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S/V Nereida sails around the world

Wednesday - on to port tack - wind from NW

5am - Dark with hint of first light and rosy-pink beginning of dawn along NE horizon under dark overcast sky.

Seas relatively calm - swell much less. Speed down and wind backing into NW. Had adjusted the wind vane for better speed and noticed we were headed due W! Time to change tack... So now we're headed NE and expecting (hoping!) the forecast is right and wind will slowly back some more - at least we're heading in roughly the right diection - we'll see what the wind does over the next few days...

Ran the generator for half an hour - batteries were getting low. Need to check the oil level later today - could well need topping up. Caught up with several amateur radio friends while genset was running.

Back for a little more sleep before Single-Handed TransPac Net at 8am, to help with their position reporting by relaying if needed....

...............

10am Full sail - just shook out the first reef - noticed we were really going slowly in lighter NW wind of 10-12 kt.

11am Tried downloading weather faxes from Honolulu for info on hurricane Blas - very poor copy but shows it's headed due W, so not a problem - except for the big seas it might generate. They'd travel a long way and could be seen by the racers, and maybe even by me, also. Usually get a better fax signal from Pt Reyes which I'll get later today.

Midday Spoke to Randy, KH6RC, on the Big Island of Hawaii - Blas is predicted to diminish in wind strength over next few days and swell from it is not so big further north as to cause any problem - good news for the SHTP racers

7pm Fairly calm conditions with genlte swell from NNW, overcast. Have been making only 1-2 knots in NW 8knots for quite a time, headed NE, but wind has just backed into WNW now and increased to 13 kt, so we're making 015T (NNE) at just over 3kt.

Had been looking at option of using motor in light winds to get further NW since don't want to end up near coast in strong northerlies and forecast is all for NW-NNW winds, light for 2-3 days but becoming strong in 4-5 days' time. Have 4-5 days of fuel left, if motor gently. While wind stays WNW, will keep sailing.

9pm Wind has been up around 16kt for a time now and varying between NW and NNW, so course more NE now but varying a lot.. There's a lot of cloud around, not just an overcast layer, with a dark cloud to the W, so maybe that's caused the wind change. I really need to get more west, if possible, so as not to have a problem making the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca...

Tuesday - more traffic - busy ocean!

At 4pm Monday, I was just about to get a rest when I noticed "OCCL Beijing" was heading directly to us. Never a response to my many VHF calls. Asked to change course, he finally did so but only after many requests and my saying "You are on a collision course with a sailing boat"...several times, slowly & distinctly... ! I can only presume no officer spoke good enough English to use the radio...

After changing course by ten degrees, which altered our CPA (closest approach) to 1.5 ml from 200ft (!), he began to edge back again - I asked him to hold his course because we might get too close again - he held his course. Weird to be speaking to someone who doesn't respond (as he ought to) but who has clearly understood the request and acts on it! I thanked him several times afterwards...and then warned him of the small sailing boats he might see ahead of him, in a race from SF to Hawaii(SHTP Race) - I hope he understood! When they passed by, I saw a red and grey ship piled high with containers.

Two hours behind, I could see a Japanese ship ... CPA of 5ml - fine, if he holds his course, but it might change with needing to avoid the 'Beijing' heading towards him now... Plenty to keep me occupied in these busy waters. (With his course to Japan and mine to B.C., we actually kept well apart)

Monday evening, I had tuned in to the SHTP Race Net on 4MHz - was good to be able to help them with the position-reporting of several boats by relaying to Mike on 'Mouton Noir' who is acting as Net Control. I nearly missed my own position report to the Pacific Seafarers' Net on 14300 at 0330Z as a result! Then went to a 40m ham frequency to meet a few more of the racers. Many are still getting their sea-legs while suffering also from lack of sleep and trying to cope with the strong conditions they're getting now - after drifting around the Farallons for a time soon after their start. It was good to hear Dave on 'Saraband' on frequency - the 'Westsail expert' - I wish him well in this race.

Conditions have been quite rough again for the last 24 hrs, overnight into Tues morning, with wind often well up, in the high 20s, and seas to match. It's like climbing a mountain, expecting an earthquake, just to get from one side of the well-heeled cabin the few steps to the other!! Pressure is now up at 1023. Winds are expected to ease soon...

5am PDT Tuesday On radio to chat to eastern Australian stations - good clear copy (also on Japan and Costa Rica). Missed friends on US E. coast - just too late for them - their sunrise was a couple of hours ago so propagation down and they're getting on with their day now. Back for quick sleep again now before sunrise here. Adjusted wind vane for better speed - keeps slipping so we head up a bit too much and lose speed - needs fixing when I get in.

8am Checked SHTP Net in case any relays needed and to find out their positions - one boat was a bit close upwind and so possibly heading our way but having given my postion to them, and with them having receive-AIS as a minimum, we should be OK - my VHF is on always, in case of need.

2pm Been downloading lots of wxfaxes. Hurricane Blas looking impressive, although well offshore - glad I got N when I did!

5pm Going mainly very slowly - upwind, close-hauled, I suppose it's to be expected but very frustrating! Only made 100mls in last 24 hrs and 98ml day before... Let out 2nd reef, with wind mostly 18-20 kt, but doesn't seem to have helped our speed at all. Wind slowly easing, with occasional gusts.

At least wind was more N yesterday - so better course of 305-310T was maintained but it's changing to NNW now .. Looks as though Low off Vanc Isl might give W winds in a few days - but might have to tack around on Thurs before that gets here - will just take it as it comes and try to keep heading N rather than S, as the wind shifts!

Time for an afternoon nap, ready for disturbed night - no ships showing on AIS - less traffic now.

Monday - Fourth of July - SHTP race boats pass close by

Sending good wishes to my US friends, hoping they've had a good Fourth of July celebration today!

