Day 7 - 1 week down; 2 to go?

Moondance Stats:

LATITUDE: 12-36.70N; LONGITUDE: 120-41.13W
COURSE: 248T; SPEED: 4.9
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 929m
DISTANCE TO GO: 1732m - to the Marquesas!
24 HOUR RUN: 142m

All aboard are fine, just a little tired and crabby. We had a bumpy ride last night, so no one slept too well. And today, we spent the day adjusting sails, changing courses, etc. in order to cross the Equator between 7N 125W and 4N 130W. This is supposed to be the shortest route (at this time) through the Doldrums. We are still 400 miles away from the Equator, but the winds and waves are fighting us again!

We tried to hoist the spinnaker today too, but had all kinds of trouble. After two tries and making a mess, we decided to give it a rest and try again tomorrow. Poor Brian, he had no idea what cruising was going to be like! Spinnaker 1 = Moondance 0

Damages: On this trip so far, we lost 1 boat hook, broke 2 bowls and 1 glass, and 1 winch handle went overboard. Guess we are going to have to be more careful, but it is kind of hard when everything is bouncing around you.

Today was the first warm, sunny day that we have had since leaving Cabo - it felt very nice. We even have a beautiful moon to guide us across the water tonight. Night watches under the moon and stars - just amazing!

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Day 6 - Wasn't meant to be...

Moondance Stats:

LATITUDE: 13-52.55N; LONGITUDE: 118-47.29W
COURSE: 212T; SPEED: 5.8
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 787
DISTANCE TO GO: 1874 - to the Marquesas!
24 HOUR RUN: 131m

First, all is well on Moondance.

Second, we made a decision last night to change our course from the Gambiers to the Marquesas. We were really hoping that the wind and waves would cooperate and we could reach the Gambiers easily, but Neptune had other ideas. Doug estimated that it would take an "additional" 5 days to reach the Gambiers due to course adjustments. We decided that it just wasn't meant to be.

Instead, we have all agreed to set our course for the Marquesas and it is only 1874 miles a way - about 16 days southwest of us! While we are disappointed, we know it is the right thing to do, plus all of the other Puddle Jumpers will be there. It will be fun seeing everyone and hearing the stories. From there, we will sail to the Tuamotus, Australs, and then Tahiti by June 20. It will all work out just fine.

We were surprised that it has almost been a week since we left Cabo and not one of us have picked up a book to read - we have been too busy! The boat is loaded with books we have collected just waiting for a long passage, but our days are filled. Besides constant adjustments to sails, rigging, and instruments, things just take longer. Some examples -

Washing dishes underway - I have gotten very good at picking them up as they slide by, but it is a challenge. Doug's words today "Nice grab"!

Sorting our daily trash to make sure no plastics go overboard. It is legal, but not good for the environment.

Rotating our eggs, fruits, and veggies to keep them from spoiling.

Dodging flying objects when opening lockers and re-organizing them (again). Yes, some things do shift around underway.

So, things are interesting at sea. I actually saw Doug Moonwalk across the cabin in his socks the other day as the boat rocked side-to-side. Now that is a site to see!

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Day 5 - A differnt heading

Moondance Stats:

LATITUDE: 15-00.68N; LONGITUDE: 117-13.22W
COURSE: 184T; SPEED: 6.8
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 656
DISTANCE TO GO: 2465nm ++
24 HOUR RUN: 153nm

All's well aboard Moondance except the crew is a little tired. We had good wind all night and we covered some ground, but the waves made sleeping very difficult. Brian was a trooper and manned the helm for many hours so that Doug and I could get some rest (I slept the best in the cockpit). A couple cups of coffee and Brian was good to go until almost dawn. Great crew we have!

Today, we changed our course from South West to due South so that we have a shot of hitting the Gambiers. We are officially in the Trade Winds and should have steady winds (hopefully not waves) until we hit the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) or the Doldrums. That's a whole 'nother story. Due to the direction the winds have taken us, our course will be a little longer than planned - of course!

We are stilling running wing-n-wing and making good time. We had calm seas this morning, which was wonderful, but it looks like the big waves are back and that we might be in for another night of rock-n-roll. Oh well!

Changing course meant we had to shuffle everything to the other side of the boat to keep it from flying across later. We are getting smarter! Of course, now we have to get use to leaning the other way. Good work out for those other muscles!

Miss everyone and hope you are well!

PS: If you want a visual map of our journey, click the "Where is Moondance" link at the top right of the blog. I update our position daily.

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Day 4 - Still flying wing-n-wing

Moondance Stats:

LATITUDE: 16-38.37N; LONGITUDE: 115-34.92W
COURSE: 234T; SPEED: 7.2kn
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 503
DISTANCE TO GO: 2618nm
24 HOUR RUN: 143nm

All is well on board and we having been zipping along for sure! We have been running wing-n-wing for over 24 hours and making excellent time. Our average speed was almost 6 knots, but our top speed was 13 knots - oh my. Unfortunately, the seas have been a little too big for our taste and erratic. Doug was watching some 12 footers roll by, which makes the ride a little uncomfortable. But Moondance is handling it all well and we are safe. We just hope things settle down before nightfall so that get a good sleep.

