Good afternoon from VALIS, about 685 miles from San Francisco. Our current position (Aug 9, 1:45 PM PDT) is latitude 39deg 59min N, longitude 136deg 54min W — notice that we have once again (and finally, we hope) gone south of 40deg latitude, and are on a good course for home. We are sailing at […]

This taken as VALIS sails towards the Golden Gate, on the morning of August 9.

Greetings from VALIS this Tuesday, August 8. Our position as of 1:20PM PDT is: Latitude 40deg 25min N, Longitude 140deg 17min W. We are sailing 085degrees true at 6.4 knots. Winds are from the west at 13 knots. Seas are from the west at 3 feet. Yesterday afternoon we decided to run “wing and wing”, […]

We are getting close: only 970 miles to go until we sail under the Golden Gate Bridge. We seem to have sailed over the top of the Pacific High (although we may have some light and frustrating winds in the next day or so), and we are well on our way towards the “Northerlies”, which […]

Greetings! We have been making good time since yesterday, and are sailing at 7.5 knots under asymmetrical spinnaker on a course of 120 deg true (this is more south than we would prefer, but we will make up for it later). Our current position, as of 3:30 PM PDT, is latitude 40deg 18min, longitude 145deg […]

(some missing time, sorry) valis-aug05.kmz

Today around 1:30 PM PDT we passed the halfway point in our voyage home: 1250 miles from Kaneohe Bay, and 1250 miles to the Golden Gate Bridge! At this point we are about as far north as we plan to sail, and our course will be essentially a straight line to San Francisco. We still […]

Our position now (Aug 4, 2:45PM PDT) is latitude 40deg 37min N, longitude 151deg 58min W. We are motorsailing at about 6 knots on a course of 070deg True (a little north of due east). As far as I’m concerned, we have pierced into the heart of the Pacific High. Close enough, anyway, that the […]

Here is the Aug 4 Google Earth trackfile. valis-aug04.kmz

Another afternoon, evening, and morning goes by, and what do you know, it’s afternoon again! (although VALIS is on California time and we are physically several time zones to the west, so it feels like mid-morning). The wind has calmed a little, but we are still making good time in the right direction. Phil is […]