Alaskan Winter

January 12, 2020

Homer, Alaska

January is coming to a close and we are feeling the depths of winter. We have had weeks of serious cold, several blizzards, iced roads and the harbor has frozen. Tumbleweed has been surrounded by ice into place for the past several weeks, with a small gap at water line, enough to rock gently in the breeze or tap against when the winds pick up. Our daily routine revolves around keeping Tumbleweed warm and dry. It is a bit of a hodge-podge set of tasks living in this environment but we are sorting out an approach and enjoying the challenges of spending the winter this far north. 

Homer has been a good place for us to spend the winter and we have few regrets in choosing to stay here, we’ve made good friends and enjoy this community. The kindness and generosity we experienced as we made our way east from Dutch Harbor has continued. It is also a beautiful place with the mountains across Kachemak bay providing a varied daily show of stunning landscape and clouds. Though we are somewhat isolated out here in the harbor, it is 3 miles from the harbor to the shore and another 3 to the grocery store, we love that we can walk on the beach. Sea otters swim and play in the harbor around the boat, even with the ice they lounge at the surface, cracking shells on their stomachs, splashing and diving in complete disregard of the elements.  Several times we’ve heard bubbles against the hull that we think are from a seal, there are several that live in the harbor and pop their heads up to stare at us with their eerie, vacant eyes. 

Homer harbor in late afternoon.

Few fishermen still head out into the bay at this time of year. Bundled up against the cold head they out to sea even when it’s snowing and when they have to work their boats against the ice, bashing out a path from their slip to the main channel. Mostly the small boats have given in to the elements, when the ice was less thick a small boat near us would sit with the engine in reverse for 30 minutes or so, sending a flow of water astern to break up the ice and then clear a path out, banging into the ice and making a channel. The skipper did that for a week then hauled his boat out. Larger boats still make their way to sea but the sinking of the Scandies Rose on New Year’s Eve in nearby Shelikof Strait was sobering news. The 130 foot fishing boat sank after icing up. To think that people are working at sea, in these conditions is humbling. 

I expected to be isolated out in the harbor and that we would need to deal with snow and ice. I confess I was lulled into a fantasy that winter this year would be warmer, that because this past summer was so warm and that the past few winters have been warm, that we would deal mostly with rain and lack of sunshine. But this winter has proved to be one of the coldest in recent memory, according to locals. It was a sudden, rude snap, from days in the mid-40s to dropping overnight to 8 degrees. Going outside can be painful, our walks down the spit or along the beach  temporarily abandoned.

Tumbleweed to the left, the harbor iced up an hour before another snowstorm hit.

Winters living aboard in Port Townsend taught us that humidity on board in winter can be a battle. We bought a dehumidifier shortly after we arrived and run it almost constantly, pulling over a gallon of water out of the air each day. Two small space heaters, one fore, under the salon table, the other aft, in the head directed into the engine compartment, keep the chill off.  Our Webasto forced air diesel heater keeps the temperatures in the high 60’s. We were in the habit of sleeping with only the small space heaters on at night and for a few mornings woke to a toasty vee berth but a cold cabin, usually around 48 degrees first thing in the morning. We added two more low watt space heaters to the mix, more to keep the engine and genset compartments above freezing, they are like beige spaceships and keep areas from freezing but not really warm the boat. If we leave for a few hours we keep only the space heaters running and return to find the boat has dropped to the low 50’s and it will take many hours to get warmed back up. Our neighbors further out on the dock heat their boat with a wood stove so I feel like a wimp to complain about keeping the boat warm.

The short days of winter have been something to adjust to, we are far north of Seattle here at 59 degrees. At this time of year the sun hides behind the Kenai mountains to the south until after 10, then slowly begins to set a glow across the sky before it lifts nominally above the range and begins its westward crawl toward sunset, where sometime not too long after 4 in the afternoon it dips down to the sea and extinguishes itself with a lengthy expiration. When we  experience a full moon the path it takes is strikingly different, rising up near the head of the bay and crossing far north of the sun’s path. I would like to be here for summer when the sun is up nearly all day and it arcs a path north and is rumored to hide for only a couple of hours in the earliest hours of the morning. 

The beach along the spit at the end of January.

Winter weather held off until late December, we had mild temperatures and a couple of light frosts until then. Locals told us that previous winters had been mild, we made a half hearted effort to add warm clothes to our south pacific wardrobe,  but didn’t really prepare for the cold. As the temperature dropped we left the hatches uncovered on the inside so that condensation began to build up layers of ice until the cabin would warm and then the ice would transform into drips that seemed to hunt for our exposed necks or electronics. We finally have sealed all our hatches from the inside with clear plastic and had a warm day where everything warmed up outside to the point where we could thoroughly defrost the hatches and reseal everything nice and dry. It makes a big difference and we should have listened to friends and sealed the hatches  earlier. 

The entrance to the harbor can be choked with ice depending on the wind direction.

Once the temperatures dipped we also lost the use of our water maker. It had been limping along the past couple of months, leaking water under pressure, but it continued to work until the harbor began to freeze and the intake hose choked with ice. We closed the through hull,  drained the line and have reverted to bringing water from shore down the ramp to fill our tanks. It does force us to conserve water and gives us a daily mini work out but I don’t see many other upsides. The water maker needs an overhaul. We have the replacement parts but have been hesitant to dive into pulling it apart because it has at least been working, although we need to clean up a bit of water after each session. It might be best to ship it off for repairs now so that we can use it as we head south in the spring. 

Ice helps to reduce barnacles on the waterline.

These are really just minor grumblings and complaints. We are grateful to be in such a beautiful spot and to have the time to enjoy being this close to nature. The wind howling through the rigging and pace of village life, our time walking the beaches and watching the wildlife around us. Spring is  approaching and soon enough we will be working our way south, for the time being we are enjoying this chapter of our adventure. Each day we get 4 minutes more sunshine and we are noticing the longer days.

Enjoying a mid winter beach stroll with Douglas.

As I was finishing this journal entry I learned that my Uncle Mike had passed away. He had been a big fan of our adventure and we kept up a correspondence during the trip. He was one of the most intelligent, interesting, kind people I’ve known. He was a writer and had a profound creative influence on my life. I am saddened that he has passed on, I will miss our letters back and forth, his book recommendations and creative insights. He was also the last of the Henrys from my father’s era and with him goes a whole library of information and history on part of my family.

Homer For The Winter

Homer Alaska 

October 22, 2019 

Tumbleweed has come to rest for the winter in Homer, Alaska.  Despite the conversations of vicious weather and isolation, we are looking forward to a season up north.  Settling in for several months has a deep appeal after so many months on the move. As far back as Fiji, we have been continually on the move, researching our next destinations, tracking weather, managing boat repairs, juggling life aboard in a foreign port with all the daily adventures around domestic tasks that entails. We have not been in a single place for more than a month since we left Opua in New Zealand. There has been an underlying emotional cost to being unsettled, offset by the thrill of our adventures and the enjoyment of the beautiful places we were traveling to be sure, but the chance to settle in for a bit and recharge before heading south in the spring feels really good. 

A brown bear at Agripina Harbor.

The marina is at the end of a three mile long spit that runs into the Kachemak bay. Homer is a terminus of the Alaskan road system, leaving us at the end of the end of something. The spit is two lanes of road with a slice of beach on either side,  with a tidal range of up to 28 feet that can reduce the beaches to a thin sliver or expose long shallow flats at low tide.  Across from the marina is Kachemak Bay State Park with a spectacular range of mountains and glaciers that are now showing light dustings of snow at the higher elevations. 

Douglas on the boardwalk at King Cove.

Homer is connected by road to Anchorage and for most of the year to the greater world. In winter this area typically is hit with severe weather, high winds, deep snow, ice, sub-freezing weather, though all tempered by proximity to the sea. Weather is high on our topics of conversation and the answers are inconsistent. The past few winters have been warmer than usual, but long time Homer residents are quick to point out, perhaps even relish, that weather on the spit can be horrible, with storm surges sending water, rocks and debris over the road, where it can ice up and block passage to town. We have also been warned of high snow loads on boats, enough that boats left untended have been sunk in the marina. 

Leaving Dutch Harbor in late August we planned to make for Kodiak as quickly as possible. We were considering wintering over in Kodiak or Cordova. With a good weather window we left Dutch Harbor for King Cove sailing overnight with excellent conditions. For the next few weeks we traveled as the weather allowed and watched as summer gave way to fall. We had days with gentle breezes and sunshine followed by days of rain and high winds that kept us tucked away in marinas and coves that dot the Alaskan peninsula. It was a slow, methodical method of traveling and we struggled for balance. We wanted to find a home for the winter but we were in places of such exquisite beauty, so remote and raw, that we wanted to linger. 

Geographic Harbor.

Alaska is unlike any other area we have visited. Along the peninsula the landscape is dramatic with a range of volcanic cones, rugged peaks, vast upthrusts of continually changing and exposed geology. From Dutch Harbor eastward we did not see more than a small stand of  trees until we reached Geographic Harbor. The Aleutians and a great section of the Alaskan Peninsula are instead covered with a dense, brushy ground cover. We anchored in deep coves surrounded by snow capped peaks, and also in the lee of islands more exposed than we would normally prefer. When the worst weather was in the forecast we had no trouble finding a secure port, but we needed to stay ahead of the weather and often the forecast would differ from the reality. Along the peninsula there are  many micro climates and it is impossible to forecast for each section. Winds from the Bering sea can sweep over the peninsula, gathering speed and blasting through valleys. What might begin as a 20 knot breeze in Bristol Bay could accelerate through to 50 knots or greater. 

Whales were gathered in large numbers, feeding and tending to their young. They appeared often during our passages.  We often spotted many of them surfacing, sometimes popping up for a view. At times the horizon might be lined with the smoke like puffs of their exhalations. Other times they would surface too close for comfort and we would change course to keep a safe distance.  Often the exhalations of the whales around us would hang in the air, small clouds like smoke over the water. They are majestic creatures, moving in their own frame of time but with a certain grace as they rose for air, and turned to dive, their tails slipping under the sea. 

Sea otter in Kodiak Harbor.

We also saw many grizzly bears. At most anchorages they strolled the shores eating salmon, or turning over rocks and logs searching for food. Many of the bears we saw were mothers with cubs, the young  would wrestle and play, lazily strolling the beach, seemingly oblivious to the world around them. 

Sea otters were also abundant. Quirky animals, floating on their backs snacking on crab or sea urchins, adrift in their own gastronomical thoughts. They have beautiful fur that they groom constantly to maintain their warmth. I would often glance out a port light and watch as an otter floated around on its back, a snack on its belly, grooming itself and staring at the sky. It is easy to imagine sea otters as Homer Simpsons of wild.

Our friends Catherine and Bruno on Nosy Be, en route to Sutwick Island.

In small towns and villages we were often given fish or crab, and welcomed with conversation and local insights. Told where to find blueberries, where to spot wildlife, about the local weather and best anchorages in the route ahead. There is a generosity of spirit and an openness among people that we have met since arriving in Alaska. It is something we have experienced in other remote areas but it feels somehow different. In Geographic Bay we were invited aboard to join the owners and their friends for dinner on an amazing vessel, a 94 foot research boat home bound and taking a group of friends along for an end of season trip. In other places we’ve had fishermen swing by on their skiffs for a chat, once to invite us to go caribou hunting,  or if we were at dock, give the hull a little tap to say hello and ask about our travels. In Kodiak we were befriended by a woman who brought us smoked salmon, home baked cookies and drove us all over the island. We have friends that we have corresponded with since we had engine trouble as we approached Dutch Harbor. The people we have met since arriving in Alaska are a large part of what has made our last couple of months such an amazing experience. We are meeting kind and generous people in Homer which I am sure will be vital to keep us from going stir crazy over the winter. 

Douglas in summer sailing mode.

Reading back through our Farkwar posts from the past couple of months I’m reminded of the overwhelming beauty of the wilds as we traveled from Dutch Harbor. Anchored in some of the most pristine and remote spots of our travels, and the wildlife that moved through the world around us was so much more abundant than in our other destinations. Douglas and I talk about returning to Alaska for extended cruising in the future.

Dutch Harbor to Homer Farkwar Posts 

August 24, 2019 

We are in King Cove after a 36 hour passage from Dutch Harbor. A beautiful trip along the uppermost edge of the North Pacific with the Aleutians to the north. Whales sending up massive spouts of water lined the southern horizon while large numbers of them were feeding along the shores of the many islands we passed. There is so much raw, rugged and remote beauty here, a stunning stretch of the world.  The light winds forecast became winds in the 20’s gusting to 30 knots for much of the night, at times we were sailing at 8 knots under double reefed main and double reefed genoa. It was a wild ride. We departed Dutch shortly after 9 yesterday morning and tied to the dock here at King Cove at 21:00. Feels good to be buttoned up, extra lines and fender out, listening to the winds howl. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 08/24/2019 11:40 (utc) our position was 55º03.239'N - 162º19.611’W

August 25, 2019

Volcano Bay feels mostly detached from the known world. A grizzly is feeding along the shoreline, there are flocks of white birds that scatter, drifting like a cloud before settling, wildflowers color the landscape with washes of purple and in the distance are hills and ridges that are covered in mist, each receding with less definition until there is nothing but a wall of swirling mist. Salmon are spawning across the bay, many jumping and slamming onto the water’s surface while others are up along the shore, leaping and thrashing about, waiting to be snagged by a grizzly. We departed King Cove in a moment of respite from the winds that had kept us pinned to the dock, this morning the winds slacked as we were sleeping and in the moment of silence we jumped from bed, fired up the engine, tossed off the lines and made a run for it. We had been seeing 20 knots on the beam pretty much since our arrival and had been working out various strategies for our departure but were grateful for the option to make a less complicated exit. We passed through a collection of small islands and bays, at times in sunshine, at times in rain, winds slacking to a few knots and then gusting into the 20’s. We kept well reefed and ran the engine when needed, we were in no hurry and enjoyed the scenery. It feels like the seasons are changing, that there is a shift in the seasons, the weather is so volatile and there is a chill to the air. But maybe that is just typical of summer at this latitude. . All's well on Tumbleweed. <BR/>

At 08/24/ 2019 11:40 (utc) our position was 55º 13.638' N 162º 1.332' W

August 27, 2019 

We are anchored deep in Zachary bay, behind a domed islet. The scenery is overwhelming in its beauty. In every direction there are pristine landscapes, mountains, plains, cliffs that line the bay and snow capped volcanoes in the distance. We past a small fishing boat at the mouth of the bay but tucked back depths where we are now it seems as though this area has been forgotten and unvisited. We are anchored in 35 feet, well set in mud. Our sail from Volcano bay was past mountain ranges and along the shores of several islands with the Alaskan peninsula to the north. We upped anchor in 20 knots of wind while seven grizzly bears foraged on the shore. The days weather was a mix of a bit of everything, winds in the 20’s that gusted to 30, then would die out and leave us trying to make way with a few knots of wind but left over chop. We made the mistake of assuming the weather had turned to light airs and were caught with full main and genoa when the winds suddenly piped back up to 20 knots. At times we ripped along at 8 knots and at other times we struggled to make any headway. It’s been a while since we’ve experienced such dynamic conditions. It felt like we made more sail changes and tacked more than our whole passage from Japan. Happy to be in this stunning anchorage. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 08/28/2019 04:40 (utc) our position was 55º20.196'N - 160º36.328’W

September 3, 2019 

At anchor tonight in the beautiful Chiachi bay with our friends on Nosy Be a few boat lengths away. We had an excellent day of sailing from Sandpoint, mostly downwind with boisterous seas. The landscape is stunning, this anchorage is surrounded on three sides by steep valleys covered in lush grasses. A whale spouted in greeting as we approached, puffins abound, eagles hunt the beach. The forecast is for five nights tonight but sounds more like twenty in the rigging. Tomorrow early we move Toward Chignik to get ahead of the next weather front approaching. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 09/03/2019 11:40 (utc) our position was 55º50.742'N - 159º06.413’E

September 4, 2019 

We are Chignik for the next couple of days, waiting out high winds forecast in the next few days. We left Chiachi Bay this morning shortly after first light. The winds from yesterday died out over night and we had a restful sleep, Chiachi was calm and protected with solid holding. The coast of the Alaskan peninsula in this area is mostly raw cliff line that  often drops from distant valleys and soft shouldered hills abruptly into the sea as though the land was clawed off by some monstrous sea creature. Whales abundant, we passed perhaps a couple dozen feeding and doing various surface displays. Along one cliff we passed hundreds of birds flocking around a school of small fish, mixing in with the various gulls and plain coastal birds were a large number of puffins. There is something so delightfully ungainly and awkward about puffins, there attempts at taking flight often end with them flapping off the top of a wave only to bounce off the water a few times before calling it quits and deciding they’d rather float around a bit. The marina is Chignik is newer, well built and set up. There is a long transient dock immediately after entering the harbor. When we arrived we had it to ourselves but a couple of fishing boats have joined us for the night. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 09/05/2019 04:40 (utc) our position was 56º18.242'N - 158º22.795’W

September 8, 2019 

After waiting out a rough patch of weather in Chignik, we sailed on to Sutwik island today. At Chignik we were welcomed with generosity and genuine kindness. A really neat village, remote and tucked along at the end of the bay against a mountain. Fishermen gave us several beautiful salmon fresh from the sea and pointed us to a choice spot for picking blueberries. There was no rain in Chignik during the month of August but I think the deluge that rolled through topped off the reservoirs nicely. We arrived a day after the grocery store had closed for the season and the famous donut shop and bakery was also closed. We were left to forage for ourselves and picked enough blueberries for a couple of nice breakfasts. Chignik marina is 6 years old and well maintained, it was an excellent place to sit through the weather that passed through. We saw solid 48 knots on our instruments and gusts were higher. This morning we pulled away at first light with six knots of wind and motored out into the outer bay where we picked up a few more knots and set main and genoa with a double reef with the staysail as well. Once we cleared the outer harbor the winds quickly built into the high teens before settling into a really nice beam reach in the low 20’s, we had a fine passage flying along at 7.5 to 8 knots much of the time to Sutwik. There was some residual swell left over from the high winds of the previous couple of days and we surfed some nice waves as we approached Sutwik. The anchorage here is fine for SW conditions, we are well set in what I think is either sand or mud, exposed to the North. Not many options between here and Agripina, our destination for tomorrow. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 09/08/2019 04:40 (utc) our position was 56º34.998'N - 157º16.634’W

September 9, 2019 

Kate and Paul on Iolea described Agripina as one of their favorite anchorages in all their years of cruising. It is an amazing harbor, forlorn, remote, with a narrow passage that took us close to rough hewn rock islets, serene in this calm weather but I can imagine the violence of the sea when a storm sets in. The entrance from the pacific is past several rocky islands with long, curved beaches to each side. This is a mountainous section of coastline and there are several formidable peaks in view as we entered, one with a large ice field. There are no trees yet on this section of the Alaskan peninsula, the rocky landscape is either covered in dense, low lying vegetation or  bare rock. The anchorage is well sheltered and  holding is excellent. To the north the cove shallows and there is a beach with dense grasses running up a valley. This evening we watched a massive grizzly bear amble out from the grass and take a stroll on the beach. High winds are in the coming forecast so we plan to wait out the weather here for a couple of days before continuing up the coast to Geographic Harbor. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 09/10/2019 02:56 (utc) our position was 56º6.794'N - 156º28.553’W

September 12, 2019 

At anchor tonight in peaceful and nicely sheltered Big Alnichak Bay after a long haul from Agripina Harbor. Anchor up at first light this morning in light rain and little wind at Agripina Harbor. Leaving the shelter of the harbor we hit large swell that hit the entrance to the bay but did not enter. A few miles from shore we headed north and had following seas with wind on the beam. For much of the day we flew along at 7 or 8 knots often surfing down the large swell that built up with yesterday’s high winds. In the afternoon the winds diminished and we motor sailed the last stretch into this beautiful bay. The sea hits a steep wall at the mouth of the bay, rising from 800 feet to a little over a hundred in a short distance, resulting in the largest swell we rode of the day, two to three meters. Just before heading into the bay we were riding the big swell and dodging logs and other debris lifted from the nearby beaches but once we made our way behind the protection of the headlands that shelter the bay the sea calmed anchoring in nearly flat waters. This is another beautiful anchorage, well sheltered on three sides, though open to the east, with long, sandy beaches around the bay and numerous waterfalls running strong from the rain of the last few days. We have seen sea otters and seals in the bay,many whales were feeding along the cliffs we passed before arriving. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 09/13/2019 05:56 (utc) our position was 57º48.131'N - 155º18.631’W

September 14, 2019 

Geographic Harbor is one of the most stunning anchorages we have found ourselves on this trip around the pacific. Surrounded on three sides by peaks dusted with volcanic ash we are anchored in a small cove off of the main two bays that make up the harbor. This anchorage is famous for bear watching, we are expecting sightseers to arrive by plane at any moment, but so far we have not seen bears though several sea otters and bald eagles. The entrance to the bay is through a collection of rugged islets and rocks awash in surf, up a long narrow channel into the protection of this inner bay.  Only a whisper of wind has stirred the surface of the bay, for the most part it is mirror calm. Trees are again a part of the landscape, and the shores of the harbor are covered in a dense mixture of grasses and shrubs, many in bloom, with dandelion seeds caught in the light airs and drifting over the water. It is an idyllic spot. All's well on Tumbleweed.

At 09/143/2019 00:56 (utc) our position was 58º06.649'N - 154º33.902’W

September 17, 2019 

We departed Geographic Harbor and the Alaskan Peninsula for Kodiak Island this morning. We had light winds for a few hours but they soon dismissed and we motor sailed with the staysail up mostly to give us lateral support in the beam seas. It was rainy and soon the peninsula behind us and the islands ahead were all shrouded in fog. At times we were in a full grey out, every direction a light grey wall, the sea maintained at 18 percent grey for the most part. Bare Island is tucked back in Dry Spruce Bay, there are lodges and cabins along the shore and a cannery further back. The hills are covered in trees, full sized firs, we have not seen a full forest for months, the Aleutians and the peninsula are devoid of trees. The comforting feeling of again being amidst forests is offset by the large fishing vessel washed ashore on the beach nearest where we are anchored. Stripped of all essentials, it appears to have been here for some time. Tomorrow morning we’ll be up at first light to get into position to transit Whale Passage and make our way to Kodiak, where we hope to settle or at least advance the question, where are we spending the winter?  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 09/18/2019 02:15 (utc) our position was 57º57.012'N - 153º03.725’W

September 18, 2019 

Calm morning of motoring through Whale passage and on to Kodiak. We used Navionic’s tide forecast for Whale Passage and it was accurate. Topped off the fuel tanks at the nicest fuel dock we’ve been to in memory. Settled into Kodiak’s inner marina for the next few days. They are booked up solid so we are planning on moving to Homer with the next good weather window.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 09/19/2019 04:15 (utc) our position was 57º47.263'N - 152º24.554'W

September 28, 2019 

After a morning of beautiful sailing in ugly weather we dropped anchor in an arm of Izhut Bay. Kodiak is well protected behind a cluster of small Islands and in the marina this morning all was calm. As we left the shelter of the islands winds above 20 knots were waiting for us and the flat seas grew into short, choppy, brutish waves. Visibility was poor with fog and rain surrounding us.  With the winds and seas on the beam we made excellent time though, with the aid of current we were soon romping along at 7 to 8 knots at times hitting 9. It was a pounding ride, when at the helm we had a foot on the cockpit combing with water racing below and the waves sometimes crashing aboard. Larger waves that aligned just right swept over the deck and over the helmsman. It was thrilling, but cold and tiring. It was nice to tuck into Izhut bay and find this calm cove waiting for us. We anchored in 25 feet, surrounded by a rugged shore with a few small beaches, mostly rock that meets the water, low hills around us so no worries of williwaws. Keeping an eye out for Kodiak bears. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 09/28/2019 21:36 (utc) our position was 58º12.488'N - 152º19.582’W

September 30, 2019 

The weather forecast for the next few days is looking grim, storm warnings to the north and a couple of ugly low pressure systems rolling through. Izhut bay was beautiful and we enjoyed the solitude but we did not think it would be the best place to be if the system comes over us. At night as Tumbleweed drifted about the bay in the slack winds we could hear the anchor dragging over rocks, if there are strong winds coming we’d prefer that the anchor be well lodged in mud. This morning the winds were calm and the seas flat, we motored around the corner to Kitoi Bay, there is a hatchery at the head of the bay and several tidy buildings. The surrounding hills are scarred and plucked from logging, with young fir trees replanted and beginning to take hold. A small plane was taking off as we entered the bay, a change from the emptiness in the next bay over. Kitoi is nicely tucked away for weather from the north but it appears it might not be a good spot for hiding from easterlies. We’ll be here a few nights and then make our way to Discoverer bay and then on to the mainland. Weather depending we might head for Redfox bay to make the passage or sail directly from Discoverer. The waters between Afognak and the mainland are notoriously awful in bad weather so we plan to wait for the stars to align in our favor. Shortly after arrival we watched a large bear stroll along the shore, our first sighting of a Kodiak bear. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 09/30/2019 20:36 (utc) our position was 58º11.331'N - 152º21.777’W

October 3, 2019 

Port Graham is a well sheltered harbor with good holding, well marked but not the best for a night arrival. We took advantage of excellent weather to cross from Afognak Island to the Kenai peninsula. The waters around the Barren Islands are notorious for their rough seas and winds in bad weather. Deparing Kitoi Marina at 4am, it was pitch black and Douglas was at the bow keeping watch for logs. We had light winds,  smooth seas and motored much of the day, in the afternoon we were able to motor sail adding a knot to our speed. Tidal currents run strong on either side of the Barren Islands, since it is such a long passage we had to plan for having the current against us part of the day and having the current with us as well as slack tide. The weather and currents worked to our advantage and we had a good stretch where we sailed at 9 knots. The Barren Islands were beautiful, they took volcanic and severe, but in the sunlight they were spectacular. We anchored in Graham bay at 21:30, setting well in deep mud. A quiet and calm night after a 95 mile run, our longest anchor to anchor single day run. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 10/04/2019 05:30 (utc) our position was 59º21.420'N - 151º49.006’W

October 4, 2019 

Homer, Alaska. Since leaving Japan in early July we have been on the move searching for where we would spend the winter. We left Japan intent on spending the winter in Port Townsend but after our detour to Dutch Harbor and realizing we had missed our best weather window for sailing south, we decided to find a spot in Alaska for the winter. Kodiak was a strong contender but turned out to be over popular and there was no space for us. We considered Cordova but the isolation due to the ferry system being shut down and the lack of roads to the rest of Alaska took it off the list. Homer has been highly recommended as having a great community and a nice marina. We arrived this afternoon after a smooth passage from Port Graham and are looking forward to wintering here. The marina is nice and well sheltered, the landscape is stunning, across Kachemak Bay we can see a string of mountains and glaciers. The marina is at the end of a 4 mile long spit with long sweeping beaches to each side of the road on the spit. Should make for good walks and exploring. This evening we are happy to be at rest, it has been so many months since we have been somewhere we can feel settled for a few months. Could be a while before our next update, though we hope to sail this winter in the region and look forward to exploring Prince William sound.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 10/04/2019 22:00 (utc) our position was 59º36.420'N - 151º25.687’W

Dutch Harbor

Dutch Harbor, Alaska

After thirty two days at sea the faint forms of islands in the Aleutian chain began to take form out of the fog and mist. Sea birds increased in number, we saw puffins for the first time, whales surfaced in the distance, the scent of the shore was intense with kelp and earth. The thrill of impending arrival, the sense of danger of an unknown shore, and the understanding  that we were soon  to enter society.  That our adventures and isolation at sea would be traded for the comforts and entanglements of the civilized world.

Dutch Harbor’s small boat marina from above. Tumbleweed in the center, Nosy Be is the red sailboat just forward of Tumbleweed.

The sighting of land after a long passage was emotional. After weeks of sailing through fog, under overcast skies, to watch as islands in the Aleutians began to take form out on the edges of the horizon, was such a complicated mix of joy at arrival, with a thrilling sense of danger at closing on land, but also a small sense of loss, that as we made our way through the last leg of our passage we would be trading the isolation and adventure of life at sea for the comforts and familiarity of live on land, once again members of society. 

Our final approach brought us through Umnak pass, between Umnak and Unalaska islands. We had timed our arrival for the brief slack tide, when the tidal shifts between the Bering sea and the Pacific Ocean take an ever so brief pause. The winds were light and though we had our staysail up for stability it was of little effect, we motored across calm waters, marveling at the beauty of the landscape, sighting puffins for the first time and many whales feeding in the area. After weeks of a many grey shaded world it was an explosion of life and landscape that in the moment I found deeply moving. We had a challenging passage and it felt so good to be making our way through the final miles under our own power. 

Goodbye Japan! A few minutes later we departed from Wakayama and began our passage to Dutch Harbor. Photo by Bruno Calle of SV Nosy Be.

Leaving Japan our major concerns were weather related. In a passage longer than a few days it is difficult to build a weather forecast with much accuracy. July is when the typhoon season begins to shift gears, there is an historic low period during the first two weeks of July, when over the past 50 years there have only been 6 typhoons during that period, but as the days move along into late July and August, the frequency of typhoons that sweep through Japan and up into the northern pacific increases greatly. There is a massive spike in typhoon activity and storm force lows that sweep north along the east coast of Japan and into the gulf of Alaska. From a weather perspective we did well and avoided any serious low pressure systems and there were no typhoons that struck Japan during our passage. A couple threatened to spin up and one typhoon gained force and struck China shortly after our arrival, causing loss of life and massive damage. But we were fortunate and mostly had good weather, the times we had high winds they were manageable and we were able to sail through. 

We departed Wakayama in beautiful weather, Catherine and Bruno of Nosy Be departed minutes ahead of us and we waved at each other at the dock and wished each other fair passages. In the weeks ahead we would check in with each other daily and look forward to updates on the other’s passage. Throughout the passage when we checked out email we would ask - is there a note from Momsie? Is there a note from Nosy Be? Over time our world would become reduced to such a small space on the water, the giant expanse of life in the south pacific would often become just the deck of Tumbleweed, a sea bird or two hunting the nearby waves, and a wall of fog a mile or two, but often less, away. 

July 7th was a Sunday and as we left Wakayama we passed through a massive fleet of fishermen of all sorts out of the day. Mostly small boats out for a day trip and taking advantage of the calm weather. But there must have been a run of some species of fish as there were also areas of intense commercial fishing activity. We sailed past several groups of fishermen that were dragging nets, several boats alongside each other trailing nets as they combed the seas. These are the waters that lead into Osaka bay and there is an incredible amount of commercial shipping that runs through that area as well. Cargo ships, tankers, local freighters, massive car carriers, all passing each other and running alongside Tumbleweed and the hundreds of little local boats enjoying a Sunday summer day. At times nerve wracking as we were trying to sail through all this craziness, but also beautiful in a way, so much activity at sea and the boats were colorful and there was a sense of purpose and industry. A beautiful send off from Japan. 

Salmonberries were abundant. A nice change from our diet of passage food.

