Positon: 01.45 N, 152. 02 W @ 16:30 UTC

Note: To get a closer view of Glenn’s position and enlarge the picture, click on the map.

It was a steady day, steady wind, steady progress south. I spent some time in the cockpit, the rest reading and writing.

I joined the Pacific Seafarer’s Net ( a group of volunteer Amateur Radio Operators ) so every night I can join in the roll call of boats and give my position report when they call my sign and boat name. I registered on their website which will update my position daily. A very interesting group. One fellow I spoke to from Seattle for example, has been travelling with his wife on board their boat for two years. They’re currently in Guatemala. 

Heading: 127 true Boat Speed: 6.7 knots Wind: E 15 knots Swell: E 1.5 Cloud: 10% Bar: 1010 Temp: 26 C

From MaryLou: Welcome new subscribers. We now have a total of 480 registered subscribers from 18 countries! Thanks for all your terrific comments and questions.

Position: 03. 32N, 152. 06 W @noon

Week 5  Last night I was drawn out of my deep sleep by a change in our motion. We had slowed considerably from the time I’d left to find that elusive sleep. The encounters on deck in the middle of the night are a little surreal. I find my headlight which I’ve placed on the top step of the companion way. I struggle a little to get it on right side up, then slowly and purposefully climb the companion way which is like climbing a ladder tilted about 30 degrees and moving as if I’m in the back of a pickup driving down a bumpy road, at speed. My harness is on, and the tether waits, ready for action. I clip it on. Then a quick visual of the scene on deck and off I go. I roll out the jib first and set it.  Then I clip on to the starboard side of the mast and take one reef out. Back to the cockpit. Check the masthead wind indicator which is conveniently lit from below by the running lights.

I turn on the remote GPS in the cockpit and check our heading and if all is well, I’m back down the wobbly ladder. This is done under the light from my headlight in the cool of the night. Tonight I stop at the nav station and tap out an email to ML hoping that when I connect with the land station I will receive a newsy letter from her. I send off my message and tonight I’m rewarded with a download of 1800 bytes!  I read it several times over and digest every word. It leaves me in a pleasant frame of mind. I turn the nav light off and dim the GPS. 

In the darkness of the cabin I stand up holding on to the grab rail and look out the port light. I feel    like David Bowie’s Major Tom. There in front of me on the horizon is a bright horseshoe sliver of a  moon rising out of the ocean and into a dark sky full of stars.A lucky encounter not lost on me. Am I in  outer space on the good ship West Wind II? I drift off into sweet slumber.

      

 

 

 

 

 Course: 190 Speed: 5 knots Wind: E 10 Waves: 1.5 east Temp: 30 c Cloud: 20 %  Bar:              1010 Miles last 24 hr: 120nm  

 

 

Position: 05. 05  N, 151. 43 W @3:00 UTC

It’s very hot here today and I’m trying to hide from the sun. The wind lightened up a little so I’ve been up on deck to take a reef out of both the jib and main. I’m back below now absolutely soaked with sweat.  Time is dragging a little. The nights are long.

I’m having a food bar and a beer for lunch today – too hot to cook an egg or an omelette. I think the rigging is a little lose and when the time is right, I’ll tune it up. I had to do the same thing on Kim Chow last time. 

I was looking at the charts and checking my log book for speed over distance. The best case scenario is that I could be within sat phone reach by the end of the second week of October, but more likely the third week. I am a little further west than I would like, all because of where the ITCZ was located. I’m now through the ITCZs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been on deck again and while I was looking up at the main sail, I noticed one of the tapes that holds the sail to the mast car was hanging off!!! The only solution was to drop the main right away and sew it back together. I dropped the main and tied off the sail. I went below, got my needle, thread, and palm and then back up to try and pull it back together so it could be restitched. Fortunately, the tape was reusable so it turned out to be a simple sewing job. Trying to thread the needle with one hand and stop the horse from throwing me off was the hard part, sewing with the other hand turned to be easy. At least the guy with the fire hose didn’t get wind of it or we would have had a different ball game all together. The main is up and we (Harrison Ford and I) are back on the railway track. YAHOO!  

