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 already, it seams short!

Second, we actually saw two ships, one this afternoon and one tonight. The ships were the first sign of human life we have seen outside of this boat since we left the Marquesas 18 days ago. We have been very much alone for most of this passage.

It was truly a beautiful day to be out sailing! We had clear blue skies and a nice cool breeze.  The cool wind was a nice change.  We all felt like we were experiencing fall weather instead of summer.  The wind was light at 8 to 10 knots, but we still managed to sail most of the day.  The sea state also remained calm which made things very comfortable on board.  I had my longest night’s sleep on this passage, 7 hours, which felt amazing.

The wind has been blowing out of the northeast which is very unusual for this part of the ocean.  Typically, the wind blows form the north or northwest, and usually in the 15 to 20 knot range.  So we feel very blessed to be sailing in these comfortable conditions.

The weather will be changing to a more typical pattern throughout the weekend, and then the wind will really pick up for our final day at sea, in the 20 to 25 knot range.  I am working with our weather router to position us with the best angle to the wind, and hopefully lighter winds and smaller seas, as we approach the California coast.  For right now, we are just continuing to sail directly north, knocking off chunks of latitude.

Here is a screenshot of our weather software, PredictWind showing our current wind conditions and what we are expecting on Monday.  The green and yellow areas show 10 to 15 knot winds, and red to dark red 20 to 25 knots.

I get weather updates twice daily that I review on my own, and then discuss with my weather router to find the best course for speed and comfort. I probably spend two hours each day reviewing the weather forecast, comparing it to what we are actually experiencing, and then doing ‘our best to prepare for the weather that is coming next. Its is a major topic of discussion onboard. 

The nice weather today gave us a chance to hang out in the cockpit and read, sail the boat, and walk around up on deck without getting splashed by waves. 

The clear night sky is filled with a half moon and lots of stars. And it is definitely getting a lot cooler.  For the first time in 8 months I have put on long pants!  We are all wearing jackets and beanies to keep warm.

We are all looking forward to making landfall.  Right now that is looking Tuesday afternoon. But that could change based on what the weather actually does.  We are eating well on board, but Luke and Mateo are having a lot of food fantasies, missing tacos and hamburgers!