|
||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Foghorn September 2008 Mighty Chicken- reaches Fiji Andy Lepiarczyk
http://www.wvyc.bc.ca/club_activities/Foghorn/documents/foghorn2008-09.pdf My stopover in Honolulu was excellent. The Waikiki Yacht Club is in a convenient location, has nice facilities, a welcoming manager, good food, cold beer and friendly members. What a difference it makes when somebody takes your mooring lines or offers you help in case you would need something during the stay. Absolutely perfect atmosphere to take a seat on the torch lit bar deck, sip a beer and watch the fireworks at Waikiki Beach just across the mooring basin.
Buying groceries, I met total strangers, Mille, George and their baby boy William. From one word to another George was driving the next day some 30 miles each way to take me to Costco. Most supplies I have loaded on the boat will last until Australia. Thanks again. See you on my way back home in a year or so.
An experienced Hawaiian sailor warned me to be prepared for a long passage to Fiji in light air and I left Honolulu. At the end of the channel at Waikiki reef I set full canvas and within a couple of hours I could not see Oahu. Not because I was sailing so fast, but because of the haze created by the volcanic ash from the Big Island. Actually, the first three days and nights were slower than slow. However, once I dug below the latitude of the Big Island I got NE trades. They blew strong from ENE at around 20 knots, rarely easing to 15 knots, more often increasing to 25. It blew like that for several days -usually at a solid 20 knots. Under the jib alone , MIGHTY CHICKEN was regularly doing 135 to 145 nautical miles a day - mostly while I was snoring. I took four old genoas for the trip to wear them out. They are still in the bags packed from Vancouver! So far, for the first 5,000 miles, working horse was a jib. I wish I had four of them.
Doldrums in that part of the ocean ...” remains north of the equator throughout the year east of meridian 160 W”… and …”the two trade systems almost run into each other”... Indeed, a couple of hundred miles before the equator, the weather drastically changed to doldrums- like. Winds eased to light, gusting in a matter of minutes to 30 knots when dark clouds passed dropping unbelievable amounts of water. A day and a half later I got blue sky and 15 knots of wind. MIGHTY CHICKEN was gliding in calm seas; a cover page picture from cruising magazines. The only problem with that text book sequence of events was that the wind continued to blow from ENE.
It took me another five days of sailing south and another day and a half of thunderstorms, torrential rains and vicious squalls before I could notice any southerly component to the wind I had. I was already 9 degrees south and only 500 miles from Fiji.
Although I am not sailing to increase awareness, it was evident that the weather didn’t follow patterns valid for many years. As ocean currents and winds continue only to equalize the thermal imbalance of the earth I got a lot of them. Global warming worked well for me. I made it to Lutoka in 24 days just to drift overnight between the rocks, waiting for day light and for customs office hours. It was the toughest part of the leg . Surrounded by reefs and rocks I had very limited sea room. It was blowing around 20 knots. I sailed against the wind, then dropped the sails to drift towards leeward rocks for around 2 hours.
After repeating the procedure several times, day light came and the Fijian Islands showed their beauty. Besides the express passage there was also a personal milestone to celebrate. With me at the helm, MIGHTY CHICKEN sailed 21,600 nautical miles; the distance equal to the circumference of the earth.(see the attachment).
|
|||||||||||||