For the first few days of the passage we had nice weather but light winds and tried to find a balance where we could just keep the sails happy but also make progress away from the coast. Our goal was to get as much easting in as we could to move out of the busy shipping channels and to get clear of the typical paths of typhoons. We looked at typhoons over the past 50 years, their paths and what weeks they appeared over the summer. Getting as much easting in as possible, early in the trip looks like a good plan. Something we realized as we prepared for departure was that departing from Wakayama and the Osaka Bay area, presents its own weather related challenges. The ideal conditions for sailing east and getting distance from Japan create conditions that make it very difficult to depart Osaka Bay. We were able to take advantage of a couple of days of light winds to leave but would have preferred to depart with stronger winds to reduce motoring and make higher miles in the first few days. But stronger winds created headwind conditions with choppy waves that would have made departing in those conditions slow and brutal. It would be worth considering to depart from a port with easier access to the sea, and a vote for departing from Hokkaido if time allows. 

On previous passages our challenges have been weather related. We have had to deal with squalls, lighting storms, days of no wind leaving us adrift and of course days of heavy weather the have left us uncomfortable and wishing for more of those days adrift. On this passage our engine began to give us trouble and after starting slowly a few times, would not start at all. We spent days tracking down every possible cause of the problem. We had so much great help from friends, it was very uplifting to see their suggestions come in. Our friend Geoff on Enough was a real hero, offering advice and suggestions along with a good dose of humor to keep us going. Initially we had a sense we’d quickly find some loose or corroded wire. Douglas went over every connection with a multimeter and also cleaning every connection whether it needed it or not. There were a few “This is it!!” Moments when he found a little corrosion or a loose wire but for days the engine would not start. 

Our generator, which had been running fine, but leaking a small amount of diesel, also decided to implode. One day we smelled diesel in the bilge and saw that the generator had somehow managed to leak 2 liters of diesel and some amount of coolant. We took it offline and plan to work on it over the winter. 

With not engine driven system to create electricity we had to rely on solar and our wind generator to keep our batteries charged. But we had been in a fog bank or the sun obscured by clouds for weeks and that was to continue until we arrived in Dutch Harbor. The wind generator has a narrow window of wind that it will operate under - too little and it won’t turn, too much and it turns itself off, so as we went through days of high winds the generator produced no amps. The house batteries that run the chart plotter, radar, lights, etc would take on a small charge during the days and then plummet at night. These type of batteries need to be kept topped off, and not deeply discharged, they can be ruined if dropped too low. So each night we listened for wind as the battery dropped and we cringed. 

As we approached the Aleutian Islands we realized that we might not be able to start the engine. We sent emails to people who had offered to help us in town and talked with a tugboat company about a possible tow and with a local man who offered to tow us as well. A commercial tow would have cost thousands of dollars if they had to come out to the pass to pull us through. We did not want to have to sail through a pass, the timing is critical with transiting passes such as these. To the north is the Bering Sea, to the south the entire Pacific Ocean. As the tides change there is a massive amount of water surging between the islands and the passes. Our experiences with tides and passes when we sailed to Sitka a few years ago taught us to be cautious and wait for ideal conditions. If we were able to sail through the pass we would have to have an engine available if something went wrong. We began to consider sailing on to Kodiak, another 500 miles, or to keep going to Port Townsend, another 1900 miles. With our battery situation becoming critical we were started to feel boxed in by our options. 

A juvenile bald eagle. There is an incredible amount and diversity of wildlife in Alaska.

On many boats the starter battery and the bank of batteries that are used to power the rest of the devices are kept separate. In the end the culprit was a bad starter battery that was giving off what appeared to be healthy readings. Most boats, as Tumbleweed will have in the near future, have a switch that allows for combining the house and starter batteries. We don’t have that option. Instead, Douglas wired in a massive cable to connect the house and starter so we could draw from the house bank to start the engine. And it worked. I don’t think there were many people that were as happy as us in the northern hemisphere.  300 miles out of Dutch Harbor we were able to motor in light winds and power up our batteries. 

Douglas picking salmonberries. We caught the last few days of summer, adding fresh picked blueberries and salmon berries to our breakfasts.

The last couple of days we had a mix of sailing and motor sailing to Dutch Harbor. We were welcomed to town by our friends on Nosy Be, who had arrived two days before us, and the family on Muktuk. The marina was full but Muktuk graciously invited us to tie alongside. It was around 10:30 at night but there was still plenty of light. After 32 days at sea the calm and security of being in the sheltered harbor, tied alongside Muktuk, we were finally able to let our guards down, we were happy, exhausted, overwhelmed by the sights of land and society. George,  who handles customs and immigration, came aboard moments after we arrived and cleared us officially into the country.  After three years traveling the pacific, Tumbleweed was again in US waters. 

Dutch Harbor has areas with canneries and commercial buildings, but the islands and landscape around the community are still wonderfully raw and pristine. The imprint of the community is relatively small.

Dutch Harbor has been an ideal place to sort out our plans for the next leg of our journey. We were able to replace the starter battery and the engine is starting quickly again. Tumbleweed has been cleaned and organized. The delays caused by dealing with the engine have put us back a bit. It is late in the season to be heading south, there are already heavy weather systems hitting the coast in SE Alaska. Our plans have changed and instead of sailing for Port Townsend this season we will be staying in Alaska and sailing south next spring. Our top candidate at the moment is Kodiak, but we are also considering Cordova. Both have a lot of interesting attributes. Tomorrow morning we plan to set out from Dutch Harbor and make our way to Kodiak and see if that will work as a home for the winter, if we are not able to find a slip then we’ll continue on to Cordova. 

Below are the notes we posted to Farkwar while on passage:

Wakayama to Dutch Harbor

July 8, 2019 

At six yesterday morning we pulled away from our slip at Wakayama Marina City Yacht Harbor after watching Catherine and Bruno on Nosy Be depart a few minutes earlier for Dutch Harbor Alaska. We motored out under a sky coming alive with daybreak and light winds, flat waters. It was a Sunday and already the bay was filled with commercial and recreational fishermen along with the never ending convoy of commercial vessels running from Osaka bay out to ports all over Japan and the world. Our goal for the day was to get off shore and away from shipping traffic and all the seaweed and man made debris closer to shore to that end we took on extra diesel and planned for motoring when the winds proved too light for sailing. We motor sailed part of the day until late morning winds let us sail most of the afternoon but as they died late in the day we motored all night to dodge ship traffic and move away from shore. The engine is handy but such a noisy beast it was nice to have winds again this morning and be able to sail today. It’s beautiful here, silver overcast skies, 13 knots of wind sailing close hauled. Tonight we will tack toward Tokyo bay a few hours before tacking back away from shore to head east. 4400 miles to Port Townsend, feels really good to be at the beginning of this long planned and awaited passage. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/08/2019 04:28 (utc) our position was 33º35.860'N - 137º09.321’E

July 9, 2019 

This is actually our third day out, I should have listed yesterday as day two, time is already flying by. Although the forecast called for light winds we have seen winds hovering around 20 knots since last night. We are crossing the Kuroshio current and have been experiencing short choppy waves while sailing closed hauled making for a bumpy ride, last night was boisterous and we were knocked around a bit. Last night we replaced a pin that holds one of the mainsail battens, it had rusted through, tonight we repaired a section of the Genoa furling line that chafed last night, a first, not sure what caused that, will monitor closely. Otherwise we are doing fine, just the usual issues with starting a passage after so many months of coddled sailing. We were visited by four what I took to be whales, three doing a synchronized surface and dive near where I watched from the cockpit. Maybe Minke whales? Still not clear of Japanese waters but making good progress and are well out of the shipping channel tonight. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/09/2019 10:28 (utc) our position was 33º25.203'N - 138º49.666’E

July 10, 2019 

Coming on watch at 04:30 as the sun’s glow was beginning to light the sky,  Hachijo Shima island stood out in silhouette off our port bow. It stood watch over us through the day and only began to recede in to the haze of clouds in late afternoon. We spent Last night and much of today wrestling our miles from the sea. With 20 knot headwinds much of the past 24 hours and choppy confused seas we have had many ungentlemanly hours of going to weather. It is a slog bashing into the seas hour after hour with water crashing over the deck and at times washing all the aft up and over the dodger and spraying inside the cockpit. Below it is like being hit by a wrecking ball during the worst of it but this afternoon the weather has eased and we are making a comfortable 5 knots on a heading of 120:degrees, not perfect but getting us away from the Japanese coast. We’ve made 330 miles VMG, or actual miles toward Port Townsend since departing Wakayama. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/10/2019 10:28 (utc) our position was 32º40.952'N - 140º40.115’E

July 11, 2019 

We have had good conditions over the past 24 hours, mostly settle seas with winds around 10 knots from the NE, making 5-6 knots over ground with bursts to 7 knots that we guess we owe to the current in our favor. Mid afternoon saw a lull to 6ish knots bringing us down to only a few knots of speed but at the moment we are hustling along at 6.5 knots, with a heading of 36 degrees. Winds are forecast to veer and bring us closer to our desired course closer to 90 degrees, winds to stay in this range for a few days, very happy with these conditions. Along with giving us a little push the Kuroshio current is keeping the waters around us warm so we are enjoying warm conditions and long summer days, sun was casting a glow as early as 3:30 this morning. Another batten pin failed today, our 5th so far, but with calm seas it was an easy repair. I don’t. Know what Schaefer Spec’d for the part but must be low grade stainless. 4,177 nm to port Townsend. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/11/2019 09:42 (utc) our position was 33º22.590'N - 141º47.088’E

July 12, 2019 

Our fair weather days of sailing have given way to a steady 25 knots with gusts to 38, the seas whipped up and the skies flat grey with passing showers. We are down to double reefed main and stays’l and yet making six knots. We’ve seen a couple mean spirited waves, including one that launched much of lunch from the sauce pot into the space behind the stove where plates are stored, a low point of the day - black beans with tofu worked into all sorts of corners and crevices. Forecast is for a spirited evening, the upside is we are making miles to our first destination point, getting us away from Japan and the summer typhoon alley, a point roughly 1000miles east that we plan to hit before heading north. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/12/2019 09:52 (utc) our position was 34º25.193'N - 143º26.808’E

July 13, 2019 

Last night proved to be pretty wild with winds at a steady 30knots gusting to 50 knots with challenging seas. We headed downwind for several hours through the worst of it and other than a few crashing waves that sent water into the cockpit it as all pretty manageable. Two flyers go fish were washed aboard and died in the mayhem. At dawn the winds moved on and the waves stayed behind leaving us sloshing about for a couple hours until the winds filled in and we were able to get back underway. Today has been uneventful, with grey skies and moderate winds in the mid teens. Currently passing over an area of confused seas that we attribute to the Kuroshio current. This afternoon we were visited by three dolphins that put on a short post lunch performance before blasting off to whatever exotic destination these characters seem to always been hurrying to. This morning we woke to only 4005 miles remaining to Port Townsend but Douglas realized that number did not include the 85 miles from the mouth of the strait of Juan de Fuca to port Townsend. That has been corrected but I feel somehow conned by having a sub 4K distance yanked away from me. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/13/2019 08:19 (utc) our position was 35º34.912'N - 144º55.528’E

July 14, 2019 

We had a restful night and easy day of light wind sailing under grey and of late rainy skies. In the late afternoon the winds nearly died but are now building as another low pressure system begins to pass over us. Winds currently in the low 20s with a forecast to build through the night. Much of the day we have been in the Kuroshio current and our speed overground has been as high as 8 knots even with light winds, we will see how that impacts our speeds tonight. Currently sailing under staysail and trys’l flying northward. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/14/2019 08:59 (utc) our position was 35º59.352'N - 147º05.253’E

July 15, 2019 

As forecast we had a wild ride for much of last night, many hours at 35 knots gusting to 50 with large waves, making for some white knuckle moments but mostly Tumbleweed seems to revel in these sort of conditions and we made good progress while bashing along. The low blew through quickly and as the sun began to light up the sky the winds died and we were left with not enough wind to make way in the large seas that are the aftermath of these fronts. We rolled, drifted and tried to make the best of it for a few hours. We have had some issues with our engine starting, we continue to trouble shoot the source of the problem, so we’re happy when the engine started on the first attempt. We motored all afternoon, due east, as the grey skies broke apart and gave us blue skies for a change. For several hours we were surrounded by a large school of what looked like skip jack tuna, the same type w  saw yesterday, also calls bonito and when fermented, dried and smoked then shaved into golden flakes, are the base for dashi. We admire them and recommended they keep well clear of Japan to avoid the soup pot.tonights forecasts for light winds a welcome break, we’ll motor a few more hours charging batteries, running the watermaker, and getting closer to the Kuroshio current. A near full moon is on the rise, 3825 miles to Port Townsend. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/15/2019 08:01 (utc) our position was 36º03.243'N - 148º17.194’E

July 16, 2019 

Today we struggled against the Kuroshio current trying to gain more easting while being shoved 20 degrees to the north. The current is this area is strong but we are reaching its edge and are now starting to see our heading and course over ground closing with each other, with our course setting us more to the east. We had light winds at sunrise but since then we’ve been blasting along clear we hauled with winds in the mid teens over a variety of sea states, earlier in the day we were slamming over steep choppy seas but they have since mellowed and we are currently sailing in much more comfort over gentler waters. A 99 percent waxing moon is lighting up the clouds and will keep us company much of the night turning the sea silver in its path. We have been bedeviled by our engine, starter problems of some sort, and put out a request for thoughts on troubleshooting to friends and have been heartened by the in depth and generous responses. Think we have a few excellent possible solutions to check through tomorrow. Feeling grateful for our community of fellow sailors. Miles Smeeton’s memoir of the sailing life “The Sea Was Our Village” gets it right with the title. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/16/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 37º26.687'N - 148º35.582’E

July 17, 2019 

Winds have veered and we have been getting in our easting today. Took advantage of a calm spell this morning to end for end the Genoa furling line, although new it somehow picked up a nasty bit of chafe that is now safely aft of the clutch when Genoa is reefed. Sorting through all the excellent advice regarding our starter troubles, think we have some good time d leads. Temperatures have dropped dramatically, for the first time in memory I’m on watch tonight wearing a wind breaker, rain pants, fleece and thick watch cap and boots. As we head north I’ll keep adding layers until I can’t move. Currently making 5.5 knots, 60 degrees COG, 17 knots of wind. 3620nm to Port Townsend. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/16/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 37º26.687'N - 148º35.582’E

July 18, 2019 

Today’s excitement was a visit by the US Coast Guard. They appeared quickly with no warning, not transmitting on AIS, and hovered close by while asking us about our journey and vessel’s details. Comforting and intimidating. They would appear to be far from their home patrol grounds but I guess they roam the whole North Pacific. We had a mostly sunny day with fair winds and seas making good time sailing to weather in 15 to 20 knots of breeze. We have sailed more miles to weather since leaving japan than we have since leaving the US. The seas were mostly calm today so minimal bashing though it is pretty noisy below decks and we fell off by several degrees, settling Tumbleweed and easing our angle of heel, to make lunch. We appear to b on the edge of the shipping route that takes the great circle across the top of the pacific, several massive cargo ships passed in the distance today. Just passed the 3500 miles to Port Townsend mark, heading 70 degrees, 15 knots of breeze, 4.5 knots over ground.All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/18/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 40º07.248'N - 152º34.178’E

July 19, 2019 

Sailing to weather over 2 meter seas we are riding the line between too much speed, which has us crashing into the waves each big impact a bone jarring thud, or not having enough speed up so that we lose way as we hit a wave and take a moment or two before we gather way and get moving again. Comfort is a factor, at higher speeds it is chaotic and loud below making it hard to sleep. But we need speed to keep ahead of a low pressure system building to the south...so that’s the game of the day, a bit more sail for a while then maybe ease the main sail a bit later, fine tuning and searching for the best angle and right amount of sail. This morning we had our best sunrise of the passage, full on brilliant colors that washed over the horizon. Tonight we had a break in the Grey for a glimpse of the sun going out in a glorious red fireball. At the moment making 5 knots, heading of 60 degrees, winds in the low 20s.All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/19/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 41º22.753'N - 154º08.904’E

July 20, 2019 

Another day of slogging NNE, into the wind with large seas that slow our pace and force us to climb over wave after wave, each slowing us for a moment before we can move forward, caught in a jerky rhythm. Occasionally we are hit by an outsized wave that knocks us off course and sends a shudder through the whole boat. But overall we are managing fine, not as swiftly as we would like and with a little more north in our heading than would be ideal but all things considered we are making good progress with the weather at hand. Dutch Harbor is looking more and more likely as a stop over, still another 1500 miles ahead but we are thinking it will be a nice respite. We have another 4 or so days of this weather in the forecast and then the promise of downwind sailing after that, so the forecast is looking positive.All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/20/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 42º30.730'N - 155º11.929’E

July 21, 2019 

Winds are just beginning to veer tonight, that is to move clockwise, giving us a chance to gain more easting, the past few days the winds have offered us the options of some variant of north or south so this is appreciated.  Winds dropped this afternoon and the seas settled down a bit so we added a reefed genoa to the double reefed main and stays’l, Tumbleweed’ is responding. The sun has just set and it is an overcast, chilly night, we are adding layers each day, I’ll see if I can add a seal skin parka to my wardrobe once we hit Dutch Harbor. Currently sailing at 5 knots, 45 degrees course over ground, winds 14 knots coming from 115 degrees. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/21/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 43º47.260'N - 156º21.745’E

July 22, 2019 

Winds have shifted in our favor today and we are now heading due east at 5 knots with 10 knots of wind, seas calm with gentle swell, under full main, full Genoa and stays’l. The most comfortable ride we’ve had in days. The sun came out for most of the day during a transition in the weather, for a while we had very light winds and first motored for a few hours to charge batteries and run the Watermaker, then spent most of the afternoon drifting. We were passed by two pods of whales today, a small group of maybe three passed heading the opposite direction this morning, moving very slowly, keeping mostly to the surface until they made a final tandem dive slipping under the surface with a gentle wave of their tail fins. The other group was made up of at least five whales, physically much larger than the morning’s visitors. The sighting of whales is always such an awe inspiring experience, such majestic and graceful creatures. Also several albatross in the area and I think I’ve identified the small birds that swoop like bats and visit us at night, chirping just of the stern, as storm petrels. Feels really good to be making speed east ward and going into the night with nice weather and a forecast for more of the same. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/22/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 44º23.455'N - 157º31.982’E

July 23, 2019 

The past day has been a lesson in the difference between sailing to weather in light versus heavy seas. With winds shifting between as little as 8 knots up to an average closer to 11 we have been making good time the past 24 hours over gentle seas. Even with only 7 knots we still managed to make 3 or 4 knots ghosting along. Most of the day we’ve had around 11 knots and have managed 5.5 to 6 knots all afternoon with a comfortable motion. This is the sort of blue water sailing that would make converts to the pursuit I think. Cooking without the contents of the pot leaping out all over the counters - how civilized!  We had a nice spell of blue skies this afternoon during lunch and enjoyed being in the cockpit. It is near sunset now and the temperature is starting to dive and I’m getting ready for the first night watch eyeing an extra couple of layers. We’ve started wrapping a tarp over our legs during the night that has made us much more comfortable. Currently making 5.7 knots over ground, heading 60 degrees. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/23/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 44º50.292'N - 160º15.145’E

July 24, 2019 

Light air sailing through fog today. Winds between 6 and 10 knots with calm seas allowing us to ghost along much of the day. Fog with visibility ranging from about a mile to a few hundred feet. With the damp and diffused light it feels closed in and featureless. We still managed 130 miles in the last 24 hours and even with only 6 knots of wind managed to eek out a few knots. Heading is mostly due east, taking our northing miles when we can but the light airs are fussy about heading and we have kept a course that makes the sails happy.. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/24/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 45º16.467'N - 163º06.870’E

July 25, 2019 

Sailing mostly east with lots of fog and light winds, on a broad reach since last night. Winds have been mostly in the 10-15 knot range and we are making steady miles. The fog closes in for a few hours then drifts back giving us a view up to nearly two miles but mostly the fog has kept the visibility much reduced. We check radar and AIS constantly but see few vessels and so far they are all cargo ships on the great circle route but we are on watch for fishing vessels, they have a habit of keeping AIS off until we are close and in this fog we want to avoid that. The seas are much settled and with the cool cabin temperatures we’ve been getting good sleep in our off watches. Birds continue to be our entertaining companions, at night several of them close in to our stern and carry on a some sort of chirping chatter that goes on all night, at first light they drift away and go back to swooping over the surface of the water. About 1300 miles to Dutch Harbor.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/25/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 45º17.175'N - 165º44.407’E

July 27, 2019 

Continued work on trouble shooting our engine starter problems. Friends have sent some excellent recommendations and we’ve been trying to work through them as time and weather allow. No solution yet but getting a better sense of the problems. Another day of fog, although for a few hours this morning we could see a shining band of very light fog at the horizon that offered a promise of sun breaking through but did not deliver. Sailing dead downwind with 8 knots or less, with the swell there is too much movement to keep the genoa happy we are sort of drift/sailing with the stays’l. Winds are forecast to continue dropping this evening so we decided to forgo the whisker pole. Tomorrow winds are forecast to build to 20 knots at times, we’ll keep a watch for that and hopefully use that to gain more northing. Heading 50 degrees, at 2.5 knots speed over ground, winds 7.5 knots.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/27/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 45º43.938'N - 170º39.53711’E

July 28, 2019 

We spent most of the past 24 hours drifting north under stays’l with light fog in the distance. More troubleshooting of the starting problem, thinking it might be a mix of a couple issues including corrosion on a few contacts. We are currently running under engine for a couple of hours to charge batteries and run the fridge. Winds are forecast to build this evening so we should be back under sail soon, this system is supposed to last several days, hopefully enough to get us close o Unalaska and Dutch Harbor. COG 50 degrees, SOG 6 knots.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/28/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 46º19.511'N - 171º33.726’E

July 29, 2019 

Grey, overcast, fog that closes in for limited visibility then drifts out to near the horizon. Combined with light winds we are having a difficult time keeping our batteries charge, getting very little solar or wind generator power. Our engine has been troubling us with intermittent starting lately but tonight refused to start all together. We have done extensive trouble shooting and found several issues that had us at “ aha!” But alas, the condition is worse. Tomorrow is a new day, and hopefully in the light of day we’ll discover the root problem. We went through the process of setting up our whisker pole this afternoon to get the most out of the light winds from the stern and have been sailing pretty much downwind with the genoa poled out since. The whisker pole is something we haven’t had call to use for many months, maybe since Fiji, and so the process was a little slow as we reviewed our notes and put everything into place. The whisker pole keeps the genoa held out to the side of the boat so that in light winds with swell the sail does not collapse and the snap, and also allows us to sail much further downwind that without, also keeps the boat a little more steady against the roll of the seas. We are also enjoying an extra couple knots over sailing with just the reefed stays’l. 4.6 knots speed over ground, 50 degrees course over ground, 13 knots of breeze, wind angle 134 degrees.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/29/2019 09:47 (utc) our position was 47º21.120'N - 173º51.371’E

July 30, 2019 

Another many shaded day of grey. Winds fluctuated up to 15 knots but mostly hovered closer to ten. The whisker pole kept the genoa happy and we bobbled along nearly dead down wind for the most of the day. There are two wave trains the main is aligned with the wind and is comfortable, there is another wave train that comes to us on the beam and has much more power, rolling us heavily every few minutes, occasionally throwing the contents and crew with a violent crash to one side then lifting up and pile driving everything down to the other side. We made progress on sorting out the starter troubles with the engine, focusing on the glow plugs and loss of current through the glow plug switch. Decided to give the project a rest when the sun set, will pick it up again in the morning. We are now under 800 miles to Dutch harbor and have just crossed over into latitude 48, the same as Port Townsend and Seattle. .  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/30/2019 08:17 (utc) our position was 48º05.462'N - 176º04.191’E

July 31, 2019 

We sailed with the genoa poled out again today with winds from the SW, a bit of a rolly ride as we tipped side to side between the waves but the sail was happy and we made good mileage on our desired course. It is, of course, grey and chilly again. I think I’m obsessed with the weather mostly because it is so different than my expectation, and so different than any other passage we have been on. Since the first few days of nice weather as we departed Japan we’ve been sailing in grey upon grey. Preferable to the lightning and squalls of our passage to the Marquesas but I imagined a bit more variety and confused summer in the North Pacific with my notions of summer in general. Still no break through on solving our starter issues with the engine. We have had excellent advice from friends and from a mechanic and have run through almost all the suggested tests but still the engine refuses to start. We are narrowing down the problem to perhaps the starter itself and will conduct additional tests tomorrow. Heading 56 degrees, speed 5 knots, winds 14 knots, wind direction 198 degrees.  All's well on Tumbleweed.

At 07/31/2019 08:06 (utc) our position was 48º48.469'N - 178º30.846’E

July 31, 2019 

We sailed with the genoa poled out again today with winds from the SW, a bit of a rolly ride as we tipped side to side between the waves but the sail was happy and we made good mileage on our desired course. It is, of course, grey and chilly again. I think I’m obsessed with the weather mostly because it is so different than my expectation, and so different than any other passage we have been on. Since the first few days of nice weather as we departed Japan we’ve been sailing in grey upon grey. Preferable to the lightning and squalls of our passage to the Marquesas but I imagined a bit more variety and confused summer in the North Pacific with my notions of summer in general. Still no break through on solving our starter issues with the engine. We have had excellent advice from friends and from a mechanic and have run through almost all the suggested tests but still the engine refuses to start. We are narrowing down the problem to perhaps the starter itself and will conduct additional tests tomorrow. Heading 56 degrees, speed 5 knots, winds 14 knots, wind direction 198 degrees.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/31/2019 08:06 (utc) our position was 48º48.469'N - 178º30.846’E

July 31, 2019 

Today we crossed back over the dateline and are on the same date as our destination. Winds and seas have been building this afternoon as we prepare for some weather coming from the south, the forecast is for a couple of days of winds in the 20 plus knot range which should keep us moving along. We stowed the whisker pole at first light and squared away the rest of the boat in preparation for the weather We also continued our pursuit of what is causing our engine to not start. We have had ongoing trouble with a small fuel leak from our generator that started leaking diesel heavily over the past couple of days and now wonder if there is a connection. We isolated the generator from the fuel tanks and did a couple of other small maintenance tasks. Will try to start again after further discussion with our consultants but it seems like there might be some sort of weird back flow or air gap problem caused by the generator malfunction We have run through all the other tests that we can conduct at sea. Weather was overcast again today but we had some bright moments where the sun was trying hard to break through, it felt good to have that sunlight bouncing around. Heading 52 degrees, speed 6 knots, winds 18 knots, wind direction 172 degrees.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 07/31/2019 08:06 (utc) our position was 49º37.266'N - 178º59.011’W

August 2, 2019 

Weather has picked up this afternoon and tonight, there is a weather system passing over us making for a wild ride. We are 70 miles south of Adak island and heading east to keep clear of land. Once the weather diminishes we plan to transit Amukta pass, through the Aleutians from the North Pacific and into the Bering Sea. With the current conditions we are sailing to weather slowly under stays’l and trys’l, making 3 - 4 knots. Earlier in the day we were racing along at 7 knots and realized that at those speeds we would arrive at the pass before the weather has moved through and the seas had calmed. Where the pacific crosses the pass the sea floor rises from 10,000 feet to as little as 500 feet in the middle of the pass. Conditions in areas like that when the weather is up tend to be rough so we’ll hang back out here for a bit until things settle down then make our way into the Bering Sea and to Dutch Harbor. Making 3.5 knots, heading 90 degrees, winds 23 knots, wind direction 185 degrees .  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 08/03/2019 09:01 (utc) our position was 50º31.985'N - 176º02.808’W

August 3, 2019 

Another day of challenging weather. Last night and for much of today we had winds in the lower to mid 20 knot range with gusts into the upper 30’s with well developed seas running 1-2 meters. Last night we were hit broadside by a large wave that tore the top edge of the dodger window free from the material connecting those panels to the hard top of the dodger. The dodger material and stitching have been suffering from UV exposure so the material was weak to begin with but it’s a loss as we use the dodger to stay out of the weather and now there is a gap that allows the driving rain and wind into the cockpit and robs us of a sheltered space out of the cabin. I think I’ll have to break out the sewing machine in Dutch Harbor, there is far too much to cover by hand. We have been hove to and continue to drift at an average of 1.5 knots on a course of around 60 degrees. The worst of the weather is forecast to pass over us in the next couple of hours and then dismiss to very light winds for the next few days. That usually means that we’ll have a day of rough seas left over from the high winds but no winds to counteract the motion. .This is the longest stretch of sunless weather I can recall since we left Port Townsend, I have forgotten what a blue sky looks like and the sun is just a slightly more bright circle of grey in the day’s sky. Alaska has only one time zone so by Alaska time the day lasts long into the evening though we are only at 50 degrees latitude.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 08/03/2019 08:09 (utc) our position was 50º39.258'N -  174º41.833'W  

August 3, 2019 

Early this morning the low pressure system that had been giving us high winds and seas passed by. With light winds and diminished seas we fell to mostly drifting today. Blue sky broke through in patches and we had a bout of sun, the first in what feels like weeks. Very welcome. The sun and lighter winds gave some much needed energy to our battery bank. Still not enough to get us back into good condition but tonight we are not in as desperate of a state as the past few nights. Still not enough to power the fridge or other “luxuries” but not dipping below 12 volts to the house batteries, so we’ll take our small victories where we can. With the fine weather I was able to piece most of the dodger back together by punching holes in the fabric and zip tying the top of the panels to the plastic channel that is screwed into the dodger. I have one small panel to finish tomorrow and also to tape up the places where the clear plastic window material has torn. It all looks sort of Frankenstein and rag tag with all the zip ties and packing tape holding it all together but as long as it keeps the wind and rain out we’ll be happy.. Douglas did more engine trouble shooting - the highlight of his investigations was being able to clean up and tighten the starter battery terminals to get a little more voltage to register. Tomorrow he continues with his list of potential trouble spots, maybe we’ll work up the nerve to try starting the engine. Otherwise, we’ll be drifting here a couple more days waiting for the winds to fill in so we can make our way east. We have been in communication with people in Dutch Harbor and are getting lots of good information and kind words from friends of friends, we are really looking forward to our arrival in Dutch Harbor, I think we’ll like it there. Currently drifting on a heading of 118 degrees at 1 knot, winds 8 knots, wind direction 222 degrees. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 08/03/2019 08:42 (utc) our position was 50º41.508'N -  174º10.644'W  

August 5, 2019 

We are now 29 days at sea, tied with our longest previous passage from Mexico to the Marquesas. So much has happened since that passage. This passage is so very different in many ways yet has so many things in common. On that passage to the Marquesas we were concerned with squalls and lighting strikes, and also dealing with long stretches with no wind, it was much warmer. We are dealing still with various engine gremlins on this passage but are working systematically through the potential causes. We are still becalmed and that helps with our ability to work on tasks, although the boat rolls quite a bit it is nothing like it was a few days ago at the height of the bad weather. The dodger is all zip tied back together so we’ll have protection when it rains again. Today we had fair weather, streaks of blue sky and the sun came out in full force several times brining us to the cockpit to bask in the warmth and sheer brightness off it all. The view of the sea and the distant clouds was spectacular, we had a sense of depth that we haven’t had for a few weeks as we’ve been socked in by grey for so long. Tonight we’ll be drifting again but we should start seeing some wind tomorrow night and begin making our way to Dutch Harbor. Speed over ground 1.4 knots, heading 140 degrees, wind 7 knots, wind direction 230 degrees. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 08/05/2019 08:42 (utc) our position was 50º40.463'N -  174º48.683'W  

August 6, 2019 

The big news of the day is that we have started the engine and are now underway, motoring toward Dutch harbor. This engine problem has been a real challenge on many fronts and we are incredibly happy it is running. Not sure of the core reason it would not start but by connecting the house and starter batteries we were able to start the engine with no trouble so perhaps a bad starter battery is issue. we hope to keep the engine running until we arrive in Dutch Harbor. Winds are forecast to start tonight with enough strength to sail by so we can sail and leave the engine running lightly. course over ground 60 degrees, speed 5 knots, winds 5 knots, seas calm with long period swell. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 08/06/2019 08:30 (utc) our position was 50º42.386'N - 173º12.057’W

August 7, 2019 

we spent most of today charging along at 7 knots under full main and Genoa. the speed and angle of heel were thrilling, though the bouncy ride made sleep a challenge. this evening the winds have tapered off a bit and we are gliding along quite comfortably although we would prefer the speed. the engine has been running since we were able to restart it yesterday, we are worried that if we shut it down it might give us trouble restarting. another grey and overcast day, humidity remains high and the level of condensation in the cabin is verging on uncomfortable. the port lights are like water factories keeping a steady trickle of water grabbed from the air beading on the glass and stainless steel frames. but all these are minor issues, we are happy the engine is ticking over and that we have enough wind to sail by, tomorrow the forecast is for the winds to die and we will have to motor the last section through the pass and on to Dutch Harbor. heading 37 degrees, speed 5 knots, wind speed 12.5 knots, wind direction 143 degrees. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 08/07/2019 08:30 (utc) our position was 51º38.740'N - 170º25.077’W

August 8, 2019 

Land ho! After 32 days at sea we are now just a few miles south of Umnak island and can see the silhouettes of the higher elevations in the distance. A heart warming sight. Many more sea birds attending us today and we have been watching for large kelp. Another silvery grey day but it feels brighter, maybe it's the proximity to land. On recommendation from our friend Geoff we shut down the engine for several hours today so that we could properly check oil and top it off, we were concerned that we might put in too much oil it is hard to get a reading with the engine going. Several hours later when the winds had died and we could no longer sail  we said a  list of prayers, held our breathes and gave the engine a crank, it started right up. Our plan is to transit Umnak pass tomorrow morning at slack tide and then motor to Dutch Harbor, it is just a bit too far for us to reach my nightfall so we will idle offshore and plan to make for the marina at first light on Friday morning. currently under motor, making 3 knots, course 30 degrees, wind 4 knots, seas calm. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 08/08/2019 08:30 (utc) our position was 52º51.501'N - 168º18.265’W

August 8, 2019 

We have arrived in Dutch Harbor. We had a spectacular day of motoring along Unalaska Island in the company of thousands of birds, many puffins, breaching whales, and sea lions. Conditions were cloudy and overcast but that just made the island more mysterious. Feels strange to be on land again after so long at sea. The boat is still and quiet, we are tied alongside the sailboat Muktuk and our friends on Nosy Be are tied just ahead of us. Content to be back in Alaska, looking forward to exploring the island. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 08/09/2019 11:40 (utc) our position was 53º52.605'N - 166º33.094'W

Wakayama

July 4, 2019

Wakayama Marina City Marina

The Japan chapter of our travels around the Pacific is about to close. We are at the Wakayama Marina City Marina watching for a weather window to depart for Port Townsend and expect to be casting off our lines in a couple of days. We arrived in Japan March 11 and it has been a grand experience. But it is time to turn our attention to the east and begin what will be a long journey homeward. It is about 4,500 miles from Wakayama to Port Townsend and we expect the trip to take somewhere around 40-45 days but are prepared for it to take much longer. We are also prepared to visit Alaska and British Columbia depending on how the weather shapes up.

