Day 590 [May 15/10] -- Preparing to cross the Doldrums

Today's Report

May 15/10 0800 JST / 1700 local

Position:

00°11'S, 94°36'W (Just below and parallel to Equator)

Under fair winds he was able to make 120 nm mostly under sail during the period, as he considers his strategy for crossing the Doldrums, the band of "dead air" just above the Equator.

The Doldrums are an approximately 400 nm-wide virtually windless band that can be seen on ClearPoint running parallel to the Equator. The lower edge is about 100 nm north of Saito-san's present position. About 400 nm above that is the bottom edge of the easterly trade winds.

With the help of ClearPoint we're trying to judge where the Doldrums band might be thinner within the next few hundred miles on his route west. At some point he will need to turn directly north and motor across the expanse of weak and variable winds. In this area of dead air, the sails will be mostly useless.

In fact, due to the erratic flailing of the sails under weak winds and boat rolling, Saito-san must motor in order to keep the rigging and sails from becoming damaged through uncontrolled slamming of the main boom and increased line abrasion. 

On ClearPoint localized high pressure waves can be seen passing through, so that the thickness of the band changes throughout the day and night. The difference in the width of the dead air band is as much as 100 nm as these "mini highs" move through from west to east.

Below: The cross is NBSDIII's position; the hand symbol points to the edge of the easterly trade winds, with favorable winds blowing constantly from the east in the low teens. White and lighter patches show areas of low wind (2-3 kt)  and no wind. Arrows indicate weak and variable wind direction. The band is about 600 miles wide as shown on ClearPoint  [Click to enlarge]

***

Distance in last 24 hours: 120 nm

Heading: 270

Reported boat speed: 4.5 kts

Average boat speed: 5.0 kts

Weather: Clear

Temperature: 25.0° C

Barometer: 1006 hPa

Wind (from): 9-10 kts, SE expected to be 10-12 kts SSE for next 19 hours

Waves: 1.0 meters

Current (from): E at 1.0 - 1.3 kt, turning to from SE (favorable)
Engine: 4.75 hrs, 1800 rpm

Generator: 5.5 hrs

Sails: Genoa 100%, staysail 0%, mainsail 1-pt reef

Position Map

Day 589 [May 14/10] -- Back west of the Galapagos

Today's Report

May 14/10 0800 JST / 1700 local

Position:

00°47'S, 92°42'W (just west of Galapagos Islands)

Everything proceeding well under "beautiful skies" on almost flat seas as he made 131 nm for the period.

The current is favorable and steady at a bit over 1 kt from the east, and is beginning to turn up to the north as he heads further west. This added about 25 nm to his daily DMG.

Winds were very weak for much of the day but later began to strengthen moderately out of the S and SSE at about 9 kts for a heart-gladdening beam reach. With the relatively flat (0.5 to 1.0 m) seas and favorable current, he should enjoy near-perfect sailing conditions for at least the next day or two.

***

The newly repaired hydraulics are working very well, he reported. He said that the overheating he had been experiencing with the autopilot drive unit had completely gone away. During the time of the hydraulics leak as he turned back to the Galapagos he said he had been cooling the control unit down by applying water-soaked towels to it as many as six times a day. Now it is completely cool to the touch. The leak is gone but he's still having to cope with slippery surfaces where he has not been able to completely clean up the released hydraulic fluid.

***
He cleared Isla Isabella, the furthest west of the island group, earlier in the day. "It's now really beautiful, the skies are really beautiful," he said, as the sun neared the western horizon. Asked if it was already sunset, he answered "No, I think it's 5 pm, and the sun is still out."

It's easy to be uncertain about the local time -- time zone changes tend to occur quickly for vessels heading on a direct westerly course. But he's also back to his own patented sleep-wake cycle: two hours of sleep, waking, checking the sails, heading and horizon, then going back to sleep for another two hours. That's his typical night, and even during the day he catnaps off and on depending on the sea conditions. 

Boat traffic has been his main concern but where he is heading is well off the normal ship traffic lanes with the next possible port in the Hawaiian Islands, about 3,800 nm distant. The stretch in between is one of the most isolated parts of the world.

***

Distance in last 24 hours: 131 nm

Heading: 275

Reported boat speed: 5.0 kts

Average boat speed: 5.5 kts

Weather: Clear

Temperature: 25.0° C

Barometer: 1002 hPa (steady)

Wind (from): 8-9 kts, S expected to be 9-10 kts SSE for next 19 hours

Waves: 1.0 meters

Current (from): E at 1.0 - 1.3 kt, turning to from SE (favorable)

Engine: 9.0 hrs, 1800 rpm

Generator: 3.0 hrs

Sails: Genoa 100%, staysail 0%, mainsail 1-pt reef

Position Map