Panama to the Marquesas Islands

Sailing the Pacific

Steve and Lynne have asked me to create this post to detail their crossing of the Pacific Ocean, from the Panama Canal to the Marquesas Islands. A voyage of over 4000nm, expected to take about 38 days.

They plan to send daily update emails via the sat phone, which I will paste below and update the map to show their progress.

Phill.

Intended route:-

Actual route:-

Start - Monday 22 April 2019

A huge thanks to all those who sent well wishes, we really appreciated them.

Clearing out of Panama was irksome and a clerical error delayed our departure until after lunch.
Left La Playita anchorage (08°54.477’N by 079°31.465’W) in bright sunlight, but half an hour later it poured down for 40mins reducing visibility as we motored between the moored Merchant Ships.
Once cleared up it was slow, quick, slow, quick as wind proved fickle, but we managed to sail. Sometimes down to 3.4 knots, others at over 6.
Perfect conditions at night, sea calm, bright moon and steady progress.

Day 1 - Tuesday 23 April 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 07°26.062’N by 079°51.668’W

Log mileage 92.4

A fast and relaxed day topping out at 8.4 knots briefly!
Very hot and humid. Lots of commercial shipping.
Wind dropped to almost nothing early evening and boxed the compass. Had to motor for 4 hours to make any progress. Current now against us for next 250nm according to info we have. Rigged up whisker pole before it got dark and that proved to be a good plan. Wind returned just after midnight, but very rolly sea conditions. Without pole genoa would be flogging. Forecast looks good for wind all day, but then dies to nothing for 6 days! Keeping fingers crossed that changes.

Day 2 - Wednesday 24 April 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 05°53.233’N by 081°11.231’W

Log mileage 218.2

Heading 227 magnetic

Managed to sail through the early hours with poled out genny and wind gradually started to build through dawn. By mid morning we had 28 knots and 3 to 4 metres seas. The pitching and rolling motion made it uncomfortable and despite the wind, the counter current hampered speed. Also too rough to deploy the Duogen in water mode, but the solar panels mostly kept up with everything during the day.
By the evening the wind and sea state had died down and we managed to sail through the night.
We watched a film, Bless This House. Sid James had a wonderful cheeky laugh. Left over veggie chilli for dinner with a splash of hot and spicy sauce.
Still a long way to go and the phrase, ‘Are we there yet’ is banned.

Day 3 - Thursday 25 April 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 04°26.724’N by 082°40.898’W

Log mileage 344.0

Heading 231 magnetic

Found a dead squid on the deck, fortunately it had not discharged any ink!
Covered 120nm in 24 hours, which is not too bad given the conditions and we only have real ‘Progress Wind’ for 12 out of 24 hours.
We need to head a lot further South towards the equator, as going North of Galapagos is not going to work. This may involve heading South East at some point, which is counter intuitive, but the wind direction needs to change from the South East to the South West first.
Indications are that we should have a good forecast to make a dash over the equator on Monday.
We are doing some motoring and monitoring our fuel consumption carefully. We have enough fuel on board for about 6 days motoring. So far we have used about 35 litres, but anticipating using a lot more over the weekend when the winds become very light.

Day 4 - Friday 26 April 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 03°21.804’N by 083°02.595’W

Log mileage 461.4

Heading 157 magnetic

All is good on board and the contract for the catering department has been renewed for another week thanks to Lynne’s great bread making.
In the early hours of the night we got the predicted wind shift, which allowed us to sail due South, just what we needed. However, with the shift came a storm, not violent winds, but torrential rain with thunder and lightning. iPads and phone went into the oven for protection (Faraday Cage).
Another wind shift in the morning meant that we could sail SE, which is what we want to get a better angle for early next week.
The boat has become an avian Airbnb. Our clientele are mainly Barn Swallows, one even tame enough to perch on an outstretched finger. Special celebrity guest is a plump red footed boobie who has taken up residence on our bow, now renamed Poop Deck.
Aside from the rain, it is very hot and humid during the day and no other ships in sight, just miles and miles of ocean. Enjoying watching the series Long Way Down, with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman.