For the past three weeks we had our nephews William and Hayden join us aboard Tumbleweed. Their visit has been a highlight of travels in the Pacific and our time in Japan. Plans for their visit have been in the works for several years, to have those conversations manifest into walking through temples with them and sailing in the Seto Naikai was pretty cool. William joined us in Onomichi and a week later Hayden joined us at Naoshima, traveling with us through the various islands as we made our way to Wakayama. We did more in the past three weeks than we have in the past three months, it was a lot of fun being tourists with those guys, they were excellent travel companions and we are already missing their energy and enthusiasm.

After William joined us in Onomichi we made stops at several small islands, details listed below in from our Farkwar posts. Most ports and villages were very quiet and we usually spent just a night before moving on. At Naoshima, an island with several museums and outdoor art installations, we stayed several days and Hayden joined us. We had one of the coolest moments of their visit at the Tadao Ando museum. Ando built a museum inside an old Japanese house, a fascinating use of his trademark concrete that revealed the restored woodwork and interior structures of the house, using curves, passageways and openings to give the museum a spatial expanse beyond its physical limits. In the lowest level of the museum Ando built out a meditation chamber, a small circular room with a suspended ceiling lit from above through a cast glass sculpture in the entry garden. William responded to the excellent acoustics in the chamber, with some encouragement from Douglas, and began chanting what sounded like a mature Tibetan monk in prayer. His pitch matched the harmonics of the space perfectly and the entire room began to vibrate. I think Ando would approve.

So much good food in Japan! We were on a non-stop search for delicious meals, and snacks.

Having our nephews join us added a new dimension to traveling in Japan. We were able to see things with a fresh perspective, they brought a lot of enthusiasm for each day’s adventures and were up for anything. There was a lot of laughter, a lot of sightseeing, many days ending with us hitting the wall of exhaustion and crashing out early. The sun is up early at this time of the year and we were all up before six each morning, often at 5:30, for a quick breakfast and then off to see the sights. Many days we moved from one island to another, mostly short legs of 20 miles or so but we did have a couple long jumps that had us all out on the water for a full day. We were fortunate to have good weather for the most part and the making our way between the islands were beautiful.

Hayden with a Tanuki, a raccoon dog that has been mythologized in Japan. A quick search of Tanukis will turn up some crazy illustrations of these critters.

The week we made our way from Naoshima to Wakayama we had light winds and motored for the most part. We had a few stretches where we had the sails up and motor sailed but unfortunately we weren’t able to get in solid sailing. Given the amount of commercial traffic on the water and the amount of seaweed floating around that was probably for the best. The passage from the Seto Naikai to the Kii Suido can be made through the Naruto Channel or the Naruto Ko, the little Naruto channel. The main passage sees massive currents with the tidal exchange and generates ship sinking whirlpools, it’s a popular tourist destination to watch the waters at the height of the exchange. Taking Kirk Patterson’s recommendation we instead motored through the Naruto Ko, a several miles long winding channel that makes its way along several villages and a decent sized town. Using the tide information from the New Pec Smart app we timed our transit with the slack tide and had no drama.

Onomichi temple walk. Lots and lots of temples. I think we were all still up for a few more though.

Crossing the Kii Suido we had the sails up briefly, winds picked up to 12 knots for a nice beam reach over flat waters but as soon as the sails were set the winds dropped to 3 knots and stayed there the rest of the day. There was a lot of moisture in the air reducing our visibility and hiding the commercial shipping traffic that runs heavily through those waters, all the ships that make their way to Kobe, Osaka and the many ports along the coast transit that area. It was a steady stream of tankers, cargo ships, tugs with barges, ferries and all sorts of ships. A bit nerve wracking.

We settled in quickly at Wakayama Marina City Marina and had a day exploring Kainon the small town next to the marina. We all rode the train to Tokyo together for a night of wandering in Shinjuku and seeing the sights in the big city. It was time for William’s flight all too soon and we were all a bit melancholy to see him heading for home, the two weeks had passed far too quickly. He is such a great traveling companion with limitless energy, a positive attitude and great insights. Tumbleweed is a small space and can be a challenge for people not used to such close quarters, both of the nephews adapted quickly to the space and it all worked out well. We look forward to them joining us on future travels.

Proud of ourselves that during three weeks of traveling with the nephews only one wound that needed a bandage!

Our nephew Hayden spent a week with us after William went home. He is a few years older and took advantage of having a rail pass to roam to villages and sights of interest from Kainon. Douglas and I would spend the day prepping for our departure and Hayden would go sight seeing, in the evenings we’d cook dinner and he tell us of his discoveries. At the end of the week we went to Kyoto and met up with another nephew, Espen, who is studying Japanese at the University of Washington and is in Japan for the summer studying. Douglas and I joined the guys for dinner than took the train back to the marina. Hayden stayed on and got a insider’s tour of Osaka.

Japan has been such a pleasure to visit. Small fishing villages, remote outposts, abandoned coal mines, tying alongside rough concrete walls for the night, the beauty of the Kyushu coastline from the sea, kind people, generous people, helpful people, have all made this a rich experience. We could easily lose ourselves here for years, stopping off at some island for weeks at a time but that is not in the cards for this trip. Maybe on our next tour of the Pacific. What we have experienced has exceeded our expectations. The remote, dying little villages have been exactly the sort of places we wanted to visit by boat. There are so many places in Japan where the decline in population has left whole areas on the verge of ghost towns and the few residents often elderly. There is a stillness to those communities, no sounds of children playing, or a sense of any kind of industry, many places are eerily quiet.

There are a handful of blogs that are pretty informative with notes on recommended villages, etc but much of that information is many years old. Bosun Bird wrote up an excellent and very detailed blog but they sailed here in 2011 and 2012, somethings have changed since then. We also used the notes of Sunstone and Chamade, finding them useful as well. Japanese yachtsmen were also helpful, Ken of MV Happy went over our charts with us when we first arrived in Kyushu and had some excellent insights. The most informative advice we received was from Kirk Patterson of SV Silk Purse, who has the distinction of being the first person to circumnavigate Japan sailing solo. He has shared invaluable tips and suggested strategies for making our way from the Kyushu coast through the Seto Naikai and to Wakayama. He is a consultant for yachts traveling through Japan and can assist with navigating the waters and bureaucracy of the country. He is also working on a guidebook to sailing Japan and that should be incredibly valuable when it’s complete. Kirk can be reached at: kirk.konpira at yahoo dot com

It is time for us to switch our focus from touring Japan to sailing back to the states. This weekend has a good forecast for our departure, we are looking at Sunday first light as our best candidate. . We’ve been working at preparing for our departure even while our nephews were with us, so there are not many tasks remaining. The passage is 4,500 miles sailing directly from Wakayama to Port Townsend. We plan to head east to put some distance between us and Japan, and the typhoons that tend to spin up this time of year, then head north, sailing a mixture of a rhumb line and a great circle passage. Our route will take us pretty far north, weather or the desire to put our feet on land might have us stopping off in Alaska at a few places before making our way to Port Townsend. It would be nice to visit our friends in Alaska and to visit some of the more remote coves in Alaska and British Columbia.

Our visit with Espen felt about this fast.

Below are the Farkwar posts from our travels since Onomichi.

June 13, 2019

Yesterday we motored from Onomichi to Shiraishima a small island that has excellent walking paths and a several nice shrines. The small village, like many we have visited, feels like it is in decline. It has a nice beach and a few businesses along the water and looks like during the tourist season it gets a bit more lively, but at this time of year it is pretty dormant. We checked out Moo Bar that had been recommended as a nice cafe run by a couple of expat cruisers but it was closed. We found space along a large pontoon. The main comment that comes up about this location is that there are several unmarked drying rocks 100 meters or so south of the entrance. We noted some rocks as we approached near low tide, hard to imagine they are not charted, they are fairly large and prominent. We kept a bit to the east and had no issues. There is a small market in town and a harbor with a ferry on the other side of the island, but that seems pretty small with mostly local fishing boats. Highly recommend the walk along the ridge, we walked to the temple with what looks like a stupa and followed a trail up behind the temple complex.

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At 06/12/2019 01:30 (utc) our position was 34º24.513'N - 133º31.481'E

Several hours of motoring and motor sailing into headwinds, dodging various commercial vessels and seaweed as we tend to do in this region, through scenic waters with beautiful islands and shoreline. We had reserved a space along the ferry pontoon at Naoshima and arrived mid day with time for a bit of exploring before dark. Entrance is clear and well marked, good depth along pontoon, no water or electricity, experienced high winds and choppy waters that had Tumbleweed bucking like a spooked bronco for one night and another day that was uncomfortable. We deployed all fenders, and our two car tires to keep us off the pontoon. The island is a great place to wander and explore several museums designed by Tadao Ando with various minimalist art installations. James Turrell is the running favorite. Our nephew Hayden joined us, it was a bit of an epic day to take the ferry then a series of trains to Narita. We now have two of our nephews with us and are having a great time. Tomorrow morning we head for Shodoshima and will then make our way to Wakayama. All is well on Tumbleweed.

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At 06/17/2019 01:30 (utc) our position was 34º27.424'N - 133º58.346'E

April 19, 2019

Very light winds gave us another few hours of motoring to Shodoshima, a compact town along an open bay. We moored alongside a pontoon with two large signs with illustrations of motor yachts that said in Japanese and English that mooring was forbidden. We asked for permission at the nearby cafe and the owner said we could stay one night. There is a large commercial dock and we had first moored on the seaward side of that and it was incredibly rolly even with very light winds. A Japanese sailboat arrived at night and anchored in the bay. Shodoshiima is a large island with several recommended places to moor, this location has an excellent grocery store and a nearby itzakaya where we had a nice dinner. Wish we had more time to explore the island, there is a network of buses that run to a soy sauce museum and various olive oil museums etc. Lots of walking and exploring though and a pleasant night along the pontoon. All is well on Tumbleweed.

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At 04/19/2019 11:40 (utc) our position was 34º28.602'N - 134º10.972’E

April 20, 2019

We had a calm few hours motoring - again! - from Shodoshima to Hiketa Ko. We tied along a seawall in an active fishing harbor, and walked all over the village. A beautiful day, many fields of rice growing, winding small village streets. Harbor was active but otherwise not much was open, we walked nearly a mile out of town to find an open restaurant. Very calm night, well sheltered by breakwaters. We tied to the end of a large Tee dock. All is well on Tumbleweed.

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At 04/18/2019 11:40 (utc) our position was 34º13.556'N - 134º24.472'E

April 20, 2019

Team Tumbleweed has arrived at Wakayama Marina City, ending another chapter in our visit to Japan, putting our adventures in the Seto Naikai behind us and beginning our preparations for leaving Japan to sail back to the Pacific Northwest. We have had our nephews joining us for the past couple of weeks in the Inland Sea and have had a super time visiting various islands with them. It has been a highlight of our travels in the pacific to have them aboard, we have had more adventures and done more sightseeing with them than in all the time since we left Chichijima. I think Junko and William would be a good match in terms of how to fit as much fun as possible into a day, never enough daylight hours! We are spending the next few days wrapping up final small tasks and provisioning for the next leg.Wakayama Marina City has nice facilities, friendly staff, and is close to many restaurants, and a train station. Haven’t found a grocery yet but I’m confident there is a large market not too far based on the many restaurants in the area. No electricity or water at the visitor’s dock but only $10 a night, we are happy to jerry can the water for that cost. Our target departure date is June 27, though there is a tropical depression starting to spin up that looks like it might head this way and check our departure date. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Japan. Chichijima, Kyushu and the Seto Naikai have all been great places to visit and travel through, we highly recommend adding Japan to your short list of cruising destinations. Once we are back in the states I plan to add a page to the blog with some of our observations on cruising here. All is well on Tumbleweed.

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At 06/20/2019 04:30 (utc) our position was 34º09.309'N - 135º10.673'E

Onomichi

June 9, 2019

Onomichi, Japan

Onomichi is an industrial city that stretches out along the banks of a narrow channel of water, the shores densely packed mostly with the industrial works of shipbuilding. Massive cranes, gantries, warehouses, ships in various states of construction or repair. Abandoned shipyards next to active sites. Tugs with barges loaded with massive steel sections of hulls or other parts for ships ply the channel and a series of ferries move continually between Onomichi and the island of Mukai Shima that protects the city from the larger waters of the Seto Naikai. The city itself is somewhat of a surprise after all the industry we passed, it is celebrating its 850th anniversary this year and is a mix of the vestiges of a more massive industrial past, a much deeper history with ancient temples and small winding alleys in the hills above, and a present that feels energized with new businesses and the tourists jumping off on the Shimanami Kaido, a bike trip that runs from Onomichi across a series of bridges and small islands to the island of Shikoku. 

Temples, small windy alleys, ramen shops with long lines, excellent sea food, bakeries - bagels!,  really good bagels! A constant flow of traffic on the water, ships, tugs, barges, ferries. There is a lot of energy in the city and it’s been a good spot to visit. The marina is centrally located but not well sheltered, the wake from large ships tosses us around a lot, when we first arrived we had the anchor over the dock and we pitched so violently the anchor drove into the dock and sent a shudder through the boat. It is also a pretty small marina, with a current that can really get moving through it. Timing is crucial, there is not much room and the end of the fairway is a set of stone stairs or a police boat, I don’t know which would be worse to hit. 

Leaving Fukuoka a little over a week ago we followed Kirk Patterson’s excellent advice and spent the first night at Ainoshima, a small island perfectly situated at the mouth of the Kanmon Kaikyo. We tied along a sea wall and wandered the small village. The next morning we made our way into passage and stayed to the edge of the channel as a convoy of ships passed. For a small boat like ours with a top speed of 6 knots under motor it is crucial to arrive under the Kanmon bridge at slack tide. We checked in with Kanmon Martis the marine authority for the passage, they recommended an arrival time to the bridge 30 minutes later than the slack time that was shown on New Pec Smart, and was spot on. Douglas set up a series of way points with target times along our route and we would increase or decrease speed to hit those spots and that worked out really well. 

After passing the strait our intent was to make a long jump to Otsushima,  40 miles from the end of the passage into the Seto Naikai. Once we made our way out of the passage it was getting past noon and we were facing headwinds and large chop and struggling to make a bit under 5 knots. We realized quickly that there was no way to arrive at Otsushima before nightfall and fell off to our plan B, Shin Moji Marina. We arrived in mid afternoon and were welcomed by a pair of sailors and a man from the marina who took our lines and helped us get secured. The marina loaned us bikes and we cycled to the small village and around the industrial port area that abuts the marina. That night we took advantage of the free, incredibly hot showers at the marina. A nice spot for the night. Not as much room available as we had been led to believe, it is a small marina mostly for smaller boats, with a couple slips available that would fit a boat the size of Tumbleweed. 

Otsushima submarine training base.

Otsushima was the training base for a kamikaze submarine program that was started near the end of world war two. At the training center men would train in the submarines, which were basically human operated torpedoes. There is a museum set on the grounds of a memorial to the men who died during missions to sink allied ships. It is a pretty somber exhibit, the final letters and poems of men about to die in suicidal missions. There is a wall of the young men’s portraits that should give anyone pause to consider the futility of war. The island is beautiful with so much in bloom at this time of year, there is a bamboo forest and a walk that winds along the shoreline and up a short hill where there is a look out over the Seto Naikai. 

From Otsushima we had another long day motoring in light winds to the  village of Horie. We were greeted by a group of sailors that we had last seen in Nagasaki. We had made a reservation on the pontoon through the city and a man from a restaurant across the street took our payment and pointed out the few amenities, toilets and trash disposal. Once we settled in we took a walk through the village, back aboard to watch a stunning sunset. As we were preparing dinner one of the sailors we’d met in Nagasaki dropped by to give us bottle of sake and a little bottle of shochu. We talked for a little while and have been in touch since, he’s offered some advice on places we plan to visit. A couple weeks ago we had dinner with friends in Fukuoka and we were asked what do we think is strange about Japan. That question has been running through my mind and I think one thing that is strange about Japan is how generous and friendly people have been to us. A fellow sailor bringing us sake’ is an example among many gestures of pure kindness. I am continually humbled by how we are treated and hope to be able to bring more of that spirit into my life.

The next morning we were off to Omishima island and Miyaura harbor. I fumbled Kirk Patterson’s excellent directions and we ended up tied to a small funky dock where we touched bottom at low, low tide instead of tying to a really nice new dock. If you find yourself in Miyaura I recommend the nice long pontoon where the ferry docks, visitors can tie up on the starboard side of the pontoon, so a port side tie as you approach the pontoon from the harbor. The city charges one yen per ton. Yes, one yen per ton. So our night’s stay was 15 yen, or about 15 cents in USD. Miyaura is a lovely little village that is home to the 3rd most important Shinto shrine in Japan. Oyamazumi shrine is dedicated to the gods that protect sailors and soldiers, historically warriors would come to the shrine to pray for victory, when they were successful in battle some would return to the shrine they would make gifts that sometimes included swords and armor. Some of the armor and swords that have been donated over the ages are now housed in an excellent museum next to the shrine. Many of the objects on display are from the 12th century. The armor is so beautifully crafted and the display of swords, many from the 12th century, is impressive. 

Onomichi

From Miyaura we had yet another windless day of motoring and made our way to Onomichi. Our main reason for visiting here is that we can take the train to Tokyo to pick up our nephew William.  He arrives tomorrow and we’ll be spending the next weeks with him and also with his brother Hayden who will join us next week. We have not had a visitor aboard Tumbleweed since Berkeley and we haven’t had visitors aboard that we’ve actually gone sailing with since Will and Hayden’s older brother Sawyer joined us in Alaska. We are looking forward to spending time with our nephews, we’ve been gone a long time and have really missed out on some great times with them both. One of the reasons we are looking forward to returning to the states is to spend more time with family. 

The plan of the moment is to spend the next three weeks with our nephews, sailing the Seto Naikai and making our way to Wakayama marina. From the Wakayama marina we will depart for Port Townsend in late June. For the moment we are enjoying our time in sheltered waters and hope to get enough wind over the next couple of weeks to hoist the sails. 

Fukuoka

Fukuoka 

May 30, 2019

A gorgeous morning in Fukuoka at Odo marina on what feels like the outskirts of town. We arrived in during an epic downpour, rain so thick we were using radar to confirm the coastline and watch for other boats. In the past few days the weather has been sunny and warm letting us appreciate how beautiful the landscape is around the marina. From the guest dock we look out past the breakwater to a large bay backed by islets and green hills. We rode the subway into downtown and were shocked at how large Fukuoka is. There is little hint from the marina that we are on the edge of a city with a population larger than San Francisco. I felt like a country bumpkin craning my neck at the large buildings and saying “Wow” over and over. Starbucks! Tully’s! Seattle’s Best Coffee! 

After a day of being tourists we had dinner with Kirk and and his wife Tsuyoku. Kirk is the first person to sail solo around all the islands of Japan and is, as you’d imagine, a wealth of information on cruising in Japan. He’s lived and worked in Japan for over 30 years,  so is fluent in language and culture. Tsuyoku made a wonderful meal and we had  enjoyed the view from their lofty apartment looking out over a park and a neighborhood with quaint tiled roofed houses. Kirk has been helping us with a couple projects and his insights into cruising and getting work done on yachts is incredibly helpful. He is in the process of starting a yacht consulting business to help foreigners wanting to cruise in Japan, and also writing a cruising guide to Japan - something that I’m sure will be well received and encourage sailing here. 

Tumbleweed at Odo marina, Fukuoka

While in Fukuoka our main project is attach chainplates for a Jordan Series Drogue. We built the drogue in Port Townsend (something I do not recommend doing unless you want to forfeit a large chunk of your sanity). A series drogue is basically a long line dragged behind a boat with lots of little cones made from sail cloth attached to it, the theory being that all the small cones will disperse the energy created by large waves and keep a boat from getting out of control going down large waves. We had planned on deploying the drogue by attaching it to our cockpit winches but in reviewing that plan and discussing it with other cruisers, we realized that the loads, and angles and potential for chafe was too great so we designed chainplates to be bolted to the hull. The plan for deployment being to shackle the bridle legs for the drogue to the chainplates before departing on our passage and stowing the drogue in the cockpit, ready to use if we get caught up in particularly nasty weather. In theory we would need to drop the cones overboard and they would feed out of a storage bag and snap into place, slowing us down and keeping our stern to the following seas. This is one of those boat projects that runs so deep in minutiae with each smallest detail discussed at great length in sailing forums that we are still assessing and altering our plans for use a couple years after making and stowing it aboard! 

Lots of seaweed in the waters around Kyushu. We’ve cleared the prop 4 times so far, twice jumping overboard and twice from the dock. It’s a challenge to miss the patches of seaweed, they seem to be floating everywhere.

Traveling from Nagasaki we stopped at several interesting ports. Our first stop at Ikishima was a bit strange, it is a small island that had a coal mine and village built on it. The mine was shut down some time ago and the village abandoned. 300 or so people live there now, randomly sprinkled around the islands many abandoned buildings. There are apartment buildings all over the island and the evidence of residents looks like one building might have a couple residents, another building a couple and so on. The rest of the building might have the windows boarded up but a couple windows will have laundry or plants in them, or lights on at night. There are many buildings all over the island, with rows of apartment buildings at the top of the island slowly being retaken by the landscape. Grass, trees, vines all cover the buildings and lots around them. Feral cats roamed the island, we passed one vicious looking group just as a fight broke out, several of the cats had horrible scars or open wounds. Much of the island felt bleak and depressing with the various sections of the mine left to decay, hulks of steel peeling open and rust devouring all the steel. There appears to have been little in the way of attempting to recover any of the material for reuse or recycling, it looks as though one day the whistle blew to end the shift and the employees went home, packed their things and left. 

Each of the harbors we’ve visited since arriving have had their own charm or attraction. I am pretty happy in a semi abandoned small village with a few retired people. It has been a culture shock to be in Fukuoka for a week. With a population larger than San Francisco we’ve had our big city experience and are ready to head north and into the Inland Sea, I’m ready for more of small town Japan. 

For cruisers I’d note that Odo is an excellent marina. The guest docks are large and easy to tie to, there is water but not to each slip. The facilities are fine, not fancy but well kept up. Across the street is a massive grocery store and a mega massive hardware/housegoods store, subway to downtown is a 15 minute walk. The marina has a large park and band of greenspace shielding it from the noise and sight of the city. It feels very remote here. The staff has been incredibly kind and helpful and the work that the boatyard did installing the chainplates was first rate. Hamada san was great to work with, he understood we were under time pressure and had the project done quickly. His crew were friendly and professional. High marks.

Below are the Farkwar posts we made as we sailed from Nagasaki to Fukuoka. Tomorrow we leave Odo marina to make our way north and through the Kanmon Kaikyo into the inland sea. In a little over a week one of our nephews will join us, followed by a second nephew a week later. We are looking forward to seeing the boys and showing them a bit of Japan.  We will be sailing with them from Onomichi through the islands to Wakayama. We’ll do our final prep to depart Japan from Wakayama and plan to leave the country in late June.  

Tumbleweed at Ikeshima

May 13, 2019 

Ikeshima

We set out from Nagasaki after lunch, light winds kept us motoring all the way to Ikeshima. Weird hazy light all afternoon, a lot of moisture in the air and the light was flat and grey. Kind of perfect for Ikeshima. We arrived late in the afternoon to Ikeshima and island that was once a coal mining community that abandoned the island and mine when the mine was no longer profitable. The entire town and mine stand much as they did when the people left, the mining equipment rusting and falling apart, the homes and apartment buildings covered in ivy and slowly falling to ruin. 300 or so people are reported to be living on the island and we saw signs of habitation in various spots, a few people in various apartment buildings, people in houses at the top of the hill, people in buildings by the ferry dock. Our spot for the night is along a dock with nice large rubber bumpers. The dock sits in a well protected basin and is near windless with flat water. A slightly eerie spot for the night but surely interesting. Several ferries have come and gone since we arrived, each ferry might have a single person on it, the infrastructure seems out of proportion with the population.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 05/13/2019 04:10 (utc) our position was 32º53.313'N - 129º36.307’E

The seawall that shelters the Ukeshima marina

May 14, 2019 

Ukushima

Light winds in the morning had us sailing much of the passage today but in the afternoon winds built to 11 knots and we were able to sail for a couple hours. It was nice to have the sails up after the past few weeks of light winds. The sea was mostly flat and a mist or light fog in the air made the islands in the distance look like they were brushed in place with a light wash of water color. Uku Shima is a nice compact village behind multiple sets of break waters. Just inside the main double break waters is a another breakwater that shelters a small marina with slips for perhaps 20 yachts. There are only a couple small local fishing boats in the marina tonight. One of the nicer places we've had for the night at 1130 yen. Water and power are available. We walked around the village and enjoyed the views to the sea. We've been told it is possible to rent electric bicycles to tour the island.   All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 05/14/2019 02:30 (utc) our position was 33º15.388'N - 129º07.743’E

The view astern in Hirado

May 16, 2019 

Hirado

Another beautiful morning on the water. We had attempted to sail to Hirado yesterday but were chased back by strong winds on the nose and rough seas, we had a narrow time window to make the tide and that was not going to happen. We also picked up sea weed on the prop and removed a massive ball back at Uku. We arrived at Hirado mid afternoon, timing our arrival with slack tide. There are strong currents in the approach to the harbor and at near slack we passed through a strong rip line, at max current it is reported that the current can run to five knots, a port worth planning for. We tied to the guest pontoon with a roof, on the west side of the pontoon there are now extra large fenders, of the type used for ships, and this gives enough room to keep the shrouds from tapping the roof. On the east side a sailboat would need really large fenders or a clever method to keep from rolling hard and tapping the roof, there is a ferry dock next to the guest pontoon and we rolled a lot when we first arrived before we finalized our lines. There is also a guest pontoon further in the harbor that has no roof. Check in was simple, at the visitors center, staff was really friendly. It is free. Hirado is a lovely village and we walked the narrow side streets after arriving. There is a castle on the hill, our view astern. All is well on Tumbleweed.  

At 04/16/2019 04:00 (utc) our position was 33º22.273'N - 129º33.290'E 

May 20, 2019 

A beautiful departure from Hirado this morning, light just beginning to break over the town, the harbor waters pond still, we timed our early departure for slack tide to exit Hirado and it all went smoothly. Hugging the a coastline mostly hidden by mist and fog we had light to very very light airs most of the morning. Twice the winds built to a 12 knots and we had the Genoa up for a heart beat, but as soon as we were set the winds dropped and we motored on. The coast line has many islets and rocks offshore and the coastline is stunning, it was a gorgeous morning until we were swallowed by fog. Once again we were bedeviled by seaweed and we have a slight vibration leading us to believe we have a chunk of something wrapped around the prop.  On our approach to  Fukuoka we passed into a rain front and made our way to Odo Marina in an absolute deluge. With light winds and a 1.5 knot current on the beam we were mostly parked onto the dock by the elements. Now that we are all settled in the winds have built and the rains continue to pour. Spring yachting at its finest! Odo looks like a great marina to have as a base while we explore Fukuoka and work at a couple projects. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 05/20/2019 02:00 (utc) our position was 33º35.552'N - 130º18.699 'E

Nagasaki

Dejima welcoming committee.

After a year of small towns, remote atolls, island villages and the rare supermarket, it has been a bit of a rush to visit Nagasaki, our first real city since Auckland. Our arrival coincided with the end of Golden Week and the park near the marina was packed with people, food stalls, live music and a giant blow up Pokeman character. The marina is in the center of the city and the crowds were streaming by as we docked and absorbed being in such a fantastic place. The piers for the several large high speed ferries is also close to the marina, all day there are the blasts of horns signaling arrivals, departures and maneuvers, along with the roar of the massive engines. There is a high speed hydrofoil ferry that sounds like a row of 747s when it leaves the dock. The ferries through a decent wake so the waters in the marina are choppy and we roll quite a bit. In the evening the marina quiets, the ferries end their rounds, and it is a lovely place to be. 