This morning we were at lat 05 54 N, only 354 miles north of the equator. Today is also an anniversary of sorts, four weeks, our first month at sea. Our distance covered is 3625 nm so an average 144 nm per day. I feel very good about that. 

Heading: 177 True Boat Speed: 6 knots Wind:E 10 – 15 knots Swell: E 1.5 m Bar: 1008 Cloud: 50 % Temp:30 C Miles last 24 hrs:150

 

 

 

 

 

Position: 07. 24 N, 150. 25 W 

We’re moving again and I’ve been running back and forth along the deck. The problem I’m having is the size and direction of the waves coupled with the relatively light winds. Setting a full main is just barely doable as the waves shake all the wind out and the thrashing is unbearable. To avoid that, I keep a few reefs in the main to keep it under control, but then I lose speed.  The same is true for the jib. I tried to use the spinnaker pole to control the shaking and slamming but I found that some of the screws on the track that holds the pole on the mast  have backed out. For now, I can’t raise or lower the pole. When it gets a lot calmer I’ll have to go up there and screw them back in place.

The waves are coming from three directions, from the north east at 2 meters, from the south east at 1.5 meters, and from the east at .5 meters. This is quite unusual but very difficult to make any head way against. West Wind will get some way on and then get hit by  a wave that almost stops her in her tracks and then she slowly works up speed again.

In a fit of frustration I rolled up the jib and unfurled the stay sail. It pulls very well and does not get the wind shaken out of it. Sum of which is we are moving forward at a respectable 4.5- 5 kts and the rig is not being shaken out of the boat. 

Hard work but we are making our way. Trying hard to stay out of the sun.

Course: 220 Speed: 4 kt Waves: NE 2M, SE 1.5 M, E .5M Wind: E <10 kts Cloud: 60 %  Baro: 1011 Temp: 31 C Miles last 24hr: 120nm

Note: Glenn will be sailing close to Kiritimati (Christmas Island), part of the Central Line Islands of Kiribati. Kiritimati has the distinction of being the largest atoll in the world at 217.6 square km and has a population of about 5000.

       

 

 

Position: 09. 23 N, 149. 52  W @16:30 UTC

Hanging out with dolphins was the best thing that happened yesterday. They’re so energetic and graceful. There were at least a dozen of them around the boat. At the time we were sailing quite fast. Several of them were very large and some quite small – different species I think.  I sat in the pulpit seat and whistled to them.They played for at least 10 minutes and then came back two more times. They automatically make you smile with their playful antics. I noticed one of them had a scar on its back and all three times it came back with the others.

It’s been frustrating going nowhere, and now the wind is blowing from the direction I want to go in. It’s hard to make any real progress. But that will change tomorrow, or maybe Friday. I must keep covered – the sun is insidious and sneaks up on you without notice.

The ITCZ has turned out be just what I wanted to avoid. The environment is harsh – intense sun and heat. I remember it well when I was in the Haida. It doesn’t seem to matter if you have weather access or not – it is what it is. I missed the gate by about 12 to 18 hours.

It was so nice to have a swim yesterday. All in all, I did well with what I was given and we will be keeping an eye on the wind through the night. If it changes, I’ll tack in to it.

My next way point is near Malden Island – almost a thousand miles down the road. The clouds in the sunset tonight reminded me of  the ones in the Columbia films with the lady holding the torch. Very commanding.

Heading: 203 true Boat Speed: 4.5 knots Wind: E 5 – 10 Swell: NE 1.5 – 2 m Cloud: 90 % Bar:1011 Temp: 26 C

 

31 58.7 N, 133 00.9 W @0:7:15 PDT

West Wind II is doing 5 knots with all sail up. 