Another close call overnight - Chris on "Ventus" one of the SHTP Race leaders (Single-Handed TransPac Race from San Francisco to Hanalei Bay in Kauai, one of the Hawaiian Islands) was about to cross our path very close. My AIS alarm went off and I called him on VHF - he hadn't seen 'Nereida' but had no problem passing well ahead at speed (8+ knots!) once we were in contact, afer a bit of course changing.... Seems his AIS display needed a setting adjustment - was too zoomed out. We had a good chat as on he went..

Not long after, I heard a call on VHF - Steve on "Domino" ( 2nd in the race?) was calling - again we were quite close but he passed astern and we saw each other's sails in the early morning grey light and had a quick chat also. He has receive-only AIS.

I was pleased to hear it is a SHTP Race requirement that they all have at least the receive-only AIS - so much safer - it's busy out here with lots of shipping! They also all have trackers,with posns posted every four hours on the SSS website.

I also heard 'Kato' on the VHF but couldn't make good contact although I got his position - well N of us. Later I joined the 8 a.m. radio Net on SSB and chatted to two more boats. Finally, just before 9 a.m., George on 'Taz!!' ("We met in Hanalei in 2010," he reminded me) called me on VHF as he passed SE, 5 mls off. A chat was cut short by a forestay problem he had to go forward to deal with...

Seems the SHTP race fleet is all headed this way, having started on Saturday around noon, but I think most of the rest will now pass astern. Especially since a lot of them were becalmed soon after the start, so they're well behind - and winds will soon be easing - for me also, as I approach nearer the High centre well to my W, around 40N. I keep missing the time for real-time weather-fax downloads via my radio from the Pt Reyes transmitter - it's nice to see the 2 & 3-day forecasts - and keep track of hurricane Blas, well out to sea, off Acapulco...

My course has been fairly consistently around 300T, occasionally up to 310T - all depending on wind direction, being close-hauled under wind-steering. We're now due W of San Simeon (a favourite anchorage!) and Morro Bay - about 310 mls off.

Winds have got up to ~24 knots again today, with seas to match, so we're being thrown around somewhat again. Sometimes the sun has got out, often it's behind cloud, but it's been quite bright most of the day.

Yesterday also, just before sunset, it got quite boisterous as we passed through an area of broken grey rainy-looking clouds with N winds gusting up to 24 knots, giving 29 kt apparent.

The seas had lain down fairly well during the daytime but now we were being hit rather vigorously by the occasional more aggressive wave.

Talking about waves washing the decks thoroughly, that had been happening so often over the last few days, as we plunged into the frequent big, steep waves, that I found several tiny jelly beings on deck - 'velella velella' is their name, I've been told. A colony,. They are only just over one inch (3cm) long, comprising an oval clear jelly plate which floats on the sea surface with a thick dangling fringe of purple/blue (which somehow catches plankton) and a clear semi-circular 'sail' sticking up lengthwise which catches the wind.. I'm told they can sting but have not experienced that. I'd first seen them in June 2006 when I took part in the SHTP Race and that time there were hundreds of them floating by on a calm sea surface - an amazing sight!

Sunday - 2 ships come close...

Well, I think I've proved how useful it is to have AIS on board - even just to receive is good, although we also transmit.

Around midday, first the "Ultra Excellence" (bulk carrier, headed for Balboa)) and then the "Wan Hai 803"(general cargo, headed for Long Beach) came by in quick succession.

Both times, when I contacted them by VHF, on seeing a CPA (closest approach) of less than a mile, they assured me they could see my AIS signal and they'd keep clear (invariably, the usual response I get!).

Both times, I had to radio them when they got closer because we were virtually on collision course - a point I made strongly to the first one - 200-300 ft is too close for such big ships - and subject to error anyway!!

Being close-hauled under sail, I asked them please to bear away since my course was varying with the wind somewhat and they needed to give me more sea-room - both times I saw them change course by a few degrees - enough for them to pass by safely about a mile off upwind (and starboard to starboard, as is usual). I thanked both of them - but thought how lucky I was to have the AIS to have seen them in time. In the present big seas, they would have been very close before I could have seen them, to realise there was a problem - always assuming I was on deck to see them at all! Radar is the answer, of course, but that is very energy-consuming to keep on constantly , unlike AIS which uses a VHF frequency and is far more energy-efficient. I use that mainly when close inshore overnight, for small (fishing) boats without AIS, and in fog.

It's been a far better day today with the seas still quite big but not so close or steep, so far less banging and crashing around although we're still heeled somewhat - being close-hauled ensures that. Even the sun has been trying to get out and managed it for a time and the overcast sky is light, not dark, grey.

Being that much calmer, I've just finished a nice meal - the first one I've cooked since leaving Oxnard... Mushroom and ham omelette with buttered potatoes. I allowed myself one plain chocolate-covered cherry as desert - if I restrain myself, I think there's enough there for just one a day! The eggs are from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle - bought fresh in late May and turned daily - they're doing fine. Some chilled eggs I bought in San Diego just over a week ago are also being kept out of the fridge and turned daily but I've yet to find out if they'll keep as well - I doubt it! I might put some in the fridge to compare how they do.

Battery is well up at 12.98V, despite radio use this morning - the wind generator is doing well, with the solar panels also putting in 10amps under bright overcast. Using the wind vane for steering makes life so much simpler and is so energy-efficient! Keeping us close to the wind, we change course as the wind does - so the sails are always set correctly and we make the best possible course upwind. We're not very fast (4kt is slow!) because of heading into the wind but our course been consistently around 300T in 14-20 knots of mainly N wind.

Pressure continues to climb and is now around 1020 hPa. At some point we'll probably grind to a halt near the centre of the High, but for the moment, all is going very well - speed apart!

Saturday - grey clouds, big seas, wind up to 25kt again

Gusty conditions today under grey rainclouds - but no rain so far.