Day 5 - Saturday 27 April 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 02°15.908’N by 083°08.691’W

Log mileage 573.5

Heading 135 magnetic

One of the things we really look forward to on a long passage is night sailing, when cloud cover is minimal and the moon is not around. Being so far from light pollution the night sky can be simply breathtaking. That being said, the last two nights have been rubbish for constellation spotting. The night before with the biblical rain and lightning and last night the cloud cover was 100 percent and seemed to reach down to the horizon. By 8 pm it was completely black outside with no distinction between sky and water. With just about all the cockpit instrument lights turned off or dimmed as low as they can go, the experience was probably akin to pilots flying in IFR conditions. With no visual clues, you rely solely on your instruments. That reminds us, we need to find a setting to change in our chartplotter when we eventually cross into Southern Hemisphere.

It will be a special moment for us to cross the equator in our own yacht, but first we have to get there!

Day 6 - Sunday 28 April 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 00°42.335’N by 081°52.939’W

Log mileage 707.6
Heading 257 magnetic

Having been on a close reach for what seems like an age going East to get South if that makes sense, we have tacked and now on a close reach going West. As you can see from our Latitude, we are getting close to the Equator, but wont be able to make the push across until Wednesday at the earliest. In the meantime we will sail West. We did motor sail a little when we tacked to keep our average speed up and also to top up the batteries. We took the opportunity when in calm seas to decant more diesel from the jerry cans into the main tank and have used exactly 60 litres so far. Having a prop with an overdrive mode has helped.
All good on board.

Day 7 - Monday 29 April 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 00°38.741’N by 083°50.853’W 

Log mileage 832.5

Heading 245 magnetic

Day 8 - Tuesday 30 April 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 00°13.517’S by 083°30.162’W

Log mileage 956.4

Heading 240 magnetic

On 30th April at 06:00 UTC we crossed the Equator at position 00°00.000’S by 083°35.338’W

Just prior to crossing the Equator the ships instruments decided to go haywire and for a while we hand steered by compass. Then we changed a dealer calibration setting and told the core unit that it was in the Southern Hemisphere. Perhaps newer models do this automatically? Anyway, normal service was resumed.

The equator crossing was celebrated in the presence of Neptune himself, although he did look a little like Steve. Various offerings including a slice of fruit cake, some chocolate and a can of Panamanian beer went over the side as gifts to Neptune. In turn he acknowledged our ascension from Polywogs to Shellbacks. He gave a special generosity award to Lynne who has for the last 11 years provided constant gifts to Neptune, such as sunglasses, house and car keys, an outboard motor lock, various padlocks, coins, towels, hats, clothes pegs, winch handles and vomit.

So we are now in the South Pacific, and at the moment it looks pretty much the same as the North Pacific.
At the time of writing we are trundling along at 6.8 knots Close Hauled, but the weather files show we may get some SE winds later today/tomorrow allowing us to sail on a Close Reach, which is usually a little more comfortable. Then presumably we go onto a Beam Reach and celebrations will occur when we finally get to go downwind.

Day 9 - Wednesday 1 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 01°03.954’S by 086°45.988’W

Log mileage 1098

Heading 226 magnetic

All good on board, sailed well and reasonably fast all through the night. Very exhilarating.

Will be doing laundry and running watermaker today. Hot and sunny, but wind starting to ease, seas calm.

Day 10 - Thursday 2 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 02°11.700’S by 087°55.061’W

Log mileage 1252
Heading 218 magnetic

Another pretty good 24 hr mileage under the keel, but just after 12:00 UTC this morning the wind has relaxed to less than 10 knots and in the swell, we are rolling a lot from side to side. Too much roll to deploy the cruising chute as it would collapse in on itself. So we are doing the best we can under main and genoa to make about 4 knots. More consistent winds should be found at 6 degrees South, but it is going to take an awful long time to get down that far whilst still Westing.
Apart from that, all good on board save for the family of three boobies who have made an unholy mess, oh and 2 dead squid and a flying fish on the deck. It is going to be a hot one today, let’s hope the wind picks up before too long.

Day 11 - Friday 3 May 2019

Postion at 12:00 UTC 03°28.185’S by 089°41.773’W

Log mileage 1386

Heading 221 magentic

We had a weather front come through from about midnight Thursday, and spent most of the time in the cockpit trimming the sails for the ever varying wind speed and direction, not to mention rain. Not much sleep until early hours of this morning. Looks much more settled outside now.

