Beam on and reefed down, charging across the trades. Beam on is wetter, but faster. Also, I was pinned down on the starboard tack, which made the ride more comfortable. Downwind sailing in the trades is a very rolly experience which makes for less predictable motion. I spilled more things going downwind in the trades than I did beam on. Just sayin’.
This is a pretty rare occurrence:
- Being close-hauled with full sail is not fair winds and following seas.
- It only works when there is a light wind and very low seas….so, usually after a calm.
- I am using the full main and the 140% genoa….which means the wind wasn’t light enough to call on the 140% drifter.
- If I cracked off, the sails would have probably started flopping. I needed to be close-hauled to keep pressure on the sails.
The thing about amateur video is that you don’t see anything really exciting. Because then the equipment would get ruined from salt water exposure. And if it’s amateur, who can afford that?
So what you get is boring video like this.
This video is from the Southeast trades, headed north. My goal was to make as much easting as I could in the more easterly blowing SE trades. The further I could get, the better set-up for getting across the Northeast trades, which are truly NE, to Hawaii. I made about 120 NM easting over the SE trades. This proved to be enough.
Sampaguita had a couple Fin whales(I think) swimming with her for about a half an hour a few hundred miles west of Washington State. They clearly knew what they were doing and would get very close. In this instance I didn’t worry. No tails came up and they were clearly swimming WITH Sampaguita and fully aware of her. Unfortunately it was dusk, so no video. You’ll have to take my word for it.
I do have a video of fish escorting Sampaguita, north of Hawaii in the Northern Pacific, so I hope that will suffice. It can be mesmerizing.
Sampaguita sits quietly at anchor off the bell tower in Port Townsend. Arriving at 1800 local time, July 8, she sailed up to anchor in a light west wind. A few local boats were passed setting sail for the evening breeze and the PTSA’s Committee was setting up the course for Monday night dinghy racing.
A Salute
I learned today that John Hazen died while I was away. John was my original inspiration regarding Flicka 20 voyaging and ownership. I met him in 2012 in Port Townsend while I still had the leaky Columbia 26. He told me his story and it was relatively easy for me to imagine doing his trip. His Flicka was Windward Pilgrim. He bought it in Hawaii, sailed to Tahiti, back to Hawaii. Then to Port Townsend. No head and an outboard motor. Just like Sampaguita.
Apparently John died in his sleep aboard Windward Pilgrim. Which is fitting for him. Fair winds.
I decided to climb the mast in the North Pacific Ocean. There were light seas and wind. I was under full sail. Here is some video and the lessons learned. It was harder than I expected. I’d done it in a rolly anchorage, but this was a whole other level of sway and swing. (It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing, right?)
People ask what I eat on a Flicka 20 with no refrigeration. This is a Sampaguita classic. Thanks to ‘Lectronic Latitude for publishing this on June 17, 2024. Thanks Monica.
Click here for the full article.
A reader is calling it 60 days. Really, 59 days and 13 hours and 15 minutes. Rounding up seems legit enough for me. Taha Uku Bay to Port Angeles? Maybe the longest Flicka passage ever?
Here’s a Google Earth rendition of the trip created by a fellow Flicka 20 fan (and record keeper?).
Port Angeles to Port Angeles closes the loop, though I will continue on to Port Townsend and close that loop too. First, time for cleaning and ice cream/juicy meat/salad/vanilla cake.
Lots to report about everything, but that will have to wait for now.
Are the chickens in the boat yard or are the boats in the chicken yard?
Why did the chicken cross the Pacific? To get to the Hiva Oa boat yard.
Which came first? The chicken or the boat?
Thank you. Thank you very much.
sailingwithjosh
Sailing With Josh 