Today's Report
June 5/10 0800 JST / 1400 local
Position:
12°57'N, 127°57'W (North Pacific Ocean)
It may be like the exaggerated size of the "fish that got away," but now Saito-san thinks he may have seen as many as 50 dolphins the other day, rather than the 30 or 40 he had first estimated.
If so, that suggests he was passed by a convention of several groups of the mammals, which normally number about a dozen in a typical pod. Marine biologists report that the highly social dolphins sometimes assemble in "superpods" of as much as a thousand individuals for mating, communal fishing, or other reasons known only to them.
Saito-san continues to remark on his visiting albatross, which now appears to have settled in on the stern of NBSDIII. He said that it has now been joined by a second albatross that does not alight on the vessel but simply circles or hovers nearby. Both go off for hours at a time and then the one squatter returns to the stern dinghy platform. The birds are brownish gray, about a meter from head to tail feathers. This is video of the Waved Albatross endemic to just a single island in the Galapagos Islands. It may or may not be the same species as Saito-san's new companion.
Several years ago we suggested he take a dog with him on the circumnavigation to keep him company. He quickly dismissed the idea, saying they both would have been miserable in a short time. He said it would be too difficult for the dog, not to mention the extra food and water that would have been required.
At least this pet can feed and "walk" itself.
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Again no problems were reported under slightly stronger winds that stayed steady out of the NE as he made an improved 115 nm during the period. He said the current seems to be getting better after several days of fluctuations. Clearpoint shows the flow gradually developing to 0.7 kts out of the east over the next day. It also shows it circulating in a clockwise pattern in his general area.
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The distance remaining to Yokohama is now 19.9%.
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Distance in last 24 hours: 115 nm over ground / 112 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 22,647 nm
To Yokohama: 5,668 nm
To Hawaii WP: 1,700 nm
Heading: 280°
Reported boat speed: 5.0 kts
Average boat speed: 4.8 kts
Average daily DMG over last 7 days: 107 nm
Weather: Clear, beautiful skies
Temperature: 27.0° C
Barometer: 1009 hPa (steady)
Wind (from): 12-16 kts, NE expected to be 16 kts NE, reducing to 12 kts NE in 19 hrs
Waves: 2.0 m
Current (from): N and E at 0.5 kts (becoming favorable)
Engine: 0.0 hrs
Generator: 8.0 hrs
Sails: Genoa 80%, staysail 0%, mainsail 2-pt reef
Position Map