The sky is mostly clear with black cloud down to the eastern horizon. The kettle is on and I am savouring one of the last plums on board. I was up at 6:00 and hoisted sail to a fresh southwest breeze of about 10knots. The wind generator is humming. I have to admit that after hoisting sail, I was drawn back to my warm bunk and enjoyed a sweet snooze. I came to an hour later to the sounds of water rushing past the boat that almost sent me back in to my slumber. A ray of sunshine filled the cabin and upped me from my bunk. 

I’m sorry I missed you earlier. We had technical problems with the equipment. My heart fell when I found that I couldn’t get the computer started. It’s this sort of experience on a small boat when you’re on your own setting off on a voyage such as mine that makes you realize just how important your computer is. I do have a spare, but it too had its share of glitches yesterday. The good news is, it’s another problem solved. I have no doubt there will be many more and we’ll solve those as well.

Once again the kettle is screaming and I’m easily drawn to the aroma of bergamot and the sweet taste of buckwheat honey.

 23 degrees C here and it’s shorts only today!

Welcome aboard to our new sponsor – Globalstar.

 

No position reported

Glenn is currently having technical difficulties with his computer. He hopes to be up and running soon! 

I received this message at 01:50 PDT. 

I was just up taking a reef in the main. Boat speed is 5.5 knots and the wind generator is going well. I discovered the main bolt holding the Fleming was loose. You can’t be too vigilant. Keep your eye on the ball, all day every day! There is a long way to go. Now back to my warm bunk. 

 

34.11 N, 133.50 W off the coast of Southern California

Heading: 123 true Boat Speed: 4.6 knots Wind: SW <10 knots Swell: 1 m Outside Temp: 20 C 
Wind is filling in from the south west. Lots of plastic and debris in the ocean.

A question posted on the blog from Shawn.

Q: It would be great to hear about some of the gear on the boat ie what kind of electronics/software, choices of blocks/winches, wind generator, battery banks. What kinds/sizes of running rigging and standing rigging. You must have a fav. piece of kit!

A: Hi Shawn, good to hear from you. You were asking about the gear on West Wind II.  Power is a good place to start. I have four golf cart batteries, an Aerogen 4 wind generator, two 80 watt solar panels, and a Perkins 4108 with about 40 gallons of fuel. I am running an ICOM M802 ham set. with a Pactor 3 modem connected to a Panasonic tuff book. All the lights are LED and I have a Furuno GPS with a remote in the cockpit.

For music I have a million songs my daughter Nicola downloaded to an Ipod and as well as some talking books. There are random usb sticks with music as well. That’s the quick version. I also have a Prowatt SW 1000 inverter. Power is the big game here. Being off the grid so to speak, you really have to watch your volts.  So, if it’s overcast and there’s not enough wind to drive the Aerogen wind generator, I won’t be playing the stereo much. But if it is sunny and the Aerogen is spinning, watch out lots of tunes and volume. Hope this paints a bit of a picture Shawn thanks so much for your interest. Cheers, Glenn.

We’d like to give a Shout Out to Fleming for posting a story about Glenn’s circumnavigation on their website Latest News page and including a link to our blog. Thank you. It’s much appreciated!

35. 16.9 N,  133 44.7 W @12:00 PDT

Wind: Less than 5 knots Waves: 2.5 metres Sky: Clear Wind light, difficult to steer. No cloud, hot sun. No sleep. Having a tough day!

@0:3:15 PDT

It’s the middle of the night. I’ve been up since before midnight adjusting West Wind’s sails. I knew the winds would eventually die down and shift direction sometime tonight after looking at the Grib files. It is overcast and visibility is only possible with the LED head light. I took two reefs out of the main then accidentally gybed. It is difficult to be up in the middle of the night doing sail changes and slightly more bearable when it is warm. Now for forty winks.

Dawn appears grey. Grey sea and sky low. The wind has gone down and left an unwelcome lump. Through the low clouds a single shaft of light beams down as if searching for someone. A pair of bright white tropic birds circle from overhead. On the deck, a small flying fish, wings spread wide sticks in the scuppers, and from below the kettle whistles demanding to be made into tea. So starts another day at sea.