Douglas and Tumbleweed at Dejima Marina with a bit of Nagasaki in the background.

Dejima marina is at the waters edge of what was once the small island where the Dutch were constrained for their trading operations with the Japanese for over 200 years. In this neighborhood the Dutch had an exclusive trading arrangement and kept a small outpost on an island where they could trade goods from throughout the Dutch trading empire for all sorts of Japanese products and raw materials. Sugar, wool fabrics, various European manufactured goods, spices, medicinal herbs and the like were traded for gold, silver, copper and a variety of Japanese crafts and art work, such as pottery. The Portuguese had set up the initial relationship with the Japanese and Europeans but the Catholics over stepped their boundaries and there was a pretty violent response to Christians in the region, with the Catholics and the Portuguese banned from trading and the Dutch with an exclusive contract. An amazing bit of wrangling I’d venture. It’s also worth noting that for 5 years, during Napoleon’s reign and while France ruled over the Netherlands, this outpost was the only place in the world flying the Dutch state flag.

Sunset from Dejima.

There is of course, excellent food in Nagasaki. This was lunch at a restaurant that focuses on many forms of tofu.

There is a recreation of Dejima village where the Dutch had homes and warehouses, it’s done really well and is an interesting museum. There are rooms that have been recreated based on paintings from the era, showing how the Dutch lived with a mix of European and Japanese goods. 

We also visited the Nagasaki Peace park and Atomic Bomb Museum, a short tram ride from the marina. It is a saddening experience. That as a species we have managed to create such devastating weapons, and to increase their efficiencies to the point where whole cities can be vaporized and the area polluted and toxic to all life is madness. There is a wall that has a timeline showing when nuclear weapons have been used in testing and when there have been accidents, such as planes dropping a weapon by mistake, or a plane crashing with a nuclear bomb on board, etc. The museum makes a point of demonstrating the horrors unleashed by one bomb on a city and leaves to us to imagine what a modern bomb so much more powerful than that dropped on Nagasaki would accomplish. After spending time viewing the photographs and evidence of what one bomb could do to Nagasaki our lesson should be, never again. But, as a species we do not seem capable of learning from our acts of violence. 

Nagasaki is a beautiful, vibrant city and the people have been welcoming and kind. We have enjoyed our visit here immensely and appreciate that this is a place with a powerful, rich history and has been an important place for us to visit. We’ll leave with fond memories of our time on the waterfront and walking through the various neighborhoods as spring begins to take hold, with plants and trees in bloom. The marina has been a wonderful base for us. There have been many Japanese sailors coming and going and we’ve had some good conversations. We spent a wonderful evening talking with Kirk Patterson who sailed solo around all of the islands of Japan. So much knowledge and information! Kirk is working on a guide to cruising Japan, something that will be incredibly valuable to those wanting to explore Japan by boat. We look forward to seeing him in Fukuoka.

In the morning we depart for Ike Shima, a small artificial island built on top of a coal seam. It was a coal mining town until the mine was shut down. It is supposed to have interesting buildings open to the public to explore. From there we plan to make our way to Fukuoka with a few stops along the way. We hope to work on a couple projects in Fukuoka before sailing into the Seto Naikai, or the Inland Sea in english. 

Yamagawa.

Yamagawa to Nagasaki 

Below are our Farkwar postings from the places we visited between Yamagawa and Nagasaki. 

Rainy day in Makurazaki. It was a real event getting alongside this seawall safely.

Alice Otsuji Hager sailed this yacht from California in 1984 when she was 63. Tumbleweed was previously named Perseverance. I felt an affinity for them both.

Makurazaki 

April 28, 2019 We had a short day on the water, out of Yamagawa at 08:20, tied to the wall at Makurazaki at 13:30 - quite a change from the passages we've been doing the past few months. Fluky winds would gust to 20 knots then drop to 8 knots, one moment dead downwind, then on the beam with seas that were confused with a growing swell that had us surfing the last hour and past the breakwaters. Most likely influenced by the topography, we passed a couple headlands, a volcano and the valleys between, the southern end of Kyushu is basically open to the East China Sea and the Pacific so all that ocean is rolling up on the shelf here. Makurazaki is a fishing village and looks quiet from where we've tied to a sea wall surrounded by fishing boats, a couple streets off the water there are several large stores, the biggest grocery we've seen since Saipan and a mega pachinko parlor. We attempted to tie to the a green floating dock we thought was a municipal dock but were waved off by man driving a forklift. With winds gusting to 20 knots as we tried to tie along the sea wall we cast an envious eye at the deserted green dock down the way. We had planned to go to Kasasa tomorrow but the forecast is calling for stronger winds than today so I think we'll stay put until that system passes. All's good on Tumbleweed

31º 12.192' N  -  130º 38.028' E

Kasasa. On the pier owned by the Ebisu hotel. A really nice location, the hotel was wonderful - excellent meals and a really nice onsen. MV Happy in the center, super nice folks we’ve enjoyed spending time with.

Captain Mike and his son rafted up to us at Kasasa. Hardy sailors. They had come through the gale we chose to sit out. The visited with beers and snacks.

Kasasa

April 30, 2019Pouring rain, grey, chilly, green,gorgeous rugged shoreline. Are we in Japan or back in the Pacific Northwest? Yesterday a gale was blowing and there was a high seas warning so we stayed in Makurazaki. Today the winds had died and the seas calmed but for a large gentle swell. With winds at 3-5 knots we were forced to motor and keep a watch for the floating seaweed. We arrived at the Ebisu hotel at 13:30 and were surprised to see Ken on the Yacht Happy, who we met in Yamagawa, waving to us from the hotel. He was tied to the dock and came down to move his his yacht to the shorter end tie and let us take the long side of the dock. Very nice, as we would have not fit on the end. We are at the dock now and enjoying the luxury of being on a dock vs a sea wall with fresh water available. We have not had the convenience of fresh water to the boat since Fiji. This is a big deal for Tumbleweed. Depending on weather, and depending on how addicted we become to easy water, we'll either stay another night or head for Sato Ne in the morning. All is well on Tumbleweed. 

31º 24.954' N  -  130º 8.064' E

Along the sea wall at Seto Ne. A kind local man waved us to this spot while his little son shouted out greetings and directions while jumping up and down. One of the best greetings we’ve had.

Sato Ne 

May 2, 2019 We are tied to a concrete sea wall in small fishing village on the island of Kami Koshiki Jima, some twenty miles off the coast of Kyushu. We had a sunny, near windless day crossing over from Kasasa, avoiding kelp and arriving in the early afternoon. Until recently there was a large hotel here that kept a pontoon in front that was reported by previous cruisers to be a good spot to tie to, but we were told by Kirk on Silk Purse that the hotel had recently closed and the pontoon was no longer available so we were prepared to find a spot on the sea wall. A man from the fuel station drove over with his son and directed us to a spot where we could tie up. It is really kind when we people take the time to help out us confused sailors. We knew we could tie up somewhere but we want to avoid spots that are preferred by or reserved for the fishing fleet. We had a short stroll around the neighborhood, this end of town is where the local fishing fleet and fish processing plant is located. It is pretty quiet here as in the other towns we've visited it appears commercial fishing is in decline. We stopped into the local market for a few supplies. While walking around Ravens were working over our cockpit looking for snacks, when we were a few hundred yards away they took flight leaving snack wrappers and a shiny marlin spike that were in the cockpit bag out on the cockpit benches. They also left a present to show their unhappiness at finding no snacks. All is well on Tumbleweed. It's a beautiful, wind still night and we are looking forward to a glass of wine and some pasta.

31º 50.814' N  -  129º 55.338' E

Along the seawall at Ushibuka. I’d like to recommend arriving at high tide…A nice village, people were so friendly.

A nice lady handing Douglas some treats. We bought some produce with the locals out of this truck.

Ushibuka 

May 3, 2019 Another near windless day, though beautiful with clear sunny skies, as we crossed from the harbor of Sato Ne to the town of Ushibuka back on Kyushu. There is a series of concrete basins inside the massive breakwater that shelters the town and harbor, we worked our way back to the innermost basin but found that it was filled with fishing boats. In the next basin we found a spot along the sea wall and made ourselves fast at 13:30 this afternoon. The infrastructure is geared toward fishing vessels, mostly on a scale a couple magnitudes larger than Tumbleweed. We arrived at low, low tide and the bollards were far above our heads, we were down below aligned with the barnacles. A fisherman came to our rescue and Douglas was able to heave a line up to him and he helped get us tied alongside. Though the innermost basin if full, the outer enclosures are mostly empty and there were many options for tying alongside. We had a walk through town and stopped to buy produce from a little truck that was stopped in one of the neighborhoods, a woman gave us some sort of candy and the owner of the truck gave us some bread. We got good laughs out of the neighbor ladies. Later we stopped at a smoke house to ask what they were smoking and if we could buy some, it smelled delicious. A man sold us a bagful of small smoked fish for a dollar. We found out later they are for katsuobushi, so we'll make some soup and dashi broth from them. Tumbleweed is now smelling of sweet smoked fish. The town was very quiet as we walked around, it is Golden Week, but it might be quiet in general. All is well on Tumbleweed.

32º 12.03' N  -  130º 0.624' E

The seawall at Nomo Ko. There is a pontoon but it is designed for lighter vessels. We arrived at low tide and had a bit of a challenge getting alongside here.

Yottos to the rescue! These kind folks helped us with our lines and then moved their yacht to a pontoon to give us their space along the sea wall. We continue to be humbled by how helpful and friendly people are to us.

Nomo Ko 

May 4, We arrived at Nomo Ko after several hours of motoring from Ushibuka. Big day for fishing, the last weekend of Golden Week and the waters are calm so many boats hit the water today. Nomo Ko is a lovely village, very quaint. We attempted to dock at the floating pontoon recommended by previous cruisers but were asked to tie at the sea wall instead, the pontoon is to be used only by small, light craft. A Japanese cruiser moved to another pontoon and gave us his spot on the sea wall so we can go ashore, otherwise it would be tricky getting to shore at low tide, the top of the wall was well above us as we arrived. We spent a couple hours wrangling fenders and line and fender boards and tires to try and keep us from being gouged by oysters and barnacles. We lost a bit of gel coat at the bow coming in when we barely touched one of the rubber fenders bolted to the wall but covered in rough shells. Extra large fenders are on the wish list for Nagasaki. We'd been warned and thought we were covered with fenders, but I don't think you can have too many or too large of fenders. These harbors are set up for working fishing vessels not yachts. We were reminded again of how kind and gracious people are in Japan. The port manager, after asking us to move, which we completely understood and after we apologized for inconveniencing him, came back a few moments later with beers and ice for us. And the kindness of the yachtsman who saw our predicament with the sea wall and no access to a ladder, etc. and somehow negotiating the ability to move to another pontoon that would accept his lighter boat but not Tumbleweed, both examples of the interactions we are experiencing during our visit. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

32º 35.016' N  -  129º 45.222' E

Nagasaki 

We motored past Hashima Island on our way from Nomo Ko to Nagaski.

May 5, 2019 This morning we arrived at Nagasaki after motoring over calm waters with no wind from Nomo Ko. It is overwhelming to be in our first real city since we passed through Auckland in March of last year. We have spent the past year in the islands mostly in small towns, remote anchorages or villages. This is quite the change. A busy port with a large shipyard and many shipworks, docks, repair facilities, ferry terminals, etc lining the waters. We are tied up at Dejima marina in the heart of the city. This is the spot where the Dutch had set up their trading post and where they were confined in Japan. A lot of history in this city. We plan to spend a week visiting

32º 44.616' N  -  129º 52.206' E

Yamagawa

The view of Yamagawa from where we docked.

Yamagawa, Kyushu, Japan
April 26, 2019

We arrived in Yamagawa on April 20th, we've had a great week recovering from our passage from Chichijima. This is a sleepy fishing village that at times feels nearly deserted. We have an excellent spot on a floating pontoon across the street from a market selling local foods with a small cafe. Birds of prey, they look like massive brown Eagles, maybe Hawks? Screech and cry while fishing around us. I think they might be Greater Spotted Eagles but I need to find an expert. There is a train that runs to the big city of Kagoshima that we have taken for sightseeing to the town of Ibusuki a few minutes north of here, we also rode south a few miles to Daimon where we walked to a restaurant famous for their soba noodles. 

Small towns that line the coast and are removed from the bustle of urban Japan are what we have been looking forward to visiting by boat. We have talked about just this sort of little village and we are so happy to be wandering around the old houses with tidy vegetable gardens along narrow, winding streets. People are friendly and welcoming, there are a couple little markets for essentials, though a visit to the bakery in Ibusuki yesterday was pretty nice. The morning after our arrival at six o’clock a gentle piano tune played on the loudspeakers to wake up the village and at six each evening there is a little tune that warbles out over the valley to let everyone know the day is winding down. It is an odd thing to experience coming from the states, it’s at once a kind of nurturing gesture but also feels a bit invasive. There are messages broadcast throughout the day, as in Chichijima, as well. As a tourist it is all sort of exotic and charming but I don’t know about something like in Port Townsend.

Leaving Chichijima we had several days of decent weather, mostly on a broad reach, in the high teens. It was pretty much a classic passage for us until we were  150 miles or so out off the coast of Kyushu and were passed by a gale. We spent around six hours with winds in the thirties and low forties with gusts into the fifties. I saw 52 knots and Douglas 56. At times it was loud and a bit bumpy but Tumbleweed felt really solid and we were sailing downwind and the system was moving so quickly it had not had time to build up large waves. I was happy when the winds diminished a bit after noon. After that system passed the winds dropped to a few knots and the seas calmed but for a swell that rolled us heavily. 

Now closing in on Kyushu we decided to motor sail the last section and that helped to stabilize us a bit. We noticed we had some vibration in the drive train during the night and it started to worsen. After dealing with vibration woes in Alaska and all the weeks and months of drama around that we killed the engine and drifted until sunrise. With the sun up I used the GoPro on the end of a boat hook to take a look at the prop. We had a giant ball of something wrapped around it so I went overboard and hacked away a decent mass of kelp wrapped around a couple feet of old netting that was wrapped tight around the shaft, just forward of our line cutter. 

Back in action we motor sailed across calm seas that undulated with swell and were covered with mats of seaweed. Where currents crossed the seaweed would form long lines stretching to the horizon, elsewhere seaweed formed in large clumps, attracting discarded rope,netting, lures, a boot, plastic debris, etc. In some areas one of us would take the bow and navigate us through like when we were making our way around coral heads. There was an unbelievable amount of kelp and we would have to navigate around it all the way to Yamagawa. We hit another patch the following night and were again forced to drift for a few hours until the sun rose and we repeated the GoPro inspection, "aha! Seaweed!" Overboard with the knife process. Somewhere along the way Douglas bought this crazy serrated hook/saw/knife that attaches to a pole and is made for clearing the prop of line. It was perfect, I was able to hang onto a strap off the toerail and hook the clumps of seaweed and saw through them. The couple times I had to go under the hull the swell was lifting and dropping Tumbleweed down on me and pushing me under, no big deal in light swell but not a place to hang out in bad weather. I was in a full wetsuit with hood, gloves, etc, And the water was not cold, there were jelly fish in the water but no sharks sighted. 

Our original plan had been to go to Kagoshima but the heavy outflow from the Osumi Kaikyo was running at 2-3 knots against us and we were only able to make Yamagawa just as the sun set. Many many thanks to the cruisers that have come before us - Bosun Bird especially, as well as Let's Go, who have so generously written extensive notes including GPS coordinates for places to moor in Japan. We had planned on several potential spots and had coordinates plugged in, google earth photos uploaded into Open CPN and their notes at hand, it made our arrival very straightforward. I was updating Kagoshima customs and coast guard along the way and in the morning we had several Yamagawa coast guard men arrive to check us in. On the following Monday the customs team from Kagoshima arrived with the coast guard from Ibusuki. Many forms but everyone is so polite and it all goes so smoothly that there is no stress and it doesn't feel like a hassle, more part of the adventure of being in Japan. 

Our plan is to be here until Sunday then sail for Makurazaki  and begin making our way toward Nagasaki. There is a list of ports to visit along the way, each a day sail apart, 35 - 30 miles. It has been so long since we have day sailed, we are both looking forward to that. Stopping after a day on the water and being able to relax is a distant memory. So, on to Nagasaki where we hope to spend a few days, then out to the Gotto Rhetto and then to work our way into the Setto Naikai, the inland sea. 

Tumbleweed at the dock in Yamagawa

Notes for Cruisers:

We used notes from Bosun Bird and Chamade.

Water: Close to the green floating pier in the ferry terminal area there is a picnic table covered by a pavilion, there is a water fountain with a spigot that we used.

Provisions - there is a market across the street from the dock that has a small selection of fresh produce and a wide array of local delicacies. There is a small grocery store in town. Ibusuki has large grocery stores, and is a few minutes by train or bus.

In General - an easy to enter, straightforward harbor. The green pier was very convenient. A military vessel tied up on the other side of the pier one night and told us we were in their spot but didn’t ask us to move. They left the next day. Customs drove out to visit us from Kagoshima and we were visited by both the Ibusuki and Yamagawa coast guard. All friendly and polite. Lots of forms. This seems like a good alternative to going into Kagoshima. There is a train that runs regularly to Kagoshima and there is also a bus.

Propane - we tried to fill our near empty tanks with no luck.

Diesel - There are two fuel stations walking distance to the dock but we didn’t use either, we plan to top off fuel in Nagasaki.

Trash/recycling - There is a metal framework with a green net cover across the street and a little to the left of the pier. Trash can be left there on two mornings of the week. We talked with the manager of the market, he gave us a trash bag. Recycling can also be left on certain mornings, best to check with a local on which days and what can be left.

Hardware/Marine supplies - there is a large hardware store in Ibusuki. It is a much bigger town that Yamagawa and even has a section of town with “big box” stores.

Below are our Farkwar entries from our passage from Chichijima.


April 14, 2019 

Yesterday morning we had a beautiful departure from Chichijima. We left the dock with 8 knots of sheltered wind that turned to winds in the low 20's once we left the shelter of the harbor. We had brisk sailing with good weather that turned cool forcing us into our foul weather gear through the night. Chichijima was one of the more lovely islands we've visited in the Pacific and we were sad to depart. We met wonderful people and enjoyed great hospitality during our visit. This morning we are sailing in organized seas with a gentle one meter swell, making good time under Genoa, stays'l and double reefed main. Our plan is to head westerly to the Okinawa islands and then turn north to take advantage of weather and the Kuro Shio current. At the moment we are heading more NW than projected but winds are veering throughout the day and at some point we'll jibe. Brilliant bioluminescence last night and many sea birds, including a couple albatross. Feels good to be back at sea. All is well on Tumbleweed.

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At 04/14/2019 02:00 (utc) our position was 27º34.326'N - 140º16.170'E 


April 15, 2019 

Our second day on passage to Kagoshima has given us a wide range of weather and sea. A couple hours ago we passed through the line between two weather systems, the winds dropped, it rained lightly, we were surrounded by walls of grey. We passed quickly to the system coming from the north. In moments Tumbleweed did a 180 degree turn and sauntered back the way we had come from, No banging of sails or much to indicate we had turned around completely except we were keeping an eye on wind direction and our heading. The winds have built back up and we were just hitting 8 knots. We've decided to fall off a little and now the sailing is much more comfortable. We have seen a couple cargo ships and a large fishing vessel but otherwise not much going on out here. Trying to get used to the cold weather, last night on watch I wore boots, long underwear, a fleece jacket,  two wool shirts and foul weather gear. I am missing the good ol' days of sailing in sandals in a tee shirt and shorts. Currently heading 270, due west, winds in the low 20's, making 6 knots.  All is well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 04/15/2019 03:48 (utc) our position was 28º06.364'N - 137º49.341'E 


April 16, 2019 

A beautiful morning of sailing after a night lit up by a half moon. Today the sun is out and we are drying out and getting warm. Seas are much settled compared to yesterday. We are in our passage groove with our routines. We are on beam reach with winds out of the north, making our way due west. A low is forecast for tonight, we are to pass through the edge of the system. Expecting stronger winds and rain. Will enjoy the perfect weather while we can. All is well on Tumbleweed.

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At 04/15/2019 23:22 (utc) our position was 28º06.710'N - 136º00.171'E 


April 17, 2019 

Wild day of sailing, mostly passing through a gale strength system with winds in the high thirties gusting into forties, highest guest was 52 knots. The system is moving fast though and we spent most of the morning sailing through then for several hours we dropped back into the low 20 knot range, but the winds have built back up and we are seeing high twenties gusting into 30s. Forecast is for diminishing winds. The high winds also brought rain so it's been a grey, rainy, blustery day. Sun has just popped out through the clouds and we are hoping that's a sign of moderation ahead.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 04/17/2019 05:40 (utc) our position was 29º22.461'N - 133º36.465'E 


April 19, 2019 

Closing in on Kyushu. This morning we had a gorgeous sunrise with dolphins swimming all around us, calm seas, very light winds. All lovely and comfortable but wishing for more winds at the moment, we  passed over the Kuroshio this morning, the infamous heavy current that sweeps up from Okinawa and runs up the east coast of Japan. We are nearing the Osumi Kaikyo, the passage that we need to transit to get to Kagoshima. There is heavy traffic in this area, at the moment there are 17 vessels on AIS. Yesterday we had light winds and were motor sailing until we hit patch after patch of floating seaweed that jammed up our propeller. We have been able to mostly clear the prop with heavy forward and reverse of the engine but after doing that several times we are going to try drifting and sailing as we can until we are out of the seaweed area. Hoping to reach Kagoshima late tomorrow afternoon if the winds pick up tonight. We plan on hoisting our light air Genoa later today to see if we can make better progress.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 04/18/2019 11:40 (utc) our position was 30º45.454'N - 131º39.024'E 


April 21, 2019 

Yesterday as the sun dipped behind the hills of Yamagawa we tied up to a green industrial floating dock, killed the engine and enjoyed the quiet murmur of a small Japanese town. It was wonderful to be at rest. The last three days of this passage were stretched out by sailing through a gale into light airs, twice fouling our prop requiring dives overboard to hack out clumps of seaweed and old fish net, and working against the formidable out flowing current of the Osumi Kaikyo. The seas around Kyushu are covered with floating mats of a devilish seaweed that absorbs all sorts of sea trash and wraps the propeller shaft up into massive balls debris. With light airs below our ability to sail and our prop fouled two nights in a row we were forced to wait for sunrise as the heavy out flowing current had us drifting away from our goal while the chartplotter lit up with AIS targets. At night we watched a steady stream of tankers, cargo ships and fishing vessels streaming in and out of Kagoshima, at times over 20 vessels with many within a few miles of where we were drifting. Yesterday I dove the prop as the sun rose, we were greeted by another massive pod of dolphins and motor sailed for Yamagawa. The current was strong throughout the day and we kept watch for ships and kelp,  keeping free of both. It felt incredibly good to be at rest last night and get deep sleep. The crew of Tumbleweed is looking forward to a couple months of day sailing in Japan.  All's well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 04/20/2019 07:20 (utc) our position was 31º12.193'N - 130º38.028'E

Chichijima, Japan

Chichijima 

April 10, 2019

Three weeks have passed quickly at this magical island and we are prepping for our passage to Kyushu. Arriving here was a dreamlike experience after heaving to in heavy weather off shore for several hours, the weather cleared and we rounded the headlands, passing many feeding Humpback whales . Chichijima is beautiful with charming and polite people, excellent food, a sheltered place to dock, great walking trails, lovely beaches. Although a tourist destination it feels sparsely populated and what people we see are low key. It has been a restorative place to prep for our visit to the mainland. 

Ten years ago a friend of Douglas’ announced he’d bought a sailboat, was quitting his job and heading out to sail around the world. It was an inspiring topic of discussion around our house. When we started taking sailing lessons and found Tumbleweed, Kevin and his adventures were a kind of touch stone, and Chichijima was a key part of the story. Kevin had met Naomi here, the woman who he would marry.  Naomi’s mother has been a wonderful friend on the island, taking us on walks to all the great vistas and to many of the beaches, bringing us delicious treats, taking us to picnics and out to meals. Her kindness has been one of the nicest things about our visit. I look forward to shopping day when the ferry arrives and we meet up go to the market. I think Junko has a commercial account with one of the grocery stores, we skip the long lines in the front and shop at the back with the chefs and innkeepers. When the ferry arrives the fresh produce and fish is bought as quickly as it is put on the shelves.

Douglas happy to be on land.

It was a bit disorienting at first to arrive to Chichijima, it had lived so strongly in my imagination for so long. It is more beautiful than I had imagined. The coast line alternates between raw, towering cliffs and lovely  sheltered beaches. There are offshore islets and at this time of the year pods of whales swim between them and the main island, spouting, diving, feeding. There is a large cliff on the west side of the island, behind the village, and we have taken to walking there to catch the sunsets. As the sun sets we have a good view along the coast and can watch whales. It is a local favorite spot and families gather to watch the sunset then head home. It’s one of the many things that makes this island feel part of another time, rather quaint. 

Remnants from the war can be found most places on the island. Many gun emplacements, tunnels and other evidence including this American plane.

To the north is the companion island of Anijima. It is an uninhabited nature preserve with no camping and limited areas where tourists can visit. There is a pass that divides the two islands and from Chichijima we have watched the waters build with standing waves and vicious whirlpools as the tide changes. There many trails that give access to overlooks and also trails to beaches along the coast that give a sea level view of the island. 

Looking north from sunrise peak. Tumbleweed is along the pier at right, in the inner harbor.

The rhythm of life here revolves around the ferry that arrives from Tokyo, offloads a few hundred passengers, idles at the dock four days, then makes a three day round trip to Tokyo. In the day before the ferry arrives many businesses are closed, presumably gearing up for tourists. During the 4 days that the ferry is at the dock there are boats running divers and whale watchers out of the bay and people stroll the village streets, restaurants are open, the place feels lively. The first day the ferry arrives the shelves of the grocery stores are packed with fresh produce and perishables. There are long lines at the two main grocers in the village. It is the best day to go for sushi at the local restaurants. We’ve eaten at Bougain and Manta on the nights the ferry arrived with fresh fish from Tokyo and our meals were excellent. The day after the ferry leaves most businesses again close to take a pause and reorganize. The whole village shifting its calendar around so that the two days off a week revolve around the ferry and are a moving target, an ever shifting “weekend”. 

One of the many bays along the Chichijima coastline. The water is incredibly clear and the reef is among the most healthy we’ve seen in the Pacific.

Douglas and Junko on the trail.

Weather between the Ogasawara islands  and the “mainland” is volatile, the patterns shifting quickly from light winds to strong headwinds. We’ve been watching for weeks now and have yet to see a perfect window. Our plan is to head out with favorable winds to at least get us away from the Ogasawara islands and on our way to Kagoshima in Kyushu, and if we face strong head winds we’ll just have to heave to and sit tight. There is also the Kuro Shio, a strong current that runs along the east coast of Japan and can run up to three knots. We intend to head mostly west from Chichijima and make for the Okinawa islands and then head north to hopefully ride the Kuro Shio. 

Another great sunset from the overlook behind the village.

Most days we walk, at first long walks with Naomi’s mother along many of the paths in the hills to her favorite spots, and to hidden beaches, to overlooks with vistas of the sea and the village.  Walking up the hill to the weather station and the view over the sea has become a habit when the weather is nice. The sea is such a powerful component of life here, carving away at the island and setting the emotional tenor of each day. 

Mizuno-san is building a 50 foot catamaran in a tunnel on the island. Both hulls have been constructed and he’s working on the interiors.

One of the hulls for Mizuno-san’s catamaran.

Our position at the wharf is well sheltered and gives us a view out to the main harbor. When the winds kick up we can watch the fishing boats heading to sea, bucking the swell, bows crashing into white water. The weather switches quickly and following a day of rough weather we can have a day of pond like seas dancing with brilliant sunshine. It is a place that engages, it is such a seductive, beautiful place to visit. I will try to appreciate each moment and will treasure the memories of my time here. 

USK Coffee. They grow, roast, brew and serve coffee from trees on their property. The coffee is delicious and the Airstream trailer is pretty cool. Really nice folks.

From a fund raising festival for the community center. All sorts of excellent treats were being cooked up.

Notes for Cruisers: 

Pre Arrival contacts: 

Ogasawara Coast Guard: jcg3ogasawara-9q3p@mlit.go.jp 

Ogasawara Customs: itou-h55gs@mlit.go.jp

We wrote to them from Saipan and they sent us the forms they wanted filled out and met us at the dock when we arrived.

Location against the wharf: 27º05.914’N - 142º12.006’E

Note - construction is wrapping up on a breakwater at the end of the pier that is not on current charts. 

Formalities: Clearing in was straightforward. We had completed pre-arrival papers (which we would fill out again when we arrived) and had sent emails to customs and the coast guard of our intended arrival. As we pulled up to the dock there were two coast guardsmen waiting to take our lines. Quarantine,  Immigration, customs, all checked us out. We rode back to the customs office on the other side of the village for photos and fingerprints and a few signatures. Everyone was incredibly professional and polite. 

ATM: One at the ferry terminal, one at the Post Office. 

Provisions: Two small grocery stores with excellent selection of produce and other fresh goods the day the ferry arrives. By end of day that the ferry arrives the selection is greatly diminished. Fresh produce can also be sourced from the small locally grown store also on the main street. There is a small convenience store up the hill from the marina - right at the first major intersection when walking from the marina to the village (at the tunnel). It is run by an alumnus of Seattle University and carries a nice variety of Western foods not found at the larger stores, also has the best selection of wine, sake and spirits on the island. Kenny, the owner, is friendly and speaks excellent english. Up the hill from the convenience store (you’ll want locals’ directions) a Tokyo trained baker runs sells bread, pastries, sandwiches out of a house.  Best baguettes since New Zealand. 

Kanno-san of the Ogasawara Yacht Club can lend the key to the water main, on the pier.. There was a 1,000 yen fee. I think this paid for a utility worker to come to the pier and open the main water valve. 

Fuel: Across the harbor at the fish packing operation. We coordinated with the customs office, I don’t think it’s possible to just show up and take on fuel. 

Transportation: There is a local bus line that is run as a hop off, hop on, operation that tours the island. Town House guest house attached to Kenny’s convenience store, rented us bicycles and there are a few other options for rentals in town. 

Information: There is a excellent tourist info office on the main street, look for the massive whale mural. Very helpful and always someone speaking English around.

Internet: The visitor’s center, across the street from the tourist center, has free hi speed wifi in their library. Really nice set up. A few cafes also offer wifi. 

Laundry: See the tourist info folks for a recommendation to use the facilities at a hotel. We were able to do our laundry at the guest house attached to the small convenience store. There is no laundromat. 

Chandlery: No hardware, yachting supplies, etc. I think everything is shipped in via ferry. We ordered charts and an inverter/charger and shipping was quick, just has to be timed to make it on the next sailing ferry or will need to wait an extra week. 

