Day 21 Plotting a Course 9/22/13

Postion: 16. 27 N, 142 45 W

A new day. Listening to Adele singing Rolling in the Deep. Cup of tea, cool tropical breeze funnelling down through the main hatch and across my bare shoulders and down my back. Up very early to take care of M&J (Main and Jib). Flipped them over so we can lay the mark 590 miles over the horizon at 10 N and 150W where the doldrums are very narrow and then out into the tradewinds and South.

I will leave Christmas Island to starboard, then pass through the middle of the Central Line group of Islands leaving Malden Island (Kiribati) to starboard and the Filippo Reef to port. Then head further southwest through the Northern Cook Islands leaving Penrhyn Island to starboard.

Penrhyn Island, Cook Islands

Editor’s Note: Penrhyn is the most far flung of the Cook Islands. It lies 9 degrees below the equator and at 11.2 kms (7 miles) wide and 24.1 kms (15 miles) long, it is the largest atoll in the Group and one of the largest in the Pacific. Early Polynesian settlers called it Tongareva – a name still used to this day meaning “south of the empty space”.  The modern name Penrhyn Island comes from the ship, Lady Penrhyn which passed by the island on 8 August, 1788.

Then on through the Society Islands and the southern Cook Islands. After that I’ll round the south end of the south island of New Zealand and into the Great Southern Ocean!

It was six years ago I left in Kim Chow for our first attempt at sailing around the world west about. That was an amazing day, getting away from the wharf was a very emotional time and the great adventure that lay before me was so unknown. But looking back on it now it was not nearly as risky in my mind as it was when I left single handed from Victoria in May of 1997 in Sannu II a Haida 26, flush deck harbour sailor.

Sannu II sailing to Bora Bora, 1997

My first port of call was the Marquesas Islands that took me 42 days,and then 4500 miles of open ocean. All I had with me was a Garmin hand held GPS and a VHF radio. Those were the most amazing six weeks of sailing I have ever done because it was my first time single handing over such a distance and everything was new. There is nothing quite like the first time! Every trip since has been measured by
that one. 

Speed 5.5 knots Course 38 t Wind NE 10+ Waves NE 1.5 m Clouds 15% Bar 1014 Miles in last 24 hrs: 140 nm