (Local) | Justin Zumwalt | 13.87°N / 40.23°W | 285m | 6.1 knots |
| May 6, 2002 14:00 Local Time Course 285 Deg. Average Speed - 6.1 Knots RPM - 1400 Fuel consumed last 24 hours - 48 Gallons Fuel Remaining - 563 Gallons Range at present speed/rpm - 1717 miles Distance Remaining to Barbados - 1139 miles We are less than 80 miles to the halfway point crossing the Atlantic ocean. I mentioned to Captain Leishman that we should stop the boat to go for a swim but then I realized it would be around 3 in the morning...The wind has died down to around 8 knots and the temperature has risen to 85 degrees. The temperature at night rarely drops below 75. This morning on my 6:00 am watch I decided to throw the line out again as I do every morning. We hadn't hooked up on any fish in over 15 days and I was beginning to lose confidence. Within 2 minutes the reel took off "zzzzzzzzzz"! I was so excited I bashed my head on the door frame trying to leap into the cockpit to grab the rod. Pete was up already and stopped the boat immediately. At first I thought it was a Wahoo because I saw something tail walk across the water about 200 yards out. After a 10 to 15 minute battle with the fish we had a nice 20 lb Dorado on board. Looks like well have some nice Mahi Mahi for dinner. |
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| 2002-5-5 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 13.97°N / 38.12°W | 285m | 6.1 knots |
| May 5, 2002 We have no real exciting news to report as we approach the half way point of our Atlantic crossing. We continue to excellent weather with a favorable current. Nordhavn is running fine and we expect to arrive in Barbados on schedule, late on the afternoon of the 13th. Course 285 deg. Average speed 6.1 knots RPM 1400 Fuel consumed last 24 hours 48.5 gallons Fuel remaining 600 gallons Range at present speed/rpm 1830 miles Distance remaining 1250 miles |
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| 2002-5-3 (Local) | Justin Zumwalt | 14.17°N / 32.74°W | 284m | 6.1 knots |
| May 3, 2002 Today we are entering our fourth day at sea after departing Cape Verde. If this is a spot that is on anyone's "must see list" we can tell you that your time would be better spent in Reseda. We are running comfortably at 1400 RPM, making close to six knots. The outside temperature is 80 degrees with a NE breeze of about 13 knots. We are all settled into our daily routines and one day runs into the next. There is not alot to report on as each day is pretty much the same as the next. Today's highlight was checking of the lube and gear oil on the main. The crew got restless the day before our arrival in Cape Verde and all heads were buzzed ( no guard ). We fully expect the next crew to follow our lead..."Nordhavn" continues to cruise across the Atlantic with no problems or worries. That's about all there is from this end. |
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| 2002-5-2 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 14.29°N / 30.41°W | 282m | 5.8 knots |
| April 30, 2002 We are underway for our final run of 2000 miles into Barbados. We cast off our dock lines after fueling for the last time yesterday at 16:45 and haven't looked back. Cape Verde was not the nicest place we have visited. Without being too cruel I can only describe it as one big land fill. Some of the people we met were great while others were not so savory. Just so you know where I'm coming from here, I'll fill you in with a description of our first attempt to clear into C.V.. All three of us took the dinghy into the little fishing harbor which is the only place to land near the immigration office. As soon as we were within 100 yards of the place, you could see about 15 young guys all clamoring for position to help us tie the dinghy up. After all kinds of chatter and pointing and direction we went into an area between a number of larger fish boats and had to climb over several of them to get to the dock. We were prepared to pay a dinghy tender and picked the one that seemed most eager for the job. Feeling somewhat secure, we left the boat in his hands and proceeded to walk thru piles of rotting fish guts, nets and flies so thick I wished I had a mask to keep them from being inhaled. Once through this mess we found what apparently was the immigration office. I say apparently because there is no sign and no one would really give us an answer to our inquiry about its location, only a vague point of the finger and a shrug of the shoulders "Soonday no here" , so we figure we'll have to wait until Monday and return to the dinghy. It's still there and our faithful attendant is there holding the bow line as if he were hard at work the whole time we were gone. We load ourselves into the dinghy and I and my careless actions set the Zip Lock baggy with ships papers, all of our passports, my wallet with about $150 u.s. and my disposable camera with 6 shots left on it, behind me just under the outboard tiller. We start pulling out and all these guys start talking to us asking for our shirts and hats and whatever they thought we had. The distraction was enough for the guy untying the dinghy to reach way down from the fish boat and grab the baggy. I didn't notice until we were about 1/4 mile out and then instant panic. We sped back there and one guy was holding the baggy and saying that the kids took the wallet and ran up this big hill towards what appeared to be a shanty town. Justin and I ran up the dock, Justin ran with the guy who had the baggy and chased the kids and I went to the port police. Justin wasn't about to go too far up the winding trail to the shanty town not knowing what laid in store for him around the next corner, so he came back to the police head quarters. Pete stayed with the dinghy. I had the ships papers but I thought our passports were gone and I can't describe the utter desperation we felt at that very moment. We knew we were doomed to stay in this hell hole for at least two weeks getting new passports issued. However in my state of panic and terror I didn't look in the right place inside the ships papers booklet and upon a closer inspection found the passports under the back cover. Instant relief. We could get out of this thing with a bit of lost cash and a some photos. Then we started walking back to the dinghy to tell Pete what was going on and the guy who was chasing the kids with Justin comes stumbling down the street all sweating and out of breath and he has my wallet! I couldn't believe it. Later we replayed the whole scene and we're pretty sure they were all in on it and that the return of the wallet was an attempt at a reward, which was paid in cigarettes (to add insult to injury). We then limped back to the boat and licked our wounds feeling depressed and totally violated. Pete said he felt like the kid that went to town with all the egg money. The next morning we regrouped and went for a second, much more guarded attempt. We planned every move, the baggy was stuffed down my shorts, no one was going to get us this time. I found the immigration guy and did the paper work, all very simple and would you believe he had my camera. Apparently the cops went up there and shook down some kids and found the camera after we had left the previous day. He said, "I'm sorry we could not get the money". But then I had to wait for the actual cop to come down and give me the camera. I had to show my appreciation ($$$). That about sums up our brief encounter with the C.V. culture. The one revealing feature was a perfect left reef break that Justin and I were able to surf - right there in the port. The wind is blowing at about 20 knots from the north and last night we had 35 knots from the north west. Hopefully it will clock around to a north easterly soon. We have about two weeks to go and then Dan (Streech), Jeff M. (Merrill) and Grego (Mike Gregovich) get their shot at it. | v | |||
| 2002-5-1 (Local) | Justin Zumwalt | 14.38°N / 28.10°W | 281m | 5.9 knots |
| May 1, 2002 We are currently 1840 nm from Barbados, our third day out from Cape Verde. It is about 80 degrees outside and the trade winds are blowing just enough to keep everyone cool. The Nordhavn has a very gentle motion with 3-4 foot seas on our starboard quarter. It feels really good to be underway again. We have all sunk back into our routine watch schedules with lots of eating, sleeping and reading. Tomorrow the workout program begins at 8:00am sharp on the foredeck. We'll see how Pete and the Cap'n do... |
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| 2002-4-30 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 14.47°N / 25.71°W | 281m | 5.8 knots |
| April 30, 2002 We are underway for our final run of 2000 miles into Barbados. We cast off our dock lines after fueling for the last time yesterday at 16:45 and haven't looked back. Cape Verde was not the nicest place we have visited. Without being too cruel I can only describe it as one big land fill. Some of the people we met were great while others were not so savory. Just so you know where I'm coming from here, I'll fill you in with a description of our first attempt to clear into C.V.. All three of us took the dinghy into the little fishing harbor which is the only place to land near the immigration office. As soon as we were within 100 yards of the place, you could see about 15 young guys all clamoring for position to help us tie the dinghy up. After all kinds of chatter and pointing and direction we went into an area between a number of larger fish boats and had to climb over several of them to get to the dock. We were prepared to pay a dinghy tender and picked the one that seemed most eager for the job. Feeling somewhat secure, we left the boat in his hands and proceeded to walk thru piles of rotting fish guts, nets and flies so thick I wished I had a mask to keep them from being inhaled. Once through this mess we found what apparently was the immigration office. I say apparently because there is no sign and no one would really give us an answer to our inquiry about its location, only a vague point of the finger and a shrug of the shoulders "Soonday no here" , so we figure we'll have to wait until Monday and return to the dinghy. It's still there and our faithful attendant is there holding the bow line as if he were hard at work the whole time we were gone. We load ourselves into the dinghy and I and my careless actions set the Zip Lock baggy with ships papers, all of our passports, my wallet with about $150 u.s. and my disposable camera with 6 shots left on it, behind me just under the outboard tiller. We start pulling out and all these guys start talking to us asking for our shirts and hats and whatever they thought we had. The distraction was enough for the guy untying the dinghy to reach way down from the fish boat and grab the baggy. I didn't notice until we were about 1/4 mile out and then instant panic. We sped back there and one guy was holding the baggy and saying that the kids took the wallet and ran up this big hill towards what appeared to be a shanty town. Justin and I ran up the dock, Justin ran with the guy who had the baggy and chased the kids and I went to the port police. Justin wasn't about to go too far up the winding trail to the shanty town not knowing what laid in store for him around the next corner, so he came back to the police head quarters. Pete stayed with the dinghy. I had the ships papers but I thought our passports were gone and I can't describe the utter desperation we felt at that very moment. We knew we were doomed to stay in this hell hole for at least two weeks getting new passports issued. However in my state of panic and terror I didn't look in the right place inside the ships papers booklet and upon a closer inspection found the passports under the back cover. Instant relief. We could get out of this thing with a bit of lost cash and a some photos. Then we started walking back to the dinghy to tell Pete what was going on and the guy who was chasing the kids with Justin comes stumbling down the street all sweating and out of breath and he has my wallet! I couldn't believe it. Later we replayed the whole scene and we're pretty sure they were all in on it and that the return of the wallet was an attempt at a reward, which was paid in cigarettes (to add insult to injury). We then limped back to the boat and licked our wounds feeling depressed and totally violated. Pete said he felt like the kid that went to town with all the egg money. The next morning we regrouped and went for a second, much more guarded attempt. We planned every move, the baggy was stuffed down my shorts, no one was going to get us this time. I found the immigration guy and did the paper work, all very simple and would you believe he had my camera. Apparently the cops went up there and shook down some kids and found the camera after we had left the previous day. He said, "I'm sorry we could not get the money". But then I had to wait for the actual cop to come down and give me the camera. I had to show my appreciation ($$$). That about sums up our brief encounter with the C.V. culture. The one revealing feature was a perfect left reef break that Justin and I were able to surf - right there in the port. The wind is blowing at about 20 knots from the north and last night we had 35 knots from the north west. Hopefully it will clock around to a north easterly soon. We have about two weeks to go and then Dan (Streech), Jeff M. (Merrill) and Grego (Mike Gregovich) get their shot at it. |
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| 2002-4-27 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 14.91°N / 23.50°W | n/a | n/a |
| April 27, 2002 We arrived in Praia at 1745 hrs. We are sitting on the hook in 14 feet of murky water about 1/3 of a mile from shore. The place is not very attractive, with about 15-20 knots of breeze blowing offshore and carrying all kinds of dust. It reminds me of something out of an Indiana Jones movie. I hope we can get fuel quickly and be on our way. I'll give a better report tomorrow after I have had time to check things out. No fish today. |
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| 2002-4-26 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 17.57°N / 21.71°W | 220m | 7.8 knots |
| April 26, 2002 We are less than 170 miles from Cape Verde and expect to be in around this time tomorrow. We have been making great speed averaging 7.4 knots. The day started out with Jeff and Pete getting a clean head shave on the aft deck, my head was done yesterday... The weather could not be better, a freezing 80 degrees with almost zero wind. We just stopped the boat to go for a quick swim in about 12,000 feet of 75 degree deep blue water. While we were swimming we found that there was a nylon fishing net wrapped around the prop so we cut her loose. After a quick inspection of the bottom we are underway again. Last evening was a cause for celebration as we landed our first fish, a 15 lb. Bluefin tuna. We had fresh sushi with lemon, soy and wasabi and then had some great baked fillets for dinner. It was the perfect size fish to feed three hungry guys. I told Jeff and Pete I wouldn't let them down. Now we are after some Dorado and Wahoo. |
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| 2002-4-25 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 20.20°N / 20.16°W | n/a | n/a |
| April 25, 2002 Today we are approximately 190 miles west of the African nation of Mauritania. We have very pleasant weather and the forecast is for more of the same. The skies are overcast most of the day with temperatures around 75 deg. and dropping to about 68 deg. at night. There have been rain squalls at night and the rain is a dirty brown that covers the boat. The air is thick with Saharan dust which is blown out to sea. We have tried to keep the boat clean on the outside but it is impossible, 3 hours after you rinse it, it is dirty again. Some of the dirt gets inside the boat as well. today we had a constant stream of small birds flying into the boat. I don't know if they are looking for shelter or what but they are not afraid of humans and we simply pick them up and throw them out the window. Still no fish, except that damn Sun fish. I'm beginning to doubt our expertise, but Justin assures me all is well and that we just need to get closer to the islands and we'll be eating fresh fish...we'll see. So tonight it's frozen pizza for dinner. Wait, we're hooked up!! Yeah, it's a Blue fin tuna, small but what the heck. Ok, we're in!! |
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| 2002-4-24 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 22.52°N / 18.73°W | n/a | n/a |
| April 24, 2002 Today, Wednesday is our third day at sea, we are currently making good time toward Cape Verde in light Southwest winds with calm seas. Justin just brought the boat to life a few minutes ago with the sound of line peeling off the reel.We were sure that tonight was going to be the night for the big fish dinner.....the hamburger meat is now starting to thaw, sun fish are not edible. It's been a domestic day aboard, washing the boat and doing laundry. We are not very successful keeping the exterior free from the red dust that originates in the African interior, it arrives and deposits itself everywhere, its in the rain and in the breeze.We are looking for an early morning arrival in the Cape Verde Islands on Saturday, 27 April, 2002. |
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| 2002-4-23 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 27.44°N / 15.64°W | 216m | 6.7 knots |
| April 23, 2002 Day two out of Las Palmas, we're headed at 215 deg. toward the Cape Verde Islands. We were not overly enthusiastic about leaving the Canary Islands. The people we met in the short time we spent there are people we will never forget. One in particular is, Pedro at the Texaco fuel dock. His friends call him Don Pedro and he is the guy that can get anything one needs. We secured our moorage through him, we sent our mail through him, he arranged our rental car, told us of the best restaurants. You name it and Don Pedro will help you get it done. He also recommended some outstanding rum, and we are now well stocked in that area. Another memorable experience that we California boys enjoyed was a trip to the beach. I'll tell you the beaches in Oceanside don't offer that kind of view. If they did my kids wouldn't be allowed to start surfing until they were 18. From what some of the people we talked to said, the other islands of the Canaries are equally as nice and offer the same easy going attitude as Gran Canaria. It made us wish for more time to explore but we have to keep the puck moving forward, so on we go. |
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| 2002-4-19 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 28.12°N / 15.42°W | n/a | n/a |
| April 19, 2002 1900 local time Arrived in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria As with our previous experiences in Spain, Las Palmas has proven so far to be very hospitable and friendly. Pedro at the Texaco fuel dock was more than accommodating and arranged our moorage within a matter of minutes. He and Pete had an instant bond and before I knew it, he had Pete in his private office showing him all of his prized collection of other visiting yachts and invited us to join in the annual regatta of the local tradition sailing boats. The boats have a crew of 11 and are basically an open boat with a lateen rig. From what we gathered from Pedro it's simply a reason to party. The harbor police were also very friendly and upon noticing Justin purchasing a bottle of rum, promptly directed him to a better bottle of their preference. They then escorted us to our slip. We are stern to a pontoon type dock with a mooring to tie the bow to. This style mooring has been the same everywhere we have been in the Med. and here. It is really easy and convenient. We plan to stay here a couple days and reprovision, change engine oil, fuel up and hopefully Justin and I will luck into some decent surf. |
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| 2002-4-18 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 30.26°N / 12.92°W | 230m | 7.4 knots |
| April 18, 2002 We are presently about 24 hours from our arrival in Gran Canaria. Our passage has gone quite smoothly with a consistent 20-25 knot north wind and quartering seas of about 6-8 ft. spread far apart, and with the exception of the occasional odd wave, we manage to remain fairly level. There has been a large number of ships and fishing vessels in the area which keeps everyone on their toes during those late night watches. We are all into our daily routines which essentially includes sleeping, reading, cooking and eating, and ofcourse watch standing. The food has been getting better and better as Pete gets more and more creative in his culinary delights. He is down in the galley now preparing a pork roast and a bunch of other stuff that he refuses to accept any help with. It sure smells good. Justin is getting a bit impatient with the fishing. He has yet to land the prized dorado or tuna that he has promised. But it will come. The water is getting warmer and he is getting his lines out earlier...he's very focused. Some of you may ask what the heck I have been doing. Well I make sure the fridge is stocked daily with new beer. This is a job that Dave Harlow (Leg One Captain) taught me well and warned that it was not to be taken lightly. The last thing you want to discover as the sun sets over the yard arm, is that you don't have any cold beer! |
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| 2002-4-17 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 31.58°N / 11.31°W | 231m | 7.6 knots |
| April 17, 2002 We're pushing along and plan to arrive at Gran Canaria on Saturday late afternoon. We're having a great time despite the bad weather that we have had. Yesterday was actually a perfect day. We even had Bloody Mary's to celebrate this first really nice day we have had. Today is cloudy and windy again, but the wind is not in our face so that makes it much more bearable. We all are looking foward to it warming up a bit, which has not happened yet. Last night I was about 30 miles of the coast of Casablanca. Pretty cool. There has been lots of shipping traffic and lots of small fishing boats that are unlit. You see them on the radar and as you get closer they start directing you away from the nets with a flash light. I'm not sure how the 800-foot container ships are handling these guys - or rather, how they are handling the container ships! We'll be glad to get into Grand Canaria. There is supposedly good surf right next to the harbor we'll be at and Justin is hoping he'll be able to find a mid-size surfboard to check out the waves with. |
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| 2002-4-17 (Local) | Justin Zumwalt | 31.58°N / 11.31°W | 231m | 7.6 knots |
| April 17, 2002 We are currently running about 75 miles offshore of Morocco en route to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The wind and seas have clocked around almost directly on our stern, pushing us right into our destination. The temperature is slowly rising as we watch the latitude dropping on the GPS. We expect to get into Las Palmas Friday evening. |
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| 2002-4-15 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| April 15, 2002 With Morocco to the left of us and Spain to the right, we are almost in the Atlantic. What a difference a day makes. We started our day with the usual 25 knot head winds and wicked little seas, but by noon we started seeing the seas lay down. The wind has been blowing all day at about 20 knots on our nose but no seas to speak of. Soon we will be making about a 45 deg. turn to port and be on our rhumb line to Grand Canary. Pork chops in the oven cold beer in hand and all is well aboard the good ship Nordhavn. |
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| 2002-4-14 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| April 14, 2002 Have you ever seen that movie, Groundhog Day, where Bill Murray wakes up every morning to the same day? Well somehow I think we have ended up in the same time warp that Bill was in. No matter what course we steer, we have a constant 25 knot head wind, clear and bright skies and seas that are straight up and down at about 4 second interval...day after day after day. However, we are dealing with it just fine and we know that by this time tomorrow we will be out of the Med and hopefully, mercifully, into a nice north easterly that will blow right into the Canaries. The boat continues to perform perfectly and the crew is optimistically awaiting our transgression out of this fourth dimension we find ourselves in. |
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| 2002-4-13 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| April 13, 2002 After a short 15 hour lay over in Puerto de Villajoyosa on the main land of Spain, we are underway again and wishing we were back in Villajoyosa. We have this relentless 25 knot head wind with 4-6 foot short square seas, but Jim and Walt assure us that this is going to be short lived 24, hours at most , so on we push. Looks like the salon floor tonight. |
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| 2002-4-12 (Local) | Pete Eunson | 38.5°'N / 00.21°E | n/a | 0 |
| April 12, 2002 Well, here we are in Puerto de Villajoyosa. After our conversation with Jim last evening and a report that the weather was not all that great (which we already knew as we were getting thumped pretty good), it was a pretty restless night aboard the yacht. On Justin's watch we were approached by a vessel from astern. When Justin hailed him on the VHF and inquired "What are your intentions," a blue rotating light appeared on his cabintop. We responded by turning on the big 110 volt spreader lights and he disappeared into the darkness astern. The rest of the night was filled with rain squalls and rough seas. This afternoon we had chosen to wait on the weather,and as we made our approach to the harbor it was closed in by rain squalls with lightning; so we opted to run down the coast to another location, Puerto de Villajoyosa. Now I have to go check the chicken and potatoes in the oven. Pete |
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| 2002-4-11 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 39.12°N / 02.26°E | 216m | 6.0 knots |
| April 11, 2002 We are underway again after a brief stop in Palma de Mallorca. Palma is such a beautiful place and the people are so friendly. Quite a contrast to Athens. Our clearance into Palma took all of about 15 minutes. On our approach to the harbor I had contacted the people at Real Club Nautica to alert them to our arrival. I was told to go the waiting area at the fuel dock and wait for someone to help me.As we came up to the fuel dock a nice guy from the marina was there to help us tie up and then promptly whisked me away with the ships papers to the check in area. Everything was handled there, our clearance into Spain, slip assignment and all with a great attitude like they were really happy to have us. Then, to our delight ,the location of our moorage put us directly in front of the yacht club which served $1.00 beers. We though we had died and gone to heaven (until the next morning). So now after a couple of days cleaning, provisioning and changing oil, with a bit of sight seeing thrown in, we are on our way to the Canary Islands some 1100 miles south. We had to say good bye to our old crew member Tim Clark from Power and Motoryacht magazine. Tim was team player and a good sport, we'll miss him. I always find that when I am delivering a boat some where, essentially that's what we are doing, no matter how nice the places are that you stop at along the way, it's a relief to get back on the boat and get going again. We all Agreed that Mallorca is a place that we will someday return to but for now we just want to keep moving on. |
