Wind and No Wind; Still, We are Nearing Home

June 29, 2018

Day 182/11

Noon Position: 44 01N 146 58W

Course/Speed: ExN7

Wind: SW17-20

Bar: 1024, rising

Sea: SW6-8

Sky: Fog, low and heavy fog

Cabin Temperature: 67

Water Temperature: 54

Sail: #1 full free, #2 full and poled; broad reach to starboard

Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good: 142

Miles this leg: 1574

Avg. Miles this leg: 143

Winds came on strong overnight and were a steady SW20 – 25 when I climbed into the pilot house at 5am. I had left both headsails polled out and full as the wind built, and we creamed along, cutting a perceptible path in this interminable fog, just barely under control.

Sadly, the wind diminished as the day matured. As I type twelve hours later winds are down to 8 and 10 knots, and we heave and bang on the leftover sea.

The story for today is that we’ve turned E and for home. Don’t get too excited, at 1500 miles under our belts this leg, we are well over but *just* well over half way from Hawaii to San Francisco, and the forecast shows plenty of calm between us and crossing our outbound track, which I believe will be right around the Golden Gate Bridge.

Think on it. Early in July I’ll be home for the first time since October of last year. In the interim I will have sailed solo around the world via the Southern Ocean in three stops. Nothing historic. Not the Figure 8. But something.

At the very least, I will have seen more water than the average Joe, and can sympathize with the naturalist who once said, “Given what covers most of Earth, it’s a wonder we don’t call it planet Ocean.”

Fog. It has been overcast with drizzle since the 24th and “Fog” and “Heavy Fog” and “Dense Fog with Drizzle” decorate the weather section of my log since the 26th. Amazingly, the fog has often been thin enough overhead to allow a wan sun, and my sextant shots are still within a couple miles.