It started off with a sort of micro-squall on our watch change at midnight. A sudden burst of torrential rain, increase in wind speed and large wind shift. Lynne was at the helm bearing away to take the pressure off the sails so we could shorten them, and a boobie tried to land on her head! In the pitch black with rain stinging the eyes it was a little discombobulating. That set the tone for the remainder of the day. Frequent squalls and beam on seas making conditions below uncomfortable.

Day 12 - Saturday 4 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 04°36.556’S by 091°41.238’W

Log mileage 1527

Heading 217 magnetic

Much brighter and calmer conditions so far this morning, so will use the opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep. Task of the day is to cut up our rubbish so it takes up less room. Organic waste goes over the side. Talking of organic, we are down to a green pepper and 2 onions, maybe make a Spanish Omlette? From now on we are on our vast stock of tinned supplies and foil contained military rations. We can make bread and have rice and pasta, so we won’t go hungry. Neither of us feels like fishing though.

Day 13 - Sunday 5 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 05°18.733’S by 093°50.570’W

Log mileage 1665

Heading 242 magnetic

Still heading for 6 degrees South and beyond, but changed course yesterday for a shallower angle to allow more Westing and take advantage of a slight improvement in wind strength. Wind is now 120 degrees on our aft port quarter and sailing just under genoa, until later when we will deploy the cruising chute. Swell is about 1.5metres more or less on the beam, so we are rolling... a lot.
Imagine lying in a bed that is gently rocking you from side to side and affords you the best sleep ever, well it’s nothing like that! In fact we have sketched a new design for a yacht toilet with a 4 point harness.
Yesterday Lynne made bread and 5 small baps that had been allocated for tuna mayo filling, but somehow got consumed as soon as they were cool enough to touch. Ran the watermaker for 2 hours. 2 end caps have a slight leak, but we have spares on board however, not even going to think of attempting replacing them until we are in a marina.
Last night we spotted 2 commercial ships on AIS, the closest was 12 miles away.
We also changed over the navigation cartridge on the master chartplotter and now have the Pacific Islands loaded up. We also popped in a waypoint to the Marquesas and the readout shows 2669nm to go on the rhumb line. Finding any wind on our way to the Equator from Panama added at least 250nm. Never mind, it is about arriving safely, not breaking any records.

Day 14 - Monday 6 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 05°42.446’S by 096°09.642’W

Log mileage 1806

Heading 241 magnetic

A choppy night and almost wall to wall grey clouds this morning, reaching right down to sea level. Some rain. Wind strength has eased to about 12 knots and with it boat speed has dropped. However, as we have seen before all can change quickly, and now patches of blue sky starting to appear.
Looking back at the log, we left the anchorage in Panama 2 weeks ago today and our waypoint now shows 2503 miles to go.
Checked and topped up the electrolyte on the House Batteries about an hour ago. We have 6 Trojan T105 6v golf cart batteries, very popular for deep cycle roles on boats, and we check them every month and monitor performance on a dedicated electronic battery monitor.
The Duogen is doing a great job in water mode, it is most efficient when the boat speed is above 5.5 knots, as we are struggling to get to 5 at the time of writing, we will lift it out of the water and give it a rest.

Day 15 - Tuesday 7 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 06°02.841’S by 098°23.869’W

Log mileage 1942

Heading 244 magnetic

Not the best of progress yesterday. Three squalls to contend with and we sailed fully reefed during the night, possibly a little too conservative, but we wanted to get some sleep as we had not even had time for an episode of Battlestar Galactica during the day. Only a few episodes left of Season 3.
Lovely sunrise this morning and sailing well so far with wind at 120 degrees on aft port quarter. Much more comfortable than yesterday when the swell was on the beam. Spotted a solitary Tropic bird, he or she circled the boat a few times as if checking suitable landing places, but has since flown off. Rigged 2 additional harness points to attach the rib to the davits, just in case a shackle breaks, or the lifting strop gives way.
Will check back in old log books to see what distance we recorded crossing the Atlantic as we must be close to equaling it and then soon after, this will become our longest passage and we are not even half way yet!

Day 16 - Wednesday 8 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 06°26.361’S by 100°51.594’W

Log mileage 2092

Heading 241 magnetic

We don’t want to speak too soon, but yesterday we enjoyed some proper Trade Wind sailing during the day and for some of the night. In the early hours the wind became variable in strength from 7.7 knots to 21.3. This interrupted our sleep so we will try and catch up today a little. Talking of today, we are thus far enjoying the same conditions as yesterday. The motion of the boat has changed and we are now corkscrewing down the waves. We have about 17 knots of true wind and sailing happily just under genoa at reasonable speeds.
We have also surpassed our previous highest passage mileage when we sailed from the Cape Verdes to Barbados. However, on this passage we are still just shy of being half way! Will run the watermaker this morning and try and take a shower. It has proven to be easier to use the outside deck shower rather than the ones inside and in any case, we don’t exactly have a privacy issue.