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| 2002-4-08 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 39.56°N / 02.63°E | n/a | 0 |
| April 8, 2002 At 8:30pm last night we finally arrived at our first stop, Palma de Mallorca. Crossing the Med. proved to be more of a challenge than we had figured. During the 6 day passage we had 4 days of head wind near gale force at times. Yesterday we struggled all day long against a 30-35 knot westerly that just wouldn't go away, delaying our arrival until near dark. Palma is a total contrast to Greece in every way. Our clearance was as simple as getting a guest slip anywhere in the states. We were greeted as we came in by a marina employee who, after helping us tie up, promptly shuttled me to the marina office to do the paper work which took all of about ten minutes. We were so happy that it went so smoothly that we decided to celebrate last night. Well it's now 1:00pm and we are just now waking up. Palma is really a beautiful place. We are near the old section of town, cobble stone streets barely wide enough to get a car down, old churches and a huge cathedral with an old Moorish fort right next to our marina. We have lots of work to do today but I hope we will break away later to do some sight seeing. My schedule is to stay here until Thursday morning and then head out for Gran Canary in the Canary Islands. Jeff |
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| 2002-4-07 (Local) | Justin Zumwalt | 38.90°N / 06.45°E | 277m | 7.8 knots |
| April 7, 2002 The last 24 hours have been very pleasant aboard the Nordhavn 40. With a variable 15-20 knot breeze out of the SE on our stern, we all have smiles on our faces. The sun is shining and it is a warm 67 degrees outside. I can smell the fresh aroma of Pete's home made spaghetti sauce working its way into the wheelhouse. We expect to arrive in Mallorca late tomorrow night. |
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| 2002-4-06 (Local) | Justin Zumwalt | 38.49°N / 10.16° E | 263m | 7.4 knots |
| April 6, 2002 We are finally into some beautiful weather with light 5 knot winds from the SSE. Seas are very mild on our port beam. We are 60 miles east of Sardinia and expect to be into Palma De Mallorca by Tuesday evening at around 10:00 pm. We just opened a bottle of Greek red wine and turned on the Irish tenors. Life is good. |
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| 2002-4-05 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 38.26°N / 13.42°E | 269m | 5.5 knots |
| April 5, 2002 We are working our way up the north coast of Sicily. The wind has been steady force 6 on our nose for the last 8 hours. The boat and crew are all well but wishing for a break in the weather. Yesterday we had a full day of unpleasant weather to contend with so we are ready for a break. The Italians give a good weather forecast every couple of hours. These forecasts along with Jim's all indicate milder conditions starting tomorrow. Looks like we could get a nice ride into Palma de Mallorca and we expect to arrive there on the 9th. |
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| 2002-4-04 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 37.84°N / 16.39°E | 270m | 7.0 knots |
| April 4, 2002 We are about in the middle of the Ionian Sea approximately 138 miles from Sicily. The going has been a bit rough since entering the Ionian. All day yesterday we watched the barometer fall from 1015 all the way down to 1003 now. The wind kept building and building from our port quarter until we had full gale conditions. We set the paravanes to help with the motion and the boat rode it out perfectly. After a dinner of franks and beans which was not a big hit, it was still blowing 30+ with gusts to 40 but I was off watch and the ship was sound so I have been sleeping for the past 6 hours. I awoke to a completely different sea. It's now blowing from our starboard quarter but only at about 15 knots. My brother, Jim Leishman, had sent a weather update earlier in the day, which jives exactly with what we are seeing. It's really nice to know that you can count on someone giving you good consistent information when you out here. Thanks Jim. All else aboard ship is routine. |
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| 2002-4-03 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 37.99°N / 20.00°E | n/a | n/a |
| April 3, 2002 It's our first night out of Greece and after an exciting transit through the Corinth Canal we are making our way out to the mouth of the Ionian Sea for the crossing to Italy and the Messina Straights. The boat is running great, the crew is settling in and we are all feeling good about getting underway.I have initiated a watch schedule that makes watch standing during the wee hours of the morning go pretty easy. With four of us aboard there will be plenty of free time. We are running four hours on starting at 0600 up until 2200 when we start with two hours on until 0600. I have the 0200-0400 late watch. The Corinth Canal was an amazing sight it actually was started way back in 61 A.D. by some emperor trying to dig it with picks and shovels using 1000 Jewish slaves. They never quite got there but in 1893 the French were able to finish it. We took some great photos that will be posted asap. That's it for now. |
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| 2002-4-02 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 37.86°N / 23.45°E | n/a | n/a |
| April 2, 2002 After 6 days sitting in Glyfada Marina, Nordhavn is finally under way heading for the Corinth Canal. The canal was cut between 1883 and 1893. It was constructed to link the Ionian Sea with the Aegean. It was cut through solid rock and is over 6km long. The vertical sides rise 90m above the water. The cost to transit the canal is based on its size, length and beam, so it will cost us about 110 euros. Each euro is worth about 89 cents.We'll report about the transit tomorrow. |
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| 2002-3-30 (Local) | Jeff Leishman | 37.52°N / 23.44°E | n/a | 0 |
| March 30, 2002 We are in Glyfada Marina No. 4 tied stern to the sea wall. Glyfada in a nice small town about 30 minutes south of the heart of Athens. The boat arrived safely at 17:30 on March 27. After a big night of celebration and a couple of long days of getting the boat ready we are almost prepared to begin our leg of the journey.We are waiting on a couple of parts being shipped from the U.S. Hopefully they should arrive by Monday. The weather report looks pretty good with the exception of some strong wind predicted for the area around Sicily and the Straights of Messina for some time around Monday and Tuesday. I think we will miss it considering our ETD of Monday. Aboard the boat for leg no. 3 will be Pete Eunson, project manager of the Nordhavn 40, Justin Zumwalt, project manager of the Nordhavn 57, and myself, Jeff Leishman, designer of the Nordhavn line of yachts. We are also fortunate enough to have a guest aboard for the first 1000 miles of or trip, Tim Clark from Power and Motoryacht magazine will accompany us to Palma de Mallorca on the island of Mallorca. Mallorca is the largest island in the Balearic Islands located off of the coast of Spain. Since I have spent the least amount of time sight seeing and getting the feel of Greece, I will ask Pete or Justin to fill you in on all the great adventures they had. Both of them arrived early to take advantage of the opportunity to see this unbelievable place. Look for Jim's full recap upon his return to the states. They had a wild couple of week at the end of their leg. |
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| Leg 4 - Barbados to Acapulco | ||||
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| Date | Correspondent | Position | Course | Speed |
| 2002-6-5 | Crew #4 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| June 5, 2002 Good Morning from NORDHAVN, We are now safely tied up at the beautiful Acapulco Yacht Club. We arrived yesterday at 11:00 AM and were guided in by the Yacht Club on ch 14. As with most of the boats here, we are situated in a "stern to" tie with the anchor set out and the stern tied to the dock. By 2:00 PM, we had completed the basic work of entry paperwork, fueling, oil and filter changes and stage one cleaning. The fuel costs were pretty shocking. After paying an 8% "visitors fee" and a 6% fee to use the American Express card, the cost came to $2.41 per gallon which was a sharp contrast to the $1.00 per gallon that we paid in Panama. The daytime weather is oppressively hot and humid - actually more so than Panama. Once the sun sets however it becomes pleasant. We had dinner last night at a wonderful outdoor restaurant on the beach and contentedly relived and reminisced about the experiences of the last 3 weeks. The gentle humid breezes were pleasant and the lightning flashes added some drama to the moment. The rain drops began falling just as we were paying the bill. This morning, we are doing a final deep cleaning and organizing our personal things so that we can move them off of the boat. Crew #5 will arrive today at 3:00 along with my wife, Marcia. Kevin is leaving for home today and Mike will fly out tomorrow. Marcia and I will vacation for a few days and return home on Sunday. Vital statistics for the passage from Panama to Acapulco are: Distance- 1,418 miles Time- 206 hours Average speed- 6.88 knots Fuel burned (main engine only- not including Gen)- 761 gallons Average GPH- 3.69 Miles per gallon- 1.86 When reading the above numbers, it should be remembered that we purposely traded fuel for time and ran at rather high RPMs with a game plan to arrive in Acapulco with the minimum of fuel on board. As it turned out, we had 85 gallons remaining when we arrived. There will probably be a 2-day gap in reports as crew #5 gets settled in. Crew #5 will probably depart on Thursday night or Friday morning. Best Regards from Crew #4 |
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| 2002-6-4 | Mike Gregovich | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| June 4, 2002 It's 7:45 a.m. local time and we're out 25 miles from Acapulco Bay. I just finished making pancakes, Dan is on watch and Kevin has a line in for the final time. In fact, just prior to me starting this message he had something really big on the hook but it got off. We're being escorted in by a school of dolphins that are jumping around the boat and our spirits are sky high with the scene and the thought of reaching port. It's been a real pleasure for me to share the events of our Leg of this epic voyage of the Nordhavn 40 and I hope you've been entertained as much as we have. If you have any thoughts about taking on such an adventure and need advice or information, call the PAE office and any number of the crew members would be more than happy to assist you. Thanks for all the supportive messages we've received along our path. Smooth seas and fair winds to all of you. |
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| 2002-6-4 | Dan Streech | 16.13°N / 98.73°W | 292m | 7.5 knots |
| June 4, 2002 Distance made good last 24 hours- 178 miles Average speed last 24 hours 7.5 1800 RPM Fuel burned last 24 hours 95 gallons (incl generator @ 6 GPD) Fuel remaining 145 by sight gauges Range at current speed with remaining fuel using data from last 24 hours- 271 nm Distance remaining to Acapulco 79 nm Course 292m ER temp 114 F Outside air temp 86 F Like the song says… What a difference a day makes. 24 hours ago, I used this report to complain about the weather, the seas and the current. The ensuing 24 hours have been the most glorious of the trip and the mood aboard has been euphoric. All day on the 3rd, we enjoyed smooth seas, and a bright sunny day with the sunlight sparkling off of the deep blue Mexican water. Sunset seemed to go on forever as the colors changed and evolved and the big cumulus clouds behind us were illuminated. Mike finally made his special pasta dish that he has been talking about since Barbados and it was delicious. Until now, he had been reluctant to have a big pot of boiling water on the stove even though the stove is gimbaled. Mike has done wonders in the galley and has served up excellent dinners every night regardless of the conditions. We caught (and released alive) another Marlin today. When Mike expressed disappointment that it was “only” a Marlin and wasn’t the monster Dorado that we wanted, I reminded him that grown men spend thousands in fruitless pursuit of the elusive Marlin and would give almost anything for the experience. Kevin has been the wonderful motivator and inspiration for our fishing. As soon as Kevin gets up each morning “the lines are wet”. We will arrive at the Acapulco Yacht Club at about noon today (Tuesday) which is pretty close to what I predicted 5 days ago and get right to work in preparing NORDHAVN for the arrival of crew #5 on Wednesday. Crew #5 will consist of PAE partner Joe Meglen as Captain and PAE salesmen Dennis Lawrence and Gary Armellino as crew. The work list is quite short because there is nothing wrong with the boat. We will thoroughly clean the boat inside and out (probably hire the outside cleaning), do numerous loads of laundry, change oil and filters on the main and generator and change the primary fuel filters. The fuel filters probably could be left as is because there is only a barely perceptible reading on the vacuum gauge, but they have been in since Cape Verde and have filtered about 2,300 gallons of fuel, so we will “retire” them. This will be my last night watch of the trip and despite my complaining of the last few days, I am going to miss it greatly. We are ending the trip on a high note and I know that in the months and years to come I will cherish the memories of this great adventure. I will get this sent off so that I can enjoy the last half hour of my watch by watching the incredible (and silent) lightning show off in the distance. Good night. |
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| 2002-6-3 | Dan Streech | 15.45°N / 97.43°W | n/a | n/a |
| June 3, 2002 Good afternoon from NORDHAVN, The mood aboard NORDHAVN has brightened considerably as we begin to prepare for tomorrow’s arrival in Acapulco. We awoke to clear skies, calmer seas and beautiful SOGs. Our friend Mr. Current has returned to help us- hopefully all the way to Acapulco. We are now in sight of land and will cruise along the Mexican coast all the way to Acapulco. Removing 180 degrees from the possible source of wave patterns has considerably calmed the seas and the absence of the wretched squalls has given us the sparkling deep blue water that I remember from previous cruising in Mexico. We have plenty of fuel, so we have “throttled up” and will run the last 24 hours at 1800 RPM. The e-mail activity with Dana Point has picked up as we confirm flights, yacht club reservations, meeting times and who is going to do what. The biggest dilemma aboard NORDHAVN at the moment is deciding what we will order for dinner tomorrow night. For me, probably the Mexican combination. |
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| 2002-6-3 | Dan Streech | 14.72°N / 96.04°W | 295m | 6.9 knots |
| June 3, 2002 Distance made good last 24 hours- 165 miles Average speed last 24 hours 6.9 1670 RPM Fuel burned last 24 hours 65 gallons Fuel remaining 240 by sight gauges Range at current speed with remaining fuel using data from last 24 hours- 609 nm Distance remaining to Acapulco 256 nm Course 295m ER temp 112 F Outside air temp 82 F We are now approaching the Mexican coast as the miles wind down on our distance to go to Acapulco. We are excited to be getting close and are anxious to arrive. It has been a rough passage and somehow fatiguing where as the passage from Barbados to Panama was refreshing. The weather can only be described as spooky. The sudden formation of large cells of wind and rain is unnerving. A cell has formed around the boat just as I have been writing this and there is pouring rain and lightning although the wind is only about 8 knots. We sense that we are in a tropical depression breeding ground and in fact Jim reported another warning to us (since cancelled) that there was suspicious activity about 400 miles from us. We are spending quite a bit of time playing with the variables of fuel, speed and projected arrival time. I have made up an Excel spreadsheet where I can plug in various different speeds and fuel burn rates trying to find the earliest possible arrival time but keeping a safe reserve of fuel - especially with things so unsettled. The wild card is the current. As you can see from the report, we did pretty well during the last 24 hours and that is because we had the current with us for about 18 of those 24 hours. At the moment, the current has turned on us again, so we have lost about 1 knot of SOG. All else is well and there is nothing wrong with the boat. Sturdy NORDHAVN is proving that she is stronger than her crew. By the way, I have been reading the DDDB (Drag Device Data Base) manual by Victor Shane, which gives instruction on deployment of the Para Tech sea anchor, and drogue, which we have on board. It is a fascinating and informative book with many case study examples. Victor’s writings are right on the mark for the way it really is and I especially enjoyed his deep digression into philosophy. |
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| 2002-6-3 | Mike Gregovich | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| June 3, 2002 Greetings friends and family. All's well and quiet aboard Nordhavn as the weekend comes to a close. Our uncharacteristic lack of news reports for the past couple of days has not been without reason. This weekend on board our sturdy and dependable craft we have endured three successive days of stormy weather that have left us in less than amicable moods and feeling somewhat lethargic. What started out from Panama as days filled with sunshine has turned into stormy days and dark nights with rough and at times confused sea conditions. The height of this foul weather was reached this afternoon when we were overtaken by a local depression that seemed to feed off itself as it encircled the boat gathering momentum and mass in the process. It started out as a rather small rain squall with a 6 knot following wind and within what seemed to be minutes apppeared as a mass of rain clouds approximately 6 miles across most of which was directly in front of us. At this point, the wind clocked around to the bow reaching 20 knots as the rain starting pelting the boat. The wind shifted again to our port beam at a steady 30 knots with gusts to 36 (the highest on this leg) as the wind driven rain brought the visibility to about two boat lengths in all directions. As the boat auto pilot held our course, the shift in wind direction and increase in velocity altered the direction of the depression to starboard. Within an hour, we were once again out of the rain with the wind velocity subsided to less than 15 knots AND with clear visibility. The experience of this violent phenomenon was exhilarating and served as a reminder that we are alone and at the mercy of mother nature at all times. Now, as the weekend closes, our position finds us approximately 275 miles from our destination with an expected arrival of Tuesday afternoon in Acapulco. The seas are still bumpy and sky is black but hopefully will be smoother and sunny tomorrow morning as we approach the Mexican coast of Oaxaca. Kevin and I are still hopeful of catching some more Dorado in the next two days. On a personal note, I'd like to send best wishes to my cousin on the occasion of his marriage yesterday in Trieste, Italy. Tantissimi auguri, Marco ed Irina. Voglio sempre tutto bene per voi! |
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| 2002-6-2 | Jim Leishman | Dana Point, CA | n/a | 0 |
| June 2, 2002 Dear Dan, Kevin and Mike: I have looked over the weather resources I have this morning and there is no new information on the new area of concern mentioned last night. There are no tropical depression warnings at this time. It does look like very heavy precipitation and convective activity in your area and southern Mexico. In view of the unsettled weather I hope you are watching your fuel more closely then ever. If there is a convenient spot to stop and get more fuel it might be a good idea. Jim |
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| 2002-6-2 | Dan Streech | 13.42°N / 93.61°W | 295m | 5.8 knots |
| June 2, 2002 Distance made good last 24 hours- 139 miles Average speed last 24 hours 5.8 1670 RPM Fuel burned last 24 hours 74 gallons (including generator @ 6 GPD) Fuel remaining 315 by sight gauges Range at current speed with remaining fuel using data from last 24 hours- 592 nm Distance remaining to Acapulco 420 nm Course 295m ER temp 114 F Outside air temp 82 F Our progress over the last 24 hours has been disappointing. We have apparently been slowed by two factors. One is a current against us and the other is the motion of the boat in the lumpy seas. The lumpy seas are a result of the succession of squalls, which have passed over us- maybe 15 in the last 24 hours. The last one was 10 miles in diameter (very visible on the radar) and had winds of 30 knots. Each squall leaves its mark on the seas and adds to the confusion. The current is a mystery and shouldn’t be there. I had several e-mail exchanges and a phone conversation with Jim today and his information shows that we should be getting a ½ to ¾ knot favorable current, so we just don’t know what is going on there and hope that it will be turning in our favor soon. A ship just appeared on the radar 10 miles out and I have put a MARPA mark on it. The ship’s CPA (Closest Point of Approach) is shown to be 3 miles, so it is not too worrisome. For once I am glad that it is a ship and not another squall. Otherwise, life aboard NORDHAVN is fine and quite routine as we count down the miles to Acapulco. We are all deep in books. Kevin and I are reading the history of the Panama Canal (two copies on board) and Mike is reading the history of John Adams. NORDHAVN continues to be solid as a rock and problem free. As I close this, the wind is 7 knots, the seas are acceptable and the SOGs are improving. |
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| 2002-6-1 | Jim Leishman | Dana Point, CA | n/a | 0 |
| June 1, 2002 Dear Dan, Kevin and Mike: Saturday night - 10:30... A tropical disturbance summary has been issued for an area of covection which we will want to watch very carefully. I'll check this again in the morning. Regards, Jim ABPE10 PHNC 020030 MSGID/GENADMIN/NAVPACMETOCCEN PEARL// SUBJ/SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN REISSUED/020030Z/030000Z JUN 02// REF/A/RMG/NAVPACMETOCCEN PEARL HARBOR/011530Z JUN 02// AMPN /REF A IS A TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING// RMKS/ 1. EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC AREA (NORTH OF THE EQUATOR AND 180 TO WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA): A. TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY: (1) AT 011200Z4, TROPICAL DEPRESSION 01E (ALMA) WAS LOCATED NEAR 17.8N6 115.7W4, APPROXIMATELY 260 NM WEST OF SOCORRO ISLAND AND HAS REMAINED STATIONARY OVER THE PAST 6 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 20 TO 25 KNOTS. SEE REF A (WTPN31 PHNC 011600) FOR THE FINAL WARNING. (2) NO OTHER TROPICAL CYCLONES. B. TROPICAL DISTURBANCE SUMMARY: (1) AN AREA OF CONVECTION HAS DEVELOPED NEAR 11.0N2 105.0W6, 450 NM SOUTHWEST OF ACAPULCO. A RECENT QUICKSCAT PASS INDICATES A WEAK LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION EMBEDDED IN AN ELONGATED TROUGH. 200 MB ANALYSIS INDICATES THE AREA OF CONVECTION IS MOVING WESTWARD INTO STRONGER VERTICAL WIND SHEAR. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS ARE 10 TO 15 KNOTS. MINIMUM SEA LEVEL PRESSURE IS ESTIMATED TO BE 1008 MB. THE POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS IS POOR. (2) NO OTHER SUSPECT AREAS. 2. JUSTIFICATION FOR REISSUE: ADD PARA 1.A.(1) FORECAST TEAM: BRYANT/DANIEL/JACOBS/SHERRY// |
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| 2002-6-1 | Dan Streech | 12.29°N / 91.51°W | 296m | 7.2 knots |
| June 1, 2002 Distance made good last 24 hours- 172 miles Average speed last 24 hours 7.2 1720 RPM Fuel burned last 24 hours 85 gallons (including generator @ 6 GPD) Fuel remaining 405 by sight gauges Range at current speed with remaining fuel using data from last 24 hours- 819 nm Distance remaining to Acapulco 560 nm Course 296m ER temp 111 F It is a bumpy night aboard NORDHAVN as the hoped-for calm conditions have yet to materialize. Winds range from 15-30 and change directions as the various squalls pass over us with lightning flashing. All else is well as we count down the miles to Acapulco. |
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| 2002-5-31 | Dan Streech | 11.63°N / 90.28°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 31, 2002 NORDHAVN is now in an area that gave my family and I great misery during our cruise on MALABAR VII in 1971. I brought the MALABAR logbook and the daily diaries of my two sisters and of my first wife with me to read and have been reminiscing about that epic cruise. (ED. NOTE: Coming soon, Dan's musings of NORDHAVN v. MALABAR VII will be posted in their entirety.) While the basics of seamanship have remained unchanged over the years, so many other things have changed, that it is difficult to remember how primitive it was only 30 years ago. MALABAR was primitive partly because of our tiny budget and lack of money, but mostly because the gear and equipment that we take for granted today simply was not available for yachts at that time. |
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| 2002-5-31 | Jim Leishman | Dana Point, CA | n/a | 0 |
| May 31, 2002 Dear Dan, Mike and Kevin: Continued good news on weather. No further tropical disturbances in your area and the outlook is for calming conditions through the weekend. Twanapec is looking fine. Kirk is in gale conditions south of San Francisco delivering 5725 and we just told him to put in at Half Moon Bay. Hope all is well... Jim |
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| 2002-5-31 | Dan Streech | 10.94°N / 88.98°W | 297m | 7.2 knots |
