Monday, May 1, 2017

Ham radio operators in Olympia, Washington, El Cajon, California and Vancouver, BC relay messages from VA7MLW marine mobile on WestWind II to home base in Victoria, BC.

Positon: 41.1 N, 136.3 W Distance in last 24 hrs: 160 nm

Shout out to ham radio operator Gary (W7WWI) in Olympia, Washington who pulled a few strings (or wires) and was able to patch me through to Glenn on the radio tonight.  Not sure how that works, but it was great to have a few crackly words across the ocean. Also to Steve (KK6ZUU) in El Cajon, California for relaying Glenn’s familiar “All is well on board WestWind II” message on email tonight. And to Ron (VE7BGK) in Vancouver for relaying his messages.

Thank you all.

Sunday, April 30, 2017

03:10 pm

I’ve been out on deck reading and taking a few photos. There are a pair of Albatross cruising around the boat and one lone Wanderer. My tiny storm petrel is still hold up under one corner of the life raft and not being very sociable. I hope he or she will be ok and fly away.

Still very grey low cloud cover but good steady breeze and we are knocking off the miles. Very cool here. The kettle’s on for more tea.

later that evening …

Sleep seems to be evading me tonight. It’s a beautiful night with a tangerine crescent moon hanging over our port stern quarter. We have 15+ knots of wind coming up on our starboard stern quarter pushing us along at 6 -7 knots with a distinct rolling motion. We’re making good time and the sound below is accentuated by the darkness, occasionally we are moved around but Fleming always brings us back on track.

We made 150 miles in 24 hrs. today,  average overall is about 125 miles. The wind is supposed to build in the early hours of tomorrow and so I will take the last reef in the main and a couple of rolls in the Yankee.

Sleep has been a little hard to get started these last few nights and tonight will be no exception. I’m feeling a little anxious about things but should probably believe in my abilities after all these years at sea. I am going now to give it another try…

Good night Marylou ~~~~~_) ~~~

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Small green circle is WestWind II at 38.43 N, 140.57 W April 29, 2017 @04:45

Position: 38.43 N, 140.57 W

Having another great sail this afternoon (yesterday). Blue sky, sunny, steady wind, WW II sailing off the wind making good time on a great course. Looks like we are just threading our way above the high and below the low headed home.

(From ML) Thanks to the ham radio operators W7ABT in Oregon, and W5AQZ in Denver who heard Glenn on the radio last night and sent me an email to relay his “All is well on board” message. Your thoughtfulness is very much appreciated.

04:15 am Saturday April 29, 2017

I have just finished a tour of the deck and spent an hour and a half repairing a parted reefing line. Wind has died down a fair bit and we are down to 4.5 knots but WW II is still moving well. The sun is coming up in a little while so the sky is flooding with tangerine light. We have a big cloud bank just south east of us that seems to be moving towards us. I have been up several times during the night and feel tired so will be going back to my bunk soon. Its cool here low 60’s and lots of dew on deck.

Big day here as we move on to a chart that shows the west coast and Vancouver Island. 1016 miles to go!

Great run last night. We are halfway home !

Lat 35.55 N
Long 144.46 W
course 045T
Speed 6+knots
Log: 1157 to go

Distance in last 24 hrs: 150 nm

Things are great on board tonight. I have a new stew on the go and looking forward to that. We are making good time and our course is very good. I am so looking forward to sailing on for home. Feels emotional for me. I have done a lot sailing since I left the Straits the first time in our little Haida. I feel very lucky.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Position: 33.45 N, 147. 61 W @ 20:45 Pacific Daylight Savings time

It is a splendid afternoon, the sky is bright blue and the ocean a deep indigo. Our speed is not earth shattering but for a light ten knot breeze coming just off our stern starboard quarter we are doing a respectable 3-4 knots. I can not maintain a course dead down wind or North in this light breeze with a fairly active swell on our quarter because the sails will not hold the wind and Fleming can not steer. I am just off a broad reach with the yankee poled out to Port along with the a triple reefed main. Both sails guyed down as much as possible to keep them from spilling the light wind due to the swell. I have the Ray Marine 2000 electric auto helm doing the steering, which has me running the engine an hour or so to charge the batteries.