@ 16:00 PDT

I’m afraid I’ve worked myself into a bad spot. It’s now almost four o’clock in the afternoon and the wind has been very light and the sea very high, the combination of which has worn me out. I’ve been trying to hand steer since the wee hours of this morning.

It’s been a very hot day and I have not been able to get the Fleming to work at all in the light wind. I put a small bracket on it for an auto helm some time ago and as it turns out it is just enough to set it off in light air. It dawned me a hour ago that that might be the problem. I am over tired and have not had enough to eat. The wind has now completely died and I’m just going on deck to drop the sails and take them and me out of this terrible din…

I’m back, I made an adjustment and although there is little wind we are now doing 4.5 knots on a reasonable course so I will suffer with the noise a little longer. The only reprieve will be to take them all down have something to eat and have some sleep. I’m a little stubborn so while I can make some forward motion I will. 

 

 36. 19.8 N, 132. 24.4 W @20:45 PDT

The wind generator is not producing much power on this point of sail, except in the evening. I’m getting power only from my Solar panels at this point and being conservative in my power usage. I’ve been organizing the boat and taking inventory of everything over the last 4 days. Very few sightings so far –  I saw one fish boat last night. One small flying fish arrived on deck this morning. I’m thoroughly enjoying the balmy weather… while it lasts.

Heading: 224 true Boat speed: 7 knots Swell: 2.5 metres N Temp: 22 C in cabin, 18 – 19 C on deck Sky: broken cloud  Miles in last 24 hrs: 150

Behind the blog: 

Welcome to the Going Solo blog. As of today, we have 310 subscribers. We hope you’re enjoying the virtual adventure and we thank you for your comments. We look forward to welcoming more subscribers along the way. 

 

 

37. 05 N, 131. 55 W @12:00 PDT @ 0:8:00 PDT

Week 2 Lovely weather here – mild, sun just burning through, wind still from behind. Doing 7+ kts. Was late getting to bed last night -up reading. Will have to have a nap this afternoon. 

Heading: 204 true. 
Boat speed: 7+ knots. 
Wind: 15 – 20 N
Waves: 3 metres
Sky: Partly sunny
Mood: Up

 

40 05.56 N, 129.54.658 W @0:8:00 

We’re still running before the wind. I was up several times in the night worrying unnecessarily about chafe and how WW II was fairing. The motion is like driving down a roller coaster road in an old truck with no shock absorbers. It’s a little like floating. The sky is overcast but the temperature below is around 20 C. The seas are about a metre to a metre and a half with breaking tops. Last night at sunset, the sun filtered down through the clouds in radiating streaks. Very moody! I have been enjoying my great variety of food, especially the fresh fruit friends dropped off on the day I left – plums, peaches, apples, and blackberries. Trevor Hayward dropped off some rock cakes which I will be very upset to see go.

There are always jobs to do but nothing pressing at the moment. The cataloguing of stores is ongoing and I’m finding more things like my comb! I started a book yesterday called Turning the Tide: How a Small Band of Allied Sailors Defeated the U-boats and Won the Battle of the Atlantic by Ed Offley. It’s about the battle of the Atlantic in World War II and deals with the allied forces and how they dealt with the U-boats. The statistics of that war are staggering to me.

Life on board is evening out a little and some routines are being set. The nap seems to be very popular as is a beer with lunch. I am so exhilarated by the speed of WW II. I’m sure we will have another 200 mile day today. When I wake up in the morning and listen to my surroundings and look around I am still a little surprised to find myself here again. It is amazing to me. 

I don’t seem to spend as much time on navigation as I did last time. I guess I know where I’m going.

 

 

 

42 15.4 N, 128 08.4 W @09:50 PDT

Seas are about 1.5 – 2 m and we are slightly off the wind and the boat is moving in a cork screw motion. Our speed has been great, about 6-7 knots which translates to about 150 miles+ a day. 