| May 31, 2002 Distance made good last 24 hours- 173 miles Average speed last 24 hours 7.2 1840 RPM Fuel burned last 24 hours 101 gallons (including generator @ 6 GPD) Fuel remaining 544 by Flow Scan (after offset for total generator fuel consumption since reset) Range at current speed with remaining fuel using data from last 24 hours- 931 nm Distance remaining to Acapulco 727 nm Course 297m ER temp 111 F Today was routine as we continued our straight-line run to Acapulco. We got a good weather report from Jim for the weekend reporting calming conditions and the absence of any tropical disturbances. We will take that as clearance to continue the offshore course that we are on. We are quite relieved because it was a bit of a gamble that we took and it would have cost us a lot of time to run in to shore from here. This afternoon, the current came around and is now favoring us by about ½ knot or more. We are showing SOGs in the steady 8s, so now it is quite pleasant to watch the monitor. Wait… what’s that sound? I think that I can here mariachi music….. |
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| 2002-5-30 | Dan Streech | 10.05°N / 87.33°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 30, 2002 Today we continue along our “straight shot” course towards Acapulco now 836 miles away as I write this. For those of you who are following us on a chart using the C-map data at the top of each position report, can see that we have passed Punta Guiones, Costa Rica and are entering a portion of the route which takes us further and further offshore as the coast of Central America falls away to the east. The good news is that we are on course and on schedule for a Tuesday morning arrival in Acapulco. The unnerving part of this story is that we are still not 100% cleared on Tehauntepec and there is a very slight possibility of a new tropical disturbance entering the picture. In either case, we would have to turn right to a port of refuge from a hurricane or the “beach” in case of a Tehauntepecker. So, with slight anxiety, we are greedily putting mileage in the bank while the putin' is good. The other issue is fuel. Those of you reading last night’s report may have said to yourself that we are taking the fuel reserves too low. The problem is that we are fighting a wretched little current that I estimate to be about ½ knot against us. We have passed through numerous current boundaries (clearly visible) where the SOG will jump up 1 knot and then back down 10 minutes later. We have thought about venturing off course to look for favorable currents but decided against it. We will just “stay the course” which always works for me. If need be, we will slow down later. |
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| 2002-5-30 | Dan Streech | 09.56°N / 86.41°W | 297m | 6.9 knots |
| May 30, 2002 Distance made good last 24 hours- 166 miles Average speed last 24 hours 6.9 1850 RPM Fuel burned last 24 hours 99 gallons (including generator) Fuel remaining 645 by Flow Scan Range at current speed with remaining fuel using data from last 24 hours- 1,081 nm Distance remaining to Acapulco 897 nm (won't reconcile with yesterday) Course 297m ER temp 111 F Those who know me well know the story of the finest fish dinner that I have ever eaten. It was in 1983 during the delivery of a Mason 63 from Clearlake Texas to the new buyer in City Island, New York. On board for that trip were Jim Leishman, Joe Meglen, Dave Harlow, Mike Clark, Gil Roys and myself. While approaching the Dry Tortugas, we hooked and landed a gorgeous 35 lb wahoo. Gil was doing most of the cooking and later he cooked said wahoo while we were anchored in the beautiful bay near the old fort and served it on the big cockpit table of that lovely sailboat. The slabs of filet had been essentially pan fried in a sauce of butter, garlic and onion, but because the slabs of meat were so thick, Gil improvised by putting a lid on the frying pan and creating a Dutch oven effect. The atmosphere, the fish… well as you can see, I have never forgotten it. However, I am announcing tonight Gil, old friend, that your 19-year reign has come to an end. Mike Gregovich of the good ship NORDHAVN has put you in second place. Mike’s magnificent dinner of dorado now ranks as #1. Upon finishing the second of two huge slabs of the exquisite fish, I was gorged and had to sit at the table a full 20 minutes before getting up to do the evening dishes. |
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| 2002-5-30 | Mike Gregovich | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| May 30, 2002 In my previous message I reported that the seas were flattening and life aboard NORDHAVN was good. Somewhere in today's travels something went wrong and as the wind picked up so did the rough seas. Now we are back to the pitching and lurching that has plagued NORDHAVN for much of this part of Leg 4. It's as if Poseidon is punishing us for hooking up one of his sailfish on Kevin's early morning fishing session . In fact, it's not the big sport fish we are after but rather those that can feed the crew. Unfortunately, most of our strikes have been by the big guys that these waters are teaming with and it has cost us several hook setups. BUT in fairness to this good crew, Kevin did reel in the big fish (our estimate is 80 lbs.), took a picture, removed the hook, and released the mighty creature unharmed. In regards to the rough seas, the only thing I find difficult coping with is cooking the dinner meal. Tonight was no exception, however, in spite of the pitching and lurching I received the highest praises a cook can receive by several OOH's, AAH's, and MMM's from Cap'n Dan and Kevin as they woofed down baked filet of mahi mahi, risotto, buttered broccoli and a tossed salad complete with Panamanian avocado from the orchard of Carlos, our guide, chauffeur, and Canal line handler. That's another remarkable thing about this "little bulldog" of a boat - it affords one all the comforts of home even in these unfavorable sea conditions. The Seaward LPG stove stove has really been a dream to cook with. More interesting tidbits about this part of Leg 4 has been the noticeable increase in the amount of shipping traffic encountered daily. We are definitely in traditional shipping lanes and are passed and overtaken by up to 6 ships per shift. Quite a departure from the run from Barbados to Panama. The traffic tends to give me a reassurance that we're not alone as well as keeping me on my toes as I go through my watch routine. I close for the night wishing all the best to you and calmer seas for us. |
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| 2002-5-29 | Jim Leishman | Dana Point, CA | n/a | 0 |
| May 29, 2002 Dear Dan: The Hurricane is still going strong. It's moving along it's North-Northwesterly course. The official statement by the Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center is as follows: WTPN31 PHNC 291600 1. HURRICANE 01E (ALMA) WARNING NR 020 01 ACTIVE TROPICAL CYCLONE IN EASTPAC MAX SUSTAINED WINDS BASED ON ONE-MINUTE AVERAGE --- WARNING POSITION: 291200Z4 --- NEAR 13.5N9 115.0W7 MOVEMENT PAST SIX HOURS - 315 DEGREES AT 07 KTS POSITION ACCURATE TO WITHIN 015 NM POSITION BASED ON CENTER LOCATED BY SATELLITE PRESENT WIND DISTRIBUTION: MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 075 KT, GUSTS 090 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 040 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 080 NM REPEAT POSIT: 13.5N9 115.0W7 --- FORECASTS: 12 HRS, VALID AT: 300000Z3 --- 14.7N2 115.8W5 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 085 KT, GUSTS 105 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 050 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 090 NM VECTOR TO 24 HR POSIT: 350 DEG/ 07 KTS --- 24 HRS, VALID AT: 301200Z6 --- 16.0N7 116.0W8 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 075 KT, GUSTS 090 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 050 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 090 NM VECTOR TO 36 HR POSIT: 010 DEG/ 05 KTS --- 36 HRS, VALID AT: 310000Z4 --- 17.0N8 115.8W5 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 070 KT, GUSTS 085 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 050 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 090 NM VECTOR TO 48 HR POSIT: 015 DEG/ 05 KTS --- EXTENDED OUTLOOK: 48 HRS, VALID AT: 311200Z7 --- 18.0N9 115.5W2 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 060 KT, GUSTS 075 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 040 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 080 NM VECTOR TO 72 HR POSIT: 045 DEG/ 03 KTS --- 72 HRS, VALID AT: 011200Z4 --- 19.0N0 114.5W1 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 040 KT, GUSTS 050 KT RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 070 NM --- REMARKS: HURRICANE 01E (ALMA), LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 390 NM SOUTHWEST OF SOCORRO ISLAND, HAS TRACKED NORTHWESTWARD AT 07 KNOTS OVER THE PAST 6 HOURS. THE WARNING POSITION IS BASED ON 291200Z4 INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY. THE WARNING INTENSITY IS BASED ON SATELLITE CURRENT INTENSITY ESTIMATES OF 77 KTS. MAXIMUM SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT AT 291200Z4 IS 22 FEET. REFER TO WWPN31 KNZY FOR ADDITIONAL SEA HEIGHT INFORMATION. NEXT WARNINGS AT 292200Z5, 300400Z7, 301000Z4 AND 301600Z0.// Here's Walt Hack's statement received today: 29 May 02 "Have been watching ALMA's movements and so far, projected tracks of the tropical system do not directly threaten the vessel's coastal route toward Baja. However, there is still a low risk that Hrcn/ALMA may continue a more northerly track after Sat/01st instead of slowing and/or stalling at the forecasted position of Sun/01st, due to possible continued interaction with an upper-air trough over Baja at that time. It would therefore be very prudent NOT to discount ALMA's threat as yet. Meantime, based on yesterday's estimated position about 100nm out of BalboaCZ (referring to NORDHAVN), during these coming three days, wind/sea conditions along the Central American coast from CR to the Gulf of T'pec will remain generally moderate SW to W. There is some scattered heavy convective showers along and off the coast from Costa Rico to Guatemala, and some near Acapulco, and although no rotation at present, these areas should be watched for any further sig tropical development. From Gulf Tehuantepec northward to southern Baja waters, winds veer WSW to NW, mostly in Force/4-5 range..with some lumpy swells to 8-10 ft northward of Acapulco to north of Cabo Corrientes, mostly SW, from the offshore ALMA fetch. Thus, til vessel passes Gulf T'pec, dominant wind/swell will be SW-WSW 08-20kt, and SW 3-5ft swell." It seems to me that the weather is looking favorable to cut straight across the gulf of Tawanapec for Saturday (if you arrive by then). I'll continue to watch all this very carefully. I suggest you stay close to shore and think ahead to places you could duck into if anything new pops up. I think all of this is going to do nothing more than guarantee you a smooth ride for the next few days. |
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| 2002-5-29 | Mike Gregovich | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| May 29, 2002 This is the 2nd night and over 300 miles out of Panama City and we are now in Costa Rican waters. Good-bye and good luck to our friends in Panama and thank you for the wonderful memories. We have received e-mails from many of you inquiring about the drop off in our correspondence since the run thru the "Canal". A major reason for the dearth of messages in the past three days is the conspicuous absence of our "ace correspondent," Jeff Merrill. While Jeff was on board, it was almost taken for granted by Cap'n Dan and myself that a most thorough report of the day's activities (and MORE!) would be reported to everyone back home, abroad and to all ships at sea. Jeff, your public obviously misses you, as we do. You were a great shipmate and I hope we can carry the torch from here on out. Another reason for the lack of news can be attributed to the transit through the canal itself which held our complete attention and fascination and the swift night departure - including refueling and reprovisioning - we made from the Flamenco Yacht Club in Panama City. This was followed by a long night and readjustment to the underway routine. Now, two days later, Dan, Kevin and I are fully rested and focused on getting this "little bulldog" to Acapulco. The canal transit for me was the hi-lite of the trip so far, as it was for the others, I'm sure. The crowning moment was when NORDHAVN was in the front position of the MIRAFLORES lock chamber and as I stood on the bow talking to my daughter, Kerry in Key Largo, Florida with a cell phone in one hand and waving my red bandana in the other, hearing her shout through the phone "I see you daddy"! I don't know who was more excited me or you, Ker. Now two days at sea and after somewhat of a letdown following the excitement of the canal crossing, Dan, Kevin and I are getting the momentum and enthusiasm for being at sea again. Kevin is a seasoned and well informed seaman and his knowledge of the Raytheon navigation equipment has added a new dimension to the trip. In addition, he is a more than adequate fisherman and for the first time on Leg 4, we have had lines in the water. We dropped our first line in this morning about 0700 in somewhat rough seas that had the boat pitching and lurching forward. In the matter of three hours, we had strikes from two marlins, a sailfish and a dorado but in all cases we couldn't get hooked up. Of all the strikes the most disappointing was losing the dorado. I had visions of that one on the dinner table. Disappointed we were but not discouraged. Following my afternoon watch, instead of dorado, I prepared a meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green peas with Kevin once again dropping the fishing lines off the stern and Dan on watch in the pilot house. The meatloaf was half done when Kevin yelled out "fish on". Dan put the engine in idle and the two of us rushed to the cockpit to see a huge dorado breaking water and Kevin straining on his fishing rod. "Grego, man the gaff." "Dan, get on the gloves to grab the leader." "Grego, get my camera....." Excited??? Naaaw! Fifteen minutes later, we landed the big bull amidst shouting, laughing, and chest popping. The big fish measured about 5 feet from head to tail and my estimate was between 35 and 40 pounds. Way to go, Kevin!!!! The meatloaf dinner was good but our thoughts are on tomorrow when I'll be cooking fish for the first time. With the seas starting to flatten out and fish in the refer, life aboard NORDHAVN is good. |
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| 2002-5-29 | Dan Streech | 08.81°N / 84.97°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 29, 2002 It was a quiet night aboard NORDHAVN with the only excitement being several ships and the numerous squalls. The seas have greatly improved. There is large soft ground swell that we don’t even feel. The chop and confusion has subsided. Another stabilizer cooling pump failed this morning. We are getting quite handy at changing these pumps out, so there was no drama. I had promised to expose the name of these wretched “commercial” pumps, but have changed my mind and will instead receive my satisfaction when I hand our materials manager, Sky Scott a box of the burned out pumps and ask him to return them for credit as defective. He is a master of returns and will relish the task. Kevin served sashimi (from yesterday’s Dorado) for breakfast, and it was the finest sashimi that I have ever had aboard a boat. I love sushi and sashimi, but the several previous experiences that I have had of cutting up a freshly caught fish and eating it warm have been unsatisfying. The key according to Kevin (and I am now a true believer) is to slice it up and chill it on ice for a few hours before breaking out the wasabi and soy sauce. It is 9:30 AM as I write this and Mike is already talking about how he is going to prepare the fish for tonight’s dinner. I can’t wait. |
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| 2002-5-29 | Dan Streech | 08.28°N / 83.96°W | 304m | 6.8 knots |
| May 29, 2002 Distance made good last 24 hours- 162 miles " Average speed last 24 hours 6.8 1833 RPM Fuel burned last 24 hours 92 gallons (including generator) Fuel remaining 744 by Flow Scan Range at current speed with remaining fuel using data from last 24 hours- 1,310 nm Distance remaining to Acapulco 1,053 nm Course 304m ER temp 113 F You see, it pays to complain. The lumpiness of the seas has settled down since my last report and the comfort level has gone up. The weather report that we got from Jim today shows conditions evolving towards calm in the next few days. The unsettling part of Jim’s report was that the season’s first tropical depression has developed about 1500 miles north of us and that storm (ALMA) is soon to be classified as a hurricane. ALMA will move north and won’t affect us, but…. The breeding has begun…. It is a beautiful night with the nearly full moon reflecting off of the water. Up ahead however a BIG rainsquall is coming. It is an undulating mass on the radar screen. There is also a ship approaching which will pass 1.5 miles off our port side according to the MARPA. I just hope that the ship doesn’t disappear into the squall mass (although that can be somewhat rectified by playing with the “rain” setting) Now much later..Ship passed. Squall passed. All is well aboard NORDHAVN. My watch is over. Good night. |
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| 2002-5-28 | Dan Streech | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| May 28, 2002 The seas are lumpy and confused as we continue on our course towards Acapulco. NORDHAVN doesn’t care; it’s her crew who long for even a few hours of smooth seas. The predominate wind which ranges between 10-20 knots has clocked around to port. From time to time, it is interrupted by a squall bringing torrential rains. Thankfully the staterooms are air conditioned, but the rest of the boat is at 101% humidity. There is a film of condensed wetness on the salon table. I continue to be amazed by the durability and stamina of this boat. NORDHAVN has been “rode hard and put away wet” for certainly the last two weeks that I have been aboard but also for the weeks and months that have passed since leaving Dana Point last November. There is not a single thing wrong with this boat at the moment and I can already foresee a quick turn around in Acapulco where we will refuel, change oil, provision and hand crew #5 the keys. We are learning many things from the ATW project and much more will come from reflection after the voyage is finished. What I have learned is that the boat (assuming that it is a good boat) is no longer the issue. The modern boat far exceeds the physical and mental strengths of those who operate it. The #1 issue for me is the heat and humidity. It is ever present, insidious and debilitating. Except for time spent in the stateroom, I have been hot since the moment I stepped off the plane in Barbados. My friend Marty Wilson (owner of N6216- KARMA) scoffs at my complaints and says that in time, one adapts. Fine Marty; adapt away… I want air conditioning! We are fishing now (courtesy of Kevin’s skills and ambition). So far we have hooked up 4 fish (1 sailfish, 2 marlin and 1 Dorado) and all have danced, fought and ultimately we lost them. The Dorado was the heartbreaker because we would have released the others anyway. The big bull Dorado was at least 30 pounds and Mike only made matters worse when he went into a detailed description of how he would have cooked it with garlic, onions and other secret ingredients. It would have been delicious. Within the next 2 days, we will need to make a decision about how we are going to treat the Gulf of Tehauntepec. From time to time, a violent offshore wind called a Tehauntepecker (no laughing please) will blow across the waist of Central America and into the Gulf of T. The wind can reach speeds of 80 knots or more and therefore can be dangerous. Since it is an offshore wind, the defense is to run very close to shore (some say within 200 yards) for the 200-mile distance where the risk occurs so that the fetch is minimal and the seas can’t build up. Since it is a “gradient” wind caused by conditions in the Gulf of Mexico and as far away as Texas, it is somewhat predictable. Jim Leishman will study the weather information and get further advice from Walt Hack as to whether we should hug the coast or cut straight across. If we cut straight across and get caught offshore by a Tpecker… (I could make several play-on-words here that would not be suitable for the Nordhavn web site.) Let's just say, it wouldn't be good. |
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| 2002-5-28 | Jim Leishman | Dana Point, CA | n/a | 0 |
| May 28, 2002 Dear Dan: Glad to see the Canal transit was success! Now into the Pacific, your weather looks good. The winds are predicted to blow between 10 and 15 knots out of the west - southwest. This will still be forward of your beam as your direction of travel is northwest. The current is favorable - showing a northwesterly set of about 1/2 knot. The winds are predicted to be the lightest close to shore. By Saturday, the winds are predicted to die down to calm conditions. Now the not so good news: There is a Tropical storm - soon to be a Hurricane to the northwest of you. Its over 1,500 miles away and nothing to worry about but, it's an indication of the early potential for development of these storms. This storm "ALMA" should move off to the north and then hook to the east as it loses power in the cooler waters. I've got a call into Walt Hack now to get him watching for new tropical storms developing. Here's the official statement on tropical storm ALMA. WTPN31 PHNC 281600 SUBJ: TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING 1. TROPICAL STORM 01E (ALMA) WARNING NR 016 01 ACTIVE TROPICAL CYCLONE IN EASTPAC MAX SUSTAINED WINDS BASED ON ONE-MINUTE AVERAGE --- --- FORECASTS: 12 HRS, VALID AT: 290000Z1 --- 12.7N0 113.8W3 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 065 KT, GUSTS 080 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 040 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 080 NM VECTOR TO 24 HR POSIT: 310 DEG/ 07 KTS --- EXTENDED OUTLOOK: 48 HRS, VALID AT: 301200Z6 --- 16.0N7 115.5W2 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 070 KT, GUSTS 085 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 040 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 080 NM VECTOR TO 72 HR POSIT: 015 DEG/ 08 KTS --- 72 HRS, VALID AT: 311200Z7 --- 19.0N0 114.5W1 MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 055 KT, GUSTS 070 KT RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 030 NM RADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 080 NM --- REMARKS: TROPICAL STORM (TS) 01E (ALMA), LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 410 NM SOUTH OF SOCORRO ISLAND, HAS TRACKED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AT 10 KNOTS OVER THE PAST 6 HOURS. THE WARNING POSITION IS BASED ON 281200Z3 INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY. THE WARNING INTENSITY IS BASED ON SATELLITE CURRENT INTENSITY ESTIMATES OF 55 KTS. MAXIMUM SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT AT 281200Z3 IS 22 FEET. REFER TO WWPN31 KNZY FOR ADDITIONAL SEA HEIGHT INFORMATION. NEXT WARNINGS AT 282200Z4, 290400Z5, 291000Z2 AND 291600Z8.// |
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| 2002-5-28 | Dan Streech | 07.14°N / 81.55°W | 277m | 7.2 knots |
| May 28, 2002 Distance made good last 24 hours- 170 miles Average speed last 24 hours 7.2 1700 RPM Fuel burned last 24 hours 72 gallons (including generator) Fuel remaining 836 by Flow Scan Range at current speed with remaining fuel using data from last 24 hours- 1,973 nm Distance remaining to Acapulco 1,215 nm Course 277m ER temp 109 F We are back in the routine of being at sea. Kevin took Jeff’s time slot on the watch schedule, so Mike and I have remained unchanged from our previous watch schedule. We are now going “up hill” and are in the conditions that NORDHAVN will face for most of the next 3,000 miles between here and Dana Point. The wind and seas are on the nose and the true wind speed varies between 10 and 20 knots. NORDHAVN is happy with the conditions and gamely rises and falls to the rhythm of the head seas without pounding or loss of speed. There is zero roll- just pitch now. I am really impressed with the motion of the N40 going to weather. For some time, Jim Leishman has sung the praises of the N40s motion going to weather, but until now, I have never experienced it. As you see above, we averaged 7.2 for the last 24 hours that I am quite happy with. We have been helped by some favorable current, but we also now have the benefit of a clean bottom. When we dove on the boat in San Blas, we were surprised to see so much growth (especially since NORDHAVN has been moving most of the time). We had the bottom and propeller cleaned while we were in Panama. I think that the clean bottom is giving us some newfound speed. We are starting to play with numbers to determine our arrival time in Acapulco. It is a little speculative because we are still so far out and we don’t know yet if we need to take the “beach route” through Tehauntepec that will add some additional distance. However, we are hoping for an arrival in Acapulco sometime during the day on Tuesday June 4. |