The air is warm and pleasant enough to sit outside and I have been doing some reading sitting on the foredeck so all in all a very pleasant sail. I’m reading  The Island by Victoria Hislop set in Crete. Good read. I spend most of my day reading and some time carving another chain. I have good music and the food is excellent. My nights are full of sleep in such conditions as there is no need to be jumping up putting on rain gear to take a reef in the main or jib.

This will change in a few days I’m sure but in the mean time I’m enjoying the whole experience. I realize that all too soon it will be over and I will be back to my regular activities on land dreaming of days like this.

The miles I make at night while I sleep are very sweet. So great to wake up in the morning and look at the GPS and see we have done 40 miles or more. I hope I can keep this weather for a few more days at least till I reach the half way point, which is just 200 hundred miles away. Been a little out of contact here these last few days and looking forward to getting back in touch. Miss you lots.

Monday, April 24, 2017

Lat 30.56 N, Long 149. 36 W

There is a draft wind from the south pushing us very slowly before it. It would seem the good sailing wind and I are just missing each other. I will spend another day practicing my light air sailing skills while trying to dodge the chafe on the lines that inevitability comes with it.

Being out here alone always piques my emotions and all of my senses. Overall, I feel a great deal more, which is the thing I love about it. The difficulty is I feel both the good and the difficult feelings. Loneliness, for instance, I feel to the point of heartache, but it drives me on.

Out here, when you have feelings, they’re rather difficult to escape. They’re intense and my reactions to things are accentuated. This of course makes things more awe inspiring, like the site of the stars on a clear night, the moon rising, that glimpse of a wing gliding over the gale whipped seas. Emotions are concentrated because of the isolation. And for that, I keep coming back. And as soon as I get here, the loneliness descends and it is beside me all the way home  like a force, a yearning that needs to be satisfied.

I’ve been lucky to have had these many voyages and explore my feelings and see where I fit in to the great scheme of things. Little did I know that the fulfillment of a dream that was hatched twenty years ago in our little Haida 26′ in the South Pacific would lead to the many amazing voyages I’ve had.

I’m a lucky man, and if it were not for MaryLou our story would not have been shared. Being out here alone makes coming home and the life I lead on land all that more precious. It comes back to the simple things that I feel that I get the most from. I am looking forward to sitting down to one of MaryLou’s great breakfasts and a good cup of coffee and just talking about things.

My course is as you are aware, is a wiggly line north east. This morning I’m sitting or I should say strolling at the corner of Lat 30′ 56′ N and Long 149′ 36 W in a north easterly direction waiting for my ride.

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Well they don’t make much better days than this for cruising along. Warm sunny day, wind 10 knots, sea calm with overlying swells, not not much, WW II sailing herself and feeling good and in the moment.

Doing some carving and reading, writing and housekeeping. Good food and music. Company today is excellent – well behaved and social, didn’t talk too much and did as he was told. Been at sea a week and as usual our daily average is 100 miles a day, it seems to even out to that number somehow. So we’ll see you in about 16 days.

Ran the engine to charge the batteries and it went fine. I may not have mentioned this but a weld on one of the mounts on the engine has fractured which means that powering is out of the question. The good news is I can still run the engine to charge the batteries. Tried with renewed patience to send SMS on the InReach but apparently not being received at the other end. Not sure where these messages go?

Still heading a little east of north but I’m happy with my course at the moment. Would love to get a long range big picture synopsis of the weather for the next week. For now, I’m trying to keep on the rum line to the Straits so usually around 47 T.

Love to all
Cheers Glenn

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Position: 27.26 N, 153.37 W at 1:58 p.m Pacific Daylight Savings time.

This is what the wind conditions look like near Glenn (the small green circle in the middle) as of early this afternoon.

On the Pacific Seafarers Net roll call tonight, he’ll have his weather report read to him and instructions about how to activate the message feature of his Garmin InReach hand held device. With that in place, he’ll have 140 characters to work with. It’s not email but I’ll take it …short and sweet.

On the call tonight, he reported a boat speed of 7 knots and winds NW 15 knots holding steady. He sounded less tired and a lot more chipper.

