A Day in the Tropics
February 22, 2019
Day 141
Noon Position: 46 25S 158 30W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): NExE 5
Wind(t/tws): NW 14
Sea(t/ft): NW 2
Sky: Clear
10ths Cloud Cover: 0
Bar(mb): 1021, steady
Cabin Temp(f): 73
Water Temp(f): 59
Relative Humidity(%): 68
Sail: Working jib and main, full; reaching.
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 123
Miles since departure: 19,368
Avg. Miles/Day: 137
Days since Cape Horn: 84
Miles since Cape Horn: 11,727
Avg. Miles/Day: 140
Longitude Degrees Made Good (degrees minutes): 2 45
Total Longitude Made Good Since Cape Horn (degrees minutes): 270 02
Avg. Long./Day: 3.21
Winds went light overnight, and we were back to the slatting sails game by dawn. I poled out the working jib before coffee; we went wing and wing for a time. That helped.
Sunup came bright on cobalt blue water and the ocean opened like a flower. The warm breeze carried a scent of spice into the cabin. The cloudless sky seemed a vast, pale, edgeless desert hung above the softly undulating desert below it. From Mo’s still decks, I felt like we towered above the water; I could see forever. Like when the trade winds begin to fade, but before the squalls move in.
I’m in shirtsleeves rolled above my elbows. My forearms are getting sun for the first time since… Since… Well, now, I don’t recall…
At 47S!
It has been warm and summery for days, since New Zealand, I think. And winds have been mostly lighter than one would expect. Very nice, and also very strange. I have to pinch myself. No, these are not the middle latitudes. That bird there is not a Tropic bird–it is an Albatross. Don’t go soft on me. Not here. Leave the ukulele in its case another month or two.
Still, a fantastic sailing day. A northwesterly in the teens and on the beam. Full working sail. And we churn out the miles.
By now I’ve got about as much northing as I want. We’re in a zone where the weather forecasts calls for 30 knot winds late Saturday, touching 35 on Sunday. Better than 40. So, we’ve leveled off and are heading due east again.
Absolutely beautiful! What a welcome thaw!
But, what do you mean that Albatross is not a tropical bird? They have many nesting grounds in Hawaii, Midway and other tropical islands. I know we have the Laysan albatross here (for Laysan Island in the NW Hawaiian Islands). I will have to look to see if that is our only species and what others there may be.
Aloha Randall,
Mary
Oh Randall! I just looked it up and must share with you what I found. One of our two Albatross species in Hawaii is called……. MOLI !!!!
“There are two kinds of albatross in Hawaii: the ka`upu, or blackfooted albatross (Phoebastria nigripes-rare), and the moli or Laysan albatross (P. immutabilis-endangered). These amazing birds can live up to fifty years, and have been recorded to fly as far as 2,000 miles in one day in search of food.May 18, 2017”
Wow – how do you like that!?
Mary – there’s an article from WAAAAY back where Randall writes about how Moli is named after the Hawaiian albatross. It’s where Joanna and he got married. The bird and the island are special to them both. Team F8
sounds beautiful !!
I wish you fair winds all the way, unfortunately we know that isn’t in the cards so enjoy the sun. What do you use for your weather data and routing?
fair Winds,
Eric SV Kimberlite