Day 1073 [Sep. 10/11 JST] – Closing in on Hachijojima


Today's Report
Sep. 10/11 0800 JST 

Position:  31°19'N, 140°14'E
Remaining to Hachijojima:  107 nm (ETA: 1 day)
Remaining to Yokohama:  247 nm / 99.7% finished, (ETA: 7 days – TBA)

Saito-san knocked off 109 nm DMG under sail to close within a day of his last stop-over point of Hachijojima. He'll rest up, tend to some boat maintenance and – weather permitting – will depart later in the week for Yokohama.

We've been delaying an announcement of his Yokohama ETA, depending on how NBSDIII did in these past few hundred miles. The verdict is "very well" and so it is likely Saito-san will be able to complete his circumnavigation next Saturday, September 17. 

An official announcement of his ETA will be made probably on Wednesday, assuming that no new typhoons appear in the meantime. It is expected that the final 140 nm into Yokohama will take about 2 days to complete, which is the "weather window" he will require.

Winds were changeable during the night veering between E and ESE from light to moderately strong winds between 9 and 16 kts, Saito-san reported. He also noted a quite strong leeward drift that he's had to compensate for by correcting almost 15 degrees east. The winds were expected to continue at 13-14 kts out of the ESE and E today and into tomorrow.

He achieved a quite good 109 nm under sail, with no engine use for nearly three days. He ran the generator 9 hours in three 3-hour sessions and said the battery reserve now seems to be adequate, compared to running the generator twice a day in longer sessions. (He had commented yesterday that the draw-down on the batteries seemed to be increasing for some reason.)


Weather appeared unthreatening this morning on ClearPoint projections. Saito-san reported that several squalls carrying "cold rain" had passed through during the night.

***
Distance in last 24 hours: 109 nm DOG / 109 nm DMG
DMG over last 3 days of sailing: 281 nm
Total distance completed: 28,355 nm
To Yokohama: 247 nm (measured)
To Hachijojima: 107 nm (measured)
ETA, Hachijojima: 1 day
ETA, Yokohama: 7 days (TBA)

Heading: 0°
Reported boat speed: 4.0 - 4.5 kt
Average boat speed: 4.5 kt
Weather: overcast, occasional rain squalls
Temperature: 28.0° C
Barometer: 1019 hPa
Wind (from): 9-16 kts ESE & E
Waves: 1.5 - 2.0 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 2pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 9 hrs

[Weather and wind forecasts are from ClearPoint Weather, a Saito 8 Supporting Sponsor.]



Day 1072 [Sep. 9/11 JST] – Another Good Day Under Sail


Today's Report
Sep. 9/11 0800 JST 

Position:  29°41'N, 141°09'E
Remaining to Hachijojima:  210 nm (ETA: 2 days)
Remaining to Yokohama:  341 nm / 99.6% finished, (ETA: ?)

Winds were light during the night but returned this morning to put 5 kts occasionally on the knot log, with winds steady from the east. They were expected to continue that way between 11 – 13 kts for a near-perfect broad reach the rest of today and into tomorrow.

He achieved 95 nm under sail during the period as he kept the engine off. The generator ran 11 hours to keep batteries topped off.

He again reported that everything was fine aboard ship and was pleased with his progress. He has adjusted his ETA for "some time Sunday, probably in the morning."

He called Mike Seymour later in the morning and in that call indicated he was having to charge the batteries longer than normal (usually about 9 or 10 hours in two sessions) and asked for advice. The batteries were replaced in Chile and are actually heavy-duty truck batteries, rather than the original deep-cycle marine batteries added in Hawaii during the initial refit. This may or may not be a developing problem and will looked into after he arrives at Hachijojima in a few days.

Typhoon Kulap, No. 14, has been relegated to a tropical lowappears to present no threat to Saito-san as it heads 11 kts NNW obliquely away from his position. As of 0800 today it was 525 nm west and should be 545 nm further away by tomorrow.