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| 2002-5-27 | Dan Streech | 07.43°N / 79.94°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 27, 2002 Good Monday morning from NORDHAVN. We're at sea again and are presently 25 miles from “Punta Mala”, our next waypoint. After completing the canal transit, we pulled into the Flaminco Marina where we readied for sea. Jeff and Carlos (one of the hired line handlers) went to the market for some last minute supplies while Mike and Kevin fueled and tidied up the engine room. I told Mike and Kevin to “pack” the boat and they managed to squeeze in 755 gallons ($1.00 per gallon) as fuel oozed out of the vents. We will run non-stop to Acapulco (a distance of about 1500 miles) and I intend to run hard and arrive with minimal fuel on board. Mike referred to me as “a barn soured horse”. With NORDHAVN now back in the Pacific and pointed generally towards home, one cannot help it. The thought of my sweet wife waiting for me in Acapulco causes the throttle to be inched forward. While the guys readied the boat, I carried out my duties as “Captain Danero” as Jeff calls me or “The Wallet” as Kevin calls me. Pete Stevens came aboard and presented his invoice together with a very well organized 3 ring binder containing all necessary paperwork and extra copies of crew lists, passports ect. The Stevens invoice was presented in a format similar to an escrow statement with double reconciliation and was very clear and understandable. The bottom line was $1,172 that included the basic transit fee of $500 plus the Stevens agency fee, line rentals, taxes and various other small charges. I paid the two line handlers separately. I highly recommend the use of an agent when transiting the canal and especially recommend Pete Stevens. Pete Stevens can be reached at (507) 261-1931. For the past 4 days, poor NORDHAVN has been a dormitory, cafeteria and public bathroom. As planned, Jeff and Kevin were to overlap so that both could experience the canal transit. Tim Banse’s stay that was to be a simple overnight event stretched to two days due to the transit delay. Add to that the line handlers, the pilot, and various guests (“do you mind if I use the head ?”) and you can see that we were an overbooked hotel. The red light never came on indicating a full holding tank, but it must have been close. Being back at sea, I have valved to direct overboard discharge of the toilet. I pumped the holding tank for 10 minutes and got tired before it emptied. I will finish it later. While we were very sorry to see our excellent shipmate and good friend Jeff Merrill and our new friend Tim Banse leave, it was a relief to hoist their luggage to the dock and reclaim our little ship. The transfer or replacement of crew is an interesting phenomenon not unlike what is seen on the TV show “Survivor”. Dan, Mike and Jeff were now the past and Dan, Mike and Kevin were clearly the future. The new crew was the one going to sea and we had entered the “zone” of excitement, responsibility, nervousness and dread that comes as you depart on a long passage. By about 8:00PM, NORDHAVN was ready for sea. Fuel was loaded, the engine room was thoroughly checked, the food was stowed, the boat was cleaned and the previous 4 days of slothfulness had been erased. By this time however, rain was falling, lightening was flashing and an onshore wind of 20 knots was fluttering the Nordhavn burgee. We were exhausted from an exciting day that began at 3:30AM. Should we leave?- Yea, lets go. We slowly motored through the anchorage as Mike and Kevin stowed lines and fenders and made NORDHAVN ready for sea. With building apprehension, I could see the rain blowing sideways as it was illuminated by the fluorescent lights on the breakwater. As we passed the fancy sport fisherman which had been our lock partner, I could see them through the big windows enjoying dinner and watching TV. That boat had roared past us at 30 knots after exiting the Miraflores locks but then had to slow down after getting into the rough conditions around Flaminco Island. We had almost caught back up with them, but didn’t and they went on to hog our reserved spot at the fuel dock. I simultaneously envied them and despised a multi million-dollar boat that couldn’t or wouldn’t go to sea in those conditions. In a replay of the old “tortoise and hair” story that we see so often, I predict that humble NORDHAVN will beat that gorgeous 2,900 horsepower gold-plater to Acapulco. As we rounded the breakwater, we entered a very lumpy and confused sea and a radar screen FULL of ships, buoys and islands. We bumped our way through an uncomfortable night of trying to read the movements of various ships and hang on to the bucking NORDHAVN. The weather settled down during the night and the dawn brought a beautiful sunrise, smoother seas and fewer ships. I am glad that we left last night. We have already put about 70 miles in the bank. |
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| 2002-5-26 | Dan Streech | Panama Crossing | n/a | n/a |
| The Canal Sunday May 26, 2002 To view pictures of thetransit through the Panama Canal click here 3:50 am – Our wake up alarm clock sounds in the salon and Mike turns on our two coffee makers. We all put on our NORDHAVN ATW embroidered aloha shirts. We are quiet now, but will look loud throughout the day. 4:00. With Eric Ng and Carlos Solano from Delfino (our agent) aboard and the crew all up, lights on, instruments on, etc., Kevin Ryan does an engine room check, tightens one loose hose clamp and we are ready to check in with Cristobal Signal on channel 12. 4:05 Capt. Danero is on the radio to Cristobal Signal, the air is heavy in anticipation…the response from CS – “NORDHAVN, report to flats to pick up pilot at 04:30." Capt. Dan, now fully awake after two sips of coffee, gleefully acknowledges the command. 4:07 We untie from the cement center pier 3 at the Panama Canal Yacht Club – Cristobal, and under cover of night slip out of the harbor and proceed to the flats. Carlos helps Dan locate the yellow light at the flats where pilots usually board. Dock lines go back into deep storage (we have four special 150’ blue polypropylene lines for locking that we have rented from Pete Stevens - Delfino) and fenders are taken in and put into standby mode. 4:20 At the flats we stand by - excited and relieved - and know once we get into that first lock chamber we are truly committed. Coffee mugs are refilled and the waiting for the pilot commences. 4:39 Our Canal Pilot, Victor Julio Viveros, Jr. arrives. We proceed slowly in the direction of the Gatun locks. There will be three of us in this group, NORDHAVN, "Los Campaneros" (a brand new 61’ Viking sportfisher on her maiden voyage from New Jersey) and a large orange cargo freighter, “Zanis Griva” from Monrovia. The order will be Freighter, Fisher, Fighter! 4:50. Victor and Dan exchange questions, answers and instructions as we plod along at .5 knots. Dan opens it up to get us in a better position and at 2100 rpm we see 8.3 knots, we can run harder, but it is nice to see a lively speed, our clean bottom and low fuel level give us a new energy. 5:00 We are homing in on a series of lights like a moth to a flame. We pass the red bell buoy 8 and spook a roosting pelican (alcatraz) who has been sleeping. The light of day is starting to sneak into the sky. Kevin, Mike, Tim and Carlos are all sitting on the foredeck. The Nordhavn bow burgee enthusiastically flutters, coaxing us on as we are soon to leave Limon Bay, our last taste of Atlantic and Caribbean waters. 5:10 Victor leads us in with intermittent VHF communication on 13. We are slowly being funneled towards the lock entrance. Three green lights are set up as range/directional fixes and Dan soon has them straight on. 5:30 We can see the freighter up ahead filing into the lock area. It is still dark outside, but now half of the sky shows white-blue where the clouds do not block it. Victor confirms that we have 2’ loops on the ends of each lock line and explains that the lock attendants will be throwing down messenger lines weighted by ‘monkey’s fists’ (a special knot at the end of the line tied into a ball shape) with which we are to secure our lines so they can hoist up the loops to lasso the bollards. We control the ‘smart’ ends of the lines from our end. 5:35 Fenders are repositioned, two on each side – two aft in the cockpit and two at the front of the Portuguese bridge. 5:52 We enter the cement wharfs that are the mouth of chamber one. 5:54 – Monkey fist off the starboard bow! Soon Carlos has secured both bow and stern lines from the starboard side to the monkey line. Then the monkey fist goes off the port bow and Eric secures both port side lines. The lock workers walk at our speed and at the correct position they hoist them up . 6:00 Victor gets on the VHF, “OK Lockmaster we are ready for water!” The solid hawse pipes that come standard on the Nordhavn 40 are designed for just this type of heavy action. The cleats onboard will pull the canal walls in on us if our handlers are not careful. NORDHAVN is overbuilt, solid, rugged and ready to go. 6:01 The lock gates close. The tide inside the chamber rises and water races in creating a wild current. We have heard stories of cheap manila line used and snapping under this turbulent pressure – careening a small sailboat into the side walls and gate. We thank Pete Stevens for supplying stout lines and a stout crew. We are center tied – easily 45 feet of water on either beam. There's no need for fenders. 6:15 Chamber filled, a whistle is sounded and our onboard line handlers uncleat and slack the lines, then we pull in our lines as Capt. Dan powers us forward. The monkey fists remain attached - a drill that won’t be repeated. The line handlers on the canal bulwark walk at our pace. They are wearing hard hats and life jackets. We are wearing aloha shirts and big grins. 6:19 The walls rise up as we pass through the gate of the second chamber. Our four lines are slackened again. Capt. Danero and Pilot Victor keep NORDHAVN centered in the chamber. The gate behind us immediately begins to close. The water level on the canal wall says 39’. 6:39 The water level rises to 69’. In about twenty minutes the second chamber has filled and we have done our first ladder step up the ramp to do a slow motion full displacement salmon run. Like the salmon we are returning home, but unlike the salmon we are to be reborn into our home waters, the Pacific. 6:45 We are in the final chamber. This one has an observer's room and on the control building a plaque which says, “GATUN LOCKS - PANAMA CANAL - 1913” and painted on the front of the building, “A canal for the new Millenium.” This third chamber is a double door affair – we are definitely locked in. The water level begins at 41’. Dan and Victor discuss the merits of Mercedes cars. This transit deal is now an old hat drill for Captain Danero. A huge hydraulic arm is pinned to the upper gates. The force must be tremendous. 6:55 The water has risen 30’ to 71’. The huge freighter in front has a rail mounted trolley as it's line handler. 7:02 The whistle sounds, the monkey lines are untied from ours and we haul in our lock lines. NORDHAVN powers up to 8 knots. We enter Gatun Lake and leave the dam to starboard. The wind has whipped up and we’re seeing 24 knots right on the nose. 7:08 Dan fires up the wing engine. We’re now a twin screw screamer and our speed increases to 8.4, respectable given the chop on the lake and the headwind. 7:15 We are taking the short cut across the Lake and will pass by Monkey Island (no crew transfers anticipated). 7:22 At the top of a Fig tree we get an excited monkey greeting – a big dark monkey romping all around the upper branches - hootin’ and hollerin’ and basically monkeying around. We feel special. What a great day to be alive. Kevin exclaims, “Show me the monkey!” 8:05 We are passing a very special island in the middle of the canal called, Barro Colorado Island, which is operated by the Smithsonian Institute as an unspoiled preserve to study the indigenous flora and fauna of Panama. Panama has over 650 bird species, one of the richest locales of birds in the world. This preserve has been in continuous operation for over 30 years, but unfortunately we do not have much detail on it aboard. 8:30 Our short cut ends as we reemerge in the main channel. 9:12 We arrive in Gamboa, leaving her to port. We are roughly at the half way point on our transit. We are 21 miles from the Gantun locks and 9 miles to go to get to Pedro Miguel locks. The boat speed is reduced as we navigate through this area. Lots of cranes and dredging equipment. Docks and buildings, power lines and houses, this is a small seaport in the middle of the canal. We see our friends on the sport fisher, "Los Campaneros". They are anchored in the shallows. 9:23 GTM drops the hook in 15’ of water. Lilli pads and foliage are floating on the surface, a little weird. A large Maersk ‘Panamax’ pulls through – it is enormous. We are just across from a low level bridge that crosses the Chagres river. We are parked because the approaching Culebra Cut is restricted. Ships are basically routed on a one way traffic schedule. We will likely be stopped here for an hour or so. Carlos points out a tall observation tower that is part of the Gamboa Rainforest Resort – another place to put on your list of things to do. Carlos has the binoculars out and is looking for Manatees and Alligators. 11:30 . After a 2 hour wait we were able to key on our trusty Lugger and up anchor. Kevin got a couple of swims in and the rest of the crew just rested. 11:33. Victor orders and I make a ham sandwich. Chicken is also being prepared. John Hiatt’s – “Walk On” only gets one cut played before he is yanked in favor of Loggins and Messina "Full Sail”. This, the favorite disc for crew 4 takes its rightful place as the soundtrack for the canal. 12:20 The cut is very well lit up for night passages. There are two sets of range markers at the end of each straight leg of channel – a set of three large white diamond shaped signs with black crosses. So far every time I’ve looked at the depth sounder we have been right around 50’. 12:26 Dan is on the Delfino loaner cell phone with Jim Leishman and we are pulling over to side tie at the entrance to Pedro Miguel Lock. Apparently we are waiting for some boats in the locks to clear before we can enter. 12:30 Captain Danero brings us along side the pilot boat ‘Nutria’ – all four fenders are positioned to port. 12:35 Kevin and I go ashore with two Frisbees for a quick round of disc golf. Kevin is unsure that it is cool, I suggest we play until we get yelled at. We settle on what will be the first hole, then Victor shouts down something. I walk up to find out we are not allowed on shore. Dan joins us as the three of us return to the boat. Heading down some steps I curve a soft floating arc’er right into Kevin’s grasp – we played Frisbee in the middle of the Canal! 12:50 Our plans for arrival at the other end take shape as Grego dictates a list of groceries for Tim and me to pick up while the crew takes on fuel and water. 13:00 Kevin takes advantage of the break to organize the paper charts for the Pacific coast of Panama so that a quick departure with a game plan will be possible as soon as NORDHAVN gets reloaded. 13:12 While doing a periodic inspection of the freezer I discover chocolate ice cream. It is quickly dispensed with by the Captain and me. Minutes later we are underway. 13:31 We are side tied in the Pedro Miguel Lock waiting for our partner. I finish the last couple of pages of David McCullough's epic, “The Path Between the Seas”. If you are going to do the canal it is a must read. 14:00 We are now tied in at the Pedro Miguel Lock, first ones in line. The sport fisher is behind us and the huge freighter "Pretty Flourish” is just squeezing in with a couple of feet to spare on the beam. 14:04 Twice the monkey fisters misfired, it’s a good heave of 50’ or so. Finally we got a connection and Kevin quickly tied a bowline using the monkey line to secure our port bow and stern lines. The starboard lines remained on the dock since we had side tied. 14:23 We dropped down roughly 30’ and then the double gates opened up. Since they opened in towards us we had to wait until they tucked back into the seawall before the upper line handlers called for slack so that they could release our lines from the bollards. Once clear we picked up speed. We are now heading across Miraflores Lake. Up ahead, not far away our final set of locks. The Miraflores Locks. We have sent out an email and called our next of kin – so that everyone can see us going through this last set of locks on the web camera. 14:31 We pull up to the Mira Flores Locks. It’s a bit of a wait here, the big freighter who will lock through with us is a slow poke. Again we side tie. 14:34 A Panama Canal worker picks up a slow moving fish that is still alive but got trapped swimming from the salt water to the fresh. He now has at least an appetizer for his Domingo comida. 14:40 There is a viewing platform at the locks with tourists taking it all in. Apparently you pay admission and the plan is to open a much larger facility in the next year that will incorporate a restaurant and bar. We yell to them “Show us your tickets,” but they cannot hear us. 15:20 The twirling monkey fisters miss twice, Capt. Danero alters course to port to give them a chance and the third time is the charm. We are on LockTV and get many calls from family. Mikes daughter Kerry squeals with delight when the camera refreshes and captures him on the bow waving his red bandana – she’s going to print that one out for him. 15:34 The water starts pouring out of the lock. We now have a full on Spanish music radio station blaring flamenco accordion music. Ahh, a nice reminder that the next port will be Acapulco. 15:43 We drop down into the pit again, inside a huge concrete swimming pool. The bell rings and it’s time to press forward into the last lock of the day. 16:00 It is time to flow. The last water will be issued forth for us. The whistle is blown. We pull in the lines for the last time. Dan puts it in gear and we are clear of the locks. 16:15 At last, we are at sea level on the Pacific side. The tide on the Atlantic side was 12 inches, now we are in a tidal flow of more like 12 feet. Dan guns it and we go 8.7 knots - the advantages of current. 16:25 A toast – Kevin breaks out a beer for each member of the crew – nice cold, refreshing, just the thing. Remember the old Schlitz commercial…you only go around once! (and we took the short cut) 16:37 We pass under the Bridge of the America’s our official passage into the Pacific. 16:47 Rough bouncy seas and we're back in our element. The water depth is 60 feet as we make our way outside to the Flamingo Yacht Club.. 16:53 Time to file this report because as soon as we arrive it will be a mad scramble to offload, reload and then head back out to sea. The dark clouds on the land give a great background to the skyscrapers of Panama City that are shined on brilliantly by the sun. Thank you Peter Stevens and Delfino Maritime for taking care of us. Thanks to Eric and Carlos for handling our lines and being our brothers. And special regards to Tim Hanse of Southern Boating Magazine who has been a great addition to the team over the last couple of days and blended right in with us from the start. We especially enjoyed his tales of Panama from his years down here and his fluency in Spanish to make things happen quicker for us. This has been a long day to be sure. I just broke out a box of Girl Scout cookies – Trefoils (you know, the short bread kind) courtesy of my daughter, Elle Merrill, a second year Brownie, as a celebration for completing this portion of the voyage. Tim and I will make a final grocery run and then the crew will head up the coast. My days aboard are done, it has been a great adventure, one never to forget. Fair weather NORDHAVN, have a safe trip, take care of the crew and we’ll see you at home in Dana Point in a few short weeks! As Jimmy Buffet would sing it, “it’s been a lovely cruise..” |
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| 2002-5-26 | Dan Streech | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| May 26, 2002 DISAPPOINTMENT! We will not be going through the canal today (Saturday) as we originally hoped. In a very good example of how it works here, we were bumped until tomorrow - we hope. At 5:30 AM, we were all up, our two extra hands were aboard, NORDHAVN’s engine was fired up and I made the required call to “Cristobal Signal” to tell them that we were on our way to the flats to meet the pilot. The operator answered back that our transits date had been cancelled and we all just looked at each other in disbelief. Welcome to the Panama Canal. This is how it works. The reason that we were bumped is that the ship we were scheduled to pair with did not show up on time. Today is a very light traffic day (only 12 ships), so no other suitable partner could be found. The “Pan Max” ships are built to exactly fit the size of the lock with a few feet to spare and thus are not suitable partners. We are not permitted to partner with “dangerous cargo” ships which tankers are considered to be, so basically nothing was left. Because of the water conservation program, they won’t put a small yacht in the locks alone. Tomorrow there are 45 ships expected to transit, so there will be more partners to choose from. We have decided to kill the day by hanging around the yacht club and doing odd jobs on NORDHAVN. |
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| 2002-5-24 | Jeff Merrill | 09.20°N / 79.54°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 24, 2002 Thursday May 24rd, 2002 Arrival in Cristobal Daybreak, 5:15 am Mike Gregovich had slowed us down to about 4 knots to time our arrival at the Port of Cristobal. A lot of tankers are on the radar screen, they are all checking in with the clearing house, Cristobal Signal, and making arrangements to take pilots on board to start their day through the Canal. At 6:00 am this morning Captain Danll hailed “Cristobal Signal” on VHF channel 12 to announce our arrival and position. We also asked for the lat. and lon. of the anchorage area we were to proceed to , F – Flats. Since we will clear immigration here I hoisted our yellow ‘Q’ quarantine flag on the port spreader. With permission from Cristobal Signal we entered the breakwater at 6:30 at a pace of 5 knots with a large tanker on our tail, the ‘Hebei Ocean’. We motored passed the town of Colon surprised at the high rise buildings and then closed in on an area more typical to a freight and cargo wharf area. Dan longingly admired a mini-freighter that was probably 120’ long and has the lines of the NORDHAVN 62. Soon we were in fog, but it smelled of fire, no, we were running through a smoky haze… it partially obstructed our view, but must be just part of the local scenario – someone burning trash? We found our way to the Flats, sussed out the buoy boundaries and picked out our spot to anchor – in about 38’ of water surrounded by seven sailboats of various sizes. By 7:15 Mike had payed out 100’ of chain, and shut down unessential electronics. Dan informed Cristobal Signal that we had moored in the Flats and they told us to stand by on VHF 12. Fortunately we have a handheld VHF so we leave the main on 12 and the handheld on 16. In the last three days there have been a series of events playing out behind the scenes all related to our upcoming Panama Canal transit. Kevin Ryan is winging his way down to join us, which will be a nice reunion to have one of our ‘homey’s’ aboard. Kevin owns Outbound Yacht Services in Dana Point and among the many jobs he has done for us over the years was the installation of the Hurricane heater (which we have not used on our leg) and the Spectra Water Maker – which has been awesome. We are also waiting for our other guest, Tony Banse from Southern Boating Magazine, who will transit the canal with us. This is a last minute change from David Seidman, executive editor of Boating Magazine, who was scheduled to join us, but a family emergency altered his plans. After we settled in, I put in a call to Delfino Maritime and our agent, Peter Stevens. Peter took our particulars and then said he’d make some calls and would re-contact us. About a half hour later Peter called back, saying he had arranged for the Panama Immigration Authorities to come out for a visit and had coordinated a slip for us at the Cristobal Yacht Club about 300 yards away. It looks like we could have gone through Friday, but since we now have Tim on the way we begged off for a Saturday transit. Guess we’ ll have to find an ATM once we get ashore, the Kuna have all my money now. Around 9 a.m. a pilot launch approached and we took on our official Panama Canal Admeasurer, Mickey Donahoue. He had a big bag full of paperwork and equipment when he got aboard. First thing he did was get out a tape measure and get the overall length and overall beam. Mickey’s been doing this since 1977 and was with the original Canal company before the transition. Then we sat in the salon and with a copy of our vessel documentation in front of him he filled out his paperwork. (CLICK HERE for the list of questions you will be asked if you transit the canal on a small pleasure vessel) Basically there are two governing bodies operating the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal Authority – represented by Mickey Donahoue today on our boat - and, the Republic of Panama – all of our immigration, etc., is being handled by Delfino Maritime, the agent we hired in advance. Capt. Dan had to fill out a crew list document of who was on board when we arrived and include passport #’s. Then he had to sign a blue paper - a release that essentially lets everyone in Panama off the hook if anything happens to your boat or crew. If something like your cleats get bent, it is because your boat is not designed for the Canal. Basically you have to sign to get through so there’s really no reason to even read the document, because you aren’t going to change anything and your only other choice is go around the Horn – is that a choice? I’ll fill you in on the canal transit experience tomorrow night. One neat tidbit is it only takes 15 minutes to fill each lock. Mickey also told us an obvious thing that none of us had figured out yet: Cristobal Colon is Christopher Columbus in Spanish. So with Mickey calling the pilot boat to retrieve him I got on the VHF channel 85 with Delfino and coordinated with Pete Stevens to pull in to the Panama Yacht Club – Cristobal. Mike hauled the anchor, it’s a muddy bottom, so we used the deck wash and did a lot of chain in/out – not a lot of water pressure on the deck wash – a little thing for future improvement. We pulled in to the yacht club and were greeted by line handlers. We were soon secured and met Angie (male) who on behalf of Pete Stevens took care of us upon arrival. We cannot say enough good things about Pete and Delfino. So far everything has been clearly represented and taken care of for us. It ’s nice to have a friend looking after you, even more amazing to have a friend that we’ve only met by referral and only communicated with by phone, fax and email. NORDHAVN was tied up to a dock again for the first time since Barbados. Lots of nice slips here at the Panama Yacht Club – looks like a good place to hang out. Glad to be in the Panama Canal Zone. |
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| 2002-5-24 | Dan Streech | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| May 24, 2002 There were no reports from me on Wednesday because we were very busy maximizing our too short stay at the San Blas Islands. PAE is doing a great job at demonstrating the qualities and capabilities of our Nordhavns, but we are lousy examples of what cruising is all about. If we were cruising, NORDHAVN would still be anchored in the lovely lagoon that we found and settling in for 2 or 3 weeks of lazy days filled with snorkeling, exploring, reading, socializing with the other cruisers and eating $1 lobsters. It was very difficult to leave after our quick 24 hour stop. I am definitely returning someday to this idyllic spot with my own boat and wife and will stay for WEEKS. I had a vision and a hope for what I wanted and expected the San Blas Islands to be. The reality far exceeded it. The islands were BEAUTIFUL, EXOTIC, and a small slice of paradise on earth. They were actually better than I remembered. I didn’t make it through the night on deck because the rain came, but while I was there it was fantastic. Similar feeling to the Marqueses- but better. In the morning, we motored into the lagoon formed by the 6 islands of this group. The chart made it look like it was impossible, but there were several boats in there so we knew that we could do it. With Mike and Jeff on the bow and me watching the depth sounder, we threaded our way into this gorgeous area with crystal clear water. We nearly ran aground (the depth sounder showed the depth to be 4 feet at one point) but made it in and anchored in the perfect spot. We jumped in and swam to cool down and then launched the dingy and motored over to the one island that looked like it had some life. The huts we had seen were abandoned, so we walked around the island and found a little village on the other side. There were 6-8 huts, about 10 naked children swimming in the water, about 6 women and the “chief”. The chief asked for $5 as a landing fee, which we happily paid. Then the mola trading began. The Kuna women are notorious for their fierce dealings. About 90 minutes and $200 later, we departed with many molas, but the women were tough and never gave an inch. One young lady (about 25) who was oblivious of her 3 year old trying to suck her flopping breast would gesticulate, sulk, pout and argue as I tried to negotiate her price. In the end, I paid full price. We visited several boats and then departed for the capitol island of Porviner. No sooner did we drop the anchor than two canoes approached full of women and children. The canoes were dilapidated “dug outs” and barley afloat- it is a wonder that the small children don’t drown. We were totally “invaded” as the women swarmed aboard chattering, pushing, pointing and offering their various molas, bracelets and clothing. The women were brightly dressed in molas and beads. We kept them confined to the cockpit and at one point Mike, who was trapped there, alone as Jeff and I fetched more money from the safe, cried out for help as he was pushed into the corner by the aggressive women.More molas purchased and again, no discounts as we paid the going price of $10-$20 each depending on the complexity of the design. With time running out and with the need to navigate a complicated path thru the reefs in daylight, we reluctantly departed with the setting sun. |
