Adventures on Patricia Ann

Day 22 - We Made It! - 11-12-22

After 21 days and 21 hours at sea, at 2:30 pm we sailed in to Newport Harbor in spectacular fashion! We had two boats with family and friends, including my wife Dawn, cheering us on, honking horns and yelling greetings!. It felt so good to see so many that

Day 21 – 3 Weeks at Sea, 1 Day to Go! – 11-11-24

So I am trying to get my mind around this one. It’s been 3 weeks since we left Nuku Hiva, and right now we have Ensenada 20 miles off our starboard side.  In some ways it was an incredibly long 3 weeks, but now its hard to believe its

Day 20 – Land HO! – 11-10-24

We finally saw land today after 20 days at sea.  As the sun rose this morning we saw Guadalupe Island off in the distance.  We spent the entire day sailing past this remote island that is located 150 miles off the coast of Baja. I know, it was just an

Day 19 – A Personal Record – 11-9-24

Today was 19 days at sea for me.  This is now my longest passage in days.  The sail to the Marquesas was 18 days.  And this one is not over yet, it is looking like it will take 22 days.  Why longer this time? We are going mostly upwind and

Day 18 – Less than 500 Miles to Go! – 11-8-24

We reached a couple of milestones today.  First, we crossed the 500 mile mark, which is huge! Normally I sail much shorter passages than 500 miles, more like 100 mile passages, so it is still a long way to go.  But compared to the 2,600 miles we have gone

Day 17 – Motoring through Calm Waters – 11-7-24

All last night and all day long we ran the engine as we traveled through calm waters and light winds.  We expect these conditions to continue through tonight as well.  Tomorrow we may get some wind from the east, which is very unusual for around here.  The east wind is

Day 16 – What a Difference a Day Makes! – 11-6-24

It is just crazy how quickly things at sea can change. One day it seems like you are on a watery hell, then the next day, heaven!  The sea truly does have many personalities that can take you to the lowest of lows, then back to the highest of highs.

Day 15 – The Beat Goes On – 11-5-24

I am coming at you a bit raw tonight.  And its not because of the election. The sea is wearing me down.  After being out here for over two weeks, as the waves and wind just constantly toss us about, its hard. And I get it is a PRIVILEGE to

Day 14 – 1,000 Miles to Go! – 11-4-24

We achieved a couple of milestones today.  First, it has been two weeks since we have left the Marquesas.  In that two weeks we have covered over 2,200 miles and averaged 6.6 knots of boat speed.  Our second milestone is getting under 1,000 miles to Newport Beach.

Day 13 – Fixing more Broken Stuff – 11-3-24

I had been thinking this was going to be a boring passage, but I guess not! Last night around 2 am, I woke up to the sound of the boat rushing through the water and heeling over more than normal.  I came up on deck and found Luke on watch.

Day 12 – Out of the Doldrums and into the NE Trades 11-2-24

Well, my wish for a less eventful day today did not work out so well. The boat and crew are all doing fine, we just had a lot of work to do fixing broken parts. But we got it done! About midnight last night the wind began to increase, and

Day 11 – The Doldrums – 11-1-24

The doldrums, that section of ocean dreaded by sailors. There is no wind and just a sky full of squalls.  This is where we find ourselves today.  You would think it would have been a boring day. Well, the last 24 hours have been anything BUT boring… Last night as

Day 10 – Halfway! – 10-31-24

Today we achieved two major milestones, 10 days at sea, and over 1,600 miles sailed, so halfway home. It is crazy that we have sailed this far, but even MORE CRAZY that we still have 1,600 miles to go!  You get a whole new appreciation for the size,

Day 10 – Welcome to the ITCZ! 10-30-24

After one of the most peaceful nights of our passage, (I slept nearly 6 hours straight!), our arrival to the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) was announced as the weather became unsettled.  Instead of partly cloudy skies with nice consistent winds, we ran into complete cloud cover, with rain squalls all

Day 9 – Dolphins and the search for the ITCZ – 10-29-24

The last 24 hours we have had some amazing sailing.  First, the seas have been calm, which is awesome; the boat is barely rocking. Second, we had ideal and consistent winds, 10 to 12 knots, right on our beam (90 degrees to the boat). Patricia Ann loves this, and just

Day 8 – 1 Week at Sea and Over 1,000 Miles Sailed – 10-28-24

Today we passed two big milestones.  One, It’s been 7 days since we left Nuku Hiva.  Yes, I know we are on day 8, but the first day should have been called Day 0 since we had not sailed 24 hours at that point.  Two, managed to cross the

Day 7 – Fish On! 10-27-24

Mateo has been dragging a fishing line behind our boat for the last 4 days, and today he caught a fish, a nice Yellow Tail!  The fish weighted about 10 pounds, and we got a good 4+ pounds of meat off it. Mateo has been dreaming of catching his first

Day 6 – It was a rough one today – 10-16-24

Wow. It was a tough day today.  Such a contrast to yesterday when we had ideal and relaxing sailing weather.  Conditions can change so quickly out here.  It boggles my mind… Early this morning we woke up to a confused and jumbled ocean.  The waves were not big, but what

Day 5 – We Crossed the Equator! – 10-25-24

It was another nice day on board Patricia Ann. I think we are getting spoiled by the nice weather.  We continue to have calm seas, clear skies and winds from 10 to 14 knots. This means we can sail with full sails, no reefs.  With our full sails we still

Day 4 – 500 Miles Down – 2,500 to Go! – 10-24-24

With the wind and seas moderating, we had a nice night’s sail with wind in the mid to high teens. The best part was the sea state continuing to settle down allowing things to be much more comfortable on board with less rocking and bouncing, so we all had

Day 3 – Fair Winds and Dolphins! 10-23-24

We had a great night last night.  The wind died a bit and the seas really calmed down.  I was able to sleep nearly 6 hours straight.  That never happens on passage. Everyone had a restful night. The nice conditions continued throughout the day, with clear skies and comfortable temperatures.

Day 2 – Getting our sea legs – 10-22-24

Last night we had a very bumpy ride.  The sea state out here is almost always challenging.  We had a swell running of 4 to 8 feet, but there was a short period, which is the time between waves. Typically we like to see a period of at least 10

Day 1 - We have started the journey back home – 10-21-24

We left the comfort and beauty of Taiohae Bay at 4 PM this afternoon,  It feel like yesterday when I first sailed into this same bay, exhausted from crossing the Pacific, and excited for what lay ahead. Before heading out of the bay, the crew and I had a moment

I am REALLY SAD, but Grateful – October 13, 2024

Today was the day Danielle and Catalina left to fly home. I am so sad to see them go.  We have spent every day together for the last 6+ months and now I am alone. Well, only for 1 day, my crew for the sail home arrives tomorrow.  But still,

More Whales on Moorea! – September 10

After spending several days in the calm waters of Cooks Bay on Moorea, we headed back to Marina Papeete to do some boat projects and pick up our friend Jessie Fleming who flew in to spend a couple of weeks cruising with me and Danielle. Jessie made it from the