There wasn’t time to fully explain how to use the message system tonight so if we don’t get any messages overnight, we’ll repeat the instructions tomorrow. We were able to have Peter read our family messages to him which he always appreciates.

And,  it was nice to hear Barry Mitchell from Australia on the call with his mate Doug and I could also see that Cliff Gray from New Zealand was also listening in.

Friday, January 13, 2017

03:00

All’s well. 122 nm to Honolulu. Boats going well and water is under control. “You gotta love it!”

Just going for a tour on deck and then back to sleep. I was surprised to find a fairly large bird perched on the dodger, sound asleep.

I took several flash shots of it but it didn’t seem to mind. I know very well what it’s like to be woken early.  After adjusting the sails, I left him to sleep. It’s overcast and the breeze is still strong. Our heading is still good!! Lat 19 16 N long 158 06 W

05:30 

Woke to a wind shift from South East to North East which is something I can work with. Our early morning sky is filled with very large dark clouds that look rather ominous. Well time will tell if they are friend or foe. For now, we’re up, as is our fine feathered passenger who is watching from the deck on the lazarrette after leaving a calling card on the front door step. Onward ever onward to our destination.

07:25 

The sun is climbing rapidly out of the sea and our passenger Bella the Booby seems quite happy to be getting a ride and doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to vacate the premises. She’s sitting quietly cleaning herself.  

I feel great, excited and relieved. The sharp bite of anxiety that has been a constant shipmate is losing its grip on me. We have very good conditions so far today which I hope will last for the next 102 nm. We are about 100 miles due west of the big island of Hawaii. Far enough to not be in its shadow. The wind is coming from the North East and with this low seaway, we are able to point to a course of 354, which is only 10 or 12 degrees off the rum line into Honolulu. When I get closer, I can tack and bring us back to where we want to be. All in all, a day to be savoured and enjoyed to its fullest, moment by moment.

I have been forty four days sailing from Gisborne. The distance sailed over the ground will be almost 5000 nautical miles.

I want to say a very warm thanks to all those who have supported me on my voyage through its many ups and downs over these past weeks. Your words of encouragement and kindness have helped me make it through some very difficult times. I send my heartfelt thanks to all the ham operators who came up everyday and lifted my spirits and brought a human touch to my solitary world. Also, I believe there were Coast Guard people from both New Zealand and the US who kept me on their radar. To them I send my thanks as well. Knowing you were there in case I needed you, was huge for me.

Then, there is Marylou my life partner. She’s the one who brought you the story in all its moods and was, as she always is and has been, there for me, quietly and unassuming, behind the scenes, with love and support, every wave of the way.  I love you Marylou and am writing this with anticipation to be with you again soon. Thanks Marylou.

With love, fond regards and very “73’s” (ham radio talk for Best Regards).
Glenn

Friday, January 13, 2017

It is 10:00 pm (Thursday night) we are sailing off the wind not quite a reach but close. WW II is churning out 6 knots and tearing along parallel to a three meter swell set with a period of 4 seconds traveling at 10 knots. In other words every four seconds a swell lifts us three meters as it passes under us broad side then lets us back down. The rhythm is almost smooth and lucky for us those waves aren’t breaking otherwise we would be getting very very wet.  The moon is lighting up our path as we cross each other. It’s mesmerizing to watch which I was for about half an hour, standing up holding on to the dodger in the cockpit.

I’m tired and will turn in soon. I will be up several times to check but I think this wind is steady and so WW II should be fine til morning, 

Two great ham skeds this afternoon, one with Peter on the Seafarer’s net and then with my buddies from around the South Pacific basin. For some it was the last time I will speak to them on this voyage and you can tell we all enjoyed our time on the air waves and will miss hearing from each other. Some I may contact again when I return in June to bring WW II the rest of the way home.

We are definitely knocking off these last hundred miles or so in good fashion as if there was something (or someone) special waiting there. Which of course there is.

We still have 145 miles to go and often those last few miles are the hardest especially without the option to motor if the wind gets light. I should think late tomorrow afternoon we’ll see land, probably at sun set and moon rise, which was spectacular this evening. Big orange Harvest moonrise.