Day 17 - Thursday 9 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 06°36.466’S by 103°37.709’W

Log mileage 2240

Heading 253 magnetic

We are now just over halfway in mileage terms and continue to make reasonable progress to the Marquesas. At some point this evening we should have just under 2000nm to go and will be a good feeling to be counting down.
From dusk yesterday until just after dawn today we had a continuous 30 knot plus wind, so you can imagine the sea conditions. We kept the wind aft of the beam with just a small amount of genoa and sailed slightly off course to keep the foamy waves from hitting us beam on. This morning the wind is down to about 25 knots and more from the South West and we are back on course again. Yesterday lunchtime our chartplotter alerted us to an AIS target, a bulk carrier 1089 feet long and heading at us from 14 miles away. Hard to believe thousands of miles in the vast Pacific that we would have traffic so close. We hailed the watch officer via the VHF and he said he could see us on his radar (we have an electronic device at the top of the mast that enhances our radar visibility), and he advised that he would change course shortly and pass behind us, which he duly did by about 1 nm. I was tempted to say he was the first person apart from Lynne I had spoken in 16 days, but he was not the chatty type.
All good on board and will try and catch up on some sleep today.

Day 18 - Friday 10 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 06°54.575’S by 105°45.437’W

Log mileage 2389

Heading 243 magnetic

After the obligatory rain filled squall at dusk, the wind moderated a little and we enjoyed slightly better conditions than the two previous nights. We had our first breakage in the early hours. The connecting coupler between the carbon fibre drive shaft on the Duogen and the impeller drive head had snapped. We managed to stow the Duogen back on the pushpit clamp, but left replacing the broken part until first light. We have had breakages before on this part so have spares in stock.
This morning conditions could be described as boisterous. We have white horses as far as the eye can see and frequent rain showers. We are in full wet weather gear, but it is 34C! Will defer bread making and running the watermaker until conditions improve.

Day 19 - Saturday 11 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 07°09.653’S by 108°13.102’W

Log mileage 2535

Heading 251 magnetic

The colour theme of the Pacific is grey. Grey clouds that seem to hang close to the surface with tendrils of rain, and a grey ocean with white accents of spray. We have also seen a drop in temperature especially in the early hours, when we are now wearing a fleece under the waterproofs. Last night we decided sleep was a priority and reefed the genoa more than normal. This in turn saw the boat speed drop, but we both managed a solid 6 hours over the course of our watch rota.
This morning we turned all the instruments off for an hour. The chartplotter CPU’s had reached close to maximum temperature parameters, and all the instruments had been on since we left Panama. We will probably do this again when we reach 1000nm to the Marquesas.
Conditions this morning are broadly similar to yesterday, although we are a little more downwind. Oh and a squid head butted our beautiful unvarnished teak cockpit table, and deposited ink everywhere! We have tried washing it off, but to no avail. Naughty squid.

Day 20 - Sunday 12 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 07°34.633’S by 110°43.649’W

Log mileage 2687

Heading 243 magnetic

Sunny for a change, making steady progress.

Day 21 - Monday 13 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 07°50.443’S by 113°04.087’W

Log mileage 2823

Heading 243 magnetic

A lovely sunny day yesterday, if a little slow mileage wise. Lynne baked a loaf and some rolls. What a shame we did not have any of our friend’s homemade 'Franny Jam' on board, but we do still have butter. We also ran the watermaker for 2.5 hours as it will be laundry day today. Wind is much lighter now, between 11 to 14 knots true, but the sea state is a lot calmer.
The tinned Italian salads purchased in Martinique about 3 years ago are a big hit, but not so much the Macaroni cheese with burger bites that was part of our Lucky Dip tinned food selection purchased in Panama. Thankfully only one tin left, and it might make a gift to Neptune. Talking of Neptune, a large random breaking wave entered the cockpit yesterday soaking our much loved companionway mat. We had purchased this in Grand Cayman for what seemed like the price of a Persian Rug, and popped it on the starboard cockpit helm seat to dry out. During the course of a few hours we would take turns to lovingly turn it over and tweak the position for maximum drying, until a freak gust of wind caught it and tipped it overboard. Hey ho...