Made slow progress despite plenty of sail and good wind, mostly around 20 kt- but beating into strong wind, heeled a lot we've been very slow - often only 3-4kt. Decided to take in 2nd reef - and immediately speed was better - we had been over-canvassed and heeling too much and heading up as a result. Also, having changed to the windsteering, the Hydrovane couldn't overcome the weatherhelm before I reefed down. Now it's coping fine.

Until early today, wanting to try to keep heading W, I'd been using the autopilot to steer the boat, but ran into power problems, not helped by the genset not wanting to start (possibly short of oil). I was forced to charge the batteries using the main engine - with precious diesel used as a result. With the windsteering not needing power, and the strong wind powering up the wind generator, the batteries are now well charged without any diesel used. There was not much input from the solar panels today, except around midday, when there was a brief break in the clouds and the sun got out - then I saw 17 amps going into the batteries from the solar panels - excellent!

It's been a rough day again with the strong wind preventing the seas from lying down. Beating into big waves means frequent banging and lots of boat motion as we fall into troughs off the top of the waves. Heeling over with all that motion, I'm frequently needing my strong steel armrest to stop me falling out of the chart table seat.

It's satisfying to have been making a course to the WNW today. The wind should soon shift to N, with 20kt NNW-N winds being forecast for the next few days, so we should manage to maintain a good course, although being close-hauled, I just have to accept that our speed won't be very good until we can ease the sheets and fall off the wind more...

Friday - frustrating last night but better later today

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends!!

3am We were making very little headway W against NW wind of 16kt, so tacked around ... but frustrating... no gain - actually went over our previous track! So just tacked back around again a short while ago.

6.30am Fishing boat has gone that was not far away overnight. Grey overcast in early daylight, seas still quite big and close but generally feels rather calmer. With slight wind shift more to N, we've made better course towards the W and less to SW - now making 257T so will stay on this tack and see how we go. Got lots of rest over y'day and last night - feeling good now. Time for breakfast and making radio contacts. Feeling decidedly chilly at 19C after very damp air last night and heavy dew on deck overnight..

10am Let out another reef to give better boat speed - not actually making much difference but must be better since wind is slowly lessening - now up and down around16 knots from NW.

I feel happier now I'm making a better course and things are calmer... but still need to tidy up down below from results of washing machine action over Wed into Thursday...!

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Wind around 15 kt this afternoon, SOG ~4-4.5 kt, but course good - seeing 270T finally. Wind slowly dying down - I hope not too much!

Wind generator was putting in amps that solar panels were not in murky grey light of this morning, but it got brighter later so solar doing better even though sun still hidden.

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Near evening. wind picked up to around 20kt and has often veered more to NNW - so our course has been maintained at 270 T or better.

For some reason, my plotter alarm did not sound to alert me to imminent Pacific Seafarers' Net - so missed it completely. About to investigate - maybe sound has been turned off somehow? Hope it's fixable!

.... Well, I keep setting it in the usual way and it's consistently failing to respond - that's a real nuisance, it's been so good and reliably loud up to now that I've used it a lot. Set to 0800z, it went off at 1140z but set to 0804 did not go off at 1144z... "Go figure..."

Thursday - lost ensign..warm clothing needed!

The wind did finally ease to around 20knots but not the seas - they have been big (3-4m/12ft at least), steep and every 4-5 seconds so tossed the boat around often.

I tried to release the lmainsail azyjack on the leeward side but it wouldn't release, giving a problem in shaking out the third reef in the mainsail - needed to give more boat speed. I was worried a batten would catch in the lazyjack as I tried to raise the sail ... Managed to release it later - so down to second reef over this afternoon.. If night weren't coming on, I'd shake that out also.

At least the morning NW wind direction was more helpful for heading W - to begin with.. But later, wind was WNW, so forced us to head SW. Have just tacked around to get back N - but making NNE - not so good!

Lost my ensign to the wind & waves last night...! Suddenly noticed it was missing.

Finding it difficult to get away from Sta Barbara Channel - NNW wind that is further N becomes more W near the Channel.

Tried to catch up on sleep

Grey and murky again. but a lot calmer.

Think I saw a small dark Albatross this morning - typical albatross outline when in flight caught my eye. Was attracted to boat and rested on the water nearby.

Keeping an eye on wind strength - hope to keep away from strong winds like yesterday's by heading W rather than N.

Had to dig out my foul weather gear - jacket, boots, hat, trousers - not worn those for quite a time!

Wednesday - towards Juan de Fuca Strait - 'washing machine' conditions overnight

Woken up by a noisy sealion nearby... Boat made ready... last check on gmails.. photos... last big hugs, before Steve, LaDonna and Rob helped with my lines and then we were away... motoring into the usual murky, calm conditions I've come to expect - the 'June gloom' I've repeatedly been hearing about...

A slight SSE wind near shore became light WNW a couple of hours later. I'm expecting strong NNW winds off Pt Conception which I'll try to stay well clear of, in the hope of rather less strong winds but I'm looking forward finally to getting sailing, although I hope I won't be forced S of W. There's a slight SW swell - nothing much.

A small fishing boat was laying pots in the shallows near land (depths up to just 20m are found for up to 5 miles or so from shore) - white floats with black flags waving above them - fine in calm conditions but not so easy to spot in rough seas. Some dolphins and birds had clearly found some fish off in the distance.

In the poor visibility, with occasional fog patches, radar is helpful and I'm keeping an eye out for small fishing boats (often without AIS) - and for the Blue whales that are supposed to be around here - would be great to see them! Santa Cruz Island is to the S - SW, with Santa Rosa Island beyond.

11.20 am A large group of dolphins came speeding by, headed towards shore - must know there's fish that way!

1 pm Had to fall off a building W-WSW wind.. Trying to motor directly into strong wind just doesn't work but by using some motor as well as sails, it's possible to make a fair speed closer to the wind, especially in swell! Hoped the wind direction would change for the better but it forced us to head NW. We've been running parallel to coast and wind is probably doing the same. But the sky has cleared - it's nice to see sunshine again.