Update: By the noontime locator beacon position today he was 199 nm from Hachijojima, averaging 4.8 kts since 0600.


***
Distance in last 24 hours: 95 nm DOG / 95 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 28,114 nm
To Yokohama: 341 nm (measured)
To Hachijojima: 210 nm (measured)

DMG over last 2 days of sailing: 168 nm (measured) 
ETA, Yokohama: ? days

Heading: 345°
Reported boat speed: 4.5 - 5.0 kt
Average boat speed: 4.0 kt
Weather: clear w/ scattered clouds; mild
Temperature: 28.0° C
Barometer: 1012 hPa
Wind (from): 8-12 kts E
Waves: 1.5 - 2.0 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 2pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 11 hrs

[Weather and wind forecasts are from ClearPoint Weather, a Saito 8 Supporting Sponsor.]



Day 1071 [Sep. 8/11 JST] – All's Well Under Ideal Sailing Conditions


Today's Report
Sep. 8/11 JST 

Position:  28°11'N, 141°42'E
Remaining to Hachijojima:  294 nm (ETA: 3.25 days)
Remaining to Yokohama:  428 nm / 99.5% finished, (ETA: ?)

A rested and clearly pleased Saito-san enjoyed a quiet daybreak under clear skies and slightly cooler temperatures, the engine off and coasting over moderate seas at about 4 kts under sail – just the way he likes it.

He reported that everything was fine aboard ship, but that progress was "slow."

The sudden appearance of Typhoon Kulap, No. 14 of the season under the Japanese Meteorological Agency's system, appears to present no threat to Saito-san as it moves at 11 kts NNW obliquely away from his position. As of 0800 today it was 525 nm west and should be at least545 nm further away by tomorrow.


Sudden appearance of Typhoon Kanap 525 nm west at 0800 and moving away



***
Distance in last 20 hours: 77 nm DOG / 74 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 28,114 nm
To Yokohama: 428 nm (measured)
To Hachijojima: 294 nm (measured)

Ave DMG over last 2 days of sailing: - nm (measured) 
ETA, Yokohama: ? days

Heading: 345°
Reported boat speed: 4.0 - 4.5 kt
Average boat speed: 3.7 kt
Weather: clear w/ scattered clouds; mild
Temperature: 28.0° C
Barometer: 1013 hPa
Wind (from): 8-10 kts SE
Waves: 1.0 - 1.5 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 2pt reef
Engine: 3 hrs
Generator: 4 hrs

[Weather and wind forecasts are from ClearPoint Weather, a Saito 8 Supporting Sponsor.]

Day 1070 [Sep. 7/11 JST] – Ready to Depart Chichijima


Today's Report
Sep. 7/11 JST 

Position:  27°03'N, 142°11'E (Ogasawara, Chichijima Island, Japan)
Remaining to Hachijojima:  360 nm (ETA: 3.5 days)
Remaining to Yokohama:  502 nm (ETA: ?)

Saito-san was in great spirits as he readied the boat for departure in late morning today. He confirmed he had cleared his departure through the Coast Guard at the station in Ogasawara Village, and has been given the OK to proceed to Hachijojima, an island normally closed to foreign-registered vessels. He received special permission.

It is not expected that he will require further repairs there, but Saito-san said he is worried about the condition of the mainsail, since the sail material is "very weak."

As of this morning the waves outside the harbor were about 1.5- 2.0 meters as shown on ClearPoint, with winds under 10 kts. They are expected to remain 7-14 kts out of the SE and E over the next several days.

He expects the 360 nm portion up to Hachijojima to take "about 3 days, plus 6 hours" which would have him arriving in late afternoon on Saturday.

Sea conditions are moderate with no severe weather forecast for at least the next 4 days. In the weather map, the front approx 250 nm to his north is expected to be gone within 2 days. A large high will predominate up to Japan for most of the week.