Day 22 - Tuesday 14 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 08°15.772’S by 115°08.441’W

Log mileage 2949

Heading 235 magnetic

Wind dropped to less than 7 knots last night, so motor sailed for 2 hours until it picked back up to a giddy 10 knots. Very hot today 41C inside. Sailing progress slow, reading progress good.

Day 23 - Wednesday 15 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 08°40.741’S by 117°01.578’W

Log mileage 3066

Heading 255 magnetic

Took the cruising chute down at 8pm local time as it was flogging in the swell. Managed to sail off course at 3 to 4 knots under genoa until 2 am local time and wind dropped to less than 4 knots, so engine on with prop in overdrive to conserve fuel. Weather files show 15 knots from SE, at time of writing we have 4.2 knots from E. Once wind is over 9 to 10 with some SE component, will deploy chute again and continue on our merry way under sail.

Day 24 - Thursday 16 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 08°44.210’S by 119°04.608’W

Log mileage 3190

Heading 276 magnetic

A mixture of light winds and some a little stronger, enabled us to keep moving using a variety of combinations. The Cruising Chute played a role again, sometimes just the genoa and during the night we rigged the Whisker Pole. Talking of whiskers, the Captain was undertaking his weekly beard and tasche trim using manicure scissors, when a huge wave violently rocked the boat, first to starboard and then to port. On the starboard roll one of the scissor blades went up the right nostril, and on the port roll it came out the front of the nostril. Medic!
Still, we did have a pod of Spinner Dolphins hang around for nearly an hour during the day. Always a welcome sight.

Day 25 - Friday 17 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 08°53.360’S by 121°03.774’W

Log mileage 3309

Heading 244 magnetic

Winds in the 7 to 10 knot range make for slow progress, but it is not spoiling our enjoyment of this amazing passage and no doubt will pick up again.
Worth noting is that we are down to 1035nm to go, so by midday local time we will have less than 1000nm remaining, cool!
Already we have a little more wind this morning and from the SE, all is comfortable on board. Last night we had an almost full moon and 99% cloud coverage save for one small gap. The sea was very dark, almost anthracite in colour all around, apart from a shimmering silver glow just behind us which looked like a searchlight as the moonlight peeped through the gap in the cloud. Most surreal and very beautiful.

Day 26 - Saturday 18 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 09°05.270’S by 122°59.541’W

Log mileage 3425

Heading 242 magnetic

A lack of wind remains a feature for another day. Last night we had no choice but to motor for a couple of hours when the wind died to 3 knots. It is hard to keep the genoa filled as the swell spills the wind, so we are doing a lot of hand steering to try and compensate.
May be able to build some miles under the chute this morning, but need to wait for daylight as it involves foredeck work.
All good on board.

Day 27 - Sunday 19 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 09°17.894’S by 124°42.755’W

Log mileage 3524

Heading 251 magnetic

Send the oars!
We actually stopped sailing for a while when the wind reduced to under 3 knots, and just moved at 1.5 knots with the current. Still in the very calm conditions, it gave us a chance to have a good cleaning session and check over. Two security bolts on the staysail Furlex had started to come out, so applied threadlock and tightened back up. Wind is out of the East so back to using the whisker pole to hold the genoa out. Will run a 3 day weather file request shortly, but suspect at least another 2 days without wind.

Day 28 - Monday 20 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 09°34.647’S by 126°22.151’W

Log mileage 3626

Heading 259 magnetic

Another day of drifting yesterday in very light airs, but to add some variety, in the evening it rained for half an hour. Struggling to get to 4 knots boat speed and at times dropping below 3.
Scorchingly hot during the day, but watched another 2 episodes of Battlestar at lunchtime on the TV, and then an episode of a tour of America downloaded on the iPad over dinner.

The Captain is reading Dornford Yates, and First Officer still has talking books on the go. One other aspect of the slow boat speed will be that the ablative anti-fouling won’t be working, so the growth will be prodigious. We will try and organise a diver to scrape it off when we get to Nuku Hiva.