6pm - Seas have been pretty rough up to now, with big swell and lots of 'white horses' but they're a lot smoother now, with no whitecaps and smaller swell. The wind has been from SW & has eased now to 10-13kt.. I wonder how long that will last - I'm expecting conditions to get stronger as we approach Pt Conception, 25 miles away.

.........................

Well that calm interlude was only brief - maybe we were in the lee of the Channel Islands just then? Fairly quickly, seas and wind built and we were in big steep seas and strong wind around 30kt, frequently up to 35kt. For some time I had the second reef in and we were doing fine, but when we were consistenly in 30-35kt wind I reefed down further, The description 'washing machine' was very apt - the boat was being tossed and knocked around all the time by the big steep waves and the wind was whistling in the rigging - all very unpleasant, despite a myriad of bright stars overhead!

A major concern was to keep well away from Pt Conception with added problems caused by the shipping lanes close by and San Miguel Island and its rocky islets not far off to the S, with the presence of oil rigs to avoid off the northern coast not helping. The strong wind forced us onto long, slow tacks - to N and SW. I used the engine to help keep as close to the wind as possible and push through the waves in an effort to get W, crossing the shipping lanes quickly when no ship was in sight.... but we made painfully slow progress.

I had to stay awake almost all night, with brief naps while sitting at the chart table, to keep us safe. The wind showed no sign of abating and it was difficult to maintain speed and head in the best possible direction. I'd hoped to heave to for some sleep but that was impossible without the sea room available. Eventually, by morning, the wind began to veer to the WNW and showed signs of easing - we were finally able to head almost directly W, although still into big, steep, often-confused seas. The forecast is for more of the same for several days to come but keeping S of Pts Conception and Arguello on a westerly heading should keep us out of the strongest winds and seas.

Tuesday - Channel Islands Hbr, Oxnard

Just to clarify.. Monday was spent in the S. Channel Islands - but not the ones in the English Channel ... not Guernsey, Jersey, etc... but south of Los Angeles, California. Maybe named after the Santa Barbara Channel to their north?

What a lovely surprise I had on coming in to dock next door to friend Steve's boat 'Westerly' Monday night... not only was he there to help take my lines - but good friends LaDonna and Rob as well - I'd totally forgotten that they have been based here for some time. Big hugs all round and then I welcomed them on board to catch up on news.

I'd had a difficult time before that, trying to get onto the fuel dock on arrival here Monday evening. The fuel dock was occupied by a jet-skier right in its centre who was clearly having a problem refuelling. Clearly didn't occur to him that he culd have but moved over to make room. And then I heard they were closed... or maybe not...? "We're open for you but not the other boat" ... pointing to another yacht that was now circling around near me. And as I got close to the dock, "We're closed... and there's an overtime fee...." "What...?" "You can come in..." By which time I'd started reversing and had to go around for the fourth, or was it the fifth, time? What confusion...! .... But he kindly waived the $50 overtime fee - and eventually even gave me a hint of a smile.

Tuesday was relaxing - catching up on some emails and looking at weather charts using LaDonna & Rob's good Internet access, some provisioning using Steve's truck (would have been a long walk otherwise - the marina area is v. big and the shops a good distance away), some chatting - a radio friend, Tim AA6GP, came to visit from Ventura, ...a lovely long shower (!)... and some cooking - ratatouille - for our evening meal, together with Rob's lovely garlic shrimps, on 'Gazelle', their boat nearby. All very pleasant but the overcast ('marine layer') hung around all day long so only a brief glimpse of the sun.

Sunday - Cat Harbor & Isthmus Cove Mon - to Oxnard

Sunday - A good mix of relaxation and some useful boat work ... !

Morning was sunny in Isthmus Cove. Went with Harbor Master Jeff's daughter Hayley in the 'shore boat' (a.k.a. 'water-taxi'!) to have breakfast (a burrito!), followed by a walk over to Cat Hbr where I climbed up to a high viewpoint overlooking the entrance, from where I could also see over to San Clemente Island on the S. horizon.

Cactus flowers were in bloom but the wind blowing N over the high peaks on the island caused cloud to form there which hid the sun and made the air cool. I heard that it was quite usual for Cat Hbr to be overcast when Isthmus Cove is in sun. Buffalo and foxes were introduced here a long time ago - the buffalo mainly stay on the wild high ground but occasionally wander down this way.

I finished half the burrito for lunch in sunny Isthmus Cove - busy with lots of hikers and campers, just arrived on the midday ferry from L.A.. This is a popular destination or people wanting to get away from the busy city into the remote, wild mountain areas of Catalina.

Back to the boat - to check on the old wind transducer - dead! - and try to find the grub screw I'd been told must have come loose on the Hydrovane windsteering mechanism - sure enough, there it was ...A simple, quick fix with Loctite being used on the grub screw before re-inserting it and tightening up. No Loctite was seen on the grub screw so, presumably, that's why it had come loose and allowed the pin it was holding in place to come loose also.

By now, a S. wind was blowing strongly (around 15kt) in the Cove - Jeff told me that it was usual in the summer afternoons and fanned out over the cove to give different wind directions depending where you were. Being tied fore and aft in the mooring field, it felt odd for the bow not to be facing into the wind.

The busy mooring field became a lot less so, as boats returned to the mainland after a weekend away.

No good sunset - the sun was partly hidden in the low cloud layer that was forming as the temperature dropped towards evening.

Monday:

Up early to let go the mooring lines and make for the mainland, planning to arrive in Oxnard around 5 pm.

Flat calm, overcast, cold... the usual California coast morning weather...! I raised the mainsail in the remote hope I might get a chance to use it - but knew that was unlikely...