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| 2002-5-22 | Jeff Merrill | 09.34°N / 78.41°W | n/a | 5.0 knots @ 1500 rpm |
| May 22, 2002 Heading north at 5 knots, 1500 rpm. It’s about 15:00 and we’ve been trying to soak up as much island time as we can in a few short hours. This place is breathtaking. Beautiful tropical islands sprouting coconut palm trees and a nice light turquoise blue tint to the water. But there is coral and it is a bit tricky to get around. So far we’ve managed to keep NORDHAVN in the brine the whole time, but we did have to beat a hasty retreat at one point this morning. We arrived Tuesday evening, spent Wednesday seeing some sights and are now back underway. Making our way into San Blas was a little tricky. It was a race against daylight. We shouted our first ‘land ho’ at about 17:00 and from then on we all were busying ourselves getting ready to shift from a ‘sea’ mind set to a ‘land’ thinking process.I had figured that we would have reasonable light until about 19:45, maybe even to 20:00. An hour earlier, at 16:00 we had increased the rpm’s from 1800 to 1900, and even shut down the generator and centered the Naiad fins, but we must have been getting some kind of current because we couldn’t get much more than 7 knots. We could smell the air change as the shore beckoned. The clouds were hugging the coast and through some dark ones we saw lightning. As the sun descended we knew our timing was going to be close. Dan manned the helm with Mike monitoring the depth sounder (an instrument we really hadn’t looked at in over a week). I had binoculars out and was looking ahead for breaking waves to indicate a reef. Mike saw the first boats tucked in and around the islands. The islands were best described by Dan as ‘fuzzy caterpillars’ from our distance, but through the binoculars you could see the tell tale signs of palm trees. I was ready to jump in when we got there! The sun ducked behind some clouds and slipped out of view about 19:30. We still had a mile or so to go. The islands were distinctly separate and our C-Map C-Cards were spot on for showing us our position. Our GPS position put us right on that electronic chart and even the depth from our sounder coincided with the depth registered on the chart. Slowly Dan altered our course a couple of degrees to starboard, towards the islands. Basically we could drop anchor here in 70’ of water and call it a day, but we inched closer to one of the near islands. Dusk was happening fast, but there was still some light reflecting on the water. We were throttled back and poking forward cautiously. With 50 feet of water Dan gave the word and I let the anchor fly – chain spooled out from the venerable Maxwell windlass – 50’ the yellow flag, 100’ the red flag, 150’ the red and yellow flag – good. Dan had been backing down and we felt secure. About 20 feet ahead of us I heard a big splash and the water rippled. That was all I needed to know to delay my swim until the morning. 20:15 and we had arrived at the San Blas. Just about three hours short of seven days at sea. The last major sea crossing of NORDHAVN’s circumnavigation was complete. 1250 miles from Barbados to the San Blas archipelago. There's still a long ways to go to get home to Dana Point. And though it will be mostly coastal work, it is going to be tough, pounding uphill struggling. No more Caribbean sleigh rides. Hopefully though, the wind will be soft and the seas will be smooth... but that would be an exception. There are a lot of hard miles still ahead for Dan and Mike, and for Crew 5 getting on in Acapulco. Safely anchored, we gathered up on the foredeck to just sit out in the balmy wind and enjoy our new surroundings. We’d made it, safely anchored with a great sense of relief and pride. Our routine was going to be different tonight. No watches, no log entries, no constant hum of the engine. Hey, this is sounding better all of the time. They make a famous rum in Barbados called Mount Gay Rum. We allowed ourselves a cup each night at 17:00 to celebrate our day and prepare for dinner – very moderate, but it became one of the daily rituals. If you are a sailor, you know Mount Gay Rum. Take out a bottle, and look at the outline of the island of Barbados. We departed from the ‘O’ in Mount. Someday I’d like to do it again. I now know that roughly a week later I can pour my shipmates a nice Mount Gay Rum and Tonic with lime and say a toast for completing a passage. |
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| 2002-5-22 | Jim Leishman | Dana Point, CA | n/a | 0 |
| May 22, 2002 Dear Dan: All is well with your weather. There's nothing to worry about for the next few days - looks calm conditions. I did notice that the Twanapec winds are predicted to blow 24 hours from now and then subside. No effect on you now but we'll have to watch that carefully once you start heading north in the Pacific. Congratulation on your Caribbean crossing. Be careful. Jim |
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| 2002-5-22 | Dan Streech | 09.63°N / 78.72°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 22, 2002 Nordhavn is safely anchored in 40 feet of water in the lee of Cayos Holandes island in the San Blas island group. This morning we realized that there was a chance to make it before dark, so we moved up to 1900 RPM, centered the Naiads and squeezed a little more speed out of her. As it was, I violated my oath somewhat in that it was actually dark by the time that we dropped the hook. With two radars, two depth sounders, binoculars, moonlight and the wonderful Raymarine plotter, we came in perfectly on “instruments”. It was exhilarating and extremely satisfying to reach this wonderful spot after a week at sea. With heat lighting silently flashing all around us, Mike, Jeff and I sat on the foredeck and toasted the passage with Barbados rum and enjoyed the gentle night breezes heavy with moisture and the fragrance of these tropical islands. We can see several islands in the moonlight and look forward to exploring them in the morning. There will be no 1:00AM report as I will be on deck in my sleeping bag sleeping like a baby |
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| 2002-5-21 | Jeff Merrill | 10.28°N / 76.57°W | 238m | 7.3 knots @ 1800rpm |
| May 21, 2002 Tuesday has begun. When I went to sleep at about 21:30 last night we had the wind on our bow and we were running in a short chop. No where near as bad as the sleepless night of a few days ago, but just enough to make it rough. We are below 11 degrees latitude, are these then the 'hobby horse latitudes'? Nope. Six hours later at 3:30 am and we could be on the ICW. 4 knots of wind and for the first time on this trip NORDHAVN can best be described as gliding...this gallant gal is slicing ahead, on course effortlessly. The white frothing foam chewed up by our bow trails off astern, shining on top of the black sea. Our wake carves out our path, we are a zipper opening up the Caribbean Sea. The moon has just pulled her reflection off the smooth water ahead. A shooting star just flamed out to the South of me, validating my routine of patrolling the Portuguese bridge to scan the horizon. I have one white light off my starboard side. It has moved from my quarter to my beam in the last hour, but it does not show on the radar. It is now two white lights, a big freighter, and though I can't make out the red running light we must be moving along in the same direction. Now a flash of lightning lights up the sky forward to port about 20 degrees off the bow. I'm lucky on the bridge tonight.Quiet seas and still air...perhaps it's the calm before a storm. Or just the night air charged up since it is 83 degrees F outside. Another bridge patrol and this time I see a lightning flash as I am looking through the binoculars - fantastic! Pure luck. 3:45 am. Lat 10.28.608. Lon 76.57.392. Heading 238. Speed 7.3 knots at 1800 rpm. 120 miles until our waypoint off San Blas. Getting close to time for Mike to take my place. One more patrol and the hourly ships log entry then back to sleep. |
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| 2002-5-21 | Dan Streech | 10 .62°N / 76.71°W | 250m | 6.8 knots |
| May 21, 2002 Distance made good last 24 hours- 164 miles Average speed last 24 hours 6.8 1800 RPM Fuel burned last 24 hours 96 gallons (including generator) Fuel remaining 383 by Flow Scan 380 by sight gauges Range at current speed with remaining fuel (by site gauges) using data from last 24 hours- 649 nm Distance remaining to San Blas 140 nm Distance remaining to Panama Canal 250nm Course 250 ER temp 112 F Nordhavn is cruising along on smooth seas. The wind is calm and the residue of previous seas continues to subside. The GPS problem was resolved by the tip from Jim that if you turn on the breaker for the back-up sat phone dome, it will disable the GPS. JeffM did that earlier today to see if we got a signal from that phone and then must have gotten distracted and forgot about it. We will tackle the watermaker in the morning with some other tips from Jim. I am frustrated because we are going to miss our daylight window into San Blas by just a few hours. We will be 140 miles from San Blas at 1:00 AM. We haven’t slowed down yet- we are still hoping for a miracle current between now and then. WOOOOWWW I just got the crap scared out of me. My knees are shaking and my heart racing as I type this. Some kind of aircraft just passed right over us in the pitch dark and must have cleared us by less than 50 feet. It was unlighted and might have been helicopter. I couldn’t see a thing. That gave me the creeps. We have been somewhat unnerved by “Columbia” and have even questioned the wisdom of broadcasting these reports but then decided that was too paranoid and we were being babies compared to what the previous crews have faced. That shook me up. I am going to call it a night on writing |
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| 2002-5-20 | Dan Streech | 11.08°N / 75.61°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 20, 2002 We are now cruising along on a much calmer sea. The wind has died down to about 5 knots and while the remnants of the large seas are still with us, they are softer and with a longer period, so they now give us a gentle roll as they approach from the aft port quarter. It is quite beautiful. We have now concluded that we just can’t make San Blas by Tuesday night, so we will slow down and time our arrival for first light on Wednesday morning. This has been “gremlin” day. Just when we got the WC settled down, we started having trouble with the water maker. Just when we were in the middle of the water maker situation, 3 alarms went off as we lost GPS signal. After about 30 minutes, the GPS signal came back and we are back to normal. I absolutely cannot explain what happened. As for the water maker, I think that it is some kind of OE (operator error). We have the manual out now and are trying to figure out why the panel says “open pressure relief valve” no matter what we do to it. The Spectra is a gorgeous unit and crew #3 was raving about it in Barbados. Also, we haven’t forgotten the superb service that Spectra gave us in Greece. If we can’t figure it out, we will just wait for Kevin Ryan’s arrival in Panama. Kevin is a dealer for Spectra and originally installed the unit. As soon as I see Kevin walking down the dock, I will say “Hi, Big Guy. Welcome to Panama...now get in that lazarette.” |
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| 2002-5-20 | Dan Streech | 11.29°N / 75.15°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 20, 2002 Monday morning aboard Nordhavn. The day started with yet another failure of a Naiad cooling water pump. What a hateful piece of @#$% that pump is!! This one was installed in Barbados and thus only lasted about 130 hours. Its failure is announced by illumination of the red warning light on the Naiad panel. At this point, I want to clarify that this is not Naiad’s fault. Even though we refer to it as the “Naiad” pump, it is not their product nor do they even recommend it. Most Naiad installations are on wet exhaust boats and the cooling water is borrowed from the main engine’s raw water loop. We of course have a closed loop “keel cool” system on NORDHAVN and thus a separate pump is required for the Naiads. I am not going to announce the name of the pump, but I swear I will if another one fails on my leg. I am pissed. Now I know how our customers feel sometimes. I think I will call PAE and yell at someone. (To save the cost of using the Iridium phone, I instead just stood in front of the mirror and gave myself a good talking to. I really gave myself a piece of my mind and now I feel better.) We have thought about using one of the long life air conditioning raw water pumps. They have a magnetic coupling and thus no seals and are said to be good for 20,000 hours. The problem is that they are centrifugal and can therefore lose their prime if air is ingested and since they are AC, one then becomes dependent on the inverter- actually not such a bad idea since our faithful Heart has worked without a glitch since leaving Dana Point. Actually, the final answer is a keel cooler for the Naiad oil. We are developing an oil keel cooler at PAE. Unfortunately, the Mk I version failed to transfer enough heat. The Mk II version is in testing on two boats and looks promising. We installed our only spare, so I will ask Kevin Ryan to bring two pumps with him to Panama. Sometime during the night, we passed into the discharge plume of the Rio Magdalena. This Amazon like river must have a huge flow, because we were about 30 miles offshore. The otherwise crystal clear sparkling water turned to a dull gray/brown (ugly) color. We passed by a huge floating log about 50 feet away. About 30 minutes ago, with a thud, we ran thru a scum line/debris field and passed instantly back into the beautiful clear Caribbean water. |
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| 2002-5-20 | Dan Streech | 11.71°N / 74.15°W | 253m | 6.7 knots |
| May 20, 2002 Distance made good last 24 hours- 160 miles Average speed last 24 hours 6.7 1800 RPM Fuel burned last 24 hours 89 gallons (including generator) Fuel remaining 469 by Flow Scan 430 by sight gauges Range at current speed with remaining fuel (by site gauges) using data from last 24 hours- 773 nm Distance remaining to San Blas 300 nm Distance remaining to Panama Canal 390nm Course 253 ER temp 112 F As of 1:00AM, we continue to track along our course to San Blas.We are currently about 20 miles off the Columbian coast near Cabo De La Aguja. I can see a faint halo glow of light to port. Despite the large following seas and wind, we seem to have picked up a current that is against us by about 1 knot. The SOG numbers always tell the story, but it is difficult to tell in these sea conditions as the SOG ranges between 4 knots and 10 knots each time a sea passes under us. The average speed counter and odometer on the little hand held Garmin tells the true story. I reset it at 1:00AM each night so that I can use the data for this report and my own use. If we don't get a break on the current, we won't make San Blas before dark on Tuesday and will have to go to plan B. The problem is that I don't know yet what plan B is. All else is well aboard Nordhavn. |
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| 2002-5-19 | Dan Streech | 12 .10°N / 73.27°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 19, 2002 We have a lot of problems out here with time zones, dates and days of the week (and I am not kidding). To make it more confusing, we are getting e-mails from people and boats from all over the world. Dave Harlow told me that he was still mixed up 3 days after crossing the international date line and had to call a passing ship to ask what day it was (I think he was kidding- you were Dave; right?). As reported last night, we are on a course for the San Blas Islands. We are hoping to make it by nightfall on Tuesday night. I don’t want to try to enter that cobweb of reefs and channels in the dark- even with all of the fancy stuff we have to navigate with. At present speeds, we are barely going to make it before dark. The current has abandoned us (hopefully temporarily) so we have moved up to 1800 RPM to keep the average at 7 knots or above. At the moment, our average since 1:00AM this morning is 6.9 knots although part of the reason for that is that we shut down for about 20 minutes to check oil on the main (and add 3 quarts). To do that, we turned the boat around, started the wing engine and held the boat facing into the seas to keep the motion to a minimum. The main drama today was the failure of our main computer. I have been leery of that computer since getting on the boat in Barbados. Jeff L warned me when doing the hand over. The poor thing has had a rough life since leaving Dana Point last November. Many people have been using it and it is full of unused programs, photos, games- you name it. It needs a good cleaning and defragging, but I think it is best to nurse it along rather than mess with it. Several times, it has locked up, but this morning, it simply turned off and no amount of manipulating the on/off switch would bring it back to life for more than a few seconds. We have a spare computer on board, but with a sick feeling, I realized that some of the essential settings to use the Iridium phone for e –mail were locked in the now dead computer. A call to Dana Point probably would have gotten us going again, but it is Sunday and besides, I hate to make calls like that. After about two hours of wallowing in despair and frustration, Jeff M came up to the PH. Jeff is the least mechanical of the crew and when he joined PAE some years ago, I had to show him where to turn on his computer. He asked (of course) “have you read the manual.” Yeeesss Jeff, I have. At that point, Jeff began to remove the battery in a somewhat ham handed manner. Peevishly, I said that I had already tried that and that there was no magic reset button or paperclip hole to be found. He then suggested that we try to plug in the power with the battery removed. Just to humor him and thinking that the computer was junk anyway, I said, yea, OK, try it. Voila!! It powered up!!! We then gingerly found our way to the settings and duplicated them in the spare. We have since put the battery back in and returned the old computer to regular service. It is working fine. Jeff M is the king for a day and I will stand his watch for him tonight. I still have no idea what happened. Thought for the day. Here we are on a gorgeous boat without a single problem cruising along on schedule with every possible convenience. The failure of a non-essential computer (we didn’t even have computers on boats 10 years ago) got us all upset. There is a story in there somewhere….. |
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| 2002-5-19 | Dan Streech | 12 .70°N / 71.67°W | 275m | 7.7 knots |
| May 19, 2002 Distance made good last 24 hours- 183 miles Average speed last 24 hours 7.7 1725 RPM Fuel burned last 24 hours 80 gallons (including generator) Fuel remaining 563 by Flow Scan 550 by sight gauges Range at current speed with remaining fuel using data from last 24 hours- 1,287 nm Distance remaining to Panama Canal 540nm (won't reconcile with yesterday) Course 275 ER temp 111 F We are off of Punta Gallinas Columbia as I write this and will shortly make the turn which will give us a straight shot to the San Blas Islands. I have cheated a little and already moved the curser to our upcoming peaceful anchorage- 459 miles. We are giving Punta Gallinas a wide berth because.. well just because. The "witches brew" description is still applicable to our conditions although it hasn't be all bad all day- actually settling down a few times. I have been trying to understand what is going on and think that it is somewhat related to current. We are generally helped by a current which sweeps thru the Caribbean and ultimately consolidates north of Cuba to form the Gulfstream. As the current makes contact with South America and interplays with the ABC islands which we passed yesterday, it breaks into unpredictable eddies and counter currents. At times the current is directly behind us as evidenced by the gorgeous high SOG numbers. At other times it is hitting us on our port side as evidenced by the fact that we are crabbing to stay on track to our way point. When the current is behind us, the confused seas abate, when is comes from the side, the "witches brew" returns. We are of course steering the boat with the Raytheon autopilot. We can choose to lock it onto a magnetic compass heading (auto) or tell it to steer to a "way point" of our choosing (track).We normally use the track mode because to set a course, we can simply move the curser to the desired destination on the video screen of the chart plotter, click "Go To" and we are in business. Once the command is given to steer a track to a waypoint, the auto pilot makes corrections to stay on that imaginary line. Thus when a cross current is encountered, the boat is being pushed off of the track line and the auto pilot is constantly trying to bring it back. Our magnetic course is straight up on the radar and the path to our waypoint is shown as a dotted line on the radar screen. When the boat is crabbing to stay on course, you can see it because those two lines don't line up. Right now, they are off by about 30 degrees. My lamenting about slower speeds in the morning report turned out to be wrong- in fact, we actually had our best 24 hour run so far. |
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| 2002-5-18 | Dan Streech | 12 .77°N / 69.57°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 18, 2002 Saturday morning aboard NORDHAVN. Normally, I would be having breakfast with my friend Jerry Neely at this time. On most Saturdays, we meet at Proud Mary’s for breakfast at 7:00AM where we discuss a whole range of subjects but mostly business. I met Jerry about 30 years ago when he walked into Kettenburg Marine (my second yacht sales job) looking for a sailboat. I sold him a used Cal 39 and he subsequently over the years has owned two Mason 53s a Mason 64 and finally a Hatteras 61. These days Jerry is boatless and belongs to the OPBYC (Other Peoples Boats Yacht Club). Back to business… Well, our good luck changed during the night. The sea has changed and is now a witch’s brew of confusion. The same basic 10-12 foot following seas are still there, but at least two additional wave patterns are now in play. Just when NORDHAVN thinks that all she has to do is slide down the face of one of the 12 footers, a sneaker hits us from the side, or the water simply disappears from one side of the boat. Where the wave patterns converge, there is a big mountain. Where troughs converge, there is a big hole. The poor Naiad fins valiantly swing to full lock, but as good as they are, they can’t manufacture instant buoyancy and we lurch. We call the event a “stool tipper” because the loose bar stool that we have in the pilot house (for sitting at the computer) tips over with an unnerving crash. Add to the above that the wind has picked up and is now gusting to about 35, and you can see that it is quite messy. I am sitting in the salon (off watch) using the other computer and frequently look out the back window to see approaching seas above the boat deck or breaking seas level with the salon windows. Apart from the fact that all of this has cost us about 1 knot in speed, it is no big deal and actually rather exciting. NORDHAVN takes her lumps stoically and we feel 100% safe and secure. Mike is asleep and Jeff is playing Tommy James on his beloved stereo. By the way, we really enjoy the e-mail that we have been receiving from family and friends even if we have not responded individually to you. From time to time, one of us will rub their hands together and say, “lets go fishing” which means retrieve our e-mail thru the iridium phone. (Reminder, don't press "reply" to prevent sending our own messages back to us and never send attachments.) |
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| 2002-5-18 | Jeff Merrill | 12 .43°N / 69.36°W | 270m | 7.0 knots |
