Day 1003 [July 2/11 JST] – Ah, Those Warm Summer Breezes


 Today's Report
July 2/11 0800 JST 

Position:  25°34'N, 146°31'E
Remaining to Yokohama:  768 nm (ETA: ? days)
Remaining to Ogasawara:  286 nm (ETA: 5-8 days)


Winds turned southerly yesterday, a sure sign summer has arrived for sailors along the east shores of Japan. For Saito-san, it meant a day of improved sailing on a beam reach, and he was decidedly happier during the morning's call. While hampered by his cut-down main, even under relatively moderate winds he was able to move 42 nm closer to Ogasawara during the 24-hr period. That was a welcome improvement over yesterday's frustrating 30 nm.

Still no weather warnings as skies stay mostly overcast with broken clouds and passing summer squalls.

At the time of his call, winds were blowing out of the S & SSE at 6 – 10 kts, for a reported 3.0-kt boat speed. Winds were forecast on ClearPoint to be mostly out of the SSW at 9 – 12 kts until tomorrow.


***
Distance in last 24 hours: 42 nm DOG / 42 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 27,743 nm
To Yokohama: 768 nm (measured)
To Ogasawara: 286 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 55 nm (measured) 
ETA, Ogasawara: 5-8 days
ETA, Yokohama: ? days

Heading: 290°
Reported boat speed: 3.0 kts
Average boat speed: 1.8 kts
Weather: Overcast, warm, squalls in the area
Temperature: 29.0° C
Barometer: 1014 hPa 
Wind (from): 8-10 kts SE
Waves: 1.0 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 0 hrs

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

Day 1002 [July 1/11 JST] – Slower Still


Today's Report
July 1/11 0800 JST 

Position:  25°32'N, 147°15'E
Remaining to Yokohama:  808 nm (ETA: ? days)
Remaining to Ogasawara:  325 nm (ETA: 6-9 days)


A massive high pressure system has moved into the area, pinching off winds, ushering in scattered pockets of passing squalls, and reducing NBSDIII's progress to just 30 nm since yesterday.

The reassuring news is that no heavy weather is presently shown, and the marine weather service has no warnings or alerts other than mentioning unsettled weather well to the west of today's position. Lighting strikes could be seen on ClearPoint 45 nm from NBSDIII's morning position.

The reduced winds were expected to continue through at least tomorrow, which promises to draw out the Ogasawara ETA by at least 2 additional days and delaying Saito-san's arrival until sometime next week.  As of this morning he had 325 nm remaining to reach port, a cold beer, and a good soak in the island's famed hot springs.

He took advantage of the quiet conditions to sleep several hours during the night as the boat drifted under furled headsails.

At the time of his call, winds were blowing out of the E & SE at 6 – 8 kts, for a reduced boat speed of 2.0 kts. The sky was generally overcast with broken clouds. Sea swells were about 1.0 m, and moving with the current out of the east.


***
Distance in last 24 hours: 31 nm DOG / 30 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 27,701 nm
To Yokohama: 808 nm (measured)
To Ogasawara: 325 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 65 nm (measured) 
ETA, Ogasawara: 6-9 days
ETA, Yokohama: ? days

Heading: 250°
Reported boat speed: 2.0 kts
Average boat speed: 1.3 kts
Weather: Overcast, warm, squalls in the area
Temperature: 29.0° C
Barometer: 1012 hPa 
Wind (from): 5-6 kts E & SE
Waves: 1.0 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 0 hrs

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

Day 1001 [June 30/11 JST] – The Trades Turn Fickle

Today's Report
June 30/11 0800 JST 

Position: 25°21'N, 147°45'E
Remaining to Yokohama: 823 nm (ETA: ? days)
Remaining to Ogasawara: 354 nm (ETA: 5-6 days)


Those wonderfully steady NE trade winds appear to have largely vanished overnight as DMG dropped to just 66 nm.
That's the least he's gained since he accidentally ventured into semi-doldrums at the beginning of June. Then he saw a few days of less than 20 nm distance made good and even a frustrating day when he lost 2 nm. 
This time, a large high carrying variable winds has moved into the area and chased the Trades away. Judging from ClearPoint Weather, this could last anywhere from a day to several days. Fortunately the current is still moving the direction he wants to go.