We motored NW, diverting to make a quick passage across the Traffic Separation System leading SE towards and past L.A.

Just before we did that, I got excited thinking I could see some whale flukes astern - went over that way - a small group of dolphins were leaping as they headed SW... Oh well!

There had been a warning put out on VHF 16 by the Coast Guard that some Blue/Fin (?) Whales had been spotted in the Santa Barbara Channel, just north of the Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands. They requested ships in the area to reduce speed to 10 knots. (We usually make 6 knots maximum!) I'll be passing that way on Wed, so maybe I'll see them if they're still around, as could be possible - they are known to stay in that area.

Looks as though we should make Oxnard before 5pm - it's now (1.30pm) only 17 miles away. Still only 2-5 knots of S wind...smooth sea.... Murky conditions and poor visibility (radar on) all day long - ugh!

Saturday - to Santa Catalina Island (S. Channel Islands)

Away soon after 5 a.m. in half-light...

Mains'l raised ready but almost no wind. Murky, grey, cold... Good ebbing tide in the long entrance channel - excellent! Went right to the end - warnings were "Don't cut the corner!" - so headed well off before turning to round Pt Loma and setting course for Catalina. Big area of thick kelp to be avoided at all costs off Loma Point - even found it at 85m/250ft depths further on!

Sealion honked noisily at us as we passed his resting place on green buoy "7".

Tide turned not long after that so we got benefit of flood going N - very helpful!

Not many other boats initially, but plenty later on. It's Saturday!

GOOD NEWS - wind info is showing on screen - yippee! So Kasey's trip up the mast for me yesterday and my visit to West Marine for replacement transducer has paid off.... Thanks, Kasey! (Pacific Offshore Riggers is a good outfit!) And thanks to friend Ray Marchetta for all his advice and help :-)

Around 9am, finally had enough wind (4-5 kt!) from SSE to unfurl genoa but not until 4 pm did wind increase to nearer 8-10 kt to give a reasonable 'push', so we were motor-sailing nicely - but motor still essential to keep up speed.

Sky cleared by mid-afternoon so air warmed up. Sea still fairly calm, with slight SW swell and small surface ripples... Needed the extra push from some wind to overcome ebb now beginning....

It's a good 85 ml journey from SDYC to Two Hbrs on Catalina Island, so quite a push. Hoping ETA of 8.30pm is going to give enough daylight. Harbourmaster Jeff is expecting me so he'll be ready to guide me to my place in the mooring field and show me where to tie up.

6pm Just ESE of Avalon - the main village on NE side of Catalina. High mountains on island caused wind to veer completely - quickly furled in genoa which was being backed... Next is to drop the mains'l when and where appropriate...

9pm Safely tied up to mooring buoy in Two Hbrs, Isthmus Cove, Sta Catalina Island. Helped in by Jeff, hbr Master - thanks! Beautiful sunset - justbmade it in before dark. Will stay Sunday.

Thursday - Left Mexican waters - Hallo San Diego

Thursday 5.45am LT/ 1245 GMT

Passing Coronados Islands of Mexico in cold grey pre-dawn light and flat calm sea - motoring, as usual!

Border with USA is 7 mles to N and Hbr Police Dock in San Diego harbour, for check-in to USA, is 17 miles away - about 3 hours, giving arrival there around 9 a.m.

Calm sea overnight. I had to sit in cockpit all night - too many Mexican fishing boats around - none with AIS. Came too close for comfort to one of them so sat up( wearing several extra layers!) and got short naps as and when nothing ahead or around.

Waiting to see if any sight of sun around dawn - I doubt it.

By 9:30 a.m., finally tied up to Police Dock and awaiting officials after phone call to office in town using phone provided at dock. The tide was flooding in strongly on arrival at the beginning of the long channel leading to the harbour entrance so we made good speed but it made getting in alongside a problem. Had to go out and change mooring lines and fenders to opposite side of boat so that we could come in heading into the flooding tide and the slight wind.

Sun had come out and sky was clearing - I had nearly taken down the bimini awning on passage here - but now it's proving useful again!

I'm having to go into town to get the 12 month Cruising Permit for the boat whereas the Customs and Immigration officials did their paperwork on the dock. Rod, W6MWB, of the SDYC radio group (who run the W6IM Winlink station) came down to greet me and will take me for provisioning later.

I'd like to sort out my wind instrument while here - would be nice to have it working while sailing up to Canada!.

Friday

Topped up fuel at fuel dock yesterday lunchtime near San Diego Y.c. before moving over there to tie up over Thurs/Fri nights. Spent evening with Rod and wife as well as being taken for provisioning trip to Trader Joe's - Rod has kindly been driving me around - many thanks for that, Rod!. This morning to riggers, on to West Marine for replacement wind transducer and over to Downwind Marine to say hallo.

Priority has been to try to sort out misbehaving wind instrument. Was delighted to meet up with Ray Marchetta over coffee this morning - an old friend from my first time in San Diego, who has a wealth of marine electronics experience. He put me in touch with Casey - rigger from Pacific who went up the mast for me to replace the wind transducer - but nothing changed, so now I must check all connections and wiring for corrosion or breakage, to find the fault. At least I know the transducer is now OK!

Also spoke to Shea Weston, of Sailmail, about an auto-tuning problem I've been having with my Airmail boat radio email system - more checking needed - of settings and connections! Should be a simple fix...

Had lunch with boat-friend Jeff, on 'Joy' in La Cruz earlier this year, and radio friend Mark, AF6TC - nice to catch up with them both.

This evening it's barbecue night at the Club - so will hope to be meeting other friends from previous stays in San Diego.

Then it's early to bed - on to Ctalina Island very early tomorrow - at first light, if I can get up early enough!!

----- End of Original Message -----

Wednesday ....Calm sea under low overcast ... finally began to break

9 a.m. Still motoring, occasionally with help from sails overnight - but not now - no wind at all! Sea is so calm I spotted a moth on its surface as it passed us by. Very little swell either.