Restaurants: Great selection. Most close the day before the ferry arrives and then the day after the ferry departs. Highly recommend Bougain for sushi the day the ferry arrives. Recommend reservations. Also liked Manta, they had an English menu and excellent food, Tetsuya for lunch,  Amenohi Shokudoan was one of our favorite places, they had interesting daily specials and did tasty tempura dishes. 

Post service: It is possible to have mail held as general delivery. This is the address the post office gave us to use: 

Name

Ogasawara Post Office 

Nishi-Machi Chichijima

Ogasawara-Mura 

100-2101 Tokyo

JAPAN 

Post Restante or General Delivery 

Saipan to Chichijima

We arrived in Chichijima two weeks ago after a good passage from Saipan. We had a wide range of weather, from days adrift to our last days of big seas and high winds. Kept things interesting. We visited the lovely, incredibly remote atoll Maug, a highlight of our tour of the pacific. An extinct volcano long since collapsed and open to the sea. We sailed into the caldera, had a look around, rejected the precarious anchoring spot and continued on. Sailing along the Northern Mariana group we often had an island  in sight. Several mornings I was on watch as the sun rose over the distinct profile of a volcano. I regret we were pushing to take advantage of favorable weather and unable to stop along the way. Pagan would have been a lovely place to spend a few days. But we enjoyed the shift from the prevailing headwinds winds to broad reach sailing over calm seas in the wake of Typhoon Wutip and sailed on. 

Below I’ve collected our daily postings to the Farkwar site. I’ll post about Chichijima soon. We are enjoying Chichijima immensely. It is a wonderful island to visit on the way to the mainland of Japan. Beautiful, rugged, lots of wildlife, with wonderful kind people. It has been a shift from some our other destinations. We are in Japan, but also in the islands, and there is a nice balance of those two worlds. No planes overhead, no bustle of the urban world, a slower pace of life, but everything is organized and efficient. There is excellent food and provisions, the island has a vast network of hiking trails covering the hills and meandering to all sorts of hidden beaches. More soon. 

Feburary 28, 2019 

Day one of our passage to Maug we've had excellent conditions since departing Saipan. Super Typhoon Wutip has reset the weather conditions and the NE trades that we rode from Majuro have been replaced by souther easterlies, giving us excellent conditions for our passage to Muag. We sailed basically due west from Majuro and have pivoted at Saipan to head due closet to due north to Maug. The change in the wind direction is incredibly fortunate. Instead of beating our way to Maug in high seas we are currently on a beam reach with winds hovering around 20 knots and settled seas enjoying outstanding sailing. We maxed 120 miles in the 20 hours since we departed Saipan and have 165 miles to go to Maug on a heading of 355 degrees. We had planned on stopping at Pagan, and will likely regret not visiting the island, but we want to take advantage of these excellent conditions as long as we can. Last night we had a 44 percent waning moon lighting the seas, it was a nice welcome back to the sea. All is well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 02/27/2019 09:40 (utc) our position was 17º16.689'N - 145º23.183’E

March 2, 2019 

There are times when through the writings of others and our interpretation of what a chart presents us we create and image of a place in our minds that is counter to the reality. Our image of Maug was one of those times. We passed by Pagan imagining that we'd instead anchor at Maug, enjoy the remote splendor a few days while waiting out a few windless days. Maug is the most remote spot on earth I can recall visiting, and there is a splendor and beauty to it that puts it in a category of its own. The remains of an ancient volcano, now reduced to three large chunks of islands in the Pacific. Descriptions maintain that there is an anchorage tucked up against the eastern  most island on a shelf of rock hard against the steep shore and it technically exists but I can't imagine anchoring there, there is slight shelter, though enough to dramatically reduce the ocean's swell. The reality is that the depths in the crater go from over 400 feet up to a shelf of 75 feet and then a couple boat lengths later run up onto a steep scree covered shore that runs steeply to the summit. The water covered many large boulders and the remains of a wrecked yacht are also in the water and here and there on the shore. We had read that a large yacht was discovered here several years ago but to see the remains along with the forbidding conditions sent us on our way. Maug was gorgeous and I am glad we stopped, to take Tumbleweed into the crater of an extinct volcano and to pass by the cliffs of the islands was a rare experience. But I can't recommend anchoring there. Approaching Maug the winds died and we motored for much of the day to arrive there by late afternoon. We left as the sun began to close the horizon and motored through the night to put some distance between us. We are now floating on a calm sea with a few knots of breeze fluttering about. We are 400 miles from Chichi Jima and need to decide how we'll spend the next few days that are forecast to be windless followed by a couple days of northerlies. I highly recommend a visit to Maug, and regret not stopping at Pagan. All is well on Tumbleweed.  

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At 03/01/2019 11:40 (utc) our position was 20º56.752'N - 144º55.366’E

Douglas in the caldera at Maug

March 3, 2019 

The active volcano Farralon Pajaros is still in view to the south, the wind barely brushes the surface of the sea, gentle swell continues to slide past us rolling us gently from side to side. We are waiting for wind which is forecast to build in our favor over the next couple of days before turning to head winds out of the north. We debated motoring for a couple of days to get in a better position for the winds but decided against that idea, we tend to be conservative with fuel  and two additional days of motoring on top of the day we spent motoring to Maug and then to get ourselves north of Maug would use more than we'd like. We'll wait, if the winds come up a couple more knots we'll try our genneker, a large lightweight sail much like a spinnaker. We haven't had much use with that sail during our ocean passages, it tends to collapse with the swell.  There is a slight current here that is drawing us south, we had a few knots of wind and were making slightly under a knot but last night the current overwhelmed our efforts and we've moved back to where we had shut down the engine yesterday.  It is incredibly beautiful out here, the ocean is calm and all is so quiet. The sight of a volcano in the distance adds a level of magic to the scene. All is well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 03/02/2019 11:40 (utc) our position was 20º48.700'N - 144º55.212’E

March 4, 2019 

We have drifted south toward the gorgeous volcanic cone of Farallon de Parajos most of yesterday and then caught a bit of wind and perhaps another current to drift our way back north of our furthest point this morning. Our course as described on our chart plotter looks like a child's scribbled line, first northward then south toward the volcano then looping off to the west to make a lazy arc back the the apex. The volcano continues to be beautiful and this morning a bit after 5 the slight sliver of the moon rose through a golden haze to climb into the delicate blue light of the morning sky. Although we are both looking forward to arriving in Chichi Jima and the promise of a great island to explore we are content at the moment to be caught here in time.  All is well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 03/04/2019 01:40 (utc) our position was 20º55.235'N - 144º45.690’E

March 5, 2019 

Another day of very light wind. We are drifting northward against a light current, perhaps a knot. We have lost sight of the volcano and this morning saw the last of the moon. Chichi Jima is 387 miles to the north and the winds are forecast to appear tomorrow. Until then we'll continue to enjoy the beauty and solitude.  All is well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 03/05/2019 01:21 (utc) our position was 21º06.888'N - 144º49.066’E

March 6, 2019 

Light winds and a slight current are keeping us moving in a slow curve to the NW. Favorable winds are on the way and it looks like Saturday will be our day to make our move to Chichijima. If the forecast is correct we will be able to take advantage of veering winds over the weekend and avoid headwinds as we make for the Chichijima harbor. Currently 350 miles south of Chichijima. Weather is cooling as we near the northern end of the tropics - another 100 miles and we'll be out of the tropics. Last night I wore a long sleeve shirt and watch cap..  All is well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 03/05/2019 01:32 (utc) our position was 21º45.696'N - 144º34.150’E

March 7, 2019 

320 miles south of Chichijima in very light winds drifting NW with a little current. A repeat day of a repeat day of a... Weather forecast continues to hold and Saturday is looking like a good day to break free for Chichijima. Looking at a Monday arrival. Yesterday a large lavender billed booby took possession of the bow pulpit. I watched at is swooped past the bow on a couple of recon runs checking us out before landing and spending the rest of the day and all night gripping the bow, rolling with the waves and preening constantly. I was surprised to see it still up there this morning as the sun rose, still preening, glancing around constantly and gnawing away at whatever sort of critters must make there home on a large sea bird. It was a large white bird with black markings along the wings, yellow feet and a massive lavender beak. Hopefully it did not leave to disgusting of a mess at the bow. All is well on Tumbleweed.     

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At 03/07/2019 01:56 (utc) our position was 22º14.210'N - 144º20.587’E

March 8, 2019 

Winds have picked up and we are moving along easily, it is overcast and cooler in this area with occasional rain showers. The forecast for the next couple of days as been adjusted slightly and we are now projecting to arrive Sunday mid-day. We've been trying to control our arrival to take advantage of favorable winds and avoid headwinds which are forecast to be strong in the Chichijima region, it looks like we'll be able to continue plodding along and avoid the headwinds. Our plan was to arrive at our current location on Saturday and be lined up for the final stretch but although we are sailing under only a stays'l and trys'l we are still managing 3.5 knots. Turns out that is just as well and we'll be in good position for the next couple of days. We are currently 245 miles south of Chichijima, sailing comfortably. Yesterday was an excellent day on the water, gentle seas, sunshine and the company of a variety of sea birds that spent their day fishing around us. All is well on Tumbleweed.     

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At 03/0/2019 01:56 (utc) our position was 23º26.013'N - 144º06.031’E

Douglas in passage mode

March 9, 2019 

We are 200 miles south of Chichijima making our way ever so slowly into wind and waves. Weather is altering to plan but a bit slower than forecast. We have had to revise our arrival from Sunday to Monday. We won't be able to arrive in Chichjima during daylight at this speed. But the weather is forecast to continue to veer and become more favorable. We tried raising more sail and being more aggressive with these conditions but it was really uncomfortable and hard on Tumbleweed. We're in no hurry and we'd only be rushing into unfavorable conditions. Highlight of the past day was a visitation last night by a cheeky bird that first rooster on the stern pulpit and then hopped into the cockpit and seized control of the space for over an hour. I abandoned my spot tucked up in a corner near the companionway and the bird spent several minutes standing on my light up kindle. I would try to shoo it away and it would flap its wings and drift around the bimini then alight in some spot or another. Relieving itself frequently. It spent a period of time in love with its own reflection in the companionway boards, then tried to find a way out. Finally I lifted it gently on a seat cushion, now soiled, and escorted it off the boat. What passes for entertainment out here. We are under stays'l and trys'l crawling along at 2 knots, mostly comfortable though there is the occasional extra large wave that tosses us around. Looking forward to arrival. All is well on Tumbleweed.     

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At 03/09/2019 01:35 (utc) our position was 24º03.117'N - 143º03.775’E

March 10, 2019 

We are closing in on Chichijima, currently 112 miles to the south. This passage has been notable for its light winds and gentle seas. As we enter the home stretch we are hitting a patch of rough weather, the seas are ugly and the winds temperamental, running up into the 20s before dropping to 11 or 12 knots, all the while veering from 10 degrees to 150 degrees at the moment. The veering winds have left confused seas and we are making our way through large troughs on the beam and the somewhat frequent big smacker that jolts Tumbleweed as thought we've been Tee-boned by a truck. We are now north of the tropics, wearing long pants, layers of warm clothes, and socks! Bizarre. This morning the sun rose to reveal curtains of rain showers and a grey world. Udon is sounding real good. If the weather holds we are on track to arrive tomorrow.. All is well on Tumbleweed.     

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At 03/10/2019 01:35 (utc) our position was 25º27.323'N - 142º40.675’E

March 12, 2019 

Chichijima from Asahi Mt. Tumbleweed is in the inner harbor, on the right, against the long pier that is capped with a breakwater running toward camera.

We arrived yesterday afternoon to Chichijima after a boisterous last day of sailing. It feels good to be in Japan, it feels like we've been working our way towards this island since we left Port Townsend. Our final day at sea gave us the the wildest weather of the passage, winds of over 20 knots with large seas with heavy rains for most of the final morning, we hove to 10 miles off the entrance to the bay and waited for the weather to pass. After a few hours the weather calmed and we had a nice sail into the harbor. We are tucked away in the inner harbor behind a breakwater a few minutes stroll from town. Clearing in was incredibly polite with two Coast Guards waiting at the wharf to take our lines followed by the usual cast of characters. At 5pm there were chimes over loudspeakers and a soothing woman's voice issued some sort of calm statement. At the grocery store "Please release me, let me go" was on rotation with a host of other classic crooner hits from I'd guess the 50's. Vending machines abound stocked with beer, ramen, soft drinks, canned coffee and various snacks. We found one garbage can, slightly hidden in an alley but the town is spotless. We plan to spend a couple weeks here and then watch for a weather window to Kyushu. All is well on Tumbleweed.     

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At 03/11/2019 07:35 (utc) our position was 27º05.914'N - 142º12.006'E

Majuro to Saipan

Majuro to Saipan

February 23, Saipan 

We had a swift, wild ride from Majuro to Saipan. It stands out as a passage that was relentless from the time we left Majuro. We picked up the trade winds as we came out of the pass at Majuro and rode them all the way to Saipan. It was exhilarating, challenging, tiring, stressful and rewarding. Different from previous passages in that it was non-stop challenging sailing for the whole passage, usually there are a couple of down days, or the winds might ease for half a day, we’ve always had some time to catch our breath, organize down below a bit, clean up, etc but on this passage once we left Majuro we sailed with 20 plus knot winds the whole way, often in patches with 30 knot winds gusting into the 40’s. We were mostly on a broad or beam reach which was good, with two wave trains that were mostly comfortable but we had some strong collisions with the odd combined large wave.

Saipan has been an excellent place to recharge and regroup after our passage from Majuro. After checking in we were able to get a slip at the Smiley Cove Marina, a nice surprise after reading on Noonsite  that the marina did not accept transient yachts. Watching the waters in the lagoon this past week I think we’d be miserable if we’d have had to anchor out there. There have been large white caps and steady winds in the 20’s all week. Very happy to be in the marina. People have been friendly, the harbor is really well marked, there is a US military presence in the area and the US Coast Guard maintains the channel markers so our arrival was easy. We had constant radio contact with harbor control who were professional and helpful, guiding us to an anchorage near the dock where we would need to clear in. 

Douglas after we’d settled in at Smiley’s Cove Marina.

A note to future visitors, we were asked to clear in at “C” dock which is the large dock that accepts cargo vessels. It was near low tide and with our low free board we would have lined up just below the massive rubber bumpers installed along the concrete. With the waves and wind I  think we would have wedged under the rubber and could have done damage to the toe rail, stanchions, etc. We asked if we could return at high tide but the port was able to accommodate us in their small harbor that fronts their offices. It was sheltered and is scaled to smaller boats, much better for everyone. Our contact at the port organized all the various departments for clearing in and all went well. We had to pay $150 for the health certificate which seems steep, they don’t differentiate between yachts and commercial vessels. The entrance to the marina is very narrow, there is a peninsula that juts into the lagoon with a channel to the marina on the south side marked with a lone red buoy. We hugged close to the marker as advised, to starboard on entry the reef is close and very shallow. We arrived about halfway to low tide and saw depths of 8 feet in the fairway. The entry is narrow and shallow, worth taking a look before making an approach. With the NE trades blowing we were sheltered once we rounded the buoy and that helped immensely.  At the slip we touched bottom at the day’s low/low tide with our 6 foot draft. There was a bit more depth in the inner marina. We used a handheld depth finder and checked out various slips, not all would have been deep enough for us, they need to do some dredging, maybe they silted up after Typhoon Yutu. 

This gives a better sense of the entrance to Smiley’s Cove. Most of the water to the left is very shallow reef, the entrance into the cove hugs along the concrete embankment to the right.

Two days ago we moved from the outer slip into the marina proper, a small collection of slips designed mostly for small pleasure boats that travel around the lagoon. There are a couple boats that are offshore capable but there are no cruising yachts. For the first several days we were on the outer dock mostly by our selves and something of an attraction. Several times we glanced out to see tourists posing next to us, Once a group was kneeling on the dock for a group photo. It is the first time since we left Port Townsend that we have not been part of a cruising community. Every place we’ve visited has had at least a couple of other boats that are heading offshore or in some sort of cruising mode. We’ve been told that only 5 or 6 sailboats visit a year and it’s understandable, the small marina here is not set up for cruising yachts, their rules allow for up to two weeks to visit and only allow live aboard at the outer slip. When we were at the outer slip we would touch bottom at the daily low-low tide with our six foot draft. We were able to get a slip at the inner marina only because of the threat of heavy winds from Typhoon Wutip. 

The waters of the lagoon are beautiful and there are many nice beaches for swimming around the island. This area is where US forces came ashore in the battle for Saipan. There are remains of Japanese bunkers along the shore.

Saipan has beautiful beaches and the lagoon is a gorgeous turquoise. People are friendly with a healthy laid back island vibe. Although the island was extensively damaged by hurricane Yutu in October the area with most of the hotels and tourist activities near the marina are up and running and the damaged buildings have been cleaned up a bit. The worst of the damage appears to have been at the southern end of the island and the damage there was like nothing I’ve seen before. Whole buildings imploded, houses with roofs torn off, resorts torn apart. 

There is not much of a yacht community here but the people with boats in the marina have been really friendly and taken us out for meals and have taken us sightseeing around the island. There is a generosity of spirit that I like, the overall vibe of Saipan is positive. Local flash the hang loose sign when we wave from the boat, people take time to help us out when they can. We found a solid thai restaurant a short walk from the marina and a friend of a friend who lives on the island turned us on to a terrific Japanese restaurant. 

One of the big surprises were the large hotels along the beach as we made our approach to the island. We had no  idea that so many tourists visited Saipan. We’ve heard that 700,000-800,000 tourists visit each year. Most coming from Korea, followed by China, then a few other countries and then Japan, which used to be the source of most tourists. We are only a 4 hour flight from Tokyo (I’ll think of that while we make our way north). 

Once we arrived in Saipan we organized Tumbleweed and were just starting to unwind when news of a tropical storm building and heading our way started to make the news. For several days we followed the storm as it was forecast to swing over Saipan, then built to a typhoon, then a named typhoon, Wutip, and finally as it passed south of Guam and made its way to the NW of Saipan. During that time we applied for a typhoon slip in the inner harbor and followed all the updates relating to the system. We never got to the stage where we had to go into full  on typhoon prep mode, like hauling down the sails, etc, but we were anxious for a few days. Particularly after seeing the damage done by the hurricane Yutu that swept past here only a few months ago.

February is supposed to be the safe month to visit the Northern Marianas, it is very rare to have a typhoon hit in this month, but with the oceans warming we’ll be seeing more and more storms throughout the year. The warm waters are basically the fuel that feeds the storms and as Wutip passes Saipan it will be entering cooling waters and dying. Once the system passes us there is a benefit we hope to take advantage of, the winds will switch from the NE trades to coming from the SW. Our plan is to use those winds to get us up through the Marianas to Pagan and to Maug where we will wait for a weather window to sail the last leg to Chichi Jima. 

The history of the island during WW2 is pretty grim. The fighting to take Saipan was among the worst in the pacific.  Three thousand Americans died on Saipan with 13,000 wounded. At least 27000 Japanese soldiers were killed. One of the great tragedies of the battle for Saipan was that thousands of Japanese civilians committed suicide by jumping off cliffs rather than be captured by US forces. They had been convinced by Japanese authorities that the Americans would treat them savagely. The cliffs at the north end of the island now have several memorials to the civilians who jumped to their deaths, often with their children. 

We have a good weather window to follow in the path of Typhoon Wutip and will most likely head out tomorrow. This is a bit of a rushed post, wanted to get out a few words on Saipan and post the notes from our passage. We’ve had a great visit to Saipan and are looking forward to visiting Maug island on our way to Chichi Jima. 

Below are the updates we submitted to Farkwar during our last passage, little notes on the conditions as we made our passage from Majuro to Saipan.

February 04, 2019

It feels good to be back at sea, on passage, sailing to Saipan after 6 weeks visiting Majuro. We cleared out Friday and sailed to Anemwonet where there are several nice moorings. We scrubbed the dinghy, put Tumbleweed into passage mode and enjoy a couple quiet nights before departing yesterday. We are in the NE trades the blow consistently across Majuro and on to Saipan. So far the winds have been consistently in the 20 knot range, something dipping into the teens, and sometimes running up into the higher 20's but it's been consistent without squalls or major changes. Seas are uniform and moderate with an occasional good smack, this is wonderful blue water sailing. Forecast is for these sort of conditions to Saipan. The full passage is about 1500 miles. Last night we had another encounter with a fishing vessel, this one had lights and we could see it from miles away, but no AIS and continually changed direction until it lay across our path, we tacked south to get clear of it and it came to a stop. Our attempts to communicate were fruitless. Kind of a mad 1am scramble but we are learning to be wary of fishing vessels and try to give them as much space as possible. Points for using light! All is well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 02/04/2018 20:43 (utc) our position was 08º10.210'N - 169º09.862’E

Feburary 05, 2019 

Getting settled into passage mode. We had 146 miles of excellent sailing in the past 24 hours. We passed the island of Kwajalein last night, at first a very dim glow on the horizon that grew to twin bright orbs off to starboard for several hours. No missiles incoming or directives issued from the military, seemed pretty calm over there. We were hit with several sneaker waves yesterday, we would get these perfect combinations of wind and sea that would twist us quickly into the seas putting us beam to just as a large wave smacked us, I was doused with a good bucket of water twice. Once when I was over confident in the uniformity of the seas and had a portlight open below - it was like someone outside had taken a bucket and tossed it neatly through the portlight right at my head. The other times were in the cockpit, with no warning we'd head up just as a wave came crashing aboard. Since passing Kwajalein the seas have settled considerably but we still have decent winds. Making 6 knots, COG 270. All is well on Tumbleweed.  

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At 02/05/2019 20:43 (utc) our position was 08º37.166'N - 166º45.154’E

Feburary 06, 2019 

A good day of sailing to report. We passed two small atolls last night and our next waypoint is Saipan, 1200 miles to the west. Excellent conditions and comfortable sailing, double reefed genoa and stays'l, making 6.7 knots at the moment, COG 281. It feels a bit cooler than Majuro and we are each able to get good sleep in the off watch. 84 degrees in the cabin at the moment, it was mostly in the 90's when in Majuro so this feels pleasant. All is well on Tumbleweed. 

At 02/06/2019 20:25 (utc) our position was 09º08.388'N - 164º34.921’E

Feburary 07, 2019 

An hour after extolling the glorious, perfect sailing we were having we began to be run over by ninja squalls. At a distance they looked like the weakest of rain clouds, something that would drift over us with a gentle wash of a few rain drops, instead they would crash into us with gusts over 40 knots, causing us to round up and accelerate for a few thrilling minutes. These bookended our lunch break causing us to eat quickly with an eye to the NE as a disarmingly light grey cloud made its way to us crashing into us like a gleeful bumper car, dumping rain and sending us running off downwind. That has been our excitement of the day. The first hit late morning and the winds had dropped into the high teens, we were contemplating taking out the two reefs we have in the Genoa just as the first hit, glad we stayed reefed down. Sometimes I believe Neptune is listening and has a bit of humor... We are now running with a current giving us a one knot boost that should continue most of the way to Saipan. A free 24 knots a day! Who says there is no free ride? We have spent the morning cruising along near 8 knots, comfortably. Yesterday was a 150 mile day under double reefed genoa and stays'l, heading is 282 degrees, speed over ground is currently 7.2 knots, distance to Saipan is 1012 miles. All is well on board Tumbleweed.  

At 02/07/2019 20:25 (utc) our position was 09º49.040'N - 162º06.617’E

Feburary 08, 2019 

In the past 24 hours we had a run of 148 miles, making good speed with the benefit of the current and strong winds. The weather continues to move through various cycles, we'll have patches of bigger seas, as we are in at the moment, then hours of more settled seas. Squalls materialize quickly, with gusts into the 30s and a good dousing of rain. We will soon cross the halfway point. Currently 963 miles to go, COG 275, making 7.5 knots at the moment, but that tends to fluctuate, we've had periods in the 5 knot range as well that pull our average down. We continue to sail under a double reefed genoa and stays'l. The times the winds dip down into the teens are short lived and when the squalls hit we are glad to be reefed and ready to run off. All is well on Tumbleweed. 

At 02/08/2019 21:00 (utc) our position was 10º14.951'N - 159º35.208’E

Feburary 09, 2019 

Day Seven. We made 136 miles yesterday through volatile seas and a handful of squalls, the excitement level of this passage has dramatically moved up. Once again the night brought bouts of heavy winds north 30 knots sustained, with gusts into the 40s, several rain showers, then clearing of the night skies. Yesterday was a mix of a rain, cloudy skies and high winds followed by a clear sky with winds in the high teens in the late afternoon. All this keeps us on our toes trying to guess the best sail configuration. Last night we kept it conservative with the stays'l and trys'l, this morning the winds dipped again and we unfurled the double reefed Genoa. Making good time at the moment, the sun is out and it is shaping up to be a good day. 580 miles to Saipan on a heading of 288 degrees. All is well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 02/09/2019 21:06 (utc) our position was 11º14.697'N - 154º53.650’E

Feburary 10, 2019 

Day Eight. 160 miles made good yesterday, quite the day. Mostly good weather with strong winds in the mid-20s and organized seas. Last night on watch I was admiring the night sky and checked the radar for squalls, all looked clear and I went back to reading. A few minutes later we were hit by a strong squall that appeared suddenly. Winds so strong I was pinned to the leeward cockpit seat for a few moments, it was a struggle to get to the helm and try to get so to fall off the wind. For several moments the winds were screaming and the lee rail was buried, water rushing back into the cockpit. Douglas was immediately awake and on deck to lend a hand. A big adrenaline rush for us both as we worked to take in the Double reefed Genoa. I saw winds of 35 knots and the gusts were larger. We were hit again an hour later but I was able to get to the helm quickly and with only a stays'l and trys'l flying it was much more manageable. Douglas reports several more squalls on his watch this morning. They are strange in that they materialize, hit us, then move off to disappear. Otherwise, a pretty typical day out here, feeling good about our mileage and looking forward to Saipan. 423 miles remaining, heading 280 degrees. All is well on Tumbleweed. 

At 02/10/2019 21:06 (utc) our position was 11º59.697'N - 152º12.650’

Feburary 11, 2019 

Day Nine. 138 miles made good in the last 24 hours. We often talk about how the highs out here are pretty high, and that the lows can be a real drop off the emotional cliff. On night watch with good conditions, the night sky open above and moonlight silvering the seas around us it feels like we are riding a magic carpet, Tumbleweed bucks and slides, is hit by a large wave, slews off a wave, comes back up and charges forward. I can spend hours enjoying that performance, it is thrilling and what makes sailing offshore so appealing. These NE Trades we've been riding since we left Majuro have made for some of the swiftest sailing we've had, day in and day out just charging along. If our speed drops below 6 knots it isn't for long. Tumbleweed is so solid in these conditions, we hold on tightly and do our best to keep sails trimmed and properly reefed and enjoy the ride. The emotional lows out here are compounded by feeling so distant from shore, and realizing that whatever is happening at the moment must be dealt with and worked through at that moment. There is not time out to walk down to the local coffee shop for a breather, or to step into the next room to ignore when something is heading south. When you pop open a hatch, for just a moment, in what seems like fine weather, when you haven't seen a wave crash over the boat for hours, and yet when just at that moment with tortillas on the stove and lunch about to be served, a massive wave crashes aboard and a couple gallons work through the hatch, onto your head, all over the stove dripping down and flooding the galley sole, it might give one pause for a moment or so to reconsider this whole sailing thing. But after the salt water has been sponged up, clothes changed, lunch reset, sitting in the cockpit enjoying lunch a game of backgammon, emotions level out and it's easy to once again see the magic of the experience. 272 miles remaining to Saipan, heading of 297.  All is well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 02/11/2019 21:06 (utc) our position was 12º47.039'N - 149º43.241’

Feburary 13, 2019 

Day Ten. Trying to make our way north, stealing back a few degrees by sailing to weather in rough seas has made for a pretty bumpy ride this morning, our daily run dropped to 141 miles and we spent several hours bashing hard into the waves. We have fallen off a few points to the south of Tinian and plan to work our way up to Saipan's harbor from the shelter of the islands. A Thursday arrival is looking far less likely though Friday is looking good. Valentine's Day at sea! What could be more romantic? Temperature in the cabin has dropped to 81 degrees this morning and I wore a long sleeve shirt on watch last night, feels good to have it a little cooler. 172 miles remaining. All is well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 02/12/2019 21:26 (utc) our position was 13º29.988'N - 147º40.926’E

Feburary 14, 2019 

Day Eleven. An epic day to end an epic passage. After 10 days of full throttle sailing in the NE trades we rounded Tinian island to the south of Saipan in hopes of finding shelter in the lee of the two islands on our way to the harbor. That was not to be and we spent 9 hours tacking our way up the west side of the islands arriving to Saipan harbor just as the sun set in a glorious display. We might have made more tacks and sail changes yesterday than we have done since we left Opua. Saipan harbor is pretty dialed, excellent markings and top notch harbor staff who were in constant contact. They directed us to a fine anchorage with no other vessels nearby where we dropped the hook at 19:30 and set well in muddy bottom. We had pasta with a walnut sauce and dried peas for dinner, with a cabbage salad of course. This was a passage for the books, we've never had such a full throttle set of continuous days, in such big seas. Tumbleweed was great and though we took on some water through various events and small leaks everything else held together surpassingly well, a testament to how strongly built and well designed the Valiants are. Check in was smooth and professional, Douglas walked to the Marina and we are hoping to find a berth there for the next couple of weeks.  All is well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 02/14/2019 09:26 (utc) our position was 15º14.021'N - 145º44.090'E

Denarau to Majuro

A 2,000 mile passage from Fiji to Majuro brought 2018 to a close. It has been another amazing year of adventure and Douglas and I are so grateful that we have been able to spend this time together and that we have been able to visit the places we have. In the past year we have sailed from New Zealand through the islands of Fiji to Majuro where we are poised to continue north for Japan. We have met so many kind and generous people this year, we continue to be humbled and inspired by the people we meet as we sail around the pacific. The people of Fiji were among the most kind and welcoming that we have met and our fellow sailors have been a wonderful community. I am reminded continually of the writings of Miles Smeeton and his brilliantly titled book “The Sea Was Our Village”, it has certainly been true for us. 

The big news of the new year is a recalibration of our travel plans. We had held on to the notion that we could spend a year in Japan and that visas would not be a problem. Many sailors had told us of friends that had stayed a year or more by going out of the country and having their visa extended on their return. What we are now facing up to is that yes, people have had their boats in Japan for a year, but that without a special visa that is difficult to obtain, visitors have up to 6 months to visit Japan in a one year period and that is that. The people who have stayed a year, have actually left the country for at least six months. We have met with the Japanese consulate here in Majuro to apply for a long term visa,  he was very kind and offered us green tea and nice conversation and promised he will try to do what he can to assist us, but in his gentle way let us know we were asking for something difficult to obtain. We have been having discussions with a couple that are cruising in Japan at the moment and they were more blunt. 

With that in mind, we are changing up our plans that had us originally in Japan for a year before sailing to Alaska and down the west coast to Port Townsend at the end of 2020. We are going to move our plans forward by a year. We will leave Majuro once the weather settles and we can get a nice window to Chichi Jima hopefully by the end of January or first of February. We’d like to visit Chichi Jima, in the Ogasawara Island group, about 500 miles off of the mainland of Japan, for a few weeks. Then we’ll sail for Shikoku or Kyushu and explore what we can of Japan until late July. At present the plan is to sail for Port Townsend at the end fo July from somewhere in the inland sea, putting us into Port Townsend probably in September. It is 4,700 miles from Tokyo to Seattle, a mega-passage that will be twice as long as the longest passages we have had before, but will not cross the doldrums. 