He reports the ship's batteries are now almost completely drained. We got a beacon position this morning (90 minutes later than usual) so apparently some juice still remains. If the automatic satellite beacon positions stop, we'll continue to get his twice-daily reports by Iridium satellite phone. Each call is now kept to 2 minutes or less.

He reported that he stopped the boat and drifted 3.5 hours during the night to catch some much-needed shut-eye.

***
During the 24-hr period NBSDIII moved 66 nm closer to Ogasawara, now 354 nm west. Depending on the disruption of easterly winds caused by the newly arrived high pressure system, the time it will take to reach port in Chichi Jima is at least 5 days at 2.5 – 3.5 kts.

At the time of his call, winds were blowing out of the ENE at just 6 – 8 kts, for a reduced boat speed of 2.5 kts. He jibed to a heading of 220 about 070 JST.
Weather was overcast. Sea swells were 1.5 m.


***
Distance in last 24 hours: 67 nm DOG / 66 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 27,670 nm
To Yokohama: 823 nm (measured after Ogasawara adjustment)
To Ogasawara: 354 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 82 nm (measured) 
ETA, Ogasawara: 5-6 days
ETA, Yokohama: ? days

Heading: 210°
Reported boat speed: 2.5 kts
Average boat speed: 2.8 kts
Weather: Overcast, some sun; warm
Temperature: 29.0° C
Barometer: 1012 hPa 
Wind (from): 6-8 kts ENE
Waves: 1.5 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 0 hrs

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

[June 29/11 JST] – The 1000th Day

Today's Report
June 29/11 0800 JST 

Position:  25°15'N, 148°54'E
Remaining to Yokohama:  836 nm (ETA: ? days)

When Minoru Saito was planning his 8th solo circumnavigation he had already long developed an international reputation for dogged determination. He had competed in three of the most strenuous, continuous competitions in ANY sport – the solo, around-the-world BOC Challenge, later held under different names – and did it with such grace, good cheer, and spirit that he was awarded the one-time award "Spirit of Around Alone" by his fellow competitors.

He competed but never won. Never even came close. To him, "never giving up" was the most important thing.

When he planned this voyage, now in its incredible 1000th day, he had hoped to make his best-ever circumnavigation in just 187 days from start to finish.

But what has stopped other sailors in much newer, sleeker, better-outfitted boats, was a simple fact: The spin of the Earth. Saito-san went the "wrong" way, the contrary way, against that spin. Every aspect was made harder by a multiplying factor as he has fought the prevailing waves, winds and weather in a hard-pounding slog that would be extreme for any person half his age. Ask any sailor whether they'd be game to try it and watch their face and eyes. Ask yourself, for that matter.

When we pointed out this morning that today was the 1000th day since he left Yokohama on October 2, 2008, he first couldn't understand. Finally he could grasp that amazing number and laughed hard and long. "What?" he exclaimed. "Really!?"

Clearly, that even impressed him.

***
A fair day of progress as he moved 87 nm closer to Ogasawara, now 417 nm due west. At a daily average of 93 nm, that should take him another 4 days.

Winds were largely favorable blowing out of the NNE at 12 – 15 kts, for a boat speed of 4 kts. Weather was mostly overcast, with occasional sun breaking through. Sea swells were with him, at 1.5 m.

No new issues were reported.

***
A new route has been plotted to take him under the island of Haha Jima, 18 nm directly south of the island of Chichi Jima where the port is located in Ogasawara Village. Saito-san feels this will give him a better sailing angle as he makes his way to the west side of Chichi Jima. The revised route added 35 nm to the total.


Waypoints on route taking him south of Haha Jima

***



Distance in last 24 hours: 87 nm DOG / 87 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 27,603 nm
To Yokohama: 835 nm (measured)
To Ogasawara: 417 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 93 nm (measured) 
ETA, Ogasawara: 4 days
ETA, Yokohama: ? days

Heading: 290°
Reported boat speed: 4.0 kts
Average boat speed: 3.6 kts
Weather: Overcast, some sun; warm
Temperature: 29.0° C
Barometer: 1013 hPa 
Wind (from): 12-15 kts ENE
Waves: 1.5 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 0 hrs

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

Day 999 [June 28/11 JST] – Slower as Winds Turn Variable


Today's Report
June 28/11 0800 JST 

Position:  24°55'N, 150°26'E
Remaining to Yokohama:  922 nm (ETA: ? days)

A bit slower progress during the period as winds slowed and turned a bit less favorable from the NNE and sometimes NW. He made 83 nm of DMG, including a several-hour rest break.