| May 18, 2002 The next time you log on to our website, don't skip immediately to our opening page. Take a minute and watch the sea action with our slogan about being oceans apart from the rest. Those waves? Pond ripples. Wish I could send you live footage of what is happening out side of either wheel house door right now. We’re 80 miles or so off the northern coast of Venezuela and Dan called it right, we’re in some repository of wave convergence and current spiffed up with wind and swell. This all kicked in late afternoon yesterday as we are angling in closer to shore. It was not a great night for sleeping. This boat is weaving and bobbing – think first round prize fighter amped up on a pot of coffee. NORDHAVN is getting a complete salt water hull rinse. We’re not seeing water coming over the gunwhales but our round bilges are letting us wallow, writhe and wiggle like we’re trying to snuggle into a nest and want to make sure every branch is in it’s place. It’s the boating equivalent of a dog targeting a place on the carpet to sleep and then doing that mystical circling ritual – they always end up in the exact right position and NORDHAVN takes all of this like one of those stand up punching bags and bobs right back into position and true to course. Maybe we should be belt and suspendering it by deploying the paravanes, but for now we are relying solely on the Naiad’s to catch us when we stumble. Sleep? That’s a thing land lubbers do, right? Dan and Mike might have pulled it off (I’d be impressed), but I think I was only able to get some faux sleep an hour and a half after my graveyard shift (5:30) and only after I was so tired I could finally erase every last thought from my mind. Lying in my berth as dawn arrived I closed my eyes. I sleep feet forward on this boat. I tried head forward, but it didn’t work for me because I couldn’t figure out what to do with my arms. Does rest count? Will I be refreshed or get some kind of credit for closing my eyelids? All I can do is think, lying in my bunk. Think about anything on the boat or at home and I’m not going to fall asleep. I’m just resting, on a comfortable foam cushion without any control over the motion which is the most insane pulsating water bed sled careening down a winding mountain road sliding around the turns motion of the ocean… hey this must be why I can’t get to sleep. 8:30 I’m awake, half an hour until my turn again. I guess I did get some sleep and now after a couple cups’a coffee and a nice bowl of Zucosos (Barbadian Sugar Frosted Flakes) I’m on the job. I suppose each of the crew members on the earlier ATW legs have had it much worse, in fact I’m positive they did. Just the fact that we have the wind behind us is a major factor. After our first day at sea I decided I should clean off the wheel house windows and put on some Rain-x outside so that the rain and spray would bead off when/if we hit the nasty weather. We haven’t even turned on our wipers and haven’t had enough rain to rinse off the deck. We’re complaining because we’re surfing down waves and running into the swell in front that is traveling the same direction as us. Good job all previous ATW crewmembers, you persevered – Dan, Mike and I appreciate our good fortune and thank you for setting us up so nicely. We retired the wheelhouse stool last night – if you’re not sitting on it to pin it to the floor you’ll spend all you time playing ‘topple stool’, and it makes a loud noise. So it’s flat on its’ side and pushed out of the way. The motion on board is like a crazy pendulum without a string – we yaw and pitch, heel side to side and always come back to an upright reset position. This is Rock and Roll. Looking straight ahead through the wheel house windows you pitch - no sky, only sea on the ride down, then all sky and no sea on the uptake. At the same time you heel to port 10 to 15 degrees and then bounce back the opposite way to starboard. We’re just a full displacement 40’ trawler plodding along at hull speed. I can think of a lot of boats I would not want to be on, but after three plus days at sea my confidence in NORDHAVN is unquestioned. We might not be sleeping, but we can do everything else, and I bet our minds and bodies will adapt to this new motion and grant us a little shut eye at some point. It’s an exciting ride and we are safe, secure and making progress towards our waypoint. Saturday May 18, 2002. Lat. = N 12. 43.598 Lon. = W69. 36.379 Speed (always reported SOG speed over ground) via GPS is approx. 7.0 Heading (an average but close to our track course) averaging 270 degrees 27 miles to waypoint |
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| 2002-5-18 | Dan Streech | 12 .80°N / 68.66°W | 279m | 7.3 knots |
| May 18, 2002 Distance made good last 24 hours- 175 miles Average speed 7.3 1725 RPM Fuel burned last 24 hours 86 gallons (including generator) Fuel remaining 643 Range at current speed with remaining fuel using data from last 24 hours- 1,308 nm Distance remaining to Panama Canal 724nm Course 279 ER temp 113 F Mike’s meatloaf was the finest that I have ever tasted in my life (sorry Mom, sorry Marcia). With Loggins and Messina’s “Full Sail” playing in the background and 10 foot seas welling up around and under the stern of NORDHAVN as she proceeds towards Aruba, we dined on Mike’s latest offering. Feeling loquacious from the lingering effects of happy hour, I posed the question of why one can feel so relaxed and unstressed in this environment and why it is so difficult to attain the same feeling at home in our regular work-a-day world. Jeff and Mike each offered thoughts, but neither really explained it. Jeff I think came the closest by saying that while at home; our work and responsibilities never end. A responsible person can work 18 hours a day and still not be finished. While on this boat, the rest of life is put on hold and we are not held responsible for it. I know intuitively that my business partners and our employees back at PAE are facing the same old daily fair of stress, problems and deadlines but for 3 weeks, I am excused from it and my only job is to get this boat safely to Acapulco. We have an unwritten rule at PAE that the guy who is out of town on business or pleasure is spared from bad news unless it is absolutely necessary. For example, I have no idea what the stock market is doing. DON’T TELL ME!! (Unless it is up). Noooo, that means that if I’m told nothing then the market is down. Ahhhh, the “peaceful easy feelin” is slipping away- Jeeeffff, where is that blender…. I am missing my wife Marcia tonight. She was supposed to be on board for the leg from Barbados to the Panama Canal. Except for the reporter from Singapore who made the passage to Phuket, Marcia would have been the first female on the ATW. She is an excellent writer and wordsmith and could have given a woman’s perspective on the experience. Since she was a child, she has been fascinated by the Panama Canal and wanted to see it. Unfortunately, as NORDHAVN’s schedule slipped forward, it came into conflict with her son Rod’s graduation ceremony from Hastings Law School that takes place this coming weekend. She is in the Bay Area as I write this but is staying in touch by e-mail. We have now gone totally native and are shirtless and shoeless 24 hours a day. It is a chilly 82 degrees at night and about 90 during the day. The way that we use the air-conditioning gives us the best of both worlds. Only the two staterooms are air-conditioned and are held at 72 degrees. This keeps them dry and comfortable for sleeping. The salon and pilothouse are left open for the breeze to blow thru. As mentioned, we close and lock the aft salon door at night when only one guy is awake. We cannot get over our good fortune with the weather so far. We continue to get pushed along by the Caribbean trades and 10 foot seas right on our stern. Today we picked up some current and at times saw steady 9s on the GPS and several “surfing” readings in the high 11s. The wind, seas and current that we are experiencing are the same that demoralized and defeated me while traveling the other direction on MALABAR VII 31 years ago. More on that later…. |
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| 2002-5-17 | Dan Streech | 12 .52°N / 66.32°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 17, 2002 7:30 EDT. 206 miles to Aruba 12 52.755 N 66 32.747 W I had an experience last night, which I am almost ashamed to admit, but the story will serve as a reminder to all of us. Several squall cells showed up on the radar. They appear as a large “target” and can usually be distinguished from a vessel by their large size and undulating nature. At one point I saw about 10 of them and several passed over the boat to prove their authenticity with rain and wind. I was somewhat distracted at the time because I was sending and receiving a large batch of e-mail on the computer. The poor computer’s resources are over loaded and it has crashed several times, so sending and receiving e-mail is a white-knuckle experience requiring concentration. The light was on in the pilothouse but I was still glancing at the radar every few minutes to check on my “friends”. When I finished the e-mail, turned off the light and looked around, there was a ship about ¾ mile off our port side. My heart raced as I quickly tried to determine where this guy came from, what his course was and what his intentions were. Basically, he was one of the “squalls” and was innocently passing us with his starboard side to our port side. I called him on the radio and he said (in a heavily accented voice) “Yea mon, got you on my radar mon, no problem mon”. Relieved, I then became chatty and asked where he was going. “Goin' to Jamaica mon” was the last I heard as the ship slowly passed and crossed us with about a 2 knot advantage. Closest point was about ½ mile. Moral to the story. PAY ATTENTION and don’t play with the computer or e-mail while on watch. Wait a minute…! That is what I am doing right now! OK, I going to punish myself with another cup of coffee. |
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| 2002-5-17 | Mike Gregovich | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| May 17, 2002 2130 local time. Another balmy, tropical night with the usual following winds and seas pushing this "bulldog" (a great name, Dan) of a Nordhavn on a course of 260 to our next waypoint - the island of Aruba. Two hours short of two full days at sea and we're already out 325 nm from Barbados. Cap'n Dan and Jeff gave me the credit for suggesting to depart early but to be fair, I was just the first to verbalize what we were all thinking. ). Now, as I sit here just inside the port door to the pilot house with the Southern Cross standing vertical on the port beam, the Big Dipper, with Castor and Pollux dutifully pointing to Polaris on the starboard beam, and the waxing quarter moon dipping toward the horizon on the starboard bow, I'm thinking "this is what I signed on for." I'm not sure this was stated, but Cap'n Dan and I had been originally penciled for Leg #2 - Singapore to Gibraltar. The original length of 8 weeks, however, was just too long to be away from the office and when Leg 3 was divided, we both jumped at the chance for the Panama crossing portion. This new Leg is extra special for Dan because it conjures up the memory of a past adventure with his parents and two, younger sisters in these same waters lo these many years ago. But that story will be left for the good Captain to relate in an upcoming epistle. I will say, however, that earlier today I read Becky's diary of the adventure (Dan's youngest sister, who was 18 at the time) and it makes this trip look like a vacation at the Dana Point Ritz-Carlton. After having read the account, I'm astonished, Becky, that 1) You didn't jump ship and 2) You're still so close to "Danny". I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and thank you "Beanie" for sending it with Dan. It's now just short of 2230, Dan and Jeff are asleep and I'm ready to close with a clear radar screen. Wishing you all well and special hugs to my daughters Christie and Kerry. |
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| 2002-5-17 | Jeff Merrill | 12 .57°N / 64.52°W | 260m | 7.0 knots |
| May 17, 2002 Lat 12.57.772, Lon 64.52.838, heading 260 degrees and averaging 7 knots. Wind and sea directly behind. The Floscan totalizer is giving me a digital read out of 141.7 gallons used and averaging out 3.5 gallons per hour consumption (these totals do not include diesel used by the generator. Aruba is just over 300 miles away. Dan and Mike have cashed in their chips - the ride has mellowed since the sun went down and they are probably fully played. It's 23:15 Greenwich time and 19:15 boat time. We decided earlier on that we would use our departure time zone as official ship's time and reset only if we can see the dotted line of a time zone or come to a stop at an anchorage and can restart our clock. This is relatively insignificant, but it makes it easier to follow the watch schedule - Mike is really good at subtracting four, but I've been struggling. Dan reset the laptop time and I reset the stereo. I'm surprised that Mike hasn't set the microwave (he's our chef and resident nuclear engineer after all), I might have some fun with that and flick off the microwave breaker so he can get some practice setting the time - I'm going to be in big trouble is he ever reads any of my ramblings). The sun set about a half hour ago I had the running lights on 15 minutes before that. The search light breaker is on with the beam positioned straight forward if I activate it. The salon door is shut and dogged. Grego suggested this as a nighttime security measure - you never know what can happen but if we are targeted by ne'er do wells, they are going to have to come in the front door and do we have some surprises prepared for them - I'd tell you, but then I'd have to ... At night the radar is your copilot - constantly on watch. Presently I have a tanker who crossed our stern an hour ago and he is 10 miles beyond our wake and likely headed towards Caracas or points south. I'm set up on 2 mile rings so I can see out 12 nm's in all directions. At the push of a button I can change the rings to 4, 8 or 12 miles and I can close in to 1, .5, and .25 miles. The second time I click .25 I go to a wider ring distance (6 rings about 3/4 of an inch apart to 3 rings about an inch and a half apart. This 'zoom" function gives me a bigger picture between rings to more likely find a blip. I can also zoom .1/8 and 1/16 nautical miles - which is great for close quarter maneuvering I guess, but not anything I'd trade for out here. I'd like to thank the obscure Australian rock band "Daddy Cool" for cleaning my ears with some long forgotten rockers that I hadn't listened to for years. I've got my Sony disc man on and in between songs I take off the headphones for a quick listen around. I turn off the overhead lights and dim down the radar displays - it's easier to see out into the dark if you're in the dark too. All other lights on the boat are turned off except the galley cabinet overheads. These are placed perfectly to not give you any glare looking out the wheelhouse and yet make it easy to go up and down the wheel house stairs (located to starboard) and make it easy to get anything you might need from the galley. Every 15 minutes I take off my glasses and grab the Steiner long eyes. I do a quick check of the radar to see if there is anything to try to focus on and then go out to the Portuguese bridge and do a full horizon scan. I just did this very thing and we have a nice new moon off the starboard bow. It's pretty easy to see the horizon on the starboard side, but starting to get too dark on the port side. There are a lot of stars and we have clear skies, but it hasn't yet been the light show I was expecting being so far from land. Last night I had one of those really weird experiences so here's the story- About 19:30 I did my bridge horizon job - nothing. But I saw some very small blue lights pinhead size on the radar screen. So back outside for another look. The horizon was black, I thought I saw a light and then realized I was angling the Steiner binoculars up and had locked on to a star. So someone needs to invent a level for goofballs like me who have a tough time looking out straight when the boat is rocking and rolling. I scanned again and saw a light, but not just a white light, a flashing white light - a strobe light. Holy WTF (weather tracking fixture?) - is that an EPIRB? Is someone drifting out here and we're going to save them? Is it chart anomaly of some position where they have a pick up for offshore oil tankers? I can't adjust the Steiner's any clearer and I can't tell how far away it is because it's now not showing on the radar, but over the next 15 minutes I was definitely closing in on it (or was it gaining ground on me?). About this time Dan came cruising into the wheelhouse, (man it's always nice to share a freak-out with someone else,you know when the going gets weird, the weird get going). It was not a panic situation, but I definitely had my antenna out and my adrenalin was getting my heart all worked up. I told Dan I was visually tracking a strobe light and asked him to take a look. I got out our paper charts to see if there was any notice to mariners or indication of an explosives dumping ground or one of those kinds of things (location approx.13.2.269 lat and 62.4.350 lon) and couldn't find anything. Dan suggested we put the search light out that direction. Good idea, but I've never used one so it took me a minute to see where it was (on the mast) and that it wasn't covered. Then I turned it on using the touch pad at the dash and kept pushing buttons for short periods (never longer than a three count) and the I'd step out on to the bridge to see I was illuminating our mast to give the enemy a better line of sight. Finally got it figured out and in the mean time Dan hit the deck lights -SURPRISE those babies have the candle power of the sun and I was afraid our Livingston dinghy cover would fade or melt. OK, Mr. blinking light - (OK, Senor blinking light?) What are your intentions? Que es necessario para usted? (That would at least earn us some credit points for trying to use the local language). We waited and got closer. The VHF interrupted our quiet with a quick blurb that was unintelligible - this happened a couple of more times. We held our course - if someone wants to be rescued wouldn't they shoot up a flare or try something dramatic with the strobe light to get us to react - our attention they've got, but we're not looking for trouble either. We arrived on the scene, our steady course taking us a quarter mile from what actually was just a blinking light out in the middle of nowhere. I checked out the Radar Screen again and saw more blue pin pricks - what? Got out the Steiner's - oh man two more strobe lights and, wait there's a red light too. Must be a boat out there. This was behind us and way out to the starboard side, why didn't I see this before? Checked the port side and on the horizon a red and green light was moving toward a red light - OK two boats coming together at least one of them is going away from us. So, let's quickly summarize, we're off the coast of Venezuela which borders Columbia so these guys must be...fishing! Yeah, the strobes must be the ends of their nets. Maybe one boat holds the net and the other runs around in a big wide circle to surround the fish. Man we didn't stick around to learn the industry we just kept on going and those lights faded into the background. We shut down our helicopter landing light show on the boat deck and continued a vigilant binocular look out the rest of the night. |
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| 2002-5-16 | Jeff Merrill | 12 .59°N / 64.20°W | 263m | 7.6 knots |
| May 16, 2002 Thursday May 16th 3 pm/1500 US Atlantic Lat 12.59.373 Lon 64.20.700 Heading 263 degrees (heading West) Speed average 7.6 Next Waypoint = GPS target 2 miles above Dranjestad Island (better known as Aruba) Distance to waypoint = 334 nm Fuel remaining = 770 gallons Distance from starting point – Port St. Charles, Barbados = 275 nm Distance to Panama Canal = approximately 975 nm Certainties: “We aren’t there yet, but we must be near somewhere…” Recent music in the CD – English Beat – Wha’ppen, Bruce Hornsby – The Way it Is My watch ended at noon and I just took a cockpit shower so I’m freshly deodorized, feeling clean and still in this down-swell-heading-West predicament. I’m sitting in the wheelhouse with Grego – the outside temp is 87 degrees and the mellow breeze of about 15 knots is producing white caps and keeping some good airflow through the boat. In “day mode” our developing routine is to open both doors (port and starboard) and the forward starboard vent windshield. We also open up the salon door to let air flow in/out through the wheelhouse and salon. Dan has just come on watch and has checked in and proceeded to the engine room to do his inspection. The generator is still running and the two staterooms are being refreshed continuously by the air conditioning – both of these systems have been non-stop since shortly after leaving Barbados when Mike tried to conk-out in the guest stateroom, but didn’t feel is was properly yacht cruise worthy to sweat when he was supposed to be dreaming. It took no convincing and by the simple act of manipulating a couple of switches we had cold air flowing within the minute. Regarding air conditioning, it seems the least I can do is send a personal thank you from crew number four to PAE’s own Bradley Smith for installing the A/C. Most of you long time ATW readers already have heard the story of Brad flying to Yap to mount the system out in the middle of the Pacific, but it’s a tale that still won’t be repeated as many times as it is appreciated. Sleep is important. Sleeping on a boat that never stops moving is something I have to kind of sneak up on. A rested crew is more alert and better prepared to react quickly and responsibly to any urgent situations. Fatigue has been a factor in most maritime mishaps. So after doing your duties/chores/watches, etc., at some point you have to wrap it up and get some shut eye. We are sleeping in air conditioned staterooms thanks to Brad. No laying in bed sweat pouring our of every pore wondering what you can do that will make you comfortable to doze off. Thanks again Brad, if you had planned this better you would have put in a time delay reset switch set to activate a day out of Barbados and we could have had you fly out with your repair tools to join us on crew four. SPECIAL NEWS UPDATE. Attention single women ages 25 – 35 ; Brad Smith is a hardworking, efficient global traveler, good with his hands and has a rock steady job. Lives aboard his own yacht in Dana Point, CA and possesses several exotic means of transportation. He is also certified by the ABYC and adept at all things mechanical. I would be giving out too many secrets if I listed his personal email here, just inquire online by sending your best pitch to: iwantbrad@nordhavn.com. (Brad, if this doesn’t work you’ll have to come up with a plan B on your own.) Between noon and 2 today I did my first on board reading. I was given a hot tip by Ron Jacks, a friend of Nordhavn, who after learning of my plans to transit the Panama Canal suggested I read “The Path between the Seas” by David McCullough (all you readers out there may know McCullough better for his Pulitzer winning book ‘Truman’ or just as the guy who wrote that best selling book about John Adams last year – which Grego is reading onboard). A light went off in my head and I called my dad because I remembered him telling me he had read that building-of-the-canal book a couple of years ago when he made the passage on a big luxury liner. Sure enough he still had it, loaned it to me and I’m underway. The history of finding the best place to build a canal in Central America is already proving to be an intriguing read, guess I’ll have to put Dirk Pitt on hold for a couple of days, I’m sure Clive Cussler would understand. I found the perfect afternoon reading spot, it’s actually an old sailing favorite – out on the bow pulpit. Found my PassageMaker hat, rubbed on some AloeGator, grabbed a bottle of water and a banana and informed Mike of my intentions. Our rule is you tell the skipper on watch if you go on the foredeck, boat deck or cockpit and report back in when you return. Earlier I had found two closed cell 2” thick by 12” and 3’ long cushions in the port foredeck locker. After placing one athwartships across the lower rung of the pulpit I positioned the other one fore/aft and sat down with my feet extending aft perfectly braced on the windlass. The sun was aft (maybe I can get those white sock-tan lines to blend back into my ankles), the breeze in my face and I could hear the sea roll by and listen to the bow slicing forward. Occasionally there would be a mild commotion, a rustling type of sound, and if I looked quickly enough I’d be treated to mini flying fish, the size of dragon flies take off for 3 – 5’ flights. The bow pulpit is securely braced and is almost fully over the boat (it does not extend out far) and my legs were well within the 18” molded in bulwark so even if the pulpit broke all I’d do is bruise my butt on the anchor. Mike turned off the Radar so I wouldn’t get cooked by the microwaves – since he used to work at the San Onofre, CA Nuclear Plant I appreciated the heads-up gesture. Mike is an on-the-ball guy, and he’s a huge asset to the company, but I’ve often wondered why a guy with the same credentials and qualifications to do the same job that Homer Simpson has would leave such a high tech important field to write our detailed owner’s manuals let alone volunteer to become an indentured servant and ships cook on an extended three hour cruise. Oh yeah, he went to Berkeley. Back to my pulpit adventure. We are screaming down waves (OK, maybe yodeling – but boy howdy these seas are shoving NORDHAVN as well as a 50,000 lb. 40’ big boned full figured girl can be pushed). Sitting in the pulpit a big set emerged from behind and I called to Mike to read the top speeds off the GPS – 9.9 knots! Cowabunga, surf’s up! Dude, this is totally rad – closest thing to an e-ticket fun ride I’ve yet to find aboard. I’m sure we must have hit an unobserved double digit figure during the afternoon. Being a contemplative type of guy I was looking up at our paravane outriggers (Hey Bill Hanna at Forespar thanks for the great rig) and in my mind I was designing a set of down wind sails – you’d have to rig ‘em up so that they couldn’t get burned by the dry exhaust which runs up outside the mast, but we could put up a lot of canvas – the last two days the wind has stayed aft between 120 degrees port and 120 degrees starboard, averaging 15 knots true – ah, just a thought. If conditions hold over the next couple of days I think I’ve found a great way to unwind after my morning watch. As I folded up my book a light sprinkle of rain fell and I could see several squalls on the horizon headed our way, but the only place they showed up is on our Raymarine radar screen. About that radar. It’s been at least twelve hours since any floating targets have appeared. We are out in the deep blue with nothing around for a hundred miles. I just realized I haven’t seen a plane in the sky since we crossed through the Grenadines. We’re over 100 miles north of the offshore coastal islands that protect Venezuela, heck only a few frigates (sea birds) and those flying fish are hanging around to keep us company (common denominator for NORDHAVN, frigates and flying fish is our love and dependence of the water and our use of wings (active fin stabilizers) – advantage to these local fish and fowl – their wings let them get airborne and ours glue us to the water). Radar, when you are so far off the beaten path it’s just a blank black screen with rings, even so it’s amazing how many times I still look at it - during the day you can scour the horizon with your Steiner binoculars (by the way thank you Steiner – they work great), but at night, well actually I’m going to do a separate night time report so I’ll save that for later. For those of you keeping score at home we three of crew four have continued the same watch shifts as the third leggers. Starting at midnight we each take a two hour shift: 0 – 2 = Dan. 2 – 4 = Jeff. 4 – 6 = Mike. Then we rotate in the same order doing three hour intervals. The skipper going off watch is updating the log book on the hour so that when you come on watch you’re first task is already done. This gives you time to get your bearings and browse the instruments. Any changes of course or deviations from the norm are noted in the log book which are ceremoniously updating each hour. We are basically heading West along latitude 13 degrees. The log book includes our position in lat and lon, course heading, average speed, RPM, net amps, alternator output, wind speed and wind direction, and an engine room check. We have the paper charts folded on the wheelhouse table and are periodically penciling in our position, but it’s more for practice than purpose – we could easily retrace our steps following the log book and the Raymarine electronics allow us to access virtually anything we need to know just by pushing the correct buttons. Time flies, it’s 5:00 and I have an important duty to tend to. Trying to enjoy this adventure I remain a close resemblance to Jeff Merrill. |
