Today's Report
June 18/10 0800 JST / 1300 (June 17) Honolulu time
Position: 19°45'N, 152°22'W (North Pacific Ocean)
Remaining distance to Yokohama finish: 14.6%
He's making fair progress on the alternate route decided yesterday to go east of the Hawaiian Islands, having covered 109 nm in the past 24 hours.
He's already higher than the area west of Big Island that ClearPoint shows as a big white patch (i.e., extremely low and broken winds) with opposing currents. From what we can see in ClearPoint, this area of about 80 nm could have taken several days or more for him to cross as he made his way north.
Saito-san said he was hit by several squalls from "passing tropical storms" that have forced him to reduce sails several times as winds gusted to 24 kts from unpredictable directions. The trade winds have eased at times to a quite low 10 kts, thus slowing boat speed to under 4 kts. A SE current of 0.6 kts has given him a helpful lift northward.
He now has 350 nm remaining to reach his Hawaii stopover at Keehi Marina, Honolulu, averaging 103 nm a day over the past three days. ETA remains Monday, June 21, in the morning Honolulu time.
***
Ed Abbott, one of the Honolulu volunteer shore crew, has invited Saito-san to meet with the Hawaii Yacht Club Cruising and Voyaging Society "If he can find the time... and is willing... It would be great if he could give a talk about his trip."
We asked him this morning and you could "hear" his smile over the Iridium phone. "Oh, really?" That was clearly a "yes."
***
Distance in last 24 hours: 109 nm over ground / 105 nm DMG after course change
Total distance completed: 24,132 nm
To Yokohama: 4,152 nm
To Hawaii WP2: 350 nm
Heading: 295°
Reported boat speed: 4.0 kts
Average boat speed: 4.5 kts
Average daily DMG over last 3 days: 103 nm
Weather: Overcast, cool, scattered rain, sometimes squalls
Temperature: 24.0° C
Barometer: 1014 hPa
Wind (from): 10-13 kts, ENE, w/gusts to 24 kts, expected to be 12-14 kts ENE over next 19 hrs
Waves: 2.0 m
Current (from): SE at 0.6 kts (favorable)
Engine: 0.0 hrs
Generator: 9.5 hrs
Sails: Genoa 50% (sometimes 70%), staysail 0%, mainsail 2-pt reef
Position Map
Yellow line is new route east of the islands.