Tumbleweed has a berth in Port Townsend beginning in September and we are trying to find a spot in Seattle, but since we left on this adventure the cost of housing has skyrocketed and marina space for live aboards is at a premium. We waited a few months for a slip at Shilshole when we first bought Tumbleweed, the current wait for a live aboard slip is 3-5 years…

Those are the plans of the moment. We are open to change and will see what develops. For the time being we are moored in the lagoon at Majuro with plenty of work to keep us busy the next few weeks. Below are the updates we sent in daily to Farkwar with a few photos from the last passage. 

Douglas and I wish you all a happy new year and hope that 2019 is filled with adventure and joy. 

November 21, 2018

We set sail from Denarau, Fiji for Majuro in the Marshall Islands yesterday. With headwinds we added a few miles to the 14 between the marina and the pass, tacking our way south. It was a glorious day to be on the water and with the mild headwinds the tacks were pleasant and it felt like a Sunday outing. After being in marinas the past couple of months it was ideal weather to work out a couple of gremlins. We cleared Navula pass around 17:30 and made a bit of westing to get us away from the reefs and islands west of Viti Levu. Last night and today continued the pattern of light winds, we've average 4 knots and at this time can still see the outer islands of the Yasawas. We'll be some time clearing Fiji. We have a large 80 percent waxing moon, it reflected off the clouds and was beautiful last night, it set around 4 this morning, red and glowing. A good beginning to the passage. Winds forecast to build later tonight but at the moment the seas are calm, winds are 12 knots, we are making 4 knots with all sails set. 

November 23, 2018 

We have had an excellent run of weather the past few days, sailing average over 7 knots often making hull speed of 8 knots with 13-15 knots on the beam settled seas, comfortable. Last night was a full moon, made for a beautiful night on watch. Temperature is climbing but we have decent airflow and fans at full. The restored wind generator and solar panels are keeping us topped up. One pod of dolphins joined us two nights ago, many flying fish and sea birds. All's well aboard Tumbleweed. 

Sunset November 24. The cloud formations with squalls, lightning dancing around and black columns of rain were beautiful and at times intimidating.

November 24, 2018 

Lighter winds today, dropping down below 10 knots, but still on the beam and we are making 4.5 knots on average. Funafutti is 130 miles to the north, seas are calm, sun is tropically intense. Lightning in the distance last night, today we the classic tropical sea clouds, giant cumulus building on the horizon into towering structures that look like nuclear detonations. 95 degrees in the cabin, hatches and port lights covered with tinfoil is helping some. Cooking is a cruel chore, Mexican food for lunch today but will consider salads for the near future. Full moon last night, watching the moon set while the sun rose with the sky cast in pinks and oranges was magical. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

November 25, 2018 

A calm day of gentle South Pacific sailing after a wild night of lightning squalls that chased us for hours. Around 22:00 I glanced astern to see a massive black front had formed with pockets of lightning across the horizon. Douglas was off watch and trying to sleep but the lightning would fill the cabin with blasts of light that forced him from sleep. We spent several hours trying to dodge the weather front as it bore down on us. We were hit with a refreshing downpour before the winds died to a few knots. We ran under motor for several hours, the cabin was in the high 80's before we fired up the engine and opened the engine compartment to increase airflow, the heat in the cabin soared. I did not glance at the thermometer but I felt like a chunk of sous vide pork when I tried to catch some sleep. John Prine writes in "Mexican Home" about lightning burning the sky like alcohol and I saw the phenomenon he described - we'd have flashes of lightning that were like the blue flash of burning alcohol, sections of night sky going up like a flambé. Reefing, dousing, hoisting, reefing. It was a busy night. Today has been light winds, mostly under 7 knots. We are still making way - a surprising 4 knots or so on average. Slowly making our way toward Funafuti, should pass by the island early this evening. We have been trying to check in with a couple of SSB nets, we could hear Eric on Scoots very clearly but he could hear us this morning, we could also hear a yacht en route to NZ who came in fairly clearly but their yacht name was hard to catch, a mix of Kiwi accent and interference. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

November 26, 2018 

One week down. Last night we passed Funafuti, it appeared as a warm glow against the clouds on the eastern horizon. We lingered some 15 miles to the west for hours as we dawdled through a series of squalls and were entertained by frequent displays of lightning. In the hours before sunset a series of cumulus clouds built along the horizon in all dirctions, towering systems with the tell tale black vertical bands of heavy rains under many of them. We had another night of squalls, light winds piping up in moments to 18 or 20 knots, winds chasing around us from all directions, intense rain. Light winds would come from the north for a few minutes then move around to the south, then back up to the north. At first each of us tried while on watch to keep working Tumbleweed around to stay on our northerly course but as the winds were light and we were only making 1.5 knots or so, each of us figured out in our time to drift in circles with sails furled until a legitimate breeze picked up. We were hit by many massive rain showers through the night. One that approached sounded like an army of beetles, the rain pounding the sea with such force it was like a million insects clacking until the rain hit and I was immediately drenched. Today was a slow but pleasant day out here, cloud cover helped to keep temperatures down, the few rain showers that passed were light. Winds are keeping us a bit further to the west than we had planned but we are still a bit east of our rhumb line. All is well on board. 

At 11/26/2018 03:40 (utc) our position was 08º16.693'S - 178º03.533’E

November 27, 2018 

We had an excellent day out here. Only two distant flashes of lightning last night and a few rain squalls. Last night we had a few bouts of flakey winds but for the most part we settled in with 14 knots, sailing close hauled, making 6 knots. The winds can be contrary though and our overall average is much lower. We continue to be squeezed to the west by the winds, we try to snatch back whatever easting we can but find ourselves dodging the islands and atolls out here mostly on their westward side. When the wind is up the sailing is the stuff of South Pacific dreams, making 6 plus knots over gentle seas, but when the winds drop out the sails slat and bang, Tumbleweed wallowing side to side in the swells, and it begins to drill down on my nerves. Happily, the dead winds have mostly been occasional pockets and we are soon back to sailing. Very little out here. A boobie investigated us a bit this afternoon, three nights ago we crossed paths with the tanker "Andes", a coconut, a length of PVC pipe, an adrift fishing float and a plastic bottle that looked like it might have once contained iced tea, have all drifted past as well. Today we had our last avocado, the fresh fruit has gone - much of it killed by the heat. As I write this we are being visited by a pod of dolphins, about 10 have been playing around the boat for a few minutes, such amazing creatures. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 11/27/2018 06:10 (utc) our position was 06º36.577'S - 176º59.978’E

November 28, 2018 

This morning as the sun rose we passed the small island of Nanumanga of the Tuvalu group. Winds from the north forced us to the west of the island by a few miles, it was a nice sight after so many days at sea. The morning light washed the sky with pastel pinks and light oranges with small well defined puffs of cumulus clouds on the horizon, like the cover to a Jehovah's Witness tract, missing only  a lion sleeping peaceably among the sheep. The sea around Nanumanga was a bit choppy I think due to the elevation gain from the seabed to sea mount. Winds continue to keep us a bit more to the west than we'd like but we are still on the rhumb line to the Marshalls, we might have to make up some easting up the line but for the moment all is well. Forecast is for very very very light winds, as in maybe no winds, for the next few days. But we are in the doldrums, no surprise there. No lightning last night and only a couple short lived bouts of squally confused winds. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 11/28/2018 06:10 (utc) our position was 05º50.312'S - 175º41.049’E

November 29, 2018 

A calm day out here, light winds as forecast with a slight swell. Our average speed over the past 12 hours was 1.5 knots. We have just finished setting the whisker pole as winds have moved to the SE (by winds I mean air moving around 5 or 6 knots, "winds" sounds a bit large for the reality). This morning as the sun rose, pod of dolphins visited as they made their way west, a few would swim around the boat, spouting, diving under the hull, but as we were moving so slowly they soon were bored and moved on. It was a nice way to greet the new day. Moving slowly but still making progress, the whisker pole is adding a half knot or so but will come in handy as the wind fluctuates, below 6 knots the Genoa starts to flog and snap without the pole up. Current course over ground  is 345, speed over ground  is 1.5 knots, wind speed is 5.5 knots. I watched a large tanker move across the horizon last night but otherwise no sign of other vessels. All is well aboard Tumbleweed. 

At 11/29/2018 04:24 (utc) our position was 04º53.168'S - 175º29.211’E

November 30, 2018 

This morning a medium sized turtle swam up to and passed us. We were drifting north at 1.5 knots when Douglas spotted the turtle off the stern. It slowly swam up to the monitor wind vane and caught sight of its reflection, it spent some time admiring itself and trying to kiss the shiny stainless version of itself. It spent a half hour dawdling alongside us with a small collection of fish gathered around. The sun was ruthless and I think it enjoyed the shade. Soon it tired of our slow speed and paddled off for the horizon. Wind has been light since the last posting but picked up in the last hour while changing direction. We tacked the Genoa and are now making 4 knots or a tad better. Hoping this holds. Seas are very calm, there is a long slow swell that keeps us rolling when the wind drops but otherwise we are comfortable. Night sky was amazing last night. We spotted a Chinese fishing vessel in the distance but it has drifted off astern. All is well on Tumbleweed. 

At 11/30/2018 03:48 (utc) our position was 04º09.601'S - 175º32.510’E

December 1, 2018 

Slow going out here. Although the forecast calls for no wind we are enjoying sporadic winds that are keeping us moving north. Last night we had a few small squalls come through and were able to make 6-7 knots for a few hours, we also spent much of the night with the sails of the edge of collapsing. We are currently making 2 knots with winds hovering around 5 knots. We are on the edge of our ability to sail, below 2 knots we start to lose steerage and below 6 knots the sails are unhappy. But somehow we are managing to make mile after mile just on the edge. Maybe a current? The slow going makes for a kindly motion, we are just rolling gently side to side making tasks aboard a bit easier to pull off. Cabin temperature dropped from yesterday's high of 99 degrees to a comfy 90 degrees at the moment. Time for a pot of soup and a cardigan. All's well on Tumbleweed.

December 3, 2018 

Another fine day on our passage from Denarau. Light winds continue to be the rule, though this morning winds piped up to ten knots and we made a mad dash to drop the whisker pole, tack and hoist all sails for the hour or so we had those winds. They are in the process of dying down and our speed is slumping from our exhilarating 6 knots to a more familiar 4 knots. With these calm seas the 6 knots with a very slight heel felt amazing after days of very little wind. Yesterday we passed the small island of Tamana, a tiny spot so removed from the outside world, we could see the roofline of a large building, perhaps a copra shed, shining in  the sun, but otherwise all was quiet. It took us hours and hours to make our way past the island, skirting a few miles to the south before tacking up along the east side. In the light winds of yesterday is seemed at times that we were stuck to the island and would carry it with us on our hip to the north. Last night we were visited by a pair of boobies, just as Ed and Fran predicted, they squabbled noisily from their perch on the solar panel, crabby angry squawking , resisted our attempts to dislodge them with a bright light, defecated shamelessly, and finally under threat of a waving mop, flew off. Also visited throughout the night by several pods of dolphins, one group timing their arrival with the sunrise, surfacing and breathing noisily with a background of golds and reds, South Pacific magic. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 12/02/2018 23:48 (utc) our position was 02º05.663'S - 176º18.420’E

December 4, 2018 

Light winds but with a solid current boosting us along we are inching our way to the equator. Last night we sailed ever so gently based the island of Beru, getting the smallest glimpse of the island off in the distance this morning, a thin line barely breaking the edge of the horizon. We had been working our way around the southern tip and along the east side of the island through the night with very little wind but enough current to push us along. Our friends the Dolphins paid us several visits again last night. The sliver of moon that rose during my night watch was spectacular, set against a sky vivid with stars. Seas continue to be smooth with long period swell rolling underneath. Currently making 4 knots with 6 knots of wind speed. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

At 12/04/2018 03:01 (utc) our position was 00º44.716'S - 176º08.535’E

December 5, 2018 

A pretty quiet and calm past day out here. We were again visited several times by pods of dolphins, both during the day and in the dark of night. The moon was an impressive orange sliver when it rose this morning, we had clear skies letting the stars shine clearly. We are inching our way toward the equator and looking forward to once again being in the North Pacific. Fifteen miles to go. With a bit of current in our favor and occasional puffs of wind that visit us we've been able to make some mileage by sailing but much of the past 24 hours has been more dependent on drifting in the direction of Majuro. The cycle is we'll have enough wind to sail for an hour or so, then the winds will wander off and we'll sit in a pocket of calm for a few hours, then on again. Forecast continues to be for very light winds in the area though there is some hope early next week to the north of us. All is well on Tumbleweed. 

At 12/04/2018 22:26 (utc) our position was 00º15.058'S - 176º25.899’E

December 7, 2018 

After drifting east with a touch of south we have picked up a light breeze and are making our way northwest once again. We have given up around 30 miles drifting to the east over the past few days so it feels good to take some of that back. Only 4 miles until we cross back over to the North Pacific. Our days of the South Pacific idyll are about to be in our wake. Looking forward to all that the North Pacific has to offer. Forecast continues to be for light winds for a few more days but we hope that this light breeze holds out for a while, we are making 2.5 to 3 knots over the last few hours and happily in the right direction. All is well on Tumbleweed. 

At 12/06/2018 23:00 (utc) our position was 00º04.116'S - 177º30.691’E

December 8, 2018 

We are back in the northern hemisphere. Yesterday we crossed, then drifted back south, then recrossed, then drifted south, then crossed again, the equator. At the equator we put aside our fears of a monster from the deep and took a quick swim. The water was as warm as a bath and the clarity of the water was like nothing I've experienced. We had little pockets of cool water below the surface but it was very warm at the top layer. Tumbleweed was drifting at a knot but with the stays'l we could just make way northward, then the wind would die and we'd slice south again. Feels good to be back in the North Pacific. We had a nice late afternoon meal, made a toast to Neptune and considered the past 21 months we've spent in the Southern Hemisphere. We last crossed the equator heading south on our passage from Mexico, it was a bit after 22:00 if I recall correctly and a fairly low key affair. All is well on Tumbleweed.. 

At 12/07/2018 23:02 (utc) our position was 00º16.047'N - 177º55.899’E

December 9, 2018 

This morning we are sailing again after a night with a bit of excitement. We had a large 190 foot fishing vessel near us most of the night, with a strong current - up to 3.5 knots - we drifted toward them in the middle of the night and unable to sail we motored for two hours to put some distance between us. Where we stopped had stronger current than where we started and we were soon racing eastward on the current. They decided the fishing looked better where we were and came at us at 10 knots, cutting across the 10 mile gap in quick order. We motored again. They picked up their operations and motored uncomfortably close. We hailed them to ask how we could best avoid their operation but the language gap was tough to cross. They asked our destination, we told them Majuro, but that we were heading due north. They repeated Majuro, then at 10 knots altered course on heading for Majuro and disappeared into the night. What passes for excitement out here. We also had several squalls roll over us, distant cloud to cloud lightning, heavy rains. The full ITCZ package. Overcast this morning but we have a steady 9 knots out of the NE and are making 5 knots at the moment. Seas are calm but have a bit more action to the swell than we've seen in the past few days. All's well on Tumbleweed.

At 12/09/2018 23:00 (utc) our position was 00º50.424'N - 178º38.123’E

December 10, 2018 

We are traveling through prime ITCZ weather. The past day has been overcast, rainy, frequent squalls of high winds, lightning in the distance followed by patches of no winds leaving us rolling heavily in large swell. Sunrise was beautiful, brilliant red piercing the cloud bank on the horizon, reflecting across the sea off the clouds above the western horizon. Forecast is for winds to fill in by Wednesday, though we are watching a low that is to develop over Majuro Thursday or Friday with potential high winds in the 40's. We'll aim to arrive at majuro on Monday if we get the winds that are forecast. All is well on Tumblweed, a bit bumpy, but well. 

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At 12/09/2018 23:55 (utc) our position was 01º45.823'N - 178º23.124’E

December 11, 2018 

We have been enjoying sailing for the past 12 hours. This morning brought steady winds in the mid-20s and have now subsided to 20 knots. For some time we were making 7 knots under trys'l and stays'l. Our goal is to time our arrival to Majuro behind a low that may or may not be forming, depending on wether the GFS or European weather forecast is correct. The GFS model is projecting a low over Majuro with winds between 40-50 knots, the European models shows much less wind. If possible, we'd like to arrive over the weekend but that depends on wether we can clear in or have to wait for Monday for customs and immigration. After so many days of drifting it does feel really good to be sailing, though the waters in this region are confused and we are dealing with 2 wave trains at the momen. One wave pattern is pretty hefty and every few minutes we get a pretty good wallop that staggers us for a moment with a loud bang. All's well on Tumbleweed.  

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At 12/10/2018 23:55 (utc) our position was 02º37.286'N - 178º09.358’E

December 12, 2018 

The weather is very settled today, a nice change following the bumpy ride we've had the past few days. Winds are 12 knots out of the east, we are making 4 knots. Managed to tear the topmost strop connecting the headboard on the mainsy'l to the car, will need to rig that back together to get the main back up. Will try a dyneema lashing. A much more pleasant ride with a gentle rock from side to side with none of the crashing cross wave train. Very distant lightning last night and a couple squalls but otherwise a good evening. We are now following the rhumb line to Majuro. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 12/11/2018 23:08 (utc) our position was 03º32.775'N - 177º45.648’E

Douglas on passage. He celebrated his birthday at sea, collecting a stack of coupons for cake and pizza and a party once we reached land.

December 13, 2018 

Bit of a wild morning today. We just passed through a squallgusting to 45 knots,  heavy rain and large seas. Glad to have only the stays'l and trys'l up. We had a good punch thrown in a few times, one strong enough to shoot a few ounces of water through the galley hatch, something that has never happened before. Early this morning was beautiful and ideal sailing, calm seas, brilliant night sky. We are through the squall now and it is much calmer, fair skies ahead. Last night we dealt with a crazy fishing fleet. Near 22:00 I watched a vessel pop up on AIS, I marked its position 7 miles away and kept an eye on it, then another vessel 8 miles in the other direction  turned on its AIS. Our course took us well between them. Soon two other vessels had turned on their AIS, we were now sailing through a line of four vessels, none with any lights of any kind on, with 2 vessels to port and 2 to starboard with a healthy gap in the center, all drifting at a knot or so eastward. I was nervous  that not all the vessels were on AIS or had turned them on. None of the vessels were lit. As we made to pass through the center of the fleet I noticed a very faint red flashing light directly ahead, of the sort that brought to mind a bicycle light. The boat turned on their AIS as we came closer. Only 1.3 miles away from it, still no lights on deck. I had jibed twice to give some distance between us and thread the fleet with more room and  quickly jibed again and tried to make out the vessel with binoculars. Other than the faint red blinking light the vessel and the rest of the group were dark. Thankfully they all had AIS, baffling that they would keep their AIS off until we were upon them, also that they had no lights. A word of caution to others sailing this area. All is well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 12/13/2018 23:08 (utc) our position was 04º42.282'N - 176º22.260’E

December 14, 2018 

This morning all is calm, winds are light and we are making our way slowly north west to Majuro. Last night we had winds mostly in the high teens with a few squalls that swept through and as they do hit us with blasts into the high 30's holding steady for a half hour or so in the 20's. Kept us on our toes and made the watches go quickly. We have been aiming to arrive in Majuro Monday morning but briefly toyed with the ideas of a Sunday arrival, but it would be close and we would like to arrive mid day, so instead of picking up the pace we are going to see how we can lose a few hours between here and Fordyce channel so we don't have to heave to through the night. Yesterday was Douglas' bday, it was far to rough for cake and pizza, he has a rain check burning a hole in his pocket. He loves being on passage and loves boisterous weather so I think he had a great day. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 12/13/2018 23:31 (utc) our position was 05º33.119'N - 174º59.915’E

December 15, 2018 

Another night of squalls, high winds and blasts of rain. All time sea going gust high of 60 knots with several gusts at 50, sailing in high 20's for several good stretches. Thankful to be under only trys'l and Stays'l, we romped along comfortably. This morning the winds have died down and the sea state has calmed to a slight swell with only an occasional large bump every few minutes. We continue to roll from side to side but not as abruptly - this has been a 26 day mega core workout, I think I'm clenching my stomach while sleeping. A visit last night by a cranky bird that wanted to set up shop on the end of the boom, shrieking out its good find to all friends, neighbors, winged fellows in the area. I tried firm voice directives, bright lights in various patterns calculated for mental anguish and finally brandishing our mop. No reaction other than more indignant squawking. In the end I resorted to draping the ends to the mop over its head, that was too much and it flew off and took up a position off the starboard stern quarter where it cursed me for some time. A gorgeous moon last night that once it dropped behind the horizon left the sea utterly black. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 12/14/2018 23:34 (utc) our position was 06º16.756'N - 173º33.994’E

December 16, 2018 

The strong winds that had been forecast to sweep us along the final miles to Majuro have not appeared. Last night we had a forecast for several hours of 30 knot winds and never saw anything over 18, mostly much lower. Today the winds are back to low teens or single digits directly downwind of our course and we are slogging along at a few knots. Tomorrow's much anticipated arrival is looking to be receding back to Tuesday. Today is overcast with a long period swell coming off the starboard quarter. It's a fairly settled motion today and though we're both a bit disappointed that the prospects for arriving tomorrow look poor we are comfortable and it's not raining. All's well on Tumbleweed. 

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At 12/15/2018 23:55 (utc) our position was 06º40.060'N - 172º39.844’E

December 18, 2018 

We arrived yesterday afternoon in Majuro capping our epic 28 day passage from Fiji. It feels really good to be on a boat at rest. We had a mix of weather coming in our last day, had some fine sailing in the final hours, gave into the temptation to motor through most of our last night. Cary from SY Seal met us at the mooring field and helped us with what I think was the last mooring, for which we are very grateful - it was partially submerged and we would have never found it. We met with customs yesterday and will go in to see immigration shortly. Sleep deprivation caught up with us and we were out pretty early. Majuro looks interesting and all that we have met have been friendly. Christmas vibes are incongruently in full swing here, lots of classic holiday tunes on the radio, decorations out in the tropical sun.  

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At 12/17/2018 21:53 (utc) our position was 07º06.166'N - 171º22.440'E

Penultimate Day In Fiji

Denarau 

November 18, 2018 

It’s a Sunday evening at the Denarau marina, the sun is edging down toward the horizon, the crew at the Hard Rock Cafe has just finished belting out their nightly rendition of “YMCA”,  tour boats are back snug in their berths, the temperature is dipping below 90 and the twin fans in the cabin are keeping us cool. This has been one of our stranger ports of call, and probably one that will leave us with conflicted memories. After our trip to the outer islands and our time spent in the relatively quiet backwater of Savusavu, Denarau has been a wonderfully decadent spot to tinker on a few projects, catch up with friends and have easy access to grocery stores and the local market. The marina is part of a vast resort industrial complex with a golf course and multi-million dollar homes along a network of canals. The marina backs against the center piece of the complex, an outdoor mall with several restaurants, tourist shops and a small grocery store all channeling the bus loads of tourists that arrive daily to take a trip out to the islands on one fo the high speed catamarans, ferries or large sailboats. Throughout the day the mall  is packed with tourists milling about as they wait to board a tour boat or in the daze one acquires after a day spent running out to the islands with a few dozen other tourists. Most evenings there are live bands that set up in front of each of the restaurants, out in the marina there is a a cacophony as the sun sets. 

The grounds at Denarau are nicely planted with a wide variety of tropical plants.

My friend Katie of SV Mezzaluna, bug and flower wrangler extraordinaire, we walked so many miles together in New Zealand and in Fiji. They headed south and are back in NZ. I’ll miss our rambles and great, wide ranging conversations.

The conflicted feelings are from feeling that this is such a touristy environment and we should probably be out somewhere more remote, at anchor, snorkeling our days away. But watching for a good weather window and wrapping up a few projects on Tumbleweed have kept us here in the cosseted embrace of easy living. We have found a nice Indian restaurant and have a vegetarian thali there most days. In the mornings I walk around the grounds for a couple of hours taking photos of flowers. It’s a short bus ride into Nadi and we’ve been there many times to go to the fresh market for spices and produce.  It’s been an easy place to be and we’ll have good memories of our times here, though perhaps with a dash of guilt. The mornings are busy with the large tour boats loading up passengers, the crews singing a Fijian welcome. It is kind of corny, but everyone seems to be having a good time and the people the work on the various businesses and around the complex could not be more kind. They  greet all of us visitors with an enthusiastic “Bula” and if given a moment will ask how we are, if we are enjoying Fiji, how long we have been visiting, where we are from, etc. 

Route planning…here you have the simplified breakdown of the doldrums.

When we arrived at Denarau a few weeks ago the docks were full with blue water cruising yachts preparing to sail  mostly for New Zealand with some heading to Australia sometimes through New Caledonia, with only a couple heading north to the Marshalls.  There are only a few boats remaining, watching for weather windows for New Zealand, with one that we know of looking to make the passage to Australia. This is getting late in the season for passages. November 1 is the cut off for most insurers to be in this area as we are on the edge of the cyclone season. 

Douglas reinstalling the wind generator.

A weather window is opening up for us tomorrow, it isn’t fantastic, we will have light winds leaving Fiji and it looks like we’ll have patches of light winds between here and the Marshall Islands. We’ll be crossing the equator as we head north and passing through the doldrums again, as we did when we sailed to the Marquesas from Mexico. The doldrums are famous for light airs, squalls, lightning, basically contrary weather. We are well stocked and are mentally prepared for a long passage. We are both looking forward to being back at sea, we miss the passages with the isolation, the night watches with the sky filled with stars and the nights with the moon as a companion. The Marshall Islands, particularly the northern and more remote islands, have a reputation for being very beautiful. There are of course the historic atolls where the Americans tested nuclear weapons, but we plan to keep clear of those. 

Monday November 19th

I started this post a couple days ago. We are still on track to depart tomorrow morning. Today is Mohammad’s birthday so all official businesses are closed. We believe that customs and immigration will meet with us tomorrow but we don’t have confirmation on that. If so, then we are well provisioned, water and fuel are topped off, crew of rested and sound mind/body. Excited for a bit of time at sea and the next chapter in our journey around the Pacific.

As always we’ll update our location with Farkwar, if you’d like to follow along you can find us at www.farkwar.com 

Last Days of Fiji

October 20, 2018  

Vuda Point Marina, Fiji 

Frangipani blossoms, white edged with a delicate yellow, are one of the most powerful of the fragrances in the tropics. This morning as I walked the grounds of the marina the air was sweet with their scent mixing with the all that is in blossom and growing around the property, washed clean from last night’s rain. The scent of Frangipani already a reminder of our visit to Fulaga where our hosts Mere and John had a Frangipani tree outside their home. 

Douglas at Vuda Marina. Exciting at low tide when bringing things ashore.

Nestled in amongst a collection of mostly blue water cruising yachts we are at Vuda Point Marina, one of the great crossroads of the pacific. Each year  sailors traveling the South Pacific decide how to address the cyclone season, the months between November to April. The vast majority will head south, either for New Zealand or via Vanuatu and New Caledonia for Australia. A few will stay in Fiji, there are reinforced moorings at some marinas,  at Vuda the basin moorings are designed to be cyclone strength, and there are pit moorings as well, large trenches lined with car tires that yachts can be settled into. Yachts heading around the world through Indonesia will most likely have left already. A small group will head north to wait out the cyclone season in the Marshall Islands, that is the group we are traveling with. And of that group, a few will continue on to Japan early next year, our cohorts. 

View from the Vuda Marina restaurant.

There is a sense of anticipation around the marina, final preparations are underway, crews are clearing out, people are climbing masts for last inspections, gear is stowed below, final repairs addressed. The sail between Fiji and New Zealand is one of the great passages in the pacific. Waiting for a good weather window is vital for a pleasant passage. Getting it wrong can be unpleasant or outright dangerous, so when a good weather window opens up there is a wave of boats heading out together. Yesterday 28 boats cleared out of Vuda and Denerau, today it was announced on the radio net that 8 boats plan on checking out today from Vuda. Yachts can also clear out of several other ports around Fiji, with this weather window there will likely be a  lot of boats heading south over the next couple of days. 

View of Malolo Lailai Island.

Vuda has been a good spot to settle in, deal with a few repairs and plan our passage north for the Marshall islands and Japan.  There are a couple of small towns nearby where we can resupply and there are tradespeople who can help us with projects above our skill set. Our Watermaker was leaking and we had tried tightening all the connections but were not able to fix it, we had the local Spectra representative work on it and he replaced all the gaskets and gave it an overhaul, so we should be good to go with fresh water until we are back in seattle.

Boats have been moving in and out of the marina the past few days, checking in to provision and fuel up, then clearing out a few days later, off for Vanuatu or New Zealand. Walking around the marina gives us a chance to see the type of boats that have been making their way across the pacific. It is an interesting collection of various configurations that have succeeded in surviving this challenging environment. Always something new to learn and the crews are  happy to talk about their yachts. It’s a friendly, supportive environment, lots of information being shared and crews lending a hand when needed to their neighbors. 

Village life, Fulaga, Fiji.

This will be our final port in Fiji, we intend to wrap up projects and provisioning over the next week and to be ready for a good weather window. Tumbleweed is in good shape, we’ve had time to go over most fo the systems and address the majority of outstanding issues. The remaining projects and maintenance we will address over the next couple of weeks. Provisioning is well underway and live below decks is a bit chaotic as we work to stow supplies we think we’ll need over the next few months. Although we will be able to resupply in the Marshall Islands we’ve been told there is  not much selection. One nice thing about the Marshall Islands is that as a US protectorate we can have packages shipped to us at the cost of normal US postal rates. That is really appealing to Team Tumbleweed.

Between our last post from Taveuni and arriving here at Vuda we spent several weeks visiting Fulaga, one of my favorite places we’ve visited in this entire adventure. 

Fulaga, in the southern Lau island group, is one of the most remote islands of the some 330 that make up Fiji. It is an overnight sail from Taveuni with good conditions and the ideal conditions we experienced don’t happen often. We caught a lucky break and had a nice passage from Taveuni to Fulaga. We had waypoints from a couple of sources as well as a Google map overlay we used with Open CPN. The pass is narrow and has a dogleg on the lagoon side, it was helpful to have good light, calm seas and waypoints. We swam the pass a few days later and could see that there was not much room for error. We also timed our entry for slack tide, current can be strong during the tide exchange. We entered around 10 in the morning with excellent conditions, sun over our shoulder, waters calm, and were struck by the beauty of the circling islands and the inner lagoon. Fulaga appears to be a classic atoll, there is a circling reef, a large lagoon and a few small islands along the outer reef. But it is uplifted limestone and over time has worn down creating some beautiful islets across the lagoon. Water has gnawed away at the base  where sea meets rock and in the right light appear to hover over the water. The island and little islets with their thin cover of soil do not encourage plant growth, the rocks are sharp and jagged and covered mostly with small palms and plants with long root systems hanging in the air. It’s all very Dr Seussian and made for great exploring by kayak. 

Jill of SV Me Too, dressed for the big celebration at Fulaga. One fo the village women had given her the flower necklace, it was powerfully fragrant, like a tropical scent explosion.