Our weather is cold and cloudy still. Last night, it was so dark, you couldn't separate the water from the sky. Brian thinks we have kidnapped him - he signed up for the tropical cruise - not the penguin cruise. Me too!

Doug and Brian are working well together, plus having some fun. Yesterday, they re-rigged our whisker pole to use separate lines (guys) instead of the jib sheets. This allows us to bring the jib down easily if we hit a storm, plus add some stability/strength to the rig. Brian got an excellent workout as our Grinder! Safety first though - they are tethered to the boat at all times when out of the cockpit.

Pressure cookers - never have liked them! I still remember my Grandma's horror stories. But, Doug convinced me to use it to make Red Beans and Rice with Andouille Sausage today. We didn't blow up, but the dumb pressure cooker burned our supper. Oh well, the corn muffins were tasty!

Wing-n-wing: one sail (our main) flying on the port side of the boat; one sail (our jib) flying on the starboard side. It is an excellent way to sail when the wind is behind you.

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Day 3 - Duldrums all ready?

Moondance Stats:

LATITUDE: 18-21.27N; LONGITUDE: 113-55.27W
COURSE: 208T; SPEED: 5.6kt
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 360
DISTANCE TO GO: 2761nm
24 HOUR RUN: 96nm

All is well - Moondance and crew are doing fine. We just haven't covered much ground in 24 hours! We had 6 hours of no wind last night, but were lucky that a little current kept us going in the right direction. We were happy to see the wind pick up and the sun is shining. Doug and Brian have been experimenting with downwind sailing. First, the spinnaker. It didn't stay up very long - the wind was too unsettled. Then, wing-on-wing. That seems to be moving us along very well, so we are going to stick with it. Per the weather gurus, starting tonight we should be getting good steady winds from the north. We shall see!

Our watch schedule seems to be working out well: 2 hours on; 4 hours off. With 3 of us on board, it means that Doug and I actually get to sleep together for 2 whole hours - whoopee! The Kitchen Winch (that's me) does 2 night watches, but no day watches. I think it will work out well as long as I put semi-good food on the table and on time. Today, the Butter Chicken Curry was good, but the pita bread could have been used for hockey pucks. Oh well, the guys ate them.

It is pretty quiet out her. We only saw one other boat yesterday - a shrimper - and no one is chatting on the VHF. A few birds fly by to check on us, but that's about it. Our fishing lines are in the water, but no bites yet. So, there is lots of time to watch the beautiful blue water pass us by and reflect on our adventure.

PS: French is a very hard language!

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Day 2 - Settling in...

Moondance Stats:

LATITUDE: 19-25.31N; LONGITUDE: 112-45.34W
COURSE: 212T; SPEED: 6.0kt
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 264nm
DISTANCE TO GO: 2857nm
24 HOUR RUN: 134nm

And all is well on board. We are a little tired, but doing well. Last night was a little bumpy and winds erratic, so none of us got a real good nights sleep. Today, Doug and Brian have been making adjustment on the sails, anchors, and whatever else is rattling. Tonight should be much better. We have been on the same starboard tack since leaving Cabo, so everything is leaning and falling out of the lockers. We even had to change which end of the bed we were sleeping on, plus it was challenge keeping the pear/papaya cobbler in the pan and in the oven!

Weather and water temps are warming up - yeah! For awhile, we thought Doug had tricked us and was taking us North.

We are passing through the Socorro Islands now - we can't see them, but know that they are out there. This is the last bit of land we will be anywhere near for a very long time. Fishing lines are back in the water and we are hoping for Dorado or Pargo - well anything except Bonita.

Thinking of you all and hoping you are all well and happy.

Provisioning tip: Couscous flies and should not be eaten in the cockpit on a windy day - what a mess!

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Day 1

Moondance Stats:

LATITUDE: 21-11.61N; LONGITUDE: 111-21.93W
COURSE: 213T, SPEED: 6.3kt
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 130nm
DISTANCE TO GO: 2991nm
24 HOUR RUN: 130nm

And all is well aboard Moondance! We have had 8 to 15 knots of steady wind since we left Cabo San Lucas and moderate seas, so Moondance is cruising right along. The crew is happy and healthy and enjoying the ride and the beautiful blue of the ocean. Of course, there isn't much else to look at! We have seen a couple of boats in the distance, some dolphins, whales, and a turtle swam by - that's it.

We have a contest aboard to see who can guess how many days our sail to Mangareva, Gambier Islands will be:

Carla 27
Brian 25
Doug 23

We are all hoping that Doug will win! The prize - the winner doesn't have to do the next night watch and can party till the dogs come home - hah!

Our only complaint, it is sunny and COLD. But, we can handle that as long as the wind and waves are cooperating!

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