Ogasawara is presently 467 nm away. At 0800 he was making 3.5 kts. Winds were expected to improve later in the day, however at this reduced speed he will take 6 more days to reach port there.

No other issues were reported.

***
It was announced Friday that Ogasawara has been named a World Heritage site by UNESCO, making it just the fourth site in Japan to receive this distinction.

Under the selection criteria based on natural aspects, a World Heritage site is "an outstanding example representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems, and communities of plants and animals" 
[and]
"contains the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation."

Ogasawara has several rare or endangered species, and is called by naturalists the "Galapagos in the Orient" due to its rich and distinctive natural aspects. 


***
Distance in last 24 hours: 85 nm DOG / 83 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 27,516 nm
To Yokohama: 922 nm (measured)
To Ogasawara: 467 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 98 nm (measured) 
ETA, Ogasawara: 6 days
ETA, Yokohama: ? days

Heading: 280°
Reported boat speed: 3.5 kts
Average boat speed: 3.5 kts
Weather: Overcast; winds variable; warm
Temperature: 29.0° C
Barometer: 1014 hPa 
Wind (from): 8-12 kts ENE & NW variable
Waves: 1.5 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 0 hrs

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

Day 998 [June 27/11 JST] – Despite Rest 'Stop,' Good Progress Toward Ogasawara

Today's Report
June 27/11 0800 JST 

Position:  24°31'N, 151°51'E
Remaining to Yokohama:  1,000 nm (ETA: ? days)

A 5-hr rest stop to sleep during the night, headsails furled and boat drifting, was part of his first-day strategy after Saito-san was forced to quit using the autopilot to conserve battery power. He sounded chipper this morning, especially after steady northeasterly winds and the helpful Kurosio (Black) Current kept pushing him in the direction he wanted to go. Despite the rest break, he could make 102 nm of progress toward Ogasawara where he will attend to engine repairs.

Ogasawara is presently 544 nm away. At 0800 he was making 4.5 kts. Depending on how much he is slowed by rest breaks now that he must hand steer, he should be able to reach Ogasawara in 5 or 6 days.

Saito 8 Support Committee member Hide Katada was to contact the Coast Guard facility on Ogasawara this morning as well as make first contact with a marine engine service company there. Saito 8 Support Committee member David Devlin was also assisting with local contacts on the island.

Saito-san confirmed that he is able to recharge the Iridium phone from the ship's batteries as long as they hold out.


***
Today marked another milestone… he had just 1,000 nm to go to Yokohama at the time of his morning call.

***
Distance in last 24 hours: 102 nm DOG / 102 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 27,431 nm
To Yokohama: 1,000 nm (measured)
To Ogasawara: 544 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 95 nm (measured) 
ETA, Ogasawara: 6 days
ETA, Yokohama: ? days

Heading: 260°
Reported boat speed: 4.5 kts
Average boat speed: 4.3 kts
Weather: Overcast; winds moderate; warm
Temperature: 29.0° C
Barometer: 1015 hPa 
Wind (from): 13-17 kts ENE, variable
Waves: 2.0 m
Sails: Genoa 80%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 0 hrs

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

Day 997 [June 26/11 JST] – Genset Goes Silent; Closer Island Now Planned for Repair Stop


Today's Report
June 26/11 0700 JST 

Position:  24°16'N, 153°39'E
Remaining to Yokohama:  1,100 nm (ETA: ? days)

We've been holding our breath, fingers crossed, and it finally happened.

Saito-san called after midnight to report that the genset had failed. He said he believes the cooling water pump had broken. The genset began overheating and is not usable, and cannot be repaired on the water, he told us at 1:22 am Tokyo time. "I have begun hand-steering," he said.