Day 29 - Tuesday 21 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 09°40.742’S by 128°00.358’W

Log mileage 3725

Heading 249 magnetic

A truly stunning day to be sailing in the Pacific. Leaving aside the lack of wind, we had another pod of dolphins visit and the sky at dusk was breathtaking. The azure blue of the water met a hazy pink layer, and above that a sort of letterbox of Wedgwood blue, then another layer of pink/red. The night sky was one of the best yet and in the 3 hours before the moon came up, we peeled back the bimini, laid back in the cockpit and just looked in wonder at it. Sometimes it is as much about the journey as it is the destination.

Day 30 - Wednesday 22 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 09°46.012’S by 129°46.375’W

Log mileage 3830

Heading 266 magnetic

Just 6 knots of wind for the last 7 hours, so engine has been on for a while. Even the whisker pole can’t stop the genoa from flogging when the wind is this light. When we turn the engine off we will decant fuel from the jerry cans, so we know exactly how much we have remaining.

Chocolate supplies dwindling, but lost stash of fig rolls now found. Nothing beats a sticky cinnamon bun though, and our friends Kitty and Jim know how fond we became of the ones sold in the bakery in Utila!
Running watermaker and bread making going on in galley. Scorching hot again.

Day 31 - Thursday 23 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 09°53.954’S by 131°19.648’W

Log mileage 3924

Heading 255 magnetic

The chartplotter is now showing less than 500nm to landfall.
Rain is becoming a feature of the early mornings, and usually the wind is next to nothing until about 10.00am local time, so we drift or run the engine for a while.
The last of the cheese will be used for cheese on toast at lunchtime, yummy!
All good on board.

Day 32 - Friday 24 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 09°52.261’S by 133°05.161’W

Log mileage 4030

Heading 257 magnetic

Five squalls during the day and two in the evening kept us busy. Must have had a weeks worth of rain in half an hour during one!
Just as the Moon rose at about 11.00pm local time (we have local time at UTC -9), the wind went from 6-7 knots to 15-17 and has stayed at that strength. Not sure how much longer it will prevail but we just covered 16nm in 3 hours, which is considerably better progress than we have seen in some time.
All good on board.

Day 33 - Saturday 25 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 09°56.217’S by 135°21.875’W

Log mileage 4166

Heading 253 magnetic

We still have wind! After being in near Doldrum like conditions for so long, it is a novelty to be properly sailing again, not to mention the size of the waves. Moving around the boat takes more planning, shifting from one handhold to another.

At the time of writing this update 16.48 UTC, the chartplotter is showing our landfall waypoint at 189.8nm away, so less than 200 to go. Better brush up on our French... Mange Tout, Rodney?

Day 34 - Sunday 26 May 2019

Position at 12:00 UTC 10°02.809’S by 137°19.520’W

Log mileage 4285

Heading 289 magnetic

After a good run the wind finally died to almost nothing, and in the last half hour we have resorted to engine as the genoa was flogging, even poled out. A shame as it was looking like we could make landfall today (Sunday) at dusk. Now we will actually need to go slowly (ironic) to arrive at the anchorage at Hiva Oa first light on Monday morning. Due to the swell, yachts face out to sea and deploy a kedge anchor (rear anchor) to hold them in position. We have ours ready, but need to use the dinghy to deploy it, so some faffing on arrival. Distance to landfall 100nm.
We will conclude tomorrows last update of this voyage when we have anchored, and are safely in a position to go ashore and seek out customs and immigration... if our spindly sea legs will carry us, as it is a 40 min walk into town!

Finish - Monday 27 May 2019

Position 09°48.213’S by 139°01.866’W

Log mileage 4400

We made it!

After 34 days, 23 hours and 30 minutes at sea, we are now safely at anchor (bow and stern) in Hiva Oa. The scenery is breathtaking (imagine Jurassic Park), and two boats we know came over to say hello. Yesterday and last night we had less than 2 knots of wind so had to motor. We witnessed an incredible sunset and our first Pacific Green Flash. The Q flag is hoisted so we need to go and find customs and immigration. They are open until 4 pm today. We will try and track down some wifi, but soon our priority will be to catch up on weeks of sleep!

We will switch the Sat Phone off soon, but would like to take this opportunity to thank my Dad for email distribution, my brother Phill for updating the blog, and of course everyone who has taken the time to read our updates and share this amazing voyage. Last but not least, to Aztec Dream who never missed a beat and looked after us in saftey, comfort and style.