Day 982 [June 11/11 JST] – A Day of Fair Winds and Good Progress

Today's Report

June 11/11 0800 JST 

Position:  21°08'N, 177°25'E

Remaining to Yokohama finish:  2,480 nm / 8.9% (ETA: 27 - 30 days)

Compared to 2 days ago, NBSDIII is now on an oceanic racetrack straightway, with constant winds at 13-15 kts from the east. While there is still due concern over the rigging and mast – especially the latter in its weakened state – the steady push of the wind is seen as less punishing than the light airs of a few days ago that were both wearying for the Skipper to chase and react to, as well as tossed the boom around while the sails repeatedly filled and released.

On this downwind tack, a watchful eye on the wind direction and heading must be kept to avoid uncontrolled jibes.

He reported this morning seeing no new damage as he makes his twice-daily careful inspections of the rigging and sails, just after sunset and just before dark.

NBSDIII achieved an impressive 69 nm DOG during the period as winds gradually rose throughout the day and night into the low to mid teens. For the first time in a week, much of the effort was toward Yokohama, measuring 53 nm of forward progress. That compares in the previous 24-hour period to 42 nm and just 3 nm, respectively.

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***

We recalculated the remaining distance to Yokohama based on his newly revised plan to follow the present latitude / wind band until he reaches the 150^th east longitude in 1,500 nm. The revised distance to Japan is 2,480 nm. This adds about 250 nm to the total stated yesterday, but he can be expected to make up much of it from increased boat speed.

Purple line shows newly revised route with the turn up north at 150th longitude

***

Distance in last 24 hours: 69 nm DOG

Total distance completed: 25,780 nm

To Yokohama: 2,480 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 43 nm (measured) 

ETA: 28 days (if sailing @ 3.6 kts)

Heading: 220

Reported boat speed: 3.5-3.8 kts

Average boat speed: 2.9 kts

Weather: Overcast; occasional rain; warm

Temperature: 26.5° C

Barometer: 1015 hPa 

Wind (from): 11-15 kt E, sometimes ENE

Waves: 1.5-2.0 m

Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef

Engine: 0 hrs

Generator: 8 hrs

[Weather and wind forecasts are from ClearPoint Weather, a Saito 8 contributing sponsor.]

Day 981 [June 10/11 JST] -- Back to Steady (We Hope!) Sailing

Today's Report

June 10/11 0800 JST 

Position:  21°51'N, 178°21'E

Remaining to Yokohama finish:  2,219 nm / 8.2% (ETA: 25 - 29 days)

The prospects of a better day of progress borne on much improved sailing winds visited NBSDIII after midnight. A 185° heading put her deeper into the wind zone, where she started seeing steady winds at 9-12 kts out of the ESE. The skipper later turned her in the direction to Yokohama, on a more direct 220°, and so should now finally start reducing the miles toward home.

At the time of his call he was tired from a largely sleepless night, but enthused that after nearly a week of jibing and eking out small tacking gains was back to sailing under steady winds.

NBSDIII gained just 3 nm DMG toward Yokohama as she moved 42 nm on a mostly southerly track since yesterday's call.

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This image taken from ClearPoint Weather shows the mixed wind and weather conditions, and the steadier air he has now entered.

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Mystery radar object

Around noon JST yesterday Saito-san called in to report that he could see a "large object, not moving" on the radar about 6 nm distant to his NW. A bit later it did move, proceeding north, and was then 9 miles away on the radar. He was mystified, saying that it did not seem to be a ship, being at first dead in the water and in his binoculars showing no exhaust smoke, but that he could not tell what the radar target was. Not an island, not a whale. We agreed that there was no chance that any of the tsunami "gomi" (debris) had yet drifted this far from Japan. The object was probably just a ship, although its behavior was unusual enough for Saito-san to make two calls about it in less than half an hour's time. Was it a ship? "I don't know, I don't know" he said, still perplexed as he rang off.

***

Distance in last 24 hours: 42 nm DOG

Total distance completed: 25,711 nm

To Yokohama: 2,219 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 30 nm (measured) 

ETA: 26 days (if sailing @ 3.5 kts)

Heading: 220

Reported boat speed: 3.5 kts

Average boat speed: 1.8 kts

Weather: Overcast; thundershowers; warm

Temperature: 26.5° C

Barometer: 1013 hPa 

Wind (from): 9-12 kt ESE

Waves: 1.0 m

Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef

Engine: 0 hrs

Generator: 10 hrs

[Weather and wind forecasts are from ClearPoint Weather, a Saito 8 contributing sponsor.]

Day 980 [June 9/11 JST] -- Starting to Catch the Easterlies

Today's Report

June 9/11 0800 JST 

Position:  22°22'N, 179°50'E

Remaining to Yokohama finish:  2,222 nm / 8.2% (ETA: 26 - 30 days)

Although NBSDIII lost 2 nm DMG toward Yokohama since yesterday, the news was actually good this morning. For the first time in 7 days of sailing he had winds as high as 8 kts out of the ESE -- a reasonably good wind on a favorable point of sail -- and ClearPoint predicts there will be more of the same as he moves down to 20° N latitude.