Hot and sunny, I hear, on land... but moist air here is being affected by the cool seawater - water temperature down to 16C now, compared with 23C air temperature. Visibility down - not quite foggy but nearly so.

Midday - 100 miles from San Diego making good speed in the flat conditions. Sun trying to get out from behind cloud layer - warming the air a little but no more...

Made radio contact with pilot friend heading from Austin to San Diego - aeronautical mobile talking to maritime mobile...!! Poor conditions initially, so couldn't chat properly but better contact was made once the plane was further W - at a better distance from "Nereida" for contact... By 1pm, I heard the other station well, but was very light still to him - eventually, at 2.30pm, we made good contact and chatted for quite a while - SSB/HF radio is great!

Sea is still as smooth as an oil slick... two small feathers on its surface... Tide must have turned and be ebbing now so body of water is moving S - our speed north over the ground has become less.

4.30pm What excitement! A fright had me jumping to the wheel to turn us away from what looked like a long fishing net across our path. I was on deck to check swell, wind, clouds & temp for my daily weather report when I spotted it... It turned out (I think!) just to be a long line of murrelets, or similar, but birds often rest on nets at the surface, so who knows...

As I got us back on course and up to speed, having cut the engine, just in case, I noticed other dark bodies surfacing at times - a group of dolphins. They came straight over to the boat, jumping out in pairs as they did so - I encouraged them to jump more....

Looking down into the calm sea from the bow, I could see them clearly as they dived and twisted, ready to leap out again- and they were looking right back up at me! Wonderful! Just to add to the good feelings, I could see some blue sky over where land is to starboard and a hazy sun was showing through the breaking cloud layer...

The other excitement is that of an imminent landfall. Much as I love being at sea, coming in to land is always exciting, with lots to prepare for but also to look forward to. Where & how will we dock? What is involved in the paperwork for coming into a new country? Friends to meet up with? Some shopping needed? And always the ongoing journey at the back of one's mind - any urgent jobs that need to be done ready for that?

I expect to check in at the harbour Police Dock tomorrow morning & I'm looking forward to being back in San Diego, even if only for a day or two before I move on north again.

Murky overcast

Tuesday - what a murky, cold start to the day, after frequent fog last night! Sun tried hard to get out in afternoon, so it warmed up a bit.

Wind has been from SSE-SSW, initially light and just about filling the headsail, which was regularly collapsing briefly, so eventually it had to be furled in.

I was expecting to stop in Ensenada for fuel before taking off W into the winds around the N. Pacific High, but lin view of my expected evening landfall, I'd clearly have to wait around, so I decided it made more sense to keep on going overnight the sixty miles to San Diego to get fuel there the next morning - so yet another change of passage plan!

Winds are expected still to be light inshore until the weekend so I'll continue on towards Pt Conception - where it's blowing a NW gale close to shore - no problem in getting wind near there to go offshore and definitely not a place to try to head further north at present!!

The further NW we go, the closer the Pacific High is to the coast - so the less motoring in light winds will be needed get to where we can, hopefully, sail on.

The seas are long and gentle and mainly following - from SW quadrant so that makes for a much more comfortable ride, although rolly if dead downwind with sails filled.

Downloading the usual lot of weather-faxes - computer connection to modem keeps hanging up, so I have to keep a constant eye on screen to make sure faxes are not missed - a real time-waster!

Grey-blue sea with wavelets ... long rounded swell... light grey sky... sun trying to peek through - today's picture...

Turtle Bay

Monday

No fog or sea-mist seen overnight - unexpectedly - and a bright moon shone through the occasional thin cloud layer. Air and sea temperatures have dropped dramatically the last day or so.

By 10 am, we were anchored not far from the catamaran Ku'ola in Bahia de Tortugas, after a lively sail in strong winds that had suddenly come overnight from the S - a good F4, with plenty of white caps. We seemed to have been overtaken by a small localised depression and a nasty short swell was coming directly into the Bay. I tried to set a snubber to stop the chain snatching at the windlass gipsy in the rough conditions but lost it and had to improvise an alternative in a hurry...

I'd hoped to catch up on some sleep after refuelling soon after my arrival but Enrique seemed to have run out of fuel ... "Manana" he said... I wasn't too happy with that, since the unusual S winds forecast for the next few days are perfect for getting N, rather than being headed by the usual NW winds. But the delivery skipper of Ku'ola was in a hurry to get to San Diego so he negotiated with Enrique to collect fuel from the village Pemex station and bring it out in his panga - well set up with a big tank and a good fuel pump run off a generator. Eventually, that happened but a payment problem for Ku'ola had to be sorted out with a visit to the village and my fuel delivery was well-delayed into the afternoon, as a result...

I spent a time sorting out some running rigging, clearing up and making a meal - the rough conditions had returned after a short, sunny, calm spell and I was in no hurry to leave, but once conditions lessened again, I felt I should move on to make use of the S wind. So mainsail and anchor were both raised and by 5 pm, we were away...

There was a good S wind and I happily cut the engine, once on course beyond the Bay , to make 5.7 kt under sail - lovely! But not for long... Fog descended and the wind dropped, and with it our boat-speed. Within half an hour of leaving, we were only sailing at 3 knots. On with the engine again....we're motor-sailing... Radar has been playing up occasionally but just now it's working fine - just when it's needed... I'm feeling well under-dressed on deck in bare feet and shorts - cabin temperature is 24C and sea temperature, 17C. I'm wearing a jacket and warm vest for the first time in a long while and will soon be in long trousers if the sun doesn't get out soon. (In fact, it turned out that the fog was patchy - we're now under fluffy cumulus clouds with another big lurking fog bank ahead.)

