AIRMAIL YOTREPS
IDENT: N6ABC
TIME: 2016/05/10 18:00
LATITUDE: 09-49.81S
LONGITUDE: 126-07.61W
COURSE: 243T
SPEED: 8.1
MARINE: YES
WIND_SPEED: 20
WIND_DIR: ESE
WAVE_HT: 0.3M
WAVE_PER: 5
SWELL_DIR: ESE
SWELL_HT: 2.5M
SWELL_PER: 8
CLOUDS: 20%
VISIBILITY: 15
BARO: 1014.7
AIR_TEMP: 31.7C
COMMENT: Beach House – En Route – Marquesas Islands – Day 14 – 170 nm
Many have asked how the data for the position reports is input. The program we send our email with (Airmail 2000), takes a 10 minute average of all the data it sees on our instruments. Lat/Long which is input instantaneously and everything below the Wind_Dir is manually entered.
We\’ve really had a fabulous trip so far. The sail plan we\’re using has just been so easy to deal with. Our big reacher on the pole to weather hasn\’t been touched in 4 days! If the wind comes up over 22 knots, we reef the main, if it drops to 20 for any period of time, we just raise it back to full.
Last night we expected much more wind by this morning than we have. The weather files predicted about 20-24 knots, but so far, it\’s been 17-22 and not much of the 22. We did see a 24 knot gust earlier, but it didn\’t last more than a minute or two. We did get a rain squall last night, so at 2:30 a.m. local time we put the reef in expecting the bigger wind. Nope, so far, pretty much a nice strong, but very manageable wind and sea.
On the morning radio net, many of the monohulls were telling us about the lack of rest and tough ride they\’re having. The nature of their boats is to roll much more than the multihulls and have a deeper and longer motion. They\’re are swells out here from multiple directions and as such, it can mimic a washing machine at some times. \”Beach House\” (aka: Miss Piggy) just hasn\’t had that experience this trip, our 12th of over 1500 miles. Frankly, it\’s been a breeze.
We seem to have a bit more wind than most of the other boats at the moment as we\’re somewhat south of the main group. We heard there are 34 boats in Hiva Oa! I have no idea how that many boats could possibly fit in that anchorage (I\’ve been there twice before with only 4 boats at most!).
We are likely to head directly toward Fatu Hiva (the island 45 miles south of Hiva Oa). This is the island made famous by the late anthropologist, Thor Heyerdahl who wrote a book of the same title about his experience there 60 years ago. The reasons we\’ll head there first are two fold. First, it\’s mostly because of the crowd in Hiva Oa (about 12 more boats will arrive there shortly!) and the fact that our suspect engines might make it difficult to motor back up wind to Fatu Hiva which can be a tough ride from Hiva Oa.
Mostly an un-eventful day, but believe me, we don\’t mind in the least.
We\’ve 725 miles to go. Per the instruments, just under 4 days.
That\’s it for now,
Please feel free to drop an email our way.
KIT,
Scott and Nikki,