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| 2002-5-16 | Dan Streech | 13.02°N / 62.38°W | 281m | 6.8 knots |
| May 16, 2002 As of 1:00AM EDT, our stats are: 13 02.289 North 62 38.903 West Distance made good last 24 hours- 165 miles Average speed 6.875 kts 1700 RPM Fuel burned 71 gallons Fuel remaining 829 Range at current speed- 1920 KM Distance remaining to Panama Canal 1,085 KM Course 281 ER temp 111 F We are just "slidin' along, singin' a song" as we make our way toward Panama. It is 1:00 AM as I write this. I am standing my "short" night watch which is midnight to 2:00 AM. We picked up the same watch schedule as crew #3 and just inserted new names. It works great. It is truly great to be at sea again. It has been over a year since I have made a passage and the wonderful state of mind and since of well being that one gets on a passage had somehow been forgotten. One week ago, I was stressed out to Def-con 5 and now I can't remember why....? At the moment, I aging backwards. Despite the still working cell phones and the Iridium phone (which hasn't rung yet) and e-mail, we are still morphing into a mindset that this is our little world and the mission is to get this boat (and ourselves) safely to Acapulco without incident. Yesterday was our first full (day light) day at sea and we used it to get settled. Bags were unpacked and items stowed and remnants of crew #3 were disposed of as we took position of our ship. I awoke with a residue of my sea sickness, but nuked it with two Excedrin - a trick that I learned some years ago. I am now bullet-proof and this will last for the next 3 weeks. As the above data figures indicate, we are running at a rather high RPM for the beginning of a passage and being a little wasteful of ADE's fuel. With the short duration of this leg, and the fact that we are feeling that time is of the essence, we want to put miles in the bank early. We can slow down later if we need to, but I don't expect it. While this is obviously partisan, I want to take a moment to recognize what a great little ship this is. After CROSSING THE ATLANTIC(!), "Nordhavn" was ready to depart on the next leg within about 5 hours. Most boats of this size couldn't (or sensibly wouldn't) make such passages and if they did, would probably have a long work list to attend to before departing. People who know me are aware that I am partial to the N62, but I must say that you can't help but love this little bull dog. We do an engine room check each hour (religiously). Sometimes we just turn on the light and look in - especially at night if Mike is sleeping in the guest stateroom (next to the ER door). When the bright fluorescent lights are turned on, one feels a sense of confidence. The engine room is bright white and spotless. The trusty Lugger (now 4119 hours) is smoothly purring away- almost with an attitude. I have a great crew. Mike Gregovich, a mechanical engineer, has been my neighbor for 17 years and works for PAE as resident engineer and technical writer. Mike is an excellent cook and last night produced a tasty dinner of baked chicken, special "Mike" rice, cauliflower and salad last night. Jeff Merrill is the Projec Manager for the N35 and also does general sales of all Nordhavn models and brokerage. Jeff is a master of details and one never lacks for information when in his presence. He has been a huge help as we had to navigate through the hundreds of details to accomplish the quick turn around. Jeff is also a music lover and keeps the stereo stocked with the perfect Jimmy Buffet CDs. Also, at precisely 5:00 PM, Jeff is the operator of the blender.Jeff is a graduate of Stanford and Mike is a graduate of Cal, so there is a friendly rivalry between them. It's now 2:00AM and I'm outta here... |
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| 2002-5-16 | Jeff Merrill & Mike Gregovich | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| May 16, 2002 It's 13:00 and we are cruising through the channel between the Grenadines and St. Vincent. It's about a five mile pass and we saw one freighter and a handful of multihull sailboats. We can see four islands total and we all just made some cell phone calls while we had a signal. Not sure we'll be able to use the cell phones again until we get closer to Panama. Dan and I keep shaking our heads in amazement of the technology. Two days ago he got a call in his Barbados hotel room and carried on a conversation with a Nordhavn 46 owner who dialed him up from his home in Hong Kong. I talked with Jim Leishman and he told us to expect more of this great weather - hey, a lot can happen, but we're feeling guilty to have picked this leg so far and have reminisced about Dave Harlow and Ray Danet slugging across the Pacific being chased by cyclones. Even the third leggers got pasted for a couple of days between Athens and Barbados. We're holding on and enjoying a great start for our adventure. Mike joined me for most of my watch this morning and we had some visitors so I'll sign off and let Mike tell the tale. - Jeff Thanks Jeff but after reading yours and Cap'n Dan's entries I'm rather intimidated and fearful of sounding mundane and boring. But pressing on.... as Jeff mentioned we did have a rather unexpected and sudden encounter with a panga type boat manned by three crusty, smiling and friendly islanders. With our attention focused on picking up St. Vincent landfall off our starboard bow and not a living creature in sight, Jeff and I were surprised and startled by the presence of the fisherman not less than 20 feet on our starboard beam. Jeff and I gave each other "where did they come from, what do they want and what do we do now” looks! I instinctively went for my camera and the three responded as fisherman the world over by proudly displaying their prize 25 lb. Dorado catch grinning the whole time. I asked them if their destination was Kingstown and then motioned them alongside while Jeff fetched three cold sodas. With the outline of the mountains of St. Vincent now in view, they thanked us for the refreshment and gunned their outboard cutting through the 6-8 foot swells with ease. Another pleasant encounter with these always friendly and charming Caribbean people. |
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| 2002-5-15 | Jim Leishman | Dana Point, CA | n/a | n/a |
| May 15, 2002 To Dan onboard "Nordhavn": The weather looks excellent for the next 6 days (that's as far out as I can get). Conditions should be very nice around Barbados with winds in the 15 knot range and seas under six feet. Progressing along, the winds will increase but are not predicted to blow more than about 20 knots until you reach about 72 degrees west where you will make your turn more to the southeast towards Panama. Seas are rougher to the west of Aruba (seas in the 8 to 10 foot range) but it's scheduled to improve by Friday of this week. In watching this weather for the past few weeks, it seems that the roughest weather you will experience will be west of Aruba with winds in the 25 knot range common. I'll be keeping a close eye on all of this. Be careful and the best of luck. |
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| 2002-5-15 | Dan Streech | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| May 15, 2002 It is 1:00AM on May 15 as I write this. It has been a busy and productive day. Nordhavn arrived in Port St. Charles, Barbados at noon on the 14th and I can only describe the activities thereafter as something like a pit stop. Nordhavn pulled right up to the fuel dock and the courteous and efficient Bajan officials were quickly on board to complete the entry (and our exit at the same time). While that was going on we completed the fueling and Mike and Jeff M. inventoried the boat to determine what was on board before heading off to Price Smart (like Costco or BJ's). Crew three saved us some time by telling us there was nothing of note to eat or drink on board so Mike and Jeff went to Price Smart armed with their prepared shopping list to provision NORDHAVN for at least two weeks. The service at Price Smart was once again outstanding - we continue to be by impressed by how helpful and friendly these islanders are. I guess now that we've left we'll have to just accept the fact that their standard of welcome to off-islanders is a measure that the rest of the world should try to emulate. Within 5 hours of her arrival, NORDHAVN was cleared in and out by customs and immigration, fueled, reprovisioned and the minor work list (change oil and filter, change engine air filter, replace Naiad cooling pump) was complete. At this point we drove crew #3 to the hotel and dropped them off to get settled. We returned to the hotel later to take crew #3 to the traditional "hand off" dinner at "Angry Angies". The dinner was a loud raucous affair. Jeff L, Pete and Justin had us in tears of laughter as they reminisced about their two months together moving NORDHAVN from Athens to Barbados. Fortified by Banks beer and clearly relieved to have completed their mission, the boys regaled us with the "real" story about Cape Verde (worse than the sanitized version that you have read on the ATW commentary) and the "real" story about Athens (you will have to read the book).We also filled crew #3 in on the "real" news from PAE which tends to get filtered in the e-mails and phone conversations. Feeling the invisible but powerful transfer of command and responsibility onto our shoulders, crew #4 was more subdued as we thought about what lie ahead. The dinner broke up at about 10:00PM. We walked back to the hotel, said our goodbyes and took a taxi back to the boat. We had been planning to leave at daybreak on the 15th, but on the taxi ride back to the boat, Mike suggested that we leave immediately and put some miles in the bank. Jeff and I had been thinking the same thing, so we all said OK, lets go. Shirtless and with a balmy and gentle breeze pushing us, NORDHAVN set off from Barbados 10 1/2 hours after arriving. I'll write more later, but I am feeling a little queasy while staring at this computer screen while trying to get my sea legs. |
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| 2002-5-15 | Jeff Merrill | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| May 15, 2002 Now 4:00 am and wrapping up the second watch... Taking a boat on a company cruise around the world is not something that most normal businessmen do, but NORDHAVN is on a mission and we aren't doing anything like a typical cruise where you can island hop to top off the larder. Each selective port of call is perfectly described by Dan as a 'pit stop' and like a reality TV show there is only the script you make up as you go along. Planning, coordination, timing and luck all factor into the mix. After debriefing over dinner with Jeff L., Justin and Pete, it seems very clear that some of the finest logistics of the trip were found in Barbados - it's all there for all cruisers with a little bit of initiative and a willingness to just open up, ask questions and be blown away with the response. Barbados is a must stop island if you are in the neighborhood - 100 miles from St.Vincent and the Grenadines. |
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| 2002-5-14 | Dan Streech | 13.26°N / 59.64°W | n/a | n/a |
| May 14, 2002 Hi from Barbados!!! It was a very exciting morning as we waited for Nordhavn to arrive at Pt St Charles Marina. Pt. St. Charles is erroneously shown on the chart to be in Bridgetown rather than its actual location north of Holetown, so we had an additional 3 hours to wait for the boat to arrive. Arrive they did however in grand style at noon! There were hugs and hand shakes as we reunited with our old friends who we haven't seen for nearly two months. The Customs and immigration offices are located here in the marina and the very friendly and efficient (and fun) officials made quick work of the entry of crew #3 and at the same time completed the departure papers for crew #4. The boat is gorgeous and squeaky clean. We couldn't be happier or more impressed with how good the boat looks. All we have to do is move their things off and move ours on. We have already taken on fuel (3149 liters) from the fuel dock here in the marina. Jeff M and Mike taken off to Costco, Pete and Justin are changing oil and Jeff L is teaching me about the computer- hence this e-mail. More to come, Dan | ||||
| Leg 5 - Alcapulco to Dana Point, CA | ||||
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| Date | Correspondent | Position | Course | Speed |
| 2002-6-18 | Joe Meglen | 32.72°N / 117.23°W | n/a | 7.0 knots |
| June 18, 2002 We are back in United States! NORDHAVN arrived at the San Diego Harbor Police docks At 14:59. Clearing customs only took 15 minutes. Not bad considering NORDHAVN has been around the world. Vital Statistics are: Engine hours are 4,697.6. Generator hours are 2,776.2 Lat/Lon 32 42.562 & 117 14.098 Outside temperature is 66.4 Barometer measures 29.7 inches Fuel remaining approximately 258 gallons Average speed last 24 hours 7 knots Remaining range at 7 knots - assuming no generator run time: 509 miles. Remaining distance to destination: Zero! Well that is not completely correct. NORDHAVN does have to make the 55 nm trip up to Dana Point for the ATW homecoming party. ATW anchor leg crew signing off until June 30th. |
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| 2002-6-18 | Dennis Lawrence | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| June 18, 2002 San Diego, California! We are here to check back into the United States. Many thoughts come to mind as this is the close of our ATW trip - the most important being we are successful! We have accomplished quite a bit with this circumnavigation. I think back to that horrible day of September 11th and we could have pulled the plug on this journey. Fortunately we did not, and on November 3, 2001, Nordhavn 40 departed from Dana Point Harbor and she has now run continuously for over 4,700 engine hours. She deserves a rest. But the amazing thing about this little ship is there is no doubt in my mind that we could do some maintenance, fuel her, stock her stores and she would be ready to do it all over again! It has been an amazing trip for the company, a true learning experience and no doubt we will be pushing the voyaging envelope forward once again with our experience gained from this trip. For our customers, it has also been a learning experience which has provided them with better knowledge of what is needed for supplies as well as what to expect in their own voyages throughout the globe. For our future Nordhavn customers, the benefit goes in numerous directions. I am personally thrilled to be able to share our knowledge with them in building their dream passagemaker. The excitement to back home with my family is also very much on my mind but the time away from them is worth what was given to this project. We can honestly say, Nordhavn is truly oceans apart from the rest. As friend and Nordhavn 46 owner Fred Caron would say, "A Nordhavn is the absolute best and proven magic carpet for viewing the world...now go see it!" |
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| 2002-6-18 | Joe Meglen | 32.39°N / 117.15°W | n/a | 7.0 knots |
| June 18, 2002 This will be "Nordhavn's" final noon position report. At 12:00 p.m. (PST), our little ship is passing between the Coronado Islands and the Mexican coast, just over an hour away from the US/Mexican border. There is a moderate and prevailing three foot swell from the Northwest. The prevailing NW wind is at a civilized six knots. The sky is clear and the temperature is 66 degrees. As this is being written our engine rpm suddenly increases and Dennis is at the throttle, anxious to get to our destination. It is obvious that this Lugger engine doesn't burn much fuel so I am sure Dennis will be forgiven by ADE. We will be further acknowledging all of our generous sponsors in the following days. Their advice and support has been considerable. N 32 39.67 W 117 15.00 Remaining fuel on board: 270 gallons 24 hour fuel burn: 100 gallons 24 hour distance made good: 170 nm 24 hour speed made good: 7 kts Remaining distance to destination: 18.7 nm Remaining range at present speed: 497 nm |
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| 2002-6-18 | Joe Meglen | 30.29°N / 116.06°W | n/a | n/a |
| June 18, 2002 "Nordhavn" took a brief side trip to San Martin Island, N30 29.241 W116 06.103. Gary has never seen the island before and although Dennis has passed by several times, he was offshore or at night and couldn't see the island. Seeing the island reminded me of my first trip down Baja with Gil and Susan Roys on board their MASON 43 in 1981, when we anchored and explored the island. At that time there was nothing but a couple of fish camp shacks. Today it is still a fish camp but there are dozens of shacks, boats and lots of fishermen. We can't stay long if we're are going to make San Diego in the early morning so "Nordhavn" is off once again. We had our first two "mechanical failures" today. We had to do a partial rebuild of the Groco head (one of the most important pieces of equipment on NORDHAVN) and we lost our first NAIAD cooling pump. It could be that the manufacturer of this pump assumes that it will be installed on a vessel that puts 100 hours per year on the pump. Our real world NORDHAVN use of this pump has proven it to be quite unsatisfactory. As we recall our failures so far on this leg there have been few. We had to replace a bad Iridium antenna that was cracked and kept getting wet, the head and now the Naiad cooling pump. Not bad. |
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| 2002-6-17 | Joe Meglen | 29.72°N / 115.84°W | n/a | 7.0 knots |
| June 17, 2002 Remaining fuel on board: 370 gallons 24 hour fuel burn: 92 gallons 24 hour distance made good: 163 24 hour speed made good: 6.8 Remaining distance to destination: 186 Remaining range at present speed of 7 knots: 681 "NORDHAVN" continues our slog up the coast in "typical" Baja Bash conditions. We were slowed down to 5 knots at times last night. The seas were only about four feet (measured at sea level) but they were "square" waves with a short period not much longer than 40 feet. As we write this we are abeam of the infamous Sacramento Reef. As we get by Sacramento reef we are moving closer to shore trying to pick up a counter current, and it appears to be working. Our speed has moved from 6.5 to 7.3. "If" we can maintain this speed we will be pulling into San Diego (first time back in the continental U.S since November 3, 2001) to clear U.S. Customs. As conditions permit it, we will throttle up for we have plenty of fuel. We should have some respect for who is paying for the fuel (Alaska Diesel and Electric) but we think they will forgive us this indulgence. |
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| 2002-6-17 | Dennis Lawrence | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| June 17, 2002 Hello everyone, We're close enough to receive some L.A. FM radio stations now. Current time is 09:00 lat/lon is 29 25.586 and 115 41.640 Current conditions, overcast basic California June gloom. Temp outside - 60.1, wind is from 320 blowing a steady 19 knots. We are almost home!!! |
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| 2002-6-17 | Joe Meglen | 29.07°N / 115.32°W | 324m | 6.0 knots |
| June 17, 2002 Sloppy confused four foot seas, wind on the nose at 20 kts. Speed has slowed to about 6 kts - sometimes less depending on what is hitting us. My hat is off to Dave (iron man) Harlow for doing NORDHAVN's longest leg - mostly in these types of conditions - without even a suggestion of a complaint. N29 07 55 W115 32 05 Speed 6 kts course 324 mag NORDHAVN continues to perform admirably. |
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| 2002-6-16 | Dennis Lawrence | 27.51°N / 115.06°W | n/a | 7.2 knots @1800rpm |
| June 16, 2002 Happy Father's Day! We just rounded Point Eugenia, Baja California, Mexico. Coordinates are 27 51.337 & 115 06.041 and again the raster scan charts of this area are a bit off. The vector chart is right on. We have had really great weather today which started off with fog this morning very much welcomed by us. Fog means cooler conditions and, as a matter of fact, it is 63 degrees outside right now at 18:15 so because of the cooler conditions we have not had the wind that has given name to this leg called the Baja Bash. Right now we are beam to the seas, the wind is blowing 23 knots due to the point and the islands in this area. Within the hour we will be behind Cedros Island and will be in very calm flat seas. Cedros Island is about 21 miles long and varies in width from 2 miles at the northern end to 9 miles at the southern end. There Cedar tree-lined terrain of Cedros Island is 3,950 feet above sea level and many times can be seen with a vale of thick marine layer rolling over the top. I have dropped anchor at the northern end of this island numerous times to view the marine life here which consists of large groups of seals and sea lions. There is a city at the southern end of the island with a breakwater good for stays as well - although if you make a stop here in the harbor you have to check in and out with the Harbor Master here. This port is used for the salt trade. The salt farms are located on the Baja Peninsula and shipped to Cedros and then loaded on ships from Japan. Currently we are 303 nautical miles from San Diego's outer channel buoys. Our speed right now is 7.2 knots and we are running at 1800 RPMs. Our ETA into San Diego at our current speed is 13:22 on the day of June 18th 2002. We had a wonderful dinner of mahi mahi and we have a local radio FM station listening to Mexican radio... must be a station on Cedros. I feel compelled to restate how unbelievable it is to me that this Nordhavn 40 just keeps on going without any problems on our leg. None whatsoever! Life aboard is so easy and trouble free that again, I have to say that Jim Leishman's vision has hit dead center! The whole Nordhavn project is to provide the most stable and reliable cruising platform ever to be built. Our current engine hours are 4,653. Go figure what a car's mileage would have with the same hours on it! I'll say this, you all will blown away when you see the condition of this yacht! We'll see you all very soon! |
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| 2002-6-16 | Joe Meglen | 27.32°N / 114.64°W | n/a | n/a |
| June 16, 2002 The past 24 hours "Nordhavn" has been enjoying moderate sea and wind conditions. Wind is from the west at 11 knots and the prevailing swell is about 3 feet. We are currently averaging 8 knots and the throttle was increased to 1800 rpm as we begin to "smell the barn". "If" the wind and seas cooperate "Nordhavn" will arrive in San Diego, CA. Tuesday morning. If U.S. Customs and Immigration cooperates, we tentatively plan to depart immediately after clearing, bound for Oceanside Harbor, where "Nordhavn" will stage until the morning of June 30th, the day planned for the ATW homecoming party in Dana Point, CA. The current thinking is to have all the PAE circumnavigators bring "Nordhavn" back to Dana Point as a team for the technical completion of our circumnavigation. The party is probably the most dangerous aspect of the circumnavigation. Any new adventures for Nordhavns that are conceived at the ATW homecoming party should probably be re-examined a couple days after the party. When we topped the fuel tanks off in Puerto Vallarta, we in fact did not carefully truly top them off since the remaining distance back to Dana Point is easily within the range capability of NORDHAVN. We now estimate that we departed PV with about 850 gallons of fuel. After carefully measuring the remaining fuel from the sight gauges, we now have 462 gallons of fuel. This gives us a range at the current speed, with some generator run time, of 993 miles with 355 miles to go to reach San Diego. |
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| 2002-6-16 | Joe Meglen | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| June 16, 2002 Ed. note: In addition to "Nordhavn's" effort, there is another world record attempt currently going on. A 33-foot hard bottom inflatable from Cardif, England left March 31 and is trying to set a record for an Eastabout circumnavigation. The crew on board "Spirit of Cardiff" have admittedly been having a bit more trouble than the crew of "Nordhavn." However, similar to "Nordhavn", the "Spirit of Cardiff" crew send their postings home via Iridium phone. Their trials can be read on their website www.spirit-of-cardiff.com We had a surprise visit by "SPIRIT OF CARDIFF" and her crew; Alan Priddy, Steve Lloyd and Clive Tully tonight at 19:10. Our position was N25 50, W113 20. We expected to connect with them some time tomorrow but at 14 knots, "SPIRIT OF CARDIFF" is traveling faster than we expected. "SPIRIT OF CARDIFF" is a 33-foot hard bottom inflatable that is circumnavigating - going the opposite direction as "NORDHAVN". If ever we thought the crew of "NORDHAVN" was roughing it, those thoughts were quickly dispelled after seeing the vessel that Alan, Steve and Clive are traveling in. When boarding "NORDHAVN" these adventurous Brits thought that they were boarding the QUEEN MARY with her spaciousness, engine room, air conditioning, heating system, separate staterooms, wheelhouse, freezer, etc....and we suddenly gained a much greater appreciation for the civilized manner in which are traveling by comparison. We took SOC in tow while her crew joined us for a few pints and a quick dinner. We swapped a few stories and a few toasts and then they were off as quickly as they appeared. We do not envy them for the balance of their trip and the hardships they have, and will continue to endure. As the crew of "SPIRIT OF CARDIFF" departed, they presented us with a plaque and coat of arms commemorating their circumnavigation. We wished them well and saw them off for the continuation of their adventure. |
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| 2002-6-15 | Joe Meglen | 21.69°N / 107.58°W | n/a | n/a |
| June 15, 2002 We enjoyed relatively calm seas and little wind the last 18 hours. We started getting a little larger swell (maybe 3 to 4 feet) from the west. Wind speed is 10 to 12 kts. It is still relatively comfortable. The temperature was down to 63 degrees last night and is currently 67. The sky is clear. There's hundreds of dolphin this morning, some jumping 6 and 8 feet out of the water to catch up and play in our wake. I have only seen them jump like this before when they are going down for tuna. You never get tired of watching them. Once the miserable sea conditions calmed we were able to spot lots of turtles - a giant one this morning that I estimate to be about 5 feet head to tail. We are all doing a lot of reading, a luxury that only seems to be possible while on a boat or airplane. I am into John Adams by David McCullough, a considerable commitment. We are into our routine and will carry on. June 15 noon position: N25 09.00 W112 39. 707 |