Our course is around Punta Falsa and Isla Cedros and on NNW towards Ensenada, which will put the present wind directly astern. Forecasts suggest light winds, so it looks like more motoring - better in light S wind than almost any from NW...

Making good progress NW - mainly motoring in light wind...

Sunday

Heavy dew overnight - so wet, I was able to give windscreen a really good clean - can see through it nicely now.

A sure sign of not much wind is the ensign drooping, the mainsail not filled, and apparent wind, due to motoring, dead ahead.. and not much of it! A gentle WSW swell of 2-3 m at 6 seconds is actually quite pleasant.

Overnight chop from slightly stronger wind has died down, so we're now making around 5 knots instead of 4 knots.

We're on course for Bahia de Tortugas, just SE of Punta Falsa and Isla Cedros, expecting to arrive sometime Monday for fuel.

Bahia de Ballenas and San Ignacio are 35 miles to NNE now - a well-known area for being taken out in local pangas to get close up to whales in the right season.

............................

2pm: Better! Wind has backed so we're motor-sailing on port tack, with wind in mains'l and genoa! Still needing motor to make good speed in light wind. Without motor, only 2.4 knots; with some motor, 5.3 knots. (Later, we got up to 6 knots with less motor).

Hardly any cloud. Land out of sight. Downloading weather-faxes from Pt Reyes, considering routeing options (as always - constantly on my mind just now...) and trying to get up to date with emails - way behind with some of them...

Hoping tonight to see the Space Station passing overhead - it's supposed to be travelling over the Baja peninsula from Turtle Bay down to Cabo San Lucas - so I'll be looking for it.

............................

7pm Wind has dropped so basically motoring now - light winds forecast for several days...

A sailing catamaran astern, catching up - "Ko'ula", headed to Turtle Bay for fuel as well. Fast delivery trip to SD - perfect conditions for them, with the f'cast light winds.

0235 (Monday!) GMT/ 8.35pm (Sunday) LT :- Sun setting - looks very much as though a fog layer will develop soon - very hazy and misty-looking. Radar not working "No scanner" message when I just tried it.... Good thing approach to Turtle Bay will be in daylight... Sea-lion just swam by - nearest land is 15 miles away. Heavy dew settling everywhere - very damp toight

Watching out for Space Station .... 0300GMT/9pm LT - It just faded away into the misty SE horizon, dead astern of us, having passed overhead as a very bright object , despite light in W sky still and a bright moon quite high in E - no mistaking it!

Pleased to say radar scanner is working fine - sometimes get confusing messages .... seems OK. Always nice to have use of it in foggy conditions.

Passed Bahia Magdalena and Bahia Santa Maria

Saturday

1300GMT/7am LT Oyster pink-grey cloud layer at sunrise over Isla Santa Margarita which forms the S. side of the entrance to Bahia Magdalena, with lovely Baja mountains behind and calm, slightly ruffled sea - beautiful! Unfurled genoa and fell off a little to keep it filled - memories of being surrounded by whales at sunrise as I came out of the Bay, after having anchored overnight just inside there one April night - ten years ago!

Later: Might need to furl genoa back in - making very little difference to our speed and not worth going twenty degrees off our course... Oh well, was worth trying and gave some exercise to start the day!

10am - had chat over VHF with nearby boat "The Small Crew" - on way back home to San Diego after having spent from November onward fishing and relaxing in Mexico. With slack water, I was able to calibrate the speed impellor on board (boat speed = speed over the ground, SOG, if no current is moving the body of water). Called them again to check the sea water temperature - mine has been reading far too high and, as fishermen, I presumed they'd have a fairly reliable water temperature reading. So that has also been calibrated - to quite a bit lower than before. Good day's work!

Still only light headwind - now making 5kt under motor - had increased motor revs slightly to increase boat speed. Calm seas with no chop, so efficient use of engine. Turtle Bay (Bahia de Tortugas) is two days away, if light wind persists!

1945GMT/1.45pmLT Off Cabo San Lazaro. Making some tacos for lunch - thanks for the 'carne asada', Donna - excellent!

Just tried Manana Net - but was just awful because autopilot transmits loudly and constantly on exactly that frequency so couldn't carry on a conversation . Too bad since they heard me clearly and I would have heard them if it weren't for the interference - switched to another frequency nearby and all was fine!

Tried doing without the motor - under full sail alone, very close-hauled in about 10 kt of WNW wind, speed dropped to just 2.5 kt! Back on with the motor and we're making 5.7 kt motor-sailing, almost on course for Turtle Bay I checked our consumption: main fuel tank still has enough for over three days so no problem getting to TB.

Lots of shipping off this coast - all seem to be keeping 30-40 mls off the coast, so well away.

4-5pm LT - decided to cut engine for hour of peace while I had some tea and relaxed on deck. Speed dropped to 3.7 kt and eventually to 1.9 kt - so engine on ... and back on course.

.....................

Have no choice at present but to head NW up the Baja - can't get W in WNW wind... Mix of motor-sailing and motoring...

I'll see what the winds are doing once I'm in TB and/or approaching Ensenada - might be headed by stronger NW by then...

All a guessing game - if I can take offshore 'Clipper' route, I'd like to do so... But heading north just now, out of hurricane area, has to be good!

.....................

'Baja Bash' - not so bad....

Friday - We leave the Tropics - just sailed north of 23.5N - the Tropic of Cancer

We've had a good ride so far ... Last night, the sea was calm and reflected the near-full moon - a lovely sight.

Ever since yesterday, when the wind died, it has stayed light, with seas to match. Just as well, since what wind there has been has come mainly from the NW quadrant - our general heading.

Having spent a lot of time downloading grib weather files and plenty of weather-faxes, plus info from ham friends via morning Radio Nets, I've come to the conclusion that I have no choice but to head up, mainly under motor, the long Baja coast. The plan was to head west to find good wind around the High pressure area offshore to take us northwest initially.... But with an increasing region of very light wind over the coming days, it was going to be impossible to get well offshore sailing and I'm not keen to use too much fuel at the beginning of my trip.