This is the result of having finally reached the upper edge of the easterlies, where a steady stream of westward-pointing wind arrows can be seen on both ClearPoint and his mariner's chart. When the engine stopped it put him too high to the north by 100 nm, where ClearPoint has frustratingly shown this past week a waving barometric succession of highs that produced mostly clear skies but weak and erratic wind. He's been working his way down south since, achieving over the past 5 days 167 nm DOG (distance made good) toward Yokohama, as he "southed" those precious 100 nm to gain better winds.

Saito-san complains that the highs have been his main problem, and that rain, which has been occurring with increasing frequency, has consistently heralded the approach of good wind. "When it rains, the winds come. When the skies clear, the wind goes away," he said. He said that a countercurrent, which he described as "strange" at this latitude, was also causing him headaches but had disappeared in the last few hours.

He confirmed he does a twice-daily careful check of the rigging. Other than a chaffed jib sheet, which he changed, he said he has not seen any problems with either the standing or running rigging.

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***

Distance in last 24 hours: 27 nm DOG

Total distance completed: 25,669 nm

To Yokohama: 2,222 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 26 nm (measured) 

ETA: 28 days (if sailing @ 3.3 kts)

Heading: 205

Reported boat speed: 2 kts

Average boat speed: 1.1 kts

Weather: Overcast; occasional rain; warm

Temperature: 26.5° C

Barometer: 1014 hPa 

Wind (from): 5-8 kt ESE

Waves: 1.0-1.5 m

Sails: Genoa 80-90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef

Engine: 0 hrs

Generator: 11 hrs

[Weather and wind forecasts are from ClearPoint Weather, a Saito 8 contributing sponsor.]

Day 979 [June 8/11 JST] -- Top Edge of East Trades Tantalizingly Close

Today's Report

June 8/11 0800 JST 

Position:  22°44'N, 179°02'E

Remaining to Yokohama finish:  2,220 nm / 8.2% (ETA: 26 - 30 days)

That band of easterly tradewinds at 22.0° latitude are tantalizingly close, just another 45 hard-won nautical miles south where the pull of the wind can be expected sweep Saito-san back onto his westward route home. Until then, he'll continue to see puffs of promising breezes, followed by minutes to several hours of virtual windlessness – like when he called in this morning. "Nothing! Completely no wind… I'm back drifting."

He was encouraged earlier in the morning when, he said, "I had good wind, and was doing 3.5 kts for a while before it stopped again." He reported that the seas were flat from horizon to horizon.

Still, he more than doubled his DOG of yesterday at 38 nm, but his mostly southerly track moved him just 14 nm toward Yokohama. (In the image, the purple line indicates the ideal heading to Yokohama, now 2,220 nm away.)

As occurred yesterday, ClearPoint Weather again is predicting he'll get relief from the poor wind conditions later today, when the breeze is expected to rise slightly to 5-6 kts from the more favorable NE & E. This will gradually improve until he reaches the upper edge of the Trades possibly tonight, he estimates, when he expects to encounter steady winds at 10 kts out of the east.

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***

Distance in last 24 hours: 38 nm DOG

Total distance completed: 25,642 nm

To Yokohama: 2,220 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 26 nm (measured) 

ETA: 28 days (if sailing @ 3.3 kts)

Heading: none, drifting

Reported boat speed: 0 kts

Average boat speed: 1.6 kts

Weather: Overcast; scattered rainshowers; warm

Temperature: 26.5° C

Barometer: 1016 hPa 

Wind (from): 0-1 kt, WE

Waves: 0.0 m

Sails: Genoa 80-90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef

Engine: 0 hrs

Generator: 8 hrs

[Weather and wind forecasts are from ClearPoint Weather, a Saito 8 contributing sponsor.]

Day 978 [June 7/11 JST] -- Shades of the Galapagos Doldrums

Today's Report

June 7/11 0800 JST 

Position:  23°13'N, 179°26'E

Remaining to Yokohama finish:  2,234 nm / 8.2% (ETA: 26 - 30 days)

Another night of drifting, but at least he got some sleep. With the genoa cranked in to 50% he felt he could let the boat do what it wanted while he caught some shut-eye. This morning, though still frustrated about his lack of progress at just 9 nm for the period, he was in better spirits and could laugh at his predicament: "I'm in a convergence zone where the wind is west, east, north – all over the place… it's like the doldrums!"

He moved 17 nm overground since yesterday but was able to progress only 9 nm toward Yokohama, now 2,234 nm distant.

The last time he's seen similar conditions was near the Galapagos Islands back in May 2010 when he even lost 5 nm thanks to an eastward current. Then, as well, the engine was on holiday due to an overheating problem. Those WERE the infamous Doldrums, a band of windless conditions near the Equator. Fortunately, where he is now is instead the result of a succession of smallish highs moving from west to east that are bringing flat seas and little or no wind.  Above that about 300-400 nm have been a march of stormy lows, also moving east.