The seriousness is hard to estimate. With the engine also dead he has no ability to charge the ship's batteries, and that means no autopilot. He can still steer the hydraulically assisted tiller continuously by hand, and while this will be highly taxing over a number of days for a solo sailor, he feels confident he can do it.

Faced with this new situation, Saito-san has decided to head for Ogasawara, part of the Bonin Island group, presently 643 nm away. By 0700 he had progressed 102 nm in the 24-hr period and was making 4.0 kts. Depending on how much he is slowed by rest breaks now that he must hand steer, he should be able to reach Ogasawara in 6 or 7 days. Ogasawara is approximately 4 days from Yokohama.

Previously, the repair stop had been planned for Hachijo Jima, which is an additional 2 or 3 days away from NBSDIII's current position.

A further concern is that eventually he will lose his ability to communicate by Iridium satellite phone, since its batteries are charged by the auxillary genset. He has 2 spare Iridium batteries but the state of their charge is presently unknown. He has 2 spare hand-held GPS units and "about 50 batteries to power those and his hand-held VHS radio," Dave Cooper confirmed from Hawaii.  The vessel's tracking beacon that gives his position every 6 hours is also expected to die at some point.

Tokyo shore crew member Hide Katada contacted the Coast Guard this morning to apprise them, and was told that the Coast Guard has a facility on Ogasawara that will be able to assist if necessary. No emergency was called.

Hide-san also spoke to Saito-san, who asked us to contact OkeraNet, a Japanese-based marine radio service. NBSDIII's long-distance SSB radio was in good working order when she left Hawaii, Dave told us this morning. Saito-san will additionally communicate through OkeraNet, as well as to a reduced extent over Iridium, with the anticipation that the phone's batteries will soon become depleted.


***
Distance in last 24 hours: 103 nm DOG / 102 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 27,329 nm
To Yokohama: 1,100 nm (measured)
To Ogasawara: 643 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 98 nm (measured) 
ETA, Ogasawara: ? days
ETA, Yokohama: ? days

Heading: 290°
Reported boat speed: 4.0 kts
Average boat speed: 4.3 kts
Weather: Overcast; winds moderate; warm
Temperature: 29.0° C
Barometer: 1015 hPa 
Wind (from): 8-10 kts ENE, variable
Waves: 1.5 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 4 hrs; afterward overheating and stopped

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

Day 996 [June 25/11 JST] – Catching a Ride on Kuroshio Current

Today's Report
June 25/11 0800 JST 

Position:  23°32'N, 155°20'E
Remaining to Yokohama:  1,219 nm (ETA: 14-16 days)
Remaining to Hachijo Jima:  1,098 nm (ETA: 10-11 days)

Kuroshio, the northward flowing current that sweeps up past Japan and blesses it with temperate weather and plentiful seafood, is now providing another gift: almost 2 knots of added boat speed to NBSDIII. That's about 20 extra miles a day, a "lift" that helped bring Saito-san that much closer to home yesterday. He made 129 nm DOG, with a southerly jibe that cut that a bit to 107 DMG.

Winds were the best he's seen in three days, as they hit the mid-teens for much of the time. He's now about 3 days from the turn-up north, with another 6 or 7 days after that to reach Hachijo Jima where he will make a brief stopover to attend to engine repairs.

The Tokyo shore crew has arranged a marine engine service company in Hachijo and we found the invoice for when the cooling fresh water pump was replaced back in February of 2010. At 43,711 yen ($542) it is not cheap, but not as much as we had feared. Adding in the exhaust hose and labor, those generous donations Saito Challenge 8 has received via PayPal (much thanks again!) should almost be able to cover it.


***
Distance in last 24 hours: 129 nm DOG / 107 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 27,227 nm
To Yokohama: 1,219 nm (measured)
To Hachijo Jima: 1,098 nm (measured)
To 150th longitude (turn up to north): 295 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 98 nm (measured) 
ETA Hachijo Jima: 11 days
ETA Yokohama: 15 days

Heading: 295°
Reported boat speed: 5.0 kts
Average boat speed: 5.4 kts
Weather: Overcast; warm
Temperature: 29.0° C
Barometer: 1016 hPa 
Wind (from): 12-14 kts ENE
Waves: 2.0 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 8 hrs in 2 sessions

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

Day 995 [June 24/11 JST] – Slower as High Pressure System Passes Just North


Today's Report
June 24/11 0800 JST 

Position:  23°13'N, 157°15'E
Remaining to Yokohama:  1,355 nm (ETA: 16-17 days)

Slower today as he was caught by a passing high pressure bulge that sapped the winds near him during much of yesterday. He made 75 DMG toward Hachijima, and was showing improved winds after jibing onto a more southerly heading. That was not converting well to progress, however, in the early part of the day. He expected to jibe again in a few hours onto a more favorable heading.