Instead, we'll head up the Baja against very light winds, motoring a lot but with mainsail hoisted - ready to take any wind advantage possible, together with the genoa (big headsail) whenever possible, as well. It's surprising how a little bit of motor produces a fair amount of apparent wind and so helps boat speed a lot when close-hauled (tight on the wind). So long as the wind is light it works well and, often, coming off the wind a tad, just to fill the genoa and get it working, makes for a big increase in speed - the gain is worth going off course slightly, even though it has to be made up at some point.

I plan to re-fuel in Turtle Bay, 300 miles NW, and I'm hoping that, slightly offshore there, the winds will allow me to sail west - as originally planned. So the forecasts seem to show might be possible - but nearer the time, all will be made clear. Sailors have to learn to be patient ... and planning always needs to be flexible .

In these gentle conditions, under a sunny sky but with noticeably lower temperatures, I've been catching up on emails ... and catching up on sleep also.

Fortunately, most of the busy shipping has been 30 miles offshore from us - giving no cause for concern when I take a nap. AIS is such a blessing - I 'see' the ships and they 'see' me - from a long way off...

I was delighted yesterday to spot a shearwater around sunset. I'd assumed the bird I saw, as I was adjusting the sails, was a booby, looking for an overnight roosting place and was surprised when it made no attempt to land on the boat - until I realised my mistake. I saw lots of similar ones in the Southern Ocean, especially around the S. Atlantic, and so this bird looked very familiar in the fading light of a glorious sunset.

Thursday - we finally make it - but heading SW at start....

Having arrived at Cabo San Lucas after 1:30 am to anchor and get to sleep, I was up late. I checked the problem fuel filter bleed point of yesterday - looking good and dry - Thanks so much to Thomas and David for their help ...! had breakfast, checked emails, downloaded weather grib-files and made sure the boat was ready for sea before freeing the trapped main halyard so I could raise the mains'l and then raised the anchor.

There was very little wind in the anchorage but I expected more out of its protected waters . Sure enough, there was a good Force 4 with plenty of whitecaps and rather rough seas - it was good to be reefed down already, as I turned off the motor, unfurled some genoa - and went below to put on a long-sleeved top - it was cool in the breeze!

Wind eased once a several miles from the Cape - let out canvas to try to keep up speed but wind direction still not good - we're currently headed SW in WNW wind! But al least we're headed W-ish and, if wind dies more, might end up motor-sailing - in a better direction perhaps...

......

Offshore enough at 4pm to be able to tack around - speed v. low so motor-sailing at 4kt and making NW but that will eventually take us into the Baja coast - need WNW course to keep well off the coast further north and can't make that with present wind direction. Routeing looking very difficult with wind forecast to die almost completely for next five days offshore - the Trades are a good distance off the coast and would take quite a bit of motoring from here to reach... Further N, they look to be nearer to land.

At least heading NW feels better than heading SW!

Looks as though I'm being forced into the 'Baja Bash' to get N - at least for now.

Wind info gone completely...

Tuesday - Clearly, I should have gone up the mast to check on damage caused by a bird perching up there as we were nearing Zihuatanejo last week. Just before 9:30am today, I noticed that all the wind info that had been consistently appearing well since before leaving Ixtapa had disappeared - nothing at all, not even the zero wind-strength reading that had appeared after the incident. Looking up at the mast top, I can see the transducer dangling.... it must have broken away from its base fitting. So annoying...!

There's clearly only a light wind, as is forecast for the next few days. The mainsail is slack, showing almost no apparent wind, so even bearing away from our preferred route won't help our speed much, if at all.

I'm looking at my course options in view of the light winds from various directions forecast for the next five days.... A strong possibility is to head for Cabo San Lucas for fuel - nearly 5 days and over 500 mls away. There's a big High sitting not far to our NW & very little pressure gradient right over to the Gulf of Mexico. Decision time will be by late tomorrow. The priority is to get away from the hurricane region a.s.a.p. I've adjusted our course slightly to make CSL more directly, should I decide to make for there.

In the meantime, I seem to have picked up a cold :-( but I was cheered up a lot chatting to radio friends on the East coast and elsewhere early this morning... I can never understand cruisers being told not to get a SSB radio - a 2-way (expensive!) chat on a satphone can't compare with the community support and free info (safety, weather, emails, etc) available using a radio.

It turned out yesterday that the main reason for the Immigracion ladies wanting to come to the boat in Ixtapa was to see her and take photos of us all!! All very cheerful and didn't take long, ending with lots of 'Buen Viaje', but delayed my departure. I'm sure the document they gave me could have been handed over at the Capitania, as were those from the Aduana. Would have saved me several hours' delay leaving.

Well, we were forced eventually to bear away to fill the main as the wind increased and the genoa unfurled. For a time, we were doing really well, making a good course at around 6 kt - but that didn't last very long. We've gradually had to bear away more but even so our speed has dropped - we're often struggling to make 4 kt SOG, even though we're motor-sailing. Fortunately, having deliberately headed offshore last night, we were 20ml off when we first had to bear away, so although our course is taking us closer in, we're still over 15 mls off. I'm sure this is the afternoon onshore breeze affecting us so we'll see what happens come nightfall , when that wind usually dies away completely. The waves keep stopping us, killing our speed. Forecast is for winds from NW quadrant for several days - NOT helpful since that's exactly our preferred course!

Sure enough, by nightfall, we'd had to tack around to avoid ending up on the rocks near Pta San Telmo with the wind having veered to NW, so we're now headed back out to sea for a bit, waiting to see what the wind decides to do next. Present course is just a tad S of W... so not too bad We're still motor-sailing with full genoa and mains'l, having to make as good a course as the wind will allow, trying to get NW in quite boisterous WSW seas........