Monday, August 9, 4:00PM PDT
Yesterday we were motoring. Then we were sailing, Then motoring. Sailing again. This went of for most of the day, then as the sun began to sink in the western sky the wind steadied and we sailed through the night. Still no fish, we had a simple dinner of coleslaw and soup, which we all enjoyed very much.
During the afternoon we began to see swells from the north combining with the swells from the west which we had become quite comfortable. The new swells , while still small, created a much different boat motion, and during the night these northern swells became dominant.The wind also picked up occasionally, to a high of 20 kts. We spent the night sailing into the larger seas and stronger winds. Actuall, these were still quite moderate, but we did discover several places that were no longer safe to stow coffee cups, etc. Sleep was a little tough to come by as well.
We can tell that we are closer to San Francisco; the evenings are much cooler, and the sun is setting earlier than it was in Hawaii. We wear our foulies during night watch, and perhaps an extra layer of clothing. The ocean’s phosphorescence is shanging too. We still have the blue star, sparkler, and flashbulb styles of illuminated lifeforms, but the foam from the breaking whitecaps and our bow wave gives off a soft green light that is quite beautiful.
In the morning the wind began to die again,and we have resumed the motoring / sailing pattern. Around noon we sailed under a brief rainshower, and a few of the clouds carry some extra wind (or a patch of dead air).
There’s a line in the water, but no fish yet. We had quesadilas for lunch, and are currently sailing at over six knots, pointed approximately towards San Francisco (822 miles to go).
Position: 40-04, 139-53 W.
Paul / VALIS