No other issues were indicated.

[Click to enlarge]
***
Distance in last 24 hours: 78 nm DOG / 75 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 27,098 nm
To Yokohama: 1,335 nm (measured)
To Hachijo Jima: 1,226 nm (measured)
To 150th longitude (turn up to north): 394 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 97 nm (measured) 
ETA to Hachijo Jima: 13 days
ETA to Yokohama: 16 days

Heading: 205°
Reported boat speed: 3.0 – 3.5 kts
Average boat speed: 4.0 kts
Weather: Clear; warm
Temperature: 29.0° C
Barometer: 1014 hPa 
Wind (from): 8-10 kts ENE
Waves: 1.0 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 11 hrs in 3 sessions

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

Day 994 [June 23/11 JST] – Software Goes Poof, and So Does the Wind


Today's Report
June 23/11 0800 JST 

Position:  23°11'N, 158°33'E
Remaining to Yokohama:  1,443 nm (ETA: 15-16 days)

ClearPoint again showed its value yesterday – due, ironically, to its absence.

A software glitch caused a data freeze that we waited several days to ask them about, so Saito-san has not been able to take advantage of the wind indications this powerful weather service has been supplying as a Supporting Sponsor for more than 3 years.

The ClearPoint tech team got right on it and determined a conflict had developed with the Tropical Storm data. "Try turning that off and see what happens," we were told, and we did. ClearPoint was back to its usual realtime pinpoint accuracy. This morning they had fixed that conflict so we could also see the path of the 2 storms that just moved up from the Philippines into Korea, well west (by about 2,000 nm) of NBSDIII's position (image).

Tracks of 2 storms are shown. At far right, the cross mark indicates NBSDIII's 0800 position.
When Saito-san called this morning we already knew he had gotten a bit too north, and into an area of weaker wind. "You better jibe more south," we advised. "I know!" he said, In fact, he already had about an hour earlier, turning the boat onto a southerly heading of 205°. "Right now boatspeed is just 3 knots, maybe 3.5," he told us. Wind had fallen off to 8-10 kts. On ClearPoint lighter winds show as light blue and light green. Yellow indicates stronger winds, and a happier Saito-san. 

Three days ago the blue area was well away to the north, but in the meantime it moved toward NBSDIII and NBSDIII had moved toward it. 

So, ClearPoint proved itself again, showing that it doesn't take much N-S latitudinal distance to make a 2-knot difference in boatspeed. Just 25 nm lower and he'd still have had those highly favorable 15 kt Northeast Trade winds he enjoyed for most of yesterday.

Things were expected to improve in 7 hours, though, and he should be back into better winds by about mid-day.

***
Not one but two milestones were reached during the night. His circumnavigation just passed the 27,000 nm point AND put him over 50,000 kilometers since he departed Yokohama. Later we'll determine how much more the total is after adding in the unassisted portions of his three Cape Horn roundings – at least 1,000 nm more.


[Click to enlarge]

***
Distance in last 24 hours: 95 nm DOG / 94 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 27,020 nm
To Yokohama: 1,443 nm (measured)
To Hachijo Jima: 1,298 nm (measured)
To 150th longitude (turn up to north): 465 nm (measured)

Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 108 nm (measured) 
ETA to Hachijo Jima: 12 days
ETA to Yokohama: 15 days

Heading: 205°
Reported boat speed: 3.0 – 3.5 kts
Average boat speed: 4.0 kts
Weather: Clear; warm
Temperature: 29.0° C
Barometer: 1014 hPa 
Wind (from): 8-10 kts ENE
Waves: 1.0 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 11 hrs in 3 sessions

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

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)