I saw a sooty albatross this morning but other than that not much. I am spending most of my time down below as there is water on the deck most of the time. I am also either sitting or lying down – standing is not an option.

WW II is running hard with the wind. I have about 15- 20 knots of wind, we are sailing ‘wing-on-wing’ with two reefs in the main and the kevlar jib rolled into the first reef on the other side with the spinnaker pole holding it out. Average speed this evening is about 7 knots. Coming down some of these waves we hit 9 knots! Last 24 hrs is my first 200 mile day and by the looks of things not my last. I managed to get some small jobs done this morning. 

The cabin is filled with the smell of my stew which I am now going to eat.

 

44 09.4 N, 127 00.6 W @ 12:00 PDT

I’ve been very tired and napping a lot. It will take some time to fill up the sleep bank. I sleep well at night but have to get up every few hours with the weather pattern I’m in at the moment. I have to admit it’s a rude awakening and leaving that nice warm nest takes enormous will power. 

I’m making my first stew which is now brewing on the stove. We’re sailing at quite an angle so I’ve had to use my safety harness while working in the galley. Also doing some maintenance. I’ve had to mend the lee cloth already as the stitching has come apart.

It is important at this early stage to not over stress the rig or the boat. I have a long way to go. Our speed has been exciting and welcome. West Wind II creaks like an old wooden boat when the going is a little tough. A bit disconcerting at first but certainly not a problem. 

I have been able to download Grib files for my weather which is a treat. The electronics are so much better now than before. I found my camera which is a relief. I’ve been listening to some music and will start one of my many books soon. 

Thanks to everyone who sent messages on the blog. Wonderful to hear from you.

48.19 N, 125.06 W @0:7:45 PDT

Sailed in very light wind most of the day yesterday and into the evening. The wind completely disappeared around Sooke which meant I had to hand steer throughout the night. I made it around Tatoosh Island late last night and am now heading out the Straits. Currently doing 1.5 knots with 1.5 metre swells from all directions.

RVYC members Roger and Jocelyn Green spotted Glenn just east of Race Rocks where they were on a salmon fishing excursion and sent these photos. She writes “Glenn was alone except for a few large container ships and a few fishing boats. He looked happy and confident!”

I spoke to a few fishing boats on the VHF radio about my position and managed to catch a little sleep between midnight and 6 a.m. once the I got the sails balanced. It was a beautiful night, the Milky Way spectacular in the night sky.

This morning I saw a few whales and porpoises and lots of sea birds. My first cooked meal on board is a bowl of hot porridge and a pot of tea.

 

  48 16. 94 N  123 34. 8 W @18:20 PDT

After a fantastic send off at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club where dozens of friends and family and well wishers showed up to cheer him on, Glenn let go the lines and set sail at 13:00 PST. 

Tony Gooch, who completed a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation east about in 2003, is officiating Glenn’s attempt. Tony set the official start time at 15:37 PDT ( 23:37 UTC) September 2, 2013. Tony writes “West Wind II crossed the start line, a line drawn almost due south from the prominent post on the north side of Trial Island and the Lighthouse on Trial Island.”

 

He sailed out of Cadboro Bay in a light breeze and rounded Trial Island where he caught 10 – 15 knots of wind. He was doing a steady 7 knots all the way out to Albert Head and came through Race Passage at 18:00 doing 9 knots.

On a satellite phone from the cockpit, Glenn reports a beautiful sunny evening, a steady 10 – 15 knot breeze, the wind generator humming overhead, and very little traffic in the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

He was taking it easy after a more than hectic schedule over the past weeks and months, and had just finished a bowl of his Mom’s macaroni and cheese. He said he was wearing his safety harness and sunglasses, two things he promised to do.

Thanks to everyone who came by to give him a royal send off and to those who sent emails and left messages on the blog. All in all, a fantastic start. 

Read the CBC News World, Huffington Post story. Watch the Global news clip.
To listen to the CBC interview, click on the play button below.