We discussed that ClearPoint Weather is showing he'll likely start to get a break from the fluky wind conditions at about mid-afternoon today, when the breeze is expected to pipe up from the north at 7 knots then later veer around to out of the east at 5 – 7 knots. At that point it seems he'll return to normal sailing.

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***

Distance in last 24 hours: 17 nm DOG

Total distance completed: 25,505 nm

To Yokohama: 2,234 nm / 8.2% remaining 

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 30 nm (measured) 

ETA: 28 days (if sailing @ 3.3 kts)

Heading: none, drifting

Reported boat speed: 0 kts

Average boat speed: 0.7 kts

Weather: Clearing; warm

Temperature: 26.5° C

Barometer: 1016 hPa 

Wind (from): 1 kt "W then E then N!"

Waves: 0.0 m

Sails: Genoa 50%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef

Engine: 0 hrs

Generator: 8 hrs

[Weather and wind forecasts are from ClearPoint Weather, a Saito 8 contributing sponsor.]

Day 977 [June 6/11 JST] -- Dead Air Welcomes Him Back to the East

Today's Report

June 6/11 0800 JST 

Position:  23°20'N, 179°41'E

Remaining to Yokohama finish:  2,243 nm / 8.2% (ETA: 26 - 30 days)

Last night he told us that the wind had stopped, the seas were flat, and "it's like a big, big pond." The currents were even pushing him back a bit east as NBSDIII drifted in the dead air. He predicted a long night as he dealt with changing wind directions.

This morning he reported that the winds were slightly better, and confirmed he'd had a largely sleepless night as the wind moved around the compass and forced him to jibe 3 separate times. About midnight he crossed the International Dateline ("Welcome back to the East!" we kidded him). By 0800, pushed by a gentle breeze from the SSW, he was sailing at about 2.5 kts. This was a decided improvement over the average 1.3 kts he realized over the entire 24-hour period.

He moved 31 nm overground since yesterday but due to his southerly heading to gain better wind areas to the south, he progressed only 20 nm toward Yokohama.

ClearPoint Weather suggests that better winds will come within the next 48 hours.

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***

Distance in last 24 hours: 31 nm DOG

Total distance completed: 25,488 nm

To Yokohama: 2,243 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 54 nm (measured) 

ETA: 28 days (if sailing @ 3.3 kts)

Heading: 240°

Reported boat speed: 2.5 kts

Average boat speed: 1.3 kts

Weather: Rain yesterday morning, clearing; warm

Temperature: 26.5° C

Barometer: 1018 hPa 

Wind (from): 5-7 kt SSW

Waves: 1.0 m

Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef

Engine: 0 hrs

Generator: 12 hrs

[Weather and wind forecasts are from ClearPoint Weather, a Saito 8 contributing sponsor.]

Day 976 [June 5/11 JST] -- Engine Test Fails as New Hose Breaks Occur

Today's Report

June 5/11 0800 JST 

Position:  23°30'N, 179°48'W

Remaining to Yokohama finish:  2,263 nm / 8.3% (ETA: 26 - 30 days)

"It was like a waterfall," Saito-san described, as he gave the results of his engine test yesterday. "There was lots of smoke and when it cleared I found two or three new holes," he said, in addition to the one in the exhaust hose that had caused him to shut down the engine three days ago. Applications of glue and duct tape made little difference.

So he will continue sailing along a route that will let him take advantage of the (usually) steady east trades that will take him another 600 to 1,000 nm before he turns more northward toward Yokohama.

For the last 12 hours an area of weaker winds has developed at his position, so he has been trying to change his heading to more southerly (from 240° to 220°) to join steadier trades at about 22° north latitude. Poor wind direction from the SW this morning frustrated his ability to go lower without having to tack, he said. "I can't tack easily and the wind [direction] is changing too much," adding that he will probably try to wait for better wind conditions as the weak area moves east of him. He's now on a 260° heading.

In about 3-4 hours he will pass the International Dateline at 180° longitude, gaining a day on his calendar and putting him 3 hours ahead of Tokyo's time zone. (Thus finally ending our "Good morning, good evening!" satellite phone salutation that eventually stopped being funny about three years ago…)

Despite the decreasing boat speed he made relatively good progress under sail during the period, almost matching his previous day's 76 nm over ground, and narrowing the Yokohama distance to 2,263 nm at 0800 this morning.  On both of the last two nights NBSDIII's speed dropped to 2.5 kts due to weak easterly winds, moving to out of the SW at the time of the morning call.

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***

Distance in last 24 hours: 74 nm DOG

Total distance completed: 25,457 nm

To Yokohama: 2,263 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 3 days: 65 nm (measured) 

ETA: 28 days (if sailing @ 3.3 kts)

Heading: 260°

Reported boat speed: 3.5 kts (sailing)

Average boat speed: 3.1 kts

Weather: Mostly overcast; warm

Temperature: 26° C

Barometer: 1018 hPa 

Wind (from): 8-10 kts SW

Waves: 1.0 m

Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef

Engine: 0 hrs

Generator: 12 hrs

[Weather and wind forecasts are from ClearPoint Weather, a Saito 8 contributing sponsor.]