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| 2002-6-14 | Joe Meglen | 23.20°N / 110.39°W | n/a | 7.3 knots @ 1800rpm |
| June 14, 2002 Unbelievably, the 30 knot winds and miserable seas have calmed down. Swell is from the west and now has a pattern to it rather than the chaos we have been experiencing. Wind is on the nose but dropped to 15. I seem to recall that we are in that location where the winds will almost always die on you if you are in a sailboat going SE. Current speed 7.3 kts 24 hr. speed made good 7 heading 311 mag Fuel remaining on board 717 24 hr. fuel burn 91 24 hr. distance made good 168 Remaining distance to San Diego 684 Remaining range at present speed 1321 Life is good on board "Nordhavn" |
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| 2002-6-14 | Joe Meglen | 22.84°N / 109.97°W | 287m | 7.0 knots @ 1800rpm |
| June 14, 2002 From 02:00 until now the winds strengthened to 30 knots and our speed slowed to an average of 5.5 kts. We have come in close to shore to see if we can get some relief (I am not sure how, just wishful thinking) and pick up a counter current. The Floscan is suspect. When we fueled up in PV we confirmed that we burned 3.8 gallons per hour which includes 6 gallons per day using the generator. Course 287 mag Speed 7 kts Wind 30 knots apparent RPM 1800 Distance to San Diego 706 Fuel remaining 732 gallons Remaining range at present speed, no generator 1,423 I am still wondering how Jeff Merrill ended up on the Barbados to Panama downwind sleigh ride Leg and Dennis, Gary and I are crabbing our way "uphill"? They say you are supposed to hire people that are smarter than you are, and I think we have accomplished this. |
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| 2002-6-13 | Joe Meglen | 21.69°N / 107.58°W | n/a | n/a |
| June 13, 2002 Since departing Acapulco we have not seen any yachts, one fishing boat and a couple ships. "Nordhavn" is averaging 7 knots against what are generally 4' headseas. The sea conditions remain a bit confused. We were pretty spoiled that first day out of Acapulco. We have 20 knot apparent winds from the west. The sky is overcast with some partial clearing in a few spots. "Nordhavn" is 105 nm from our next waypoint just off Cabo San Lucas. Neither the Lugger nor the Northern Lights have missed a beat. Since Courtney left we are doing three hour watches which gives us plenty of time to sleep. We are in that routine that everyone settles into during a passage. |
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| 2002-6-13 | Jim Leishman | Dana Point, CA | n/a | 0 |
| June 13, 2002 Dear Joe, Dennis and Gary: There are no tropical advisories at present and the weather for the next five days up the Baha Peninsula looks excellent with seas under 5 feet and wind in the 10 knot range from the north northwest. Good Luck, Jim |
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| 2002-6-13 | Dennis Lawrence | 20.68°N / 105.37°W | n/a | n/a |
| June 13, 2002 The weather right now looks like is overcast with broken clouds, wind blowing 12 knots from 300 degrees magnetic. The outside temperature is a humid 79.3 degrees and the seas are running only about 2 to 3'. We are taking the seas on our bow as we head towards Cabo San Lucas. We are currently running at 1800 RPMs which is giving us a 7 knot SOG, slowed due to current. We currently have 264.4 nautical miles to cover until we hit our next waypoint being Cabo. We do not intend to stop there. There are two targets on the radar which I have set on the 12 mile scale. One of the targets to port I can't see, the other is a sailboat also to port about a 1/2-mile off, they are heading to P.V. One thing that I would like to mention while we were pulling into both Bahia Navidad and Puerto Vallarta, both of our charting systems were way off with respect to where the chart says we were as to actual location. Both systems showed us over land. Then as we were departing from P.V., I began setting our next waypoint for Cabo using the Raytheon Chartplotter which employs the Vector Charting system. After setting the waypoint I then hit the FIND SHIP key and low and behold there we were in at the fuel dock in P.V.! Right where we were supposed to be! I don't know why this chart did not come up on it's own last night. I was really working at it last night and just assumed there was not a chart loaded for P.V., or it could be that it was 3:30 AM and just maybe I was a bit groggy... However, the Vector charts were a good way off on the large scale chart while the raster charts were off on both the large scales and small scale charts. If you have been following our ATW from the early stages one of our early legs made mention of this as well. Just a reminder to have a little doubt and use all navigational equipment possible while entering unfamiliar areas. The sun is beginning to set, we have some good music on the stereo and my stomach tells me it is time to sign off and get some dinner. |
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| 2002-6-13 | Dennis Lawrence | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| June 13, 2002 We're waiting out the storm here at the beautiful Grand Bay Hotel and Marina which is located just across the inlet from Bahia Navidad. This hotel's beauty is total: location, architecture and service makes this a must stop location for any cruiser heading north from Acapulco. For those who like golfing, I am told they have an absolutely wonderful course. I don't play the game but I do trust what I see in the photos of their brochure! You won't find this location on C-Map nor is it on our roster charts which we display on the Nobeltec. Our coordinates here in slip 14-C are, N19 12.025 and W104 42.117. Yesterday we woke up to find the sailing vessel Beowulf sitting at the end of the pier. The owners, Steve and Linda Dashew of the Deerfoot Sailing Yachts, are also the authors of the "Sailor's Weather" book. As we were talking about them we noticed that they had broken their boom and headed down the dock to find out more. They were in the same tropical storm we were trying to run away from. (They had come from Virgin Gorda, one of the most beautiful islands of the B.V.I.s.) Steve and Linda had not as yet set a preventer and an accidental jibe snapped the main boom just aft of the main sheet attachment. It sounds like dealing with the flogging sail and broken boom with 40 knot gusts was an exhilarating experience they don't want to repeat. Beowulf is ketch rigged with lots of range under power. They intend to motor sail the balance of the trip to San Diego with just the mizzen up. Interestingly, while in the edges of the storm, Joe and Courtney were discussing the merits of not having to go outside in these conditions to adjust or change sails. Steve and Linda were very aware of our ATW trip and had lots of questions for us. We enjoyed the day with shopping, eating, drinking and swimming. We hope to be able to depart today once we get checked in and out. There is a Port Captain here and in Mexico, if there is a Port Captain, you have to check in and out of any port that you enter. Weather this AM looks fine visually. The sun is out and I am enjoying a beautiful sunrise as it hits the hotel and palm trees. |
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| 2002-6-12 | Joe Meglen | 20.59°N / 105.27°W | n/a | n/a |
| June 12, 2002 It is 13:00 as we write this communication. We are waiting for our in and out clearance papers allowing us to depart. We will fuel in Puerto Vallarta and make that our last planned stop until we reach San Diego. For those trying to look up our positions on the map on our website, we are having only occasional success getting the formatting to work correctly. But looks like we are having success right now. Our next stop is Cabo San Lucas which is just about 300 nm from here. Will write more later. |
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| 2002-6-12 | Joe Meglen | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| June 12, 2002 We have arrived at Puerto Vallarta at 3:30 AM this morning. Plenty of slip space although there are quite a few yachts here. P.V. has never been hit with a hurricane which makes this an acceptable location for the insurance companies to cover yachts during the off season. We lose a great crew mate today. Courtney departs as this completes her trip for Yachting Magazine. We will depart as soon as possible and our present plans are to continue past Cabo San Lucas without a stop. All is going very well aboard Nordhavn. |
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| 2002-6-11 | Joe Meglen | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| June 11, 2002 On board MV NORDHAVN 20:55 June 11th. It has not been pleasure trip today. From the moment we departed Bahia Navidad we encountered confused seas with a prevailing swell of 5 to 15 feet (when measured from the trough to the to of the swell) , and 5 to 10 foot seas coming from the south west. Constant large breaking seas. Apparent wind was running anywhere from 25 kts to sustained gusts above 30 knots. In these conditions "Nordhavn" would build up speeds of 7+ knots then get slammed by a big wave dropping us down below 4 knots. We almost always had blue skies above with clouds surrounding us. The wind direction came from WNW, N and NE. It is currently on the nose at 20 kts. and the seas have calmed down to a point that they are only sloppy and not breaking too much. We will be making our right turn at Cabo Corrient for the (hoped for) run down swell to Puerto Vallarta, with our arrival time estimated to be 23:00 June 11th. Courtney Freeman, of Yachting Magazine will leave us tomorrow in PV. She as been a great crew member and we will miss her. Thanks to Jerry Neely for recommending Bahia Naviad. It is a great place to stop even when you are not dodging tropical storms. |
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| 2002-6-11 | Joe Meglen | 19.11°N / 104.42°W | 266m | 8.3 knots @1800rpm |
| June 11, 2002 Given a favorable weather report from Walt Hack today downgrading Boris to a Tropical Depression, "Nordhavn" departed Bahia Naviad for Puerto Vallarta June 11th at 08:00. Weather remains a bit unsettled. Apparent wind is 23 kts with confused head seas estimated to be 4 to 5 feet and building. Position: 19 11.872 North 104 42.72 West Course: 266 degrees magnetic Distance made good last 24 hours: NA Average speed: 8.3 kts at 1,800 rpm Fuel burned: 155.4 gallons including 6 gal. per day for the generator Fuel remaining: 738.6 gallons Range at current speed:1,655 nm Distance remaining to destination 122 nm |
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| 2002-6-10 | Joe Meglen | 19.11°N / 104.40°W | n/a | 0 |
| June 10, 2002 Date: Monday, June 10, 2002 Time: 9 a.m. EST Position: 19*11.71' N 104* 40.9' W Speed: 0 We are currently holed up at the Bahia Navidad - located about 20 nm. north of Manzanillo, waiting for this tropical disturbance to dissipate or pass by. We heeded Jim's advice to pull in on Saturday night, but decided to bypass Manzanillo because it really doesn't offer much protection. We're in a bit of a quagmire here because right now, the skies don't really look so bad - I think we could go and be OK. But I want to hear the latest from Jim as he has the most accurate weather report and we've heard that there were 100 knot wind gusts out there. For all I know, Jim's blessing to head out is sitting here in this computer, but (and here's the quagmire part), we have no Iridium phone service and therefore, no email capabilities. Thankfully, I can get my cell phone to work right now, but our hands are tied until I can reach Jim in California which is 2 hours behind us. Without email capabilities, we can't email our reports, so I have resorted to dictating our status to our east coast office which is one hour ahead of us. As we sit here in this nice little cove, we've been able to catch up on some reading and check over the boat. It's warm - about 85 degrees. The skies overhead actually look the best they have looked in the three days we've been here. Courtney ran up to a nearby hotel to hop online and get a weather report and it doesn't look too bad. Still, I want to wait for Jim and Walt Hack's advise. Yesterday, we entertained some guests on board - Steve and Linda Dashew. They, too, pulled into Bahia Navidad to seek refuge from the storm out there - but suffered far worse than our mere discomfort on board "Nordhavn." They were out in their sailboat custom built in New Zealand when the 40 knot winds snapped their boom. Since they don't have a preventor set, they had to pull in. That's enough to make me wait for the OK from Jim. Besides, we've really only lost one day so far because we got here faster than anticipated thanks to the unprecedented following seas we had upon leaving Acapulco. Will update again as soon as possible - hopefully from somewhere out in the open ocean. |
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| 2002-6-8 | Jim Leishman | Dana Point, CA | n/a | 0 |
| June 8, 2002 Dear Joe: There is weather brewing in your area and we want you to pull into port ASAP. The closest one to you should be Manzanillo. It's 5:10 pm Saturday the 8th West Coast time. Here's the statement which came out at 1800 utc today - local time plus 8 hours - it would have been 10:00 am this morning. WTPN31 PHNC 082200 1. TROPICAL DEPRESSION 02E WARNING NR 002 01 ACTIVE TROPICAL CYCLONE IN EASTPACMAX SUSTAINED WINDS BASED ON ONE-MINUTE AVERAGE---WARNING POSITION:081800Z7 --- NEAR 16.4N1 102.9W2MOVEMENT PAST SIX HOURS - 300 DEGREES AT 06 KTSPOSITION ACCURATE TO WITHIN 045 NMPOSITION BASED ON CENTER LOCATED BY SATELLITEPRESENT WIND DISTRIBUTION:MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 030 KT, GUSTS 040 KTREPEAT POSIT: 16.4N1 102.9W2---FORECASTS:12 HRS, VALID AT:090600Z5 --- 17.0N8 104.0W5MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 035 KT, GUSTS 045 KTRADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 050 NM VECTOR TO 24 HR POSIT: 310 DEG/ 05 KTS---24 HRS, VALID AT:091800Z8 --- 17.6N4 104.8W3MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 040 KT, GUSTS 050 KTRADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 050 NM VECTOR TO 36 HR POSIT: 305 DEG/ 06 KTS---36 HRS, VALID AT:100600Z7 --- 18.3N2 105.8W4MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 045 KT, GUSTS 055 KTRADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 060 NM VECTOR TO 48 HR POSIT: 305 DEG/ 06 KTS ---EXTENDED OUTLOOK:48 HRS, VALID AT:101800Z0 --- 19.0N0 106.8W5MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 045 KT, GUSTS 055 KTRADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 060 NM VECTOR TO 72 HR POSIT: 290 DEG/ 04 KTS---72 HRS, VALID AT:111800Z1 --- 19.5N5 108.5W4MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 035 KT, GUSTS 045 KTRADIUS OF 035 KT WINDS - 050 NM ---REMARKS:TROPICAL DEPRESSION (TD) 02E, LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 84 NM SOUTHWEST OF MANZANILLO, MEXICO. PRESENT MOVEMENT NORTHWEST AT 06 KTS OVER THE PAST 6 HOURS. THE WARNING POSITION IS BASED ON 081800Z7 INFRARED AND VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY. THE WARNING INTENSITY IS BASED ON SATELLITE CURRENT INTENSITY ESTIMATES OF 30 KNOTS. MAXIMUM SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT AT 081800Z7 IS 10 FEET. REFER TO WWPN31 KNZY FOR ADDITIONAL SEA HEIGHT INFORMATION. NEXT WARNINGS AT 090400Z3, 091000Z0, 091600Z6 AND 092200Z3.//NNNN |
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| 2002-6-8 | Joe Meglen | 17.41°N / 102.07°W | n/a | 7.5 knots @1800rpm |
| June 8, 2002 All is going very well aboard "Nordhavn". I am now on my midnight watch. We have had a favorable current for most of the day...yesterday's weather was mostly overcast with several rain showers. These weren't really squalls as there was very little wind associated with the cells. Right now the winds are blowing offshore at 16.7 true. Wave height is about one to two feet, swells are about four feet very far apart and coming from astern. Outside temp is 79 degrees and not too humid. I don't want to jinx our good fortune so I won't dwell on this. Everyone has told of their dinners while aboard and while I was in the office reading about this, I mostly said that no one may really care that much. But after our dinner earlier this evening, I have to elaborate, and I now fully understand my previous ATW crew members compulsion to do so. Thanks to the Crew #4s fishing abilities (Kevin) we had remaining Mahi Mahi. Courtney, our Yachting Magazine guest asked me how I personally would cook it, she then said how she would do it. We ended up sharing ideas and the end result was this. First we chopped garlic, onions and capers in a small amount of olive oil, then Courtney made a wonderful marinade for the fish while browning the garlic, etc... Then we baked the fish with the browned ingredients, at about half time of baking we removed the fish and added a reduced salsa to the top and returned to the oven to finish. Absolutely wonderful! The day seemed to go by rather quickly. The view from our starboard side today was mostly of long beautiful sandy beaches rimmed with thick groves of palm trees and mountains in the back ground. Absolutely stunning. For several hours we were just a few miles away from the coastline. We are on a point to point course heading for Manzanillo, our first stop. Our plans are to head into the famous Las Hadas Marina and Hotel - mainly to give Courtney writing material. This is the hotel made famous by the movie "10" starring the now recently passed Dudley Moore and Bo Derrick. We did put out a fishing line today and hooked up on two mackerels. No luck in catching good eating fish, so we'll try again today. While getting the poles out I made a wonderful discovery, a guitar! I played until my fingers became to sore to strum another cord. No targets are showing on the radar which is set on the 18 mile radius setting. I do see lights to a city that may be called Bahia De Petacalco well off to starboard. "Nordhavn" continues on her course home without any complaint whatsoever! |
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| 2002-6-7 | Crew | 17.16°N / 101.08°W | 285m | 8.5 knots @1750rpm |
| June 7, 2002 NORDHAVN 16:30 REPORT: Position N 17 16.3 w 101 08.53 SOG 8.5 COG 285 (heading 300 mag) 1750 rpm Fuel burn estimated at 3.2 since the Floscan is now suspect. As we write this we are getting hit by a squall with lots of rain and wind at 10 knots - just another good bath for NORDHAVN. Regards, Joe, Dennis, Gary and Courtney |
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| 2002-6-7 | Joe Meglen | 17.02°N / 100.41°W | 295m | 7.8 knots @1750rpm |
| June 7, 2002 Crew 4 turned over NORDHAVN in excellent condition as they passed the baton to crew five. We received a clean, freshly oiled and fueled little ship. Gary went grocery shopping to reprovision on Thursday while Dennis and I were given our orientation from Mike and Dan. We had "Coyote", a local entrepreneur deliver additional oil and coolant. We were joined by Courtney Freeman, senior editor for Yachting Magazine, yesterday afternoon. Courtney is doing an article about some of the destination resorts frequented in Mexico by yachtsmen, while traveling aboard part of the final leg of NORDHAVN'S circumnavigation. This gives crew five the opportunity to stop in a few places that we would have otherwise passed by. Weather permitting, we plan to stop in Manzanillo (Las Hadas), Bahia Navidad (very briefly) and Puerto Vallarta where Courtney will leave us. Given these stops and NORDHAVN'S range, we plan to top our fuel tanks off in Puerto Vallarta and bypass Cabo San Lucas altogether. All of this is subject to change based on the fact that we are cruising in hurricane country during the beginning of the season. Senior Marcas, the harbor master in Acapulco cleared us out the to Puerto Vallarta. While clearing and glancing at passports, the captain became slightly offended to see how senior he is to his crew. Dinner last night was at La Frigata, an open air restaurante recommended by Coyote, frequented by locals. After eating the food and listening to a Mexican rock band, we wondered if Coyote didn't have some vested interest. This was followed by watching the cliff divers, then back to NORDHAVN to get a good night's sleep before our departure Friday morning. Lots of rain last night. As we prepared to leave this morning we noticed that we had an extra crew member aboard on the bow. He was fury had a long tail and appeared to be well fed. Fortunately our doors were closed so he was not able to join us below last night. With four of us on board at the moment there wasn't a proper bunk available for him. We escorted our visitor back to the docks and left the docks at 06:50. The weather is cloudy, unsettled and steamy. We left Club de Yates Acapulco, turned west passing through the Boca Chica strait, past Punta Lorenz then making our right turn to begin the "uphill" slog up the coast. We are thrilled, but almost embarrassed to report that we have calm and following seas with just enough wind to cool things down, allowing the air conditioning to be shut down. NORDHAVN is on a magnetic heading of 295 degrees, SOG 7.8, rpm 1,750. Our plan is to hug the coast, picking up a counter current and allowing us to make a quick right turn to a port of refuge if a tropical storm develops. We hope that our next report includes the same benign conditions we are currently enjoying. |
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Shore Crew
While all the attention of the Around-The-World trip focuses on the crew members on board the Nordhavn 40, the voyage is an entire-company production that wouldn’t have gotten underway without key players from on shore. Aside from controlling the weather, these people work daily on every aspect of the ATW to ensure the crew, the boat and the Nordhavn fans enjoy a smooth and safe cruise.
Jim Leishman – Whether at sea or on land, the ATW has been a constant focus for P.A.E’s Vice President since its inception more than a year ago. Long before Jim helmed the boat at its departure from Dana Point, California last November, he had spent countless hours devising the best route and time frame possible for the trip. He’s currently captaining Leg 2 through the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, but during his hiatus off the boat, Jim serves as “ground control” – monitoring weather patterns on an hourly basis, toiling over potential course changes, and communicating with the on board crew, via Iridium phone or e-mail, to ensure all systems are go. Because of his intimate and infinite knowledge of the boat, Jim also lends a hand in answering the forum questions that come in.
Dan Streech – Like his partner, Dan is heavily involved in the ATW both on board and off. He’ll serve as the Captain of Leg 4 bringing the boat from Antigua, through the Panama Canal and on to Mexico. But while running the company from home in California, P.A.E’s president spends much time studying the crews’ e-mailed reports and conferring with Jim Leishman about the boat’s status in order to help advise the current crew. He also responds to many ATW questions from the public.
Jenny McCauley Stern – Followers of the ATW thrive on the information coming from the boat on a daily basis. P.A.E.’s marketing manager, Jenny handles all correspondence and forum questions to and from the ATW boat and is responsible for keeping the ATW section of the website current. Before each leg, Jenny gathers information for port, customs, fuel & provisioning needs for each stop of each leg.
Michelle LeRoy – P.A.E.’s marketing assistant is in charge of arranging flights to various countries – many with irregular flight schedules – researching the quickest and most cost-effective routes. Michelle also assisted with gathering information for port, customs, fuel & provisioning needs for each stop of each leg. In addition, she collected information for the sponsors section of the website and compiled informative kits and welcome bags for all the guests of the ATW.
Jeff Merrill – Jeff will serve as crew for a short stint on Leg 4, but even before he was scheduled to join the boat, he was busy securing many of the sponsors for the Around The World trip. Many of the first sponsors to commit were the result of Jeff’s communication efforts.
Brian Saunders – Brian joins Jim Leishman on Leg 2 of the voyage. While back in Dana Point, Brian took over the task of seeking additional sponsors. Brian’s vast knowledge of the marine market led to the donation of a variety of boating products.
Mike Parker and Sky Scott – Lots of different and sometimes random parts needed to be brought along the trip. And the purchasing department, headed by Mike and Sky, made sure each part was ordered and arrived on time for the boat’s departure. They were also responsible for making sure that new hose – to replace the 2 faulty ones on the boat – was shipped and received by the crew in Chuuk.
Pete Eunson – The project manager for the Nordhavn 40, Pete knows the model inside and out and has conferred with Jim Leishman about any technical difficulties any of the crews have encountered. (There have been only a couple of minor issues.) Pete also advises the purchasing department which spare parts should be stocked on the boat.
Erin Lloyd and Patty White – With so many countries being encountered by the ATW boat and with weather-driven course changes, it is an arduous task to both manage unforeseeable risks and make sure the boat is properly insured at all times. Erin Lloyd works closely with the Shorepoint Insurance to make sure the policy is up to date by submitting to them the most current itinerary, as prepared by Michelle Leroy. Erin also works with all potential ATW guests and crew to make sure they have turned in their release forms prior to departure. As a team, Erin and Patty pore over the numerous expenditures made by each crew. Additionally, Erin has contributed answers to forum questions.
Kirk White – While Kirk’s dock crew has been busy working on new Nordhavns during much of the voyage, they were focused 100 percent on commissioning the ATW boat for several weeks leading up to the departure in November. The crew spent hours making sure everything like the extra freezer and the master bunk “divider” – were in place and functioning perfectly.
Jean Badraun – Lots of e-mail comes in from the crew members on board the trip and Jean is responsible for making sure the rest of the company gets updated on the happenings on board as well as alerting the proper employees to any specific needs of the crew.
Leah McGettigan – The three salesmen taking part in the trip rely on Leah to keep them current on sales office goings-on. Maintaining daily e-mail correspondence with the voyaging reps, Leah is also responsible for servicing their customers when necessary.