It’s off to bed for this sailor.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

11:40 pm

Stayed up late to reduce sail as the wind built to 20 knots and sea increased to over two meters as did the pump. So I’ve been reducing sail from 10:00 pm on till now. Wind seems to be holding so I will go to sleep and wake later to see how things are. Kind of a wild night on deck with full moon overhead and a fairly big sea running.  Beautiful site, bumpy ride.  

02:25 

All’s well steady progress, 242 Honolulu, Course 025 T, speed 4.5 knots, clear sky full moon. Back to my bunk!

05:20

Mr. Moon is still lighting our way. There are far fewer stars than in the southern hemisphere night sky. Our breeze is still strong and our seaway is causing a lively motion so I’ve kept the speed down to keep the pump happy. We are 232 nm from the prize. The air is cool, t-shirt weather.  I’m not needed on deck so back to my nice warm bunk and sweet dreams.

07:20 

Just watched the sun come up over the horizon standing in the cock pit. Found myself shouting “a very good morning to you sir!” 

Now sitting at the Nav station, the orange light flickers across the head liner. I have a t-shirt on to take the chill out of the cool fresh morning air. While in the cockpit, I let a few wraps off the jib furler winch to make the jib bigger and pick our speed up a bit and I pulled on Fleming’s reins to bring us up into the fresh south easterly breeze which is blowing across a much flatter sea than was running last night.

I have one orange and one grapefruit left so I think we’ll start the day with one of those tropical fruits, a pot of tea and porridge. I’ve had trouble getting good propagation lately so this may not make it to you till this afternoon.

Have a great day honey not long now!

Lat 16 27 N Long 159 35 W Course 16 T Speed 4 knots Wind E 15 knots Waves 2 M Cloud 35% Baro 1016
Miles in last 24hr 105 NM Honolulu 306 nm Easting to lay the mark 45.01 NM

Wednesday, January 11, 2017
01:45 am

A new day. Driven from my sleep with an overwhelming desire to go faster and a vision of you waiting on the dock. I have eased another foot of roller furling line to increase the size of the jib by 30 square feet, another knot faster from 3.5 to 4.5. Motion is still under the limit of pump over recycling. The wind has definitely come round more from the east. In the last 3 hrs, we have decreased our easterly deficit by one nautical mile. We are laying the mark to Honolulu which is now 352 nm. Our full moon has been denied its guiding light to us by heavy cloud. Back to my bunk.

03:40 am 
Winds are lightening up a bit and the sea has come down, let a few more feet of jib out to try keep us around 4-5 knots

Next move is to move the jib sheet block further aft so I can let more jib out and have the right sheet angle, and more sail area. Still hard on the wind to try to make more easting. Eight hours till noon and hope to make more than 100 nm for last 24 hrs. All’s well so back for some more sleep.

07:35 am

Sun is about to come out from behind a large black cloud on the steel grey horizon.  Two meter waves christen another warm windy day. The wind has swung around to the south east and our heading now is 030 T. Boat speed just under around 5 knots and distance to Honolulu is 326 nm. This wind shift is good for us and allows WW II to sail higher than the mark (Honolulu) and make up for the miles we lost to the west in the last few weeks, ( about 50.87 nautical miles). All very good for us at the moment. The pump is recycling a bit too much so may have to slow things down a bit.

Ah there’s the sun filling the cabin with warm pastel light. The 2+ meter swell is still giving us a rough ride. I will ease the sheets and take some of the herky jerky motion out of  it. 

And so begins another day at sea.

Not long now, only three or four days.

I was carving late into the night last night and I accidentally broke the chain link I was just freeing from the block. Bugger! I have glued it back together and we will see if it can be salvaged. Wind very gusty here this morning just trying to find a good combination of sail area, bilge pump strokes and a course to keep us going forward and afloat.

Lots of water over the boat with the occasional full boat deluge that fills the cockpit and seems to drive right through the hatches and on to everything. Loud hull punches that scare me out of my skin with panic. Feels like we have just been blind sided by a truck. It’s like a war zone out here sometimes come to think of it.

Oh my goodness don’t get me started! My reality is rather skewed way off to one side out here, and maybe even right off the chart.

I can hear a lot of people reading this and saying out loud “YOU GOT THAT RIGHT”. I think I’ll make a big pancake and have a cup of tea.

Have a wonderful day and keep warm.