Our friends on SV Me Too met us in the open waters of the lagoon in their dinghy and led us back to a snug anchorage surrounded by islets, where we anchored in 15 feet of water over white sand. During our visit we were well sheltered by all the islets and sand bars. The anchorage is a short walk through jungle to the main village where we needed to perform Sevusevu with the chief. Clay and Jill,  of SV Me Too, along with Giles and Sarah on Rouser, gave us the tour to the village and introduced us to the village headman. The chief had recently died so our introduction and gift of kava was straightforward. Savusavu is the act of presenting a gift and asking permission to anchor and visit an island. Visitors, sailors as well as Fijians not from the village, will bring a bundle of kava that has been prepared for just this ritual and easily purchased at all the markets.

Although Fulaga is lightly visited they have a well organized system for cruisers. The sevusevu ritual is that the guest presents the chief with a bundle of kava and ask for permission to visit the island. The chief can accept the request by accepting the bundle of kava, and will grant permission to visit, swim in their waters, fish in the lagoon, enjoy the privileges of a guest.  The village also requests a visitors fee of $50 Fijian per boat, about $25usd, as a visiting fee.  There was a ledger to sign in the amount that we were “donating” along with some of our details. We were boat 79 visiting for the year. Considering most boats cruise with 2 people aboard, that is a pretty small number of visitors for a year. It is such a reasonable, small fee, and the village could certainly use the fees. I’ve read complaints of the practice on a few sites and find it hard to understand why anyone would begrudge a village such a small gift. The people are giving us access to something so amazing, and are opening up their lives to us outsiders in a way that is so much more intimate and personal than any of us sailors could imagine doing back home. Imagine if a car pulled up to my driveway and a family strolled up to the door and asked if they could camp out on my lawn for a few weeks or months,  and that they would join any celebrations or rituals we had such as birthday parties or weddings, and  they would share fruit from my trees and ask me questions about my life all day, I would need a lot more that $25 to sign up for the deal. 

Many of the islands that are destinations for cruisers us a host system of some sort, where each boat is assigned to a family. In some places that connection sounds like a drag, where it can be clingy and the host family is connected to the yacht crew every moment they are ashore. I sort of dreaded having a host family for the first time. But at Fulaga, and probably at most other islands it makes sense. Our hosts were Mere and John, she is the kindergarten teacher and went to school in Suva. They were very kind to us and were available when we needed assistance or to answer questions but otherwise left us to sort out our own program. For people in the village it relieves the burden of having to second guess the needs of their visitors and for feeling a sense of obligation to help every yacht that visited. It also spreads around the benefits of connecting with a passing crew, people tend to give gifts to the families they connect with. In some islands in the pacific we’ve read that there is a sort of mad dash to reach new boats first and “claim” them for a single family, causing all sorts of grief if a yacht comes to shore and tries to deal with another family. At Fulaga there was none of that, the headman organized Mere and John as our hosts, and whenever we met with someone else from the village they asked how we were doing and if we needed anything.  It was an exceedingly gracious experience. 

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Several days after we arrived the village put on a ceremony for the crew of a super yacht that was returning after a visit the year before. The owners of the yacht had donated $6,000 Fijian to the village school with some of the money ear marked for the the village general fund. They had returned with more presents and a large Yanmar generator for the school. The ceremony gathered most of the residents of the island, all three villages, around 150 people. The villagers had set up a pavilion, covered in flowers and vines to provide shade, and a long table for the feast. First there were a couple of short speeches, singing and dance performances by the children,  a group of young men performed a dance with spears acting out what I assumed were tales of hunting and war. The crews of the few other yachts were invited to the festivities and the feast. There was lobster, crab, fish cooked many ways, among them a type of poisson cru that was delicious,  taro,  sweet potatoes. Platter after platter of what I would assume were special occasion preparations. It was delicious and I was struck with the generosity of the whole experience. 

Partway through the meal the sky opened and it began to pour in that way that only seems to happen in the tropics. Gallons ran off the tarp and people of the village gathered around us, propping up the tarp and doing their best to keep us dry. People were smiling, laughing, happy that it was raining, they had not had rain for some time and it was welcomed, adding joy to the  celebration. 

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After the feast the owners of the super yacht gave a short speech and announced they were donating $30, 000 to the village to build a community center, and also handed out all sorts of various things to the people in the village. A guitar, various electronics, fuel cans, clothes. There was a large kava bowl set up in the pavilion and servings were passed around to the men and guests. I stayed for a couple of hours and then made my way back to Tumbleweed. Douglas had remained aboard, with a  forecast for strong weather we thought it best to have one person keeping an eye on the boat. We need not have worried, weeks later when we pulled up the anchor it was stuck so hard in the fine sand that we need to use the engine to assist in breaking free. 

A few boats a year visit Fulanga and decide to spend the whole season there, several months. It is easy to understand the attraction. There are not many places on earth like this remote island and as tourism grows in Fiji the way of life there is bound to change. For now there is a monthly supply ship, slow internet via satellite at the school, or villagers can walk up to the top of a small hill for light cell phone coverage, families come in large numbers during the Christmas season and children go to high school in Suva, the nation’s capitol, so the people are not completely cut off. But it is a pace of life and a quality of life that I think many of us hold as an inspiring fantasy of why we want to sail to the islands of the south pacific. Time moves at a different pace than back home in the US, weeks drifted by, we began to plot our schedule from Fiji to Japan and realized it was time to get on the move. We felt we could have easily spent several more weeks in Fulaga, and probably should have. But all too soon it was time to up anchor and move along. 

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Mere and John invited us for a kava session and prepared a nice meal for us. John does the cooking and had prepared several dishes that were cooked in the lovo, over a fire. Everything had this amazing underlying flavor of smoke. Roasted  sweet potatoes, taro, liberal use of coconut. Salt, smoke, sweetness. Really nice. We sat with them in their home and drank kava as neighbors and relatives came to visit. People would walk in, take a place on the floor and drink kava, joining in to answer questions or ask them. One relative was a master carver and when we asked about a drum we had seen for sale at the area where the men carve,  he walked out and found it for us. We bought a drum and a kava bowl from him. They had a big fundraiser to attend that night for the school, we made a donation and then walked back through the jungle a last time to Tumbleweed.

The next day we finalized a few tasks on board and prepared for out passage to the west coast of Viti Levu. We had a fine weather window and a full moon to keep us company. We had an excellent, swift passage across the Koro sea. The timing was a bit wonky, we needed to leave late in the day for the best conditions to exit the Fulaga pass, but that would set our timing off for a daylight entry to the pass at the south end of Viti Levu. We blasted along for the first two days of the passage then reefed down heavily to slow our arrival to Viti Levu. We arrived in the morning and made our way through in line with several freighters making their way north with us and timing around a few freighters passing south. Busy pass in the morning. 

Before arriving at Vuda we spent a week at Musket Cove on the small island of Malolo Lailai. There is a mooring field, a marina and a few resorts around the island. The resort at Musket Cove, where we rented a mooring,  has a little grocery store where we were able to buy fresh fruit, vegetables and basic supplies. There is also a bar on the beach with bbq grills that can be rented cheaply.  The bar supplies plates, cutlery, and does the dishes for a few dollars. We met with friends a few times and cooked there, it was a nice option to meet up off the boat and pass along the chore of cleaning up. Malolo Lailai island has a nice set of reefs a few minutes by dinghy from our mooring. We found octopi, schools of squid and many pipe fish, a relative of the seahorse that looks like one has been straightened out, but keeping the distinctive head and ribbing along the body. The reef is close to the surface and the days we swam there the water was very calm, the waters fairly clear but there was some sediment floating in from over the reef. 

Musket Cove and the area in  the lagoon is an easy place to grab a mooring and catch up with friends, to slip back into society a bit. It was beautiful and nice to go ashore and walk the island and it was nice to get together with friends off of several boats who happened to all be there at the same time. After tranquil Fulaga it was an abrupt shock to be surrounded by yachts, with a high speed ferry running between the mainland and the marina, and small planes coming in to deliver guests to the marinas at the island. 

A week ago we negotiated the narrow, shallow passage into the Vuda Point marina, inside the basin we were directed to follow a small tender that would help us into a berth. The marina is a snug basin where the boats “Med Moor” in a circle, that is they tie off to shore either bow or stern in with lines running from the other end of the boat to lines that are anchored in the middle of the basin. The man driving the tender sped across the basin where he started talking with a couple on a catamaran, were we supposed to dock next to the catamaran? Our marina contact, on shore,  waved us off that notion, he directed us to go straight ahead. Straight ahead was a Swedish couple who had decided that this moment, with winds puffing up to 15 knots, would be a great time to hoist and admire their vast main sail, which as one images, was causing the boat to shift into the narrow path we were directed toward. We drifted forward, the man on the tender continued to ignore us as he chatted away with mr. and mrs. catamaran, the swedes admired their sail, I began to comment in my outside voice that this was probably a really bad time to hoist one’s mainsail particularly if you didn’t want your new neighbors to ram your yacht. I also, wisely in hindsight, made the call to abort the landing and circle around the small basin for another approach. Each yacht is tied to shore with two bow lines, while running off each stern are two lines that the driver of the tender will connect to lines tied underwater but kept available with little floats attached. Maneuvering in the basin requires keeping an eye out for these dozens of little floats plus whatever other miscellaneous  lines are in the water. As we swung around for the second approach the tender driver was able to pull himself away from mr and mrs catamaran and the swedes decided they’d had enough time to admire their sail, the wind eased and clocked northward and their yacht bobbed gently aside. We lined up and drifted in past the various floating lines, handing off stern lines to the man in the tender, and lines off the bow to a man on shore,  and were soon at rest. 

The folks at Vuda have done this many times, they don’t seem to get too excited. Yes, an occasional yacht will wrap a line in their prop, we watched that happen a couple days later. But for the most part the boats arrive in little to now wind and are gently nudged in amongst the other boats. There are no docks or piers, so the boats are constantly on the move with the tides, rising and and falling through out the day. Sometimes we have to climb several feet down to Tumbleweed, other times we hand our things up onto the deck. We’ve learned to have a light line to pull the bow over to the small platform where we can step off to go ashore. Some people use a wood plank to walk over but that seems sketchy. 

We have docked Tumbleweed at night, in cross currents, with high sidewinds, along rotting docks with broken cleats, we’ve been into marinas where the fairways were frighteningly skinny,  and times where  the depth at low tide had us squeaking along.  We have had real  marina drama. Vuda was pretty  easy by comparison, yet every time I enter a new marina I still feel my adrenaline climb. Fear of the unknown I guess.  Two days later folks on a yacht we know entered the marina and managed to wrap one of the float lines around their prop. They ended up putting on diving gear and going over the side to deal with it. Maybe the adrenaline was justified. 

Vuda marina will be our base until we head north. Our plan is to sail for Tuvalu by the end of October, stopping for a visit  if the weather allows, or keep on trucking for Tarawa in Kiribati. We’d like to be in the Marshall Islands by December. Before we leave we have a bit more provisioning to deal with. Our water maker is out for repairs but should be back later today. We need to change the O-rings on one of the fuel injectors on the generator, we had hoped to have a few parts shipped in but the people we dealt with dropped the ball and never ordered them from their supplier, so it looks like we are going to punt on that one. Plus the usual odd and assorted to tend to. Nothing that will keep us here if we can’t deal with it before the Marshall islands. Adding more 12volt fans throughout the boat might become an emergency issue, word on the street is that the Marshall Islands are “hotter than the gates of hell”. 

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We’ve really enjoyed our time in Fiji, as with our visits to all the other countries in the Pacific we wish we had more time. It is easy to understand why people travel back and forth between New Zealand and Fiji for years. There is so much to explore, this is a wonderful country with kind, friendly people, we’ll miss it.

Vuda Point.

Fiji marks something like the rounding of a corner on our way back to Seattle. Although we plan on taking another year to make our way back to Seattle, it seems like we were outbound across the Pacific and making for New Zealand and are now inbound for Seattle. That said, we are really looking forward to exploring all the islands between here and Japan, the history of the area north of here, particularly the history of World War Two is pretty rich. And Japan looms large in our plans, we are ready for a year of Japanese food. 

Taveuni, Fiji

Paradise Resort, Taveuni Islands, Fiji 

August 29, 2018 

There are days of sailing that burn into my mind and remind me of what it is I love about living on a boat and making our way around the pacific. Sailing at sea can be thrilling, but challenging, the boat snapping about in the waves, holding on for dear life or to keep from having at bulkhead knock me out. Ocean sailing can be rewarding but it often feels like work, or a workout, bad weather, uncomfortable seas, wind coming from the direction we are heading toward. But sometimes we get all the elements lined up, the weather is gorgeous, the seas calm, all systems on Tumbleweed are full gold stars, wind angle has us hitting hull speeds and we just blast across the sea. That was the sort of day we had making our way from Savu Savu to Taveuni. I do love ocean sailing, and the trill of rough weather and riding large waves is great sport, but sometimes it is really nice to be cutting through a calm sea, in ideal conditions. It is more rare than I thought, and I’m appreciative of those days. 

Snorkeling with Ruth

At the southern tip of Taveuni is the compact, well run Paradise Resort, offering free mooring to yachts. Completely rebuilt after Hurricane Winston, the resort has a small collection of cabins, painted black to blend in with the volcanic rock shelf it is built on, enough palm trees to keep everything in the shade, a desalination plant, organic garden, “spa”, restaurant and PADI dive operation. The moorings are in 30 feet of water along a shelf that is completely exposed to the Koro Sea and Somosomo strait. When the wind picks up from the north it is a pretty rolly, uncomfortable spot but for the week we’ve been here the weather has been either dead calm or the winds have come from the east, with the island sheltering us from swell. It’s been a nice place to plan our next moves after our time in Savu Savu. 

Paradise resort, Taveuni. 

Most marinas treat cruisers as some sort of second class citizen “oh, god, another cruiser hanging out their laundry, tearing about their outboard on the dock, complaining the power doesn’t work or the hot water in the shower is tepid” haha. Not far off the mark. To have a resort offer up free moorings and use of their facilities is pretty nice. Many of the boats have done multiple dive or snorkel trips and used their restaurants so that helps their business. But we appreciate it and hope that they continue to offer the service. The staff is very kind and helpful, I’d recommend whatever training system they use here for marinas back home. 

The third day we were here we joined the dive boat to go snorkeling out on the Rainbow reef, more live coral than we’ve seen elsewhere and countless schools of small fish. No schools of large fish, and only one small shark, but the coral was stunning. Dozens of different varieties, including some soft coral, beige and draped like the material on a elk’s antler. It was a fine outing, the water was clear and the dive boat dropped us off at a great spot on the edge of the coral garden. We had planned on doing another trip but the weather clouded up and the sea was choppy later in the week. 

Our most exciting brush with wildlife was seeing a banded krete, a sea snake, slithering across the sea while we were in our dinghy. The internet says its venom is 20 X more powerful than that of a cobra. I’ve snorkeled a couple times around the dinghy and haven’t seen another but the folks at the resort have said they are around, and like to sun on the rocks near where we tie up our dinghy. The internet also tells us that the are shy, have tiny fangs, won’t bite unless harassed and that if they do bite, seldom use their venom - it is difficult to produce - so we have that going for us. Yesterday we were visited by a pod of dolphins that surfaced and appeared to be playing off the stern. My kind of entertainment.   

On the road from Somosomo to Paradise Resort, Somosomo strait off to the right.

Ruth and Rand on Velic have been great companions while we were here. We went out with them for the day of diving and snorkeling and have had some great wandering conversations on politics, religion, and of course sailing. They are Portlanders, Velic is a gorgeous canoe stern yacht in impeccable condition - I knew when I saw their boat I’d like the people. Douglas and I have both enjoyed their company. We took one field trip day together, hiring a local man to drive us to Somo Somo for groceries and a visit to the vegetable market. It was quite the ride on a narrow dirt road, close to the water in some areas, ranging up into the mountainside in others. About 45 minutes each direction through lush tropical jungle. Much of Taveuni was heavily damaged by Cyclone Winston but the rebuilding has been done quickly. The road was destroyed in many places, requiring locals to dig through sand to find the road and to use boats to get around after the storm had hit. 

We’ve been in Fiji for almost two months,  it has been an easy place to visit. People have been friendly, the weather has been mostly great with a couple rain systems, and a few uncomfortably warm days, but overall it gets high marks for “bliss”. Savu Savu was a good place to settle for a few weeks while we sorted out a couple boat projects and had a few parts shipped in from New Zealand. We became addicted to a small, spotless Korean restaurant a couple blocks from the marina. Part of a network of some 50 restaurants throughout Fiji, they grow all their own produce, rice,  and source fish and meat locally. They have a small table in the restaurant where they sell produce from their farm. They can do many of their dishes vegetarian or vegan. In looking up details on the group to get the name correct I ran across an article in CNN about the leader of the church being arrested in South Korea for imprisoning members of the church and all sorts of other cultish activity. Well, that’s disappointing. The staff waved at us in greeting every time we walked through the door, I have to admit I really liked eating there. 

Fresh market, Somosomo Fiji 

Tomorrow morning we are setting out with the rising sun for Fulaga. It will be an overnight passage across the Koro sea, about 160 miles, putting us into the southern Lau group. It promises to be remote, beautiful, and off the beaten track. Very little in the way of internet down that way so our connections will be less frequent. Will be checking our iridium address but otherwise looking forward to being unplugged for a bit. We intend to spend around a month in the southern Lau group before sailing across the Koro sea for Viti Levu, we are looking forward to being based out Musket Cove or that area as we prepare to sail for the Marshall Islands at the end of October. 

Opua/Minerva Reef/Savusavu

July 13, 2018

Savusavu, Fiji

Packing away the try’sl and tidying the deck I find everything covered in a slurry of salt. I brush aside  the large flakey scales of two flying fish that wedged themselves under the sail and were dried at sea. As at the end of all long passages we spend a day organizing and putting Tumbleweed back into a more comfortable shore mode, lines are coiled and stowed, the lifelines taken down, the dinghy pulled from the vee berth and dragged to deck, inflated and plopped in the water. Over the next few days as we open lockers we’ll pull out the dish towels and clothes that we used in our attempts to quiet the constant rattles and bangs at sea. It’s a pleasant, somewhat mindless set of tasks, the heat has begun to build and the sun is out, the wind near still, we’ve arrived at Savusavu after an 18 day passage from Opua that included a side visit to Minerva Reef. It feels so good to be still, to hear the birds calling from the shore and to see Pino on the mooring nearby and Alcyone at the dock. 

Moments before casting off we stopped for a moment to take photos of each other. 

Two weeks ago in Opua, our friends from Ponyo met us at the customs building for a last goodbye, we already miss our weekly visits to the farmer’s market with them and their great company. With our paperwork completed in advance we were cleared out with customs in 10 minutes. Certainly the easiest departure from a country with regards to bureaucracy. We had a few kiwi dollars left and went for one last leisurely cup of coffee at the marina cafe.

Tides rule the Opua marina, the current during the tidal exchange can be pretty swift and we’ve watched several vessels run into difficulty trying to maneuver when the current is flowing - bouncing along pilings and other boats.  We readied Tumbleweed, watched for the waters to slack and made our way out to the Bay of Islands under clear skies and very light winds. The first day of a passage tends to be busy with working to get organized for sea, getting the boat into a groove, becoming reacquainted with long unused actions. We had not been sailing for 9 months, which seemed like such a distant memory. Before arriving in Opua we had been sailing pretty much continually for a couple of years, with time off at various ports for a few weeks here and there. But mostly on the move. I definitely felt rusty going forward to hoist the main and get us ready for sail. 

As we left the sheltered waters of the inner bay and made our way out toward sea the waters became very confused and agitated. Waves from the sea met the outflow from the bay and the various streams and sources of water refracted around the islands and coastline creating a stretch of chaotic washing machine-like seas. At the mast I felt like I riding a hostile animal, tossing from side to side and bucking forward and back. I had made the mistake of making grilled cheese with roasted eggplant sandwiches for lunch and by the time I made my way back to the cockpit was having my first ever bout with, not really full on sea sickness, but certainly sea nausea. Douglas brought up a Transderm-Scop patch, two acupuncture wrist bands and a bag of ginger candy. The rest of the afternoon I felt off my game but by the next morning I was fine. My note to future self would be to not become such a landlubber, to avoid grilled cheese sandwiches that first day out, and maybe use a patch if I haven’t been sailing for ages. 

In all other regards we had a pretty nice first day out. We had light and flukey winds so it took us awhile to break free of New Zealand, our first 24 hours out we made 95 miles. But we had a near full moon to join us on the night watch and that companionship and beauty those first nights at sea were powerful. The sea tops rendered into silvery brush strokes and the clouds lit by its reflection off the sea. It feels good to begin a passage, to watch as the land recedes and the planning and preparation stage moves astern. There is a magic to being on the open ocean that cuts through the rolling of the boat, the crashing and banging of gear yet to be wrapped and tamped down. We had yet to settle into our routines and still worked to get a sail configuration sorted that we were happy with but that first night went well and we were both content to be on the move.

There never seemed to be a perfect window for leaving New Zealand. Compared with our passage from Tonga at the end of last year it appeared that the forecasts were in a constant state of change and would change often from day to day or hold for a couple of days before shifting to something unpleasant. Heading south we had watched several favorable 10 day gaps unfold before we finally set sail. As we prepared to head north it was a challenge to find an extended period that was stable. It was the classic problem of either too much wind or not enough. We kept in touch with several friends who had gone on before us and most of them were forced to motor for days at a time, something we dearly wanted to avoid. Many also reported being hit by high winds and gear damaging squalls. An oft repeated story was that they would be sailing along under moderate winds when a squall with winds in the 40 knot range would blast along, a serious problem if all sails are up and not reefed. Torn sails, damaged rigging, broken gear were repeated. Along with the harrowing tales of rushing forward at night trying to reef a main or deal with a cranky headsail that refused to furl. 

Team Tumbleweed has usually been conservative when it comes to sail plans and strategy. As the day winds down, while we still have light, we’ll talk about the weather forecast and a plan for the evening. If the forecast is stable, and we have clear skies and settled seas we’ll be a bit more ambitious but typically we tend to reef down at the end of the day. Many nights on this passage we were really happy that we had just our stays’l out when we were hit by a squall. We changed the stays’l from hanked on to a furler while in Opua and it was a welcome change. It handled the many squalls we went through on this passage and also helped with deploying or reefing the Genoa - heading downwind the stays’l would blanket the Genoa, making management much easier. On this passage many of the squalls were in the sustained high 20 knot range with gusting into the high 30’s regularly. The most wind I saw was gusting to 48 knots, although that is the instrument reading and it’s difficult to know how much of that is due to mast acceleration as we whipped through the seas - but it sure felt like a lot. The roar below decks and the brutal crashing of the seas is just so hard to convey. To the crew below, especially trying to sleep, it feels like the boat has been tee-boned by a freight train. The majority of the wave train would be aligned off our stern quarter and an occasional rogue would come roaring out of the darkness and crash into us. Tumbleweed would stumble and pause for a moment, then catch the winds and move forward crashing headlong into the night. In our bunk we would lift, hang for a moment in space, then drop down, again and again. 

On deck is such a completely different experience than that below. Standing in the cockpit, hanging on to the stern rail, watching the night sky and the sea crashing on the bow, green water rushing along the decks, it is such a thrilling ride. At those times when we were hit by a rough sea it was a matter of holding on more tightly, watching the sail drift and then catch, and feeling awe at the power of the sea, and feeling content to be on a boat as sturdy as Tumbleweed. After a rough bout the off watch might poke their head up and ask if all was ok. The perception of how wild the ride was going was all about perspective. In the cockpit the one on watch was probably giddy with adrenaline, the one of us off watch and trying to sleep was probably getting ragged from not being able to sleep. After a few days we fell back to our routines and were able to get sleep off watch but for the first couple nights we struggled to get sleep. 

Exploring Minerva Reef

Making our way north we checked the forecast twice a day and noted that strong winds and rough seas were being forecast for our arrival in Fiji. Minerva reef had been on our minds as an option if the weather allowed or dictated and it was starting to feel like the weather was suggesting Minerva would make for a nice stop over. We changed course and making our way eastward, jockeying the waves that were now crashing over the bow instead of off the stern quarter, and slowing a bit to time our arrival for morning light. 

Minerva reef is a weird place. Surrounded by vast expanses of the south pacific, it is actually two sets of atolls, North Minerva, and South Minerva. It has been the site of utopian communities, numerous shipwrecks ( it is named for a whaleship that ran up on to the reef at South Minerva in the 1800's), ongoing squabbling between the Tongans (who have been given rights to oversee the atolls) and the Fijians (who have blown up navigation aids and want to control the fishing rights so that they can lease them to China - at least that is the gossip) and constant fishing ventures. North Minerva, where we were headed, has a reputation for being easier to enter and having an open lagoon - not cluttered with coral heads, with good anchoring all around the interior of the reef. 

The sea depths climb from a little over 3,000 feet to the surface of the atoll in short order. After days of seeing no other boats or sight of land we first noted several boats on AIS, then a faint line of breaking sea on the atoll. Sailing to the pass we came up into the wind to drop our sails and I saw the water color change from the dark blue of safe deep sea to the emerald green shifting to a white line of foam signaling  danger, for a heart pounding second I thought we were on our way toward an uncharted rock but realized it was two whales, one appearing to be a calf, lolling about, most liking feasting. It was one of those exciting moments where we were caught up in the task at hand, bringing in the main sail and furling our stays’l, and I was pointing out the whales and we were coming around to make our way to the pass, thrilled to be in such a magical place and yet focused on carrying on safely. In minutes we had moved past the whales and motored into the calm of the lagoon. 

Our friends Ed and Fran on Aka were anchored at the far end of the lagoon. They have been here many times over their decades of cruising the south pacific. We walked the reef at low tide the next day and they showed us the remains of several wrecks and gave us a history course on the atoll. We were pretty keen on finding lobster and Ed was in and out of the reef edge with his spear, jabbing away at various crevices until a small shark started to get too curious. We came back empty handed that day but later Ed showed up with a massive lobster tail and collection of legs for us. The tail must have been around 2 pounds or more and the legs were massive. We boiled up the legs and had them as appetizers while I boiled the tail to serve with pasta. It was pretty over the top. I only served half of the tail meat and saved the other half for the next day’s lunch. We were surprised by how delicious and meaty the leg sections were. It was another example in a long list of kindnesses that Ed and Fran have shown us and other cruisers. 

Later in the week we went out with  Ed to another section of the reef, snorkeling over a couple of wrecks and spending hours hunting the edge of the reef for lobsters. Ed was fearless, and not a little crazy. Diving into crevices on the outer edge of the reef, grabbing ahold of the rocks as the waves washed in and over him, grabbing ahold of lobsters when he found them. A couple spooked out of their holes and sprinted between my legs in a blur for the open sea. He was able to collect two medium sized lobsters and two slipper lobsters, creatures that look like the tail section of a spiny lobster. At first I thought he was handing me just the tail sections and as I was trying to sort out in my mind how he was able to grab a lobster underwater and yank it’s tail off, the slipper lobster in my hand bucked and tried to escape. There was the crew from another boat with us and they had been trying pretty hard to get a lobster that afternoon, the skipper diving into the holes as manically as Ed. Ed let them take home the lobsters he’d harvested which I thought was a pretty nice gesture. 

Ed hunting at Minerva Reef for lobster

Stopping for a few days let us address a couple issues that had come up during the passage. Our port navigation light had burned out and we needed to pull apart the housing and try to find a way to get a light working. The housing is designed with a small hole at the base, which seems like either really poor design if you are a sailor, as the bow of the boat where the light is located constantly dips into the sea when offshore, or really great design if you are the manufacturer because you will have a constant stream of repeat business. We didn’t have the exact parts of course so there was some rummaging and jury rigging to sort out. In the end Douglas was able to wire in a pretty bright LED and we were back in business. 

Wreck of the ship Coormondal, Minerva Reef

The other issue that came up was one that has been ongoing since we replaced our backstay adjuster. When we pump up the hydraulic adjuster, to give greater tension when under sail, the backstay will begin to twist. At first it was only a revolution or one and a half. But on this passage it was working its way up to 3 revolutions. With the SSB antenna running up the lower section of the backstay the twisting was pretty obvious. Our concern was that all that twisting and pressure can’t be good for the the fittings or cable. We rigged up a cross line that we threaded through the backstay adjuster, over to the stern arch and down to a turnbuckle we attached to the toe rail. That stopped the twisting and we’re working at sorting out what the problem could be. We are guessing it it the hydraulic backstay made by Navtec. We have a turnbuckle adjuster we can swap out and will probably do that shortly, then see if we can get the Navtec shipped back to the US. 

For the rest of the days we spent at Minerva we mostly enjoyed how remote it was and how removed we felt from Opua and the preparations we had undertaken the past few months. It felt really nice to slow down and spend time reading, tinkering lightly on projects but not feeling we need to push. The location is beautiful and kind of dislocating. At one point I climbed the mast, to inspect the backstay fittings, and was taken by the beauty of the atoll. Ahead was a slim section of orange reef, inside of that was impossibly brilliant turquoise water, on the outside of the reef was a white line where the ocean met the atoll and then a deep rich blue that carried beyond the horizon. That day we had light winds and a steady wash from the ocean worked its way across the reef. 

A weather window opened that looked to give us decent winds to complete our passage to Fiji and we made plans to depart. A catamaran that was in the lagoon had a rudder that had delaminated and were trying to make repairs. Ed is a capable boatwright/boatbuilder and had at one point worked on that catamaran for the previous owners. He has extensive experience with working with fiberglass and making such repairs so he volunteered to stay and lend them a hand. We had one other yacht mishap while we were there. A small ketch with 4 young Kiwi guys had trouble at the reef entrance, I believe they had been diving or fishing the pass when their engine gave out and the winds were too light for them to escape under sail. There was a somewhat stressed out call for assistance put out and several boats quickly made way to rescue them. By the time the first boat had arrived the ketch had an anchor out and was dragging back onto a coral head. The sun was setting as the several dinghies and couple of yachts were able to wrangle a tow line and pull the guys back to safety. Stressful. 

The remainder of the passage to Fiji was uneventful, which is what we aim for! We had read reports from friends that they had been surprised by strong winds and abrupt squalls as they neared Fiji and we saw several as well. We reefed down at night, and put up as much sail as was comfortable during the day. We made pretty good time with a couple days averaging over 6 knots. The seas were a mixed bag, we had our share of confused and sloppy seas with the regular blast of some beast of a wave that would usually give us a good smack in the middle of the night. For the first couple days we did a lot of rocking side to side, a good core workout for sure, but it was nice to arrive and put that behind us. 

Douglas inspecting genoa sheets for chafe 

A couple days out from Fiji we plotted our course and saw that we would be arriving close to the end of the day and did not want to arrive at the marina after dark. We reefed down further and tried to lose speed. But we had strong winds and even sailing under a reefed stays’l we were still making over 5 knots, bumping up to 6. On the last night as we sailed into the Koro sea and were considering heaving to as a way to arrive at daylight, the winds dropped and the seas calmed and we were able to glide along under a moonless sky. We picked up a few fishing vessels and one other sailboat that night, and could just pick out the silhouettes of small islands. We would get the occasional blast of warm, humid air, and the fragrance of land began to drift across the cockpit. 

