July 18, 4:00 AM PDT, lat 37 deg 16 min N, lon 124min 54min W. Speed 3 kts, course 262deg T
Yesterday was a good ome aboard VALIS. We are getting used to our watch schedule, and are actually making up for the pre-race sleep-deprivation. Our appetites are returning (although none of us were ever seasick),and spirits high.
About this time yesterday we were slatting around in extremely light wind, with the sails often backed as we attempted to chase the wind. The windex at the top of the mast was literally spinning in circles. It was wet, too, as we sailed under low clouds.
With the morning sun came the wind. Not a lot, but enough to sail in the proper direction at a few knots. These conditions lasted through the day, and well past midnight. The wind has been coming from the south, and is definitely not the typical north west wind we see at the start of the Pacific Cup. We expect to meet the “normal” NW winds soon, and the transition may bring more light air.
Lunch yesterday was tuna sandwiches (tuna mix provided by Phil), and dinner was going to be Lasagna (provided by Dick). After thaving for most of the day, it remained mostly hard frozen. It looks like we’re having Lasagna for dinner today instead.
After getting off my 1:30-4:30 AM watch, we started the engine (out of gear) and are charging the batteries. The solar panels provide some juice during the day, but not enough to completely cover our requirements.
More later… -Paul Elliott
After a cold and drizzly night, with very light wind, we are now sailing in the sunshine (true, with lots of clouds too, but there’s sun), and feeling pretty good. We’re sailing west at 4.5 kts, which is better than we were expecting given the forecast (now at 6.2 kts, as we sail under a cloud). Most of our division is ahead of us, but we aren’t letting that get us down.
It turns out that Paul Carson is a sail-trim and driving fool. He can usually manage to squeeze a good fraction of a knot out of any difficult situation. The photo shows Paul at the helm, taking us towards Hawaii.