It was nice to see Pino on a mooring as pulled in. We've been sailing with Devine and Rekka since Newport, OR and is a reminder of the distance we've all traveled since then.

Dawn saw us approaching Vanua Levu and then making our way into Savusavu. We picked up a mooring around 9am and then went to work pulling the dinghy from the Vee berth and getting ready for the arrival of the Fijian arrival team. I went to shore to pick up the health officer who asked if I could also bring out the customs and immigration officers. I was dazed and hesitated, our dinghy is on the dainty side of tenders and the outboard had conked out and started with fits as I made my way to the dock. “Of course! Climb aboard! No problem! “ I mean, what could go wrong? Soon 3 ladies from the Fijian government had joined me, with big smiles, lots of laugher, many shrieks and a lot of talking in Fijian amongst themselves, we pushed off the dock and I tried to start the engine, which of course failed in the first few attempts. Eventually it caught, and we tooled at a regal pace back to Tumbleweed where Douglas was waiting somewhat fearfully. Dumping a boat load of government officials would probably be a negative first day experience. But the ladies were friendly and accommodating and we all set to work with the various documents, print outs, photos and emails that are a part of checking in to a foreign country. While they inspected the cabin I motored back to shore to pick up the bio security officer and soon there were 4 officials aboard. It was a nice welcome to the country, it all went smoothly and efficiently, with plenty of good humor. And no one ended up going for a swim. 

The Copra Shed marina from our mooring. 

Savusavu has been a fine place to check in to. We are at the Copra Shed marina, out on one of their moorings. They have been friendly, efficient and helpful with basic amenities and we feel pretty set for a while. There are a several decent restaurants in town, shops that carry the basic necessities, a large market with local fruits, veggies and of course, kava. We are still resting up from the passage and the preparations before leaving. Not sure where we’ll head next. Taveuni is looking attractive and we have several friends heading that way. 

Outbound Opua

June 20, 2018

Opua, New Zealand 

Winter has arrived at the north island of New Zealand. Mornings with frost, bees no longer skim pohutaukawa blossoms, the cat tails have died back and are now a sea of brown along the trail to Kawakawa. Mushrooms poke out from the underbrush, some knobby scarred up looking puffballs, and the occasional flashy Amanitas, their bright red caps dotted with white blobs. The mass exodus of sailors that leave New Zealand for the tropical islands to the north has almost run its course. There are a few boats in Opua intending to head out with the next weather window. Tumbleweed among them.

Opua has been a calm, low key place to catch up after our crossing of the pacific. Douglas went back to the states for several months shortly after we arrived and I stayed with Tumbleweed. I covered a lot of miles on the local trails, often with what became known as the Opua Walkers Club - Jill, Katie and Miriam. Summer here was glorious. I had a quick visit to the US to help Douglas with moving his father to a new home and selling the old house. It was a massive undertaking for Douglas but also gave him some quality time to spend with his Pop.  

We haven’t been sailing but have undertaken a long list of boat projects.  Some things I think worth pointing out for others making long sea voyages. We added a 220 volt charger system shortly after Douglas returned from the states. That lets us charge our battery bank from shore power. As a 110V boat with one small solar panel, we were forced to run our generator every couple of days. It was pretty straightforward to install, we used a Victron charger and have been really pleased with the set up. Highly recommend for folks leaving US waters. 

Solar power has long been on our list to upgrade and we added several panels, taking us from 135w to 625w, we are wired to take another panel and at some point will probably add one that we can set out on the deck when anchored. To add real estate for two of the panels, and to give us some protection from the tropical sun, we added a Bimini over the cockpit. A canvas cover that required a bit of stainless steel work. We designed it so that the whole system can be taken down if needed - the solar panels unzip from the canvas, the canvas unzips from the frame, and the frame can be unbolted from the existing stern arch and dodger frame. We’ve been really happy with the set up so far and give high marks to Dean at Total Engineering for his help and great craftsmanship, and to Malcom at Opua Canvas for his work on the canvas. 

Sailing short handed means there often we are often sailing single handed. While one is off watch and sleeping the other does their best to manage sail trim, keeping a look out, reefing, tacking, etc without waking the other. The staysail has long been a trouble spot to manage single handedly. The Genoa is on a furler system and can roll and unroll, like a window blind, to reef, but the staysail was “hanked on” meaning a series of small piston shackles sewn to the sail are snapped around a steel cable (the stays’l stay) that runs from the deck to a point about 2/3 up the mast. To hoist the sail someone needs to go forward, prepare the sail - it’s usually lashed to the deck - then hoist the halyard from the mast while the other crew manages the sail’s sheets (the control lines for the sail) from the cockpit. In reality it meant we used that sail very little because it meant having both of us on hand, and it has no reef points, so it was an all or nothing sail. We changed that out to a furling system as well and so can control it from the cockpit without having to wake the off watch crew. We stayed with Schaefer for the furler, that is what we have for the Genoa and it has been solid so far. 

Refrigeration has been the leading power hog on board. We had a 110v cold plate system that required running the generator or being plugged directly to shore power. It was noisy, and weighed a lot, the cold plate itself was around 50 pounds. We switched that out to a 12v system. We can run it off our solar panels, it is nearly silent, freed up a lot of space in the fridge and under the quarter berth where the massive compressor used to live. While we were in the midst of that project I was thinking about the differences of boat life vs land life and what a poignant reminder something as seeming simple as a replacing refrigerator could be. On land when we’ve replaced the refrigerator we’d ask friends what they had, what they liked, look online for some reviews, drive out to an appliance joint to kick the tires, pick it out and have it dropped off the next day. They’d haul away the old one and we’d be making ice and cooling orange juice in minutes. For Tumbleweed’s new fridge we did extensive research on which system, which cooling style, what size…whoa, there are a lot of choices…A technician came out and gave us some installation advice, and took out our old coolant from the line for proper disposal. We switched to ice in the fridge box. Removal of the compressor and motor went fairly quickly, and so did removing the massive, 50 pound cooling block. Installing the cooling tubes was a bit of drama - they are several feet in length of thin walled copper pre-loaded with coolant. They needed to be carefully unwound, then threaded through the fridge, gently bent on a generous radius and run from a spot behind the port settee aft, through the galley, behind a hanging locker and into the space under the quarter berth. For days we had all the lockers and hatches along that path open, cleared and accessible. It was pretty crazy living for a while. Overhead panels down to give us access to wiring, hatches emptied and contents stacked along the cabin sole….I felt nostalgic for a giant appliance store more than once. 

Before arriving at Opua we spent six months on the move, mostly at anchor, often in remote spots, and with long passages at sea.  It has felt abrupt and a bit, well, weird, to be be in one spot for so long. The walks out in the forests, along the mangroves and waterways, have been powerful, humming with positive energy. Watching the passing seasons as the plants  arced from lush greenery, blossoming, vibrating with bees and insects, then fading, slumping into decay and winter, has been wonderful part of being in one place for so long. There were many mornings I spent mesmerized by herons as they hunted in the mangroves, and watched the Pukekos strut around like awkward chickens, or bees covering the brilliant red flowers of the pōhutukawa trees. Most mornings I would head out early, trying to spend a couple hours on the trails, usually as the sun was about to clear the horizon, lately in fog. 

But it is winter, our visas run out in a few weeks, the north beckons. We intend to sail for Fiji in the next couple of days and from there to the Marshall Islands where we’ll spend the coming cyclone season. After that we will aim for Japan. A new rule has gone into effect in Japan clearing the way for recreational sailors, making it much easier to clear in and out of small ports, basically dropping what was an onerous bureaucratic system of closed and open ports, requiring extensive pre-planning and approvals. Makes traveling there much more appealing. 

Those are the plans of the moment and we’re finding them pretty exciting. We’ve missed sailing, the rush of being at sea, or under sail on our way to a new destination. We’ll be updating through farkwar.com while on passage and will post an update when we’ve arrived in Fiji. 

Opua

Opua, New Zealand

November 30, 2017

Tumbleweed is resting in what sounds like a lake of champagne, snapping shrimp are making a constant popping sound that calls to mind celebratory bubbly more than weird critters drifting in the dark. A nice welcome to Opua. Seven months after leaving La Paz, Mexico Douglas and I are both still a bit awed by the realization that we have been at sea the past half year, moving steadily across the Pacific Ocean. We have explored the islands of French Polynesia, visited Suwarrow of the Cook Islands, anchored at at Pago Pago in American Samoa before digging in deep for a two months in the Vava’u group in Tonga. So many great adventures over these past few months, excellent sailing, beautiful wild anchorages and making new friends. At this point it is all a high speed collision of visuals in my brain and will probably take some time to find order. It feels really good to be here, to be at rest for a bit and to collect ourselves.

Douglas on the last few miles of our passage. Flying the Q flag and about to drop the trys'l. That's New Zealand over his shoulder. Look - fog! Haven't seen that for awhile. 

The passage from Tonga to New Zealand was one among the finest we have had. We left Tonga on a perfect afternoon and had a day of ideal sailing, water as flat as a lake, broad reaching under a clear blue sky. We made our way south from Tapana through the Vava’u group, weaving our way through a collection of small islands with waters that shimmered electric through various shades of green and blue as they shallowed on to golden beaches. A magic sendoff.

Sailing from Tonga to Opua pretty much directly, on the rhumb line, took a little over 1200 miles and eight days. The first 6 days we had strong winds, 25 knots gusting to the low 30’s with fairly organized seas, swell running 2-3 meters, wind on the beam. Ideal conditions for Tumbleweed we sailed mostly with a double reefed genoa and a trys’l, making an average of 7.5 knots, near hull speed for us. It was thrilling sailing, the view from the cockpit was like seeing a massive battering ram slamming into the sea, large sprays of water hitting the foredeck and running back along the cabin top. I spent a great deal of time standing at the stern arch, an arm locked around the bars as we bashed along, feeling the impact of each wave as Tumbleweed would shudder and then gather up speed again, occasionally racing over 10 knots as we surfed down a wave.  30,000 pounds sliding with some grace down the face of a wave was very cool.

We had a near full moon waxing at the beginning of the trip and it was a friendly companion to the night watch. Rotating through our 3 hour shifts with the light of the moon shining on the sea, watching waves break in the distance made of silver by the moonlight was unforgettable. Nights we had cloud cover the moon would hide and dim for a while then come back unexpectedly, shining like a street light. It was bright enough to move about above deck without a headlight and nearly enough to read by.

Opua in the morning.

It is 65 degrees, raining and blowing a gale outside today with winds in the 30’s gusting to 50. I am happy to be in New Zealand but feeling a little wistful for Tonga and the ability to hop overboard for a quick swim. There have been a handful of adjustments to getting used to being in New Zealand. Weather high on the list, also traffic, high population, grocery stores filled with all we desire. Most of it is great but there is a strong appeal to the slowed down island life in the south pacific.

Douglas flew back to the states to visit his father and I took the bus to Auckland with him. It was shocking to be in a place that with so many people and cars and what felt like chaos after so many months wandering around small outposts. We lived in Auckland for a few months about 15 years ago and kept pointing out the changes. The city has developed rapidly in those intervening years, cranes are busy on the skyline, traffic congests the city core, the sidewalks are dense with people dressed for business. Many neighborhoods have been transformed with restaurants, shopping, and corporate buildings. Feels very much like parts of Portland or Seattle. So many excellent looking coffee shops and restaurants. Downtown feels cosmopolitxan with a high mix of people from all areas of asia – South Asia, SE Asia and China, making for a diverse and lively restaurant scene. We had lunch at Mekong Baby, an outstanding Vietnamese joint on Ponsonby and dinner at Cassia, a dialed in restaurant serving next level Indian cuisine. Both meals were excellent, so much better than any place we have eaten in the past couple of years. The restaurant scene has exploded and become much more sophisticated than I remember from our last visit. As in Portland and Seattle, high design and refined cooking seem to be leading the scene.

Douglas will be gone through to start of the New Year, he’s only been gone two days and life aboard Tumbleweed feels so different. I am trying to not miss him yet, to work on a scale of some sort, so that I can miss him a little this week, a little more next week and so on until January. To start off missing him greatly at this point will not be sustainable.

View from Opua hill looking out to the Bay of Islands.

 I’ll be working on various boat projects. There is a long list to tackle, nothing major thankfully, but plenty of small things we’ve put off waiting for New Zealand and easier access to parts and supplies. When we were in Auckland we wandered through a chandlery for 15 minutes and then fled, I think it was too overwhelming to have so much choice. And we wanted to make time for the excellent maritime museum. Highly recommend visiting the museum, quite the collection of history from life on the seas. From the immigrants who arrived by sea – Maori with their sea canoes, Europeans on various types of ships – to the contemporary racing scene – the yacht that won the America’s Cup is on display in a vast hall with all sorts of displays on various racing efforts. Super cool. There is also a section filled with sailing dinghies, some gorgeous classics included. The museum was not built when we were there last, it looks new and nicely done. High marks.

The bus ride from Opua to Auckland is about 4 hours and goes through mostly rural farm land on a two lane road. Opua is in the sticks, surrounded by small farms, with plenty of rolling green pastures, sheep, cows, horses. Pretty low key. No sign of the thousand acre mega farms I’m used to seeing back home. Maybe they are inland? On the south island? Do not exist?

The green, green hills of New Zealand. From our ride into Auckland. 

We are still trying to figure out our next moves once Douglas returns from the states. Wellington is looking inviting and we are looking into making that our base. Summer should start kicking in here in a month or so and will make for nice sailing heading south. We plan to be based here for a year if we can make that work.

From the day we arrived. The water is mostly very still in the marina with the non-stop crackle of snapping shrimp it's a nice spot to be at rest for a bit. 

But for the next couple of months Opua is going to be a great base to work on boat projects and explore the area. We have visited Paihia a couple of times, it’s a small village about 10 minutes by car or 2 hours walk along the water. KeriKeri is the “Big” town about a half hour away and I’ll check that out soon. Russel is another small town nearby, a ferry ride away from Paihia, also on the list of places to visit, it was the original capitol of New Zealand and sounds interesting. Once the weather settles down I’ll put together the kayak and explore the bay.

Tonga

Tonga Blogpost

Neiafu, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
October 22, 2017

The tourism season in Tonga is winding down. The anchorage in front of the village of Neiafu, once packed with around 75 yachts now has half or less as many. The outer anchorages are also lightly populated and the village itself feels like it is folding in on itself. Booking offices, dive companies, whale tours, a little boutique that sells nicely made crafts and clothes, all either have closed completely or are in the process of packing up and getting ready for the off season. Our conversations with other sailors is pretty much focused on what their plans are for sailing for New Zealand or in a few cases hauling their boats out to have them stored on the hard for the cyclone season.

We have spent almost two months in Tonga and have enjoyed being here. There are 61 islands all gathered together protected by an outer barrier of reef and islands, scattered southward of Neiafu the largest of the group. All these islands make for sheltered sailing and anchoring along sandy beaches, and stony shorelines, against islands all crazed with jungle growth. Coconut trees are abundant and mangroves trees cling to the rocks at the edge of most islands. The fragrance from the islands as we travel past can be a heady perfume of sweet jungle flowers, earth and decay. Intoxicating.

Most islands are unpopulated and where there is a village it tends to be rustic, with basic infrastructure, like the solar panels along the streets in Hunga, gifts from Japan. Otherwise, a couple dogs on the streets, fishermen tending nets and boats, women weaving palm fronds in the shade of a church. Neiafu is the main town with several small stores, a large fresh market, and all the basic services those of us out sailing need like diesel, butane, boat services and parts, all in a walkable village along one of the most sheltered harbors in the pacific.

That has been life in Tonga, an ebb and flow with visits to one of the islands, then back to town, mostly a week in a place. It's been a pretty good pattern. Mixed into that has been our preparation for sailing to New Zealand. Our intended passage window is approaching quickly, we plan to watch the weather for a good opening at the end of October. Sailing to New Zealand this time of year is complicated by weather forecasts that are really only accurate a few days out, after that there are all sorts of models but they tend to be open to variables after three or so days. We expect our passage to take around 10 days, we'll have a good sense of what we are getting ourselves into for the first few days, but as we get closer to New Zealand the weather will be in a new cycle. And of course close to New Zealand is where all the exciting weather happens.

One way to help break up the passage and improve our forecasting is to stop at Minerva Reef, about 400 miles from Tonga. The reef is an ocean oddity, rising out of the ocean in the middle of nowhere, providing sheltered anchorage and good snorkeling/diving. I talked with a sailor who had anchored there in 50 knot winds and gave it high ratings. Plan "A" is currently to make for Minerva and watch for weather developments in NZ, plan "B" is to head directly for NZ if we have favorable weather ahead.





Yesterday we left the mooring field at Neiafu and had an excellent sail to Tapana. The sun was out and the colors along the shore of all the little islands we passes were stunning. So many shades of turquoise, emerald and jade where the sea washes over reefs and up along the various shorelines, some little crescents of light sand, others sheer stone with jungle overhanging to a few feet above the water's edge - a ruler straight line of worn stone and clipped plants marking eons of high tides. Neiafu harbor is well protected and it isn't until we are out of the passage that we get a sense of the true winds. Yesterday was typical in that we unfurled the Genoa in 9 knots and over the next half hour watched the winds drop to 6 knots, pick up to 15 and soon settle at 18 gusting over 20, all a sweet downwind ride for a few miles until we jibed to port at Oto island and made our way south and around the southern end of Kapa island, where our pleasant beam reach switched to an exciting close haul as we made our way through the pass and for Tapana.

The Rabbits are on a mooring a couple of hundred yards away, it's pretty cool to think that we met them in Newport, OR last year and have been bumping into each other all over the pacific since then. It always makes us happy to find our way into a harbor and see Pino. Late in the afternoon Alex and Sarah on "Bob" arrived under sail and dropped anchor off our stern. Hats off to "Bob" for arriving in such style, it's always impressive to watch someone arrive to an anchorage, select their spot under sail and drop the main with confidence and kick the anchor off the bow.

There are several moorings here, a few are heavy duty "cyclone" strength. On these moorings a line connected to a float drops down to the sea bed and attaches to a large piece of metal, maybe an old engine block, from the heavy metal there run 8 long pieced of chain run out in every direction, at the end of each chain is a large anchor buried in the sand. If the winds pick up and a boat is pulled in one direction there will be resistance from several anchors if the first begins to drag. The moorings are well sheltered from all directions but west. To the east is the low lying Motuha that breaks any swell and cuts down most winds. To the west is Pangaimotu island, fairly high and wrapping around from the east, running westward with the build of the island to the north. To the south is Tapana island and it blocks any swell and most of the winds coming from that direction.

I've kayaked around Tapana a several times, it is beautiful and has only a couple homes in sight. There is a paella restaurant run by a Spanish couple and their beach has a few boats but otherwise the island appears left to nature. The eastern and southern shores were the most interesting to explore, with a few small sandy beaches and many small shelves of reef with coral up against the steep stone edge of the island.

Last week we were anchored out at Hunga lagoon, watching as another sailboat left the mooring. We were eying the boat and noticed they had a tiny radar reflector, there are all sorts of these devices on sailboats, usually up the mast, to help create a larger target for boats that might be scanning with radar - help the boats show up in the clutter of waves at sea. Douglas and I made a comment to each other about how such a small reflector probably doesn't do much good, certainly not as good as our fancy, high tech tri-lobe reflector. At which point Douglas leaned out of the cockpit, glancing up at the mast to take in our futuristic reflector, tilting his head to one side quizzically, then getting up, walking to the mast and staring upward, to where our fancy radar reflector used to be firmly bolted to its own platform and where it no longer was, for how long we have no idea. I climbed the mast to inspect the platform to see if there were signs of damage, perhaps the thing had been wrenched off by an albatross and there'd be bits of broken plastic? But no, it was cleanly gone, what ever sort of bolt system used to install it must have all dropped off, bounced off the deck and into the sea without us hearing a single thing. The lesson being not to question your neighbors undersized radar reflector, until you can confirm yours is still in place. Then, you can brag away.

It's been a year since we left California, we are looking forward to being in a place where we can source the parts we need for our various repairs and improvements. It has become a running joke, anything that isn't perfect we say we'll fix when we get to New Zealand, as though it is some Valhalla of answering all desires. Cheese! New Batteries! Kale! Delicious coffee! Thai Food! Hot Water! And a chorus line at the shore kicking up their legs and singing out "New Zealand"... I'm ready to do a tourist spot for the country focused on the needs of sailors. It is a common refrain among the sailors we meet. Ah the promised land. Of course, a day after landing and running through a grocery store, buying bags of ice and plugging into marina power we'll be staring off to the horizon crying about how we miss the gentle turquoise waters and remote anchorages of Tonga...

Last night we had a strong weather front move over Vava'u and we caught a large bucket of rainwater and watched lightening flickering across the sky. One blast was nearby and lit up Tumbleweed's interior but most were off in the distance and we couldn't hear the thunder. We met a sailor in Suwarrow who was struck by lightening in Panama and he went through the extensive list of every possible electrical device on his boat that was destroyed, extensive and sobering. He was able to replace or repair many systems but many of them were beyond his budget. It was a new yacht and his insurance had been cancelled not long before the strike.

With another week or so ahead before we sail for New Zealand I've been doing a mental inventory of our friends we've made crossing the pacific. Shindig, Pangaea, Magic, Tiger Beetle and Peregrine are either hauling out or anchoring in French Polynesia for the cyclone season. Zatara and Wiz have gone on to Australia, Wiz have bought a catamaran in Spain and will be heading for the med to cruise there for a while before sailing back this way. Zatara is looking at a cat in Florida. Several are "ahead" of us on the same plan to make for New Zealand, Alcyone arrived a couple days ago and had an a good trip with all sorts of weather, a couple other boats have left Vava'u and are in the Ha'apai group making their way to Tongatapu. Pino is still in Vava'u and we've been discussing weather and routing with them.

It's been a vibrant season and it's been an interesting group of people to travel with. We are looking forward to seeing many of them in New Zealand, and missing their company already. Since beginning this post we've seen the Rabbits head off for Minerva Reef. We are also watching what looks like a good weather window opening up in a few days, we are going to try to be ready for a Tuesday check out with maybe a Wednesday departure. It will at least get us in passage mode and get us focused on the final tasks we need to do to make us ready.


















 

Suwarrow to Pago Pago

Douglas on the pier that Tom Neal rebuilt. Suwarrow.

Tumbleweed at anchor, Suwarrow, Cook Islands.

Suwarrow to Pago Pago, American Samoa

Over the past few weeks we’ve had a pretty good run sailing from Bora Bora to Suwarrrow and on to Pago Pago in American Samoa. We had a mix of weather on both passages, the first passage, about 750 miles, was pretty wild, with strong winds and fully developed seas, running pretty much dead downwind. The passage from Suwarrow to Pago Pago, 450 miles, was a mix of medium winds, a couple days becalmed, and a 2 day run with 25 knot winds gusting mostly into the 30’s but pegging 40 knots at times. It was a pretty wild run and we arrived in Pago Pago tuckered out. 

Suwarrow is a national park in the northern Cook Islands, a remote atoll between French Polynesia and Samoa. There are two resident rangers, Harry and Katu,  who are on a five month long shift and oversee that the natural reserve is kept pretty pristine. Activities are limited and few boats visit,  when we arrived there was a sail boat that departed the next morning and we had the anchorage to ourselves for a couple days. Soon a few other boats arrived but never more than six were in the harbor while we were there. 

The atoll is somewhat famous in the cruising world due to the book “An Island to Oneself”  by Tom Neal, who lived alone on the island for several years over three visits. It’s a classic memoir of one wanting to step away from society and deal with life on their own terms. Neal’s writing is engaging and he describes in detail all the tasks that he took on to live on the small island. It was cool to anchor off the small pier that he rebuilt by hand, the intense labor almost killing him. His house is used by the rangers as an office and looks much the same as from the photos in his book. The view of the sunset from the beach down a coconut shaded path is as captivating as he described. It is a fairly magic place and I wish we could have visited for another week. As it was we were given a two week visa and needed to leave a few days early to catch a weather window. 

There are a lot of black tip sharks in the anchorage and that kept us from swimming. The rangers reported that there was a sighting of a Tiger shark in the deeper waters outside the anchorage and that they are aggressive and pretty bad all around, that also curtailed our swimming. We did venture out a couple times to see where the mantarays gather for cleaning. There is a concentration of wrasse fish in a area not too far off the anchorage where the lagoon shallows and it is possible to anchor a dinghy and snorkel around and watch for them clean the mantarays. We watched two massive rays one early afternoon but never caught them in the morning. We heard from other cruisers that they had seen many of the rays, six or more at a time. 

Anchorage Island, Suwarrow, Cook Islands

Harry and Katu, the rangers at Suwarrow, were friendly and welcoming. They came out to the boat once we dropped anchor and checked us in. We had written to the immigration office in Rarotonga a week in advance but had not received a reply to give us permission to visit the park. The rangers didn’t seemed concerned that the paperwork had not arrived. There is a nice section on Anchorage island for sailors to hang out, with a little fire pit. We had a cruisers potluck one night and it started to rain heavily, the rangers invited us back to the shelter that they use for their kitchen and storage, they had a couple long tables set up quickly and we had an enjoyable dinner out of the rain. A frenchman brought his guitar and Katu, one of the rangers, showed he was a deft master of the ukulele. He is a big guy with massive hands and to watch his fingers fly up and down the frets and pick out complex tunes was impressive. 

Katu demonstrated the Cook Island way to open a coconut - folks, we’ve all been doing it wrong. No machetes, or hacking away, it’s all in the wrist. After husking the coconut on a stick jammed into the ground, he showed us how to align the coconut and tap in a certain spot with a stone, a couple sharp raps and the coconut begins to split, then you work around the coconut, tapping along the seam that opens 

There were thousands of hermit crabs with all sorts of amazing shells for homes. A documentary is in the works. 

We are anchored at Pago Pago after a mixed sail from Suwarrow. We had a couple of decent days of sailing once we left Suwarrow, then had two days becalmed that transitioned to two days of strong winds and large seas. The days we were becalmed the ocean was about as calm as I can recall seeing it, long slow rolling swell with small scratches of wind on the surface. It was sunny and the sea took on a deep blue that was mesmerizing. For the two days we sat becalmed we played cribbage, read, lounged in the sun, ate well and really enjoyed being at what we called the sea spa. It felt like we were at anchor in a bay with a bit of swell. The moon was near full and the light on the sea those nights was otherworldly, silver reflections that undulated with the swell. 

The original house on the right, Tom Neal's former residence, with the ranger's building to the left. Suwarrow, Cook Islands.

The forecast was pretty accurate as the weather changed from a couple of knots of wind over the course of an hour to blowing 20 knots and kept climbing. Over the last two days of our passage to Pago Pago the winds stayed pretty steady around 25 knots with gust mostly into the low 30’s but pegging 40 regularly. It was a rude awakening from our two cozy days lolling in the sun. The sky went grey and we had regular rain squalls. The motion below was dangerous, we had to always keep a hand on the boat when moving about, a moment of lapsed attention and the nearest bulkhead or counter surface would come rushing at full speed making its best attempt to leave us with a black eye. It was exhilarating and exhausting. It was athrill being on deck as Tumbleweed crashed through the seas, particularly at night under the full moon that made a glowing ceiling of the cloud cover. Valiants are built for that sort of scenario, high winds and large seas. We would bash through a large wave slow for a moment, gather speed, crash through the next wave, spray over the deck, water flooding back through the scuppers. 

Looking northwest, Suwarrow, Cook Islands.

A sunset at sea, outbound Suwarrow, inbound Pago Pago

With the high winds we made excellent time the last two days to Pago Pago, sailing at 6.5 to 7 knots for the most part, often near 8, at times surfing along above 8 and clocking 9. I can’t imagine going faster, to hear of catamarans and larger yachts running at 10 knots and much faster seems like breaking the sound barrier from the perspective of a 42 foot boat. We kept Tumbleweed pretty well reefed down - we switched to the try’sl early on and kept the genoa double reefed until we needed to slow up and then rolled it down quite a bit, even then we bashed along over 6 knots. The motion on deck was fine, actually thrilling, it was below decks that the speed and bashing through waves was challenging. Meals shifted from a leisurely multi-course spread with fresh pita bread to granola bars, crackers and cheese, snacks. Grim. Sleeping was a bit of a wild card. 

We take turns standing a three hour shift, Douglas goes to sleep after a last round of cribbage and a tonic sans rum at 8pm and relieves me at 11pm, and we alternate in 3 hour shifts until morning. We make up a crash pad sleep nest out of the slide out settee, the table folds down to create a bit of a wall and we pad the whole berth with duffel bags filled with clothes, so it is all pretty soft and like a giant cocoon. As we bounce through the waves we will levitate for a heart beat or two and then drop back down into the cocoon, to the point where we finally surrender to sleep. Once night falls we switch all the lights below over to red, giving the feeling of being on a submarine. Waking from the cocoon in the dim red light with the pounding of the waves on the hull and the slapping of various lines inside the mast wasn’t in the brochure. On nights when the weather is up, like the last two on this passage, it takes me a moment to pause and ready myself on the companionway steps before I slide back the hatch to the world above deck. When it is blowing above 20 knots the sound is ferocious, and the wind cuts into everything, it is an abrupt shock to the system to go from the relatively protected world below to the full blast of the sea. 

The harbor of Pago Pago is sheltered by high, steep hillsides covered in jungle, it is dense and lush and impressive to enter after a week at sea. The harbor is well sheltered from the ocean with a shallow bar across the entrance, and once inside the bay proper the island opens up with a turn to port and that is where the anchorage for yachts is tucked away, and where the large commercial dock for container ships, tankers and other large vessels. It is also where the harbor master directed us to dock so that we could check in to American Samoa. 

Checking in to American Samoa was the weirdest process we have had yet with entering a country. We were asked to tie up to a commercial dock and after an hour of circling and trying to figure a safe way to meet their request had to beg permission to anchor out and return in our dinghy the next morning to check in. We went a few rounds of the port captain asking us to tie alongside, and us saying it didn’t look safe to us, until finally I think we wore him down and we were allowed to anchor. It’s a challenge being in a situation set up for a large ships when you are in a small boat, the scale just doesn’t work, at least for us. We were grateful to be allowed to anchor and check in the next day. 

The check in process once we made our way to shore the next morning was straightforward, a bit time consuming with visits to 6 different offices, including a walk to immigration a mile or two from the main port complex. Everyone was very polite and helpful with pointing us in the direction of the next official we needed to see. 

So far the stand out quality of our visit has been that everyone has been really friendly, in stores, asking for directions, on the buses, around town, in traffic, in restaurants. There is a genuine sense of friendliness.

Yesterday we joined the crews of Wiz and Zatara for a hike up to a waterfall with a quick dip in the pool. It was a beautiful spot, surrounded by jungle and refreshing after being in the warm humidity all day. 

The anchorage here has a reputation for poor holding, the tsunami that hit the island in 2009 deposited a lot of debris. There are stories of people dragging anchor and when they haul it up for inspection find furniture, clothing, yard tools, etc attached. We set well on a small undersea ridgeline and have been secure through some pretty strong winds.

Weather in Pago Pago has been overcast with frequent rain squalls. The rain keeps the temperature down, but is torrential. We’ve made a few trips to shore for grocery runs and topped off our butane. We are going to wrangle some diesel with help from Wiz and Zatara this weekend and should be ready to head for Tonga Monday evening.