Hopefully this is the last email from the satellite phone! We are about 30 miles from Point Loma at the moment, so should be in to San Diego by 1pm. This trip has taken a lot longer than I had hoped. A combination of light winds, and some mechanical issues slowed our progress greatly. That being said, it is sunny and warm right now, and it is amazing how quickly that combination can make you forget about the past!
920am 8/25
N32.48
W117.29
141 miles to go! What an outstanding day today has been. We opted to go inside the islands, as it we would have good breeze, and also have the shorter distance. For most of the day the wind has been between 15-24kts, so we have been knocking down some great miles.
8/24
1703
N34.02
W 119.17
Here we are, about 15 miles from Point Conception. Point Conception is often referred to as the, “Cape horn of the Pacific.” There is a large convergence of just about everything right on this point, so it is known for extremes. This area is also described as the foggiest place on the US Pacific Coast. I have to say, it seems like just about everything from San Francisco south is in contention for that title. The charts show there are oil rigs, buoys, even islands around here. We could pass under one, next to another, and along the latter and not even know. The end is in sight, which typically means two things on an Artemis delivery. First, we usually have food left that we need to just start eating. Surprising, bacon is about the become breakfast, and an afternoon snack. I can’t believe we have bacon left over at this point. We also have a couple of bottles of wine to get through along with some beer. I look forward to my tradition of getting a milkshake as soon after a shower as it practical once we get to land.
8/24
34.23N
120.59W
Monterey is lovely. It was a real shame that we could not see any more than 100 yards of it at any time due to how thick the fog was. We got into Monterey at about 4am, and parked at the fuel dock, waiting for the 8am opening. Some people used the time to catch up on sleep, others for a quick shower. We have collected 40 gallons of fuel, and are on our way south again. Of course after getting said fuel, we are currently sailing in 16-18kts of wind at 9-10kts of boat speed. Oh well. The forecast is still light for when we get to the Chanel Islands, and this gives us some additional options.
The major excitement of the day was some trouble with the new PSS shaft seal. It appears that at some point the stainless shaft collar shifted on the shaft, allowing water to quite literally poor into the boat while motoring along. This was discovered by finding a couple of floor boards floating. I can tell you, there is no worse feeling than being 30 miles of the coast and not knowing where the water is coming in. Once we got all the water bailed out, we first checked to see no water was coming in. Okay, that means it is not a thru-hull or something worse. Next, we ran the engine in neutral. Again no water was coming in. This means it is not related to the exhaust or general operation of the engine. Next we put the engine in gear, and voila. Water came rushing in. PSS shaft seals, love them or hate them… I think there are probably a lot of opinions either way on that one. I have heard some cruisers swear that they would never have one. When it goes, it goes. At least with a traditional packing gland you can stuff more flax or Gore-Tex packing in. Never a dull moment. I need drink. And a shower.
8/23
16:26
N35.53
W121.57
This is the hard part of the delivery for me. As I mentioned, one of my cardinal rules is to not set a departure date, which I violated. Closely tied to that is to not set an arrival date, which I violated. Due to the Beneteau Rendezvous this coming weekend, I need to be back in Seattle no later than Friday. If we were taking our sweet time to San Diego, or delivering back from Hawaii, with the winds that we currently have, we would be sailing. Winds are 8-11kts from 315 degrees. Alas, I have had to make the decision to put the hammer down and motor at our normal motoring RPMs for Monterey, instead of our fuel conservation RPMs of 1800. My other option for fuel at this point would be in Half Moon Bay, but that requires a more dramatic course change versus the smaller change to get to Monterey. Of course there are other places in between like Moss Landing or Santa Cruz, but both of those places are deep in the bay and further out of the way. With the forecast for light winds for a good portion of the rest of the trip, it makes sense to just stop, get more fuel, and make tracks south. So it goes. It does feel funny to be in the ocean motoring this fast…
8/22 10am
N37.48
W124.00
I think I had previously written something along the lines of, “what a difference a day can make.” At the time I think it was in relation to an awesome day of big wind and sea sailing. So back to what a difference a day can make… Yesterday was a it of everything. We had the most wind we have seen, with steady 25kts with gusts to 30kts, but with pretty confused seas. We caught a very nice 25-30lb tuna. We also have now spent the last 10 hours motoring in 8-10kts of wind. Sailing a boat like this offshore is a blast when the conditions are perfect. Even when they are less than perfect, it can still be a lot of fun. When the breeze got down to 14-16kts, but with the same seas, we were faced with a dilemma: sail hotter angles to keep the power up, or take the kite down and sail the max VMG angle to our destination. Ultimately, the wind continued to drop and the decision was made for us. Artemis was built as an offshore downwind boat, and even loaded down as she is now, relishes those conditions. While normally in Puget Sound even 14kts of wind is enough to keep us moving nicely, as the boat tends to accelerate down the ocean swells, you end up sailing over the kite, or causing the main to back, and then slam forward again. It is loud, and not great for the boat. If we were racing we would just sail hotter angles to keep the speed up and avoid this. In this case it is a delivery and you take sails down.
Fishing was a nice break yesterday. I asked around if anyone wanted fish for dinner. There was the usual laughter; people questioning if I can just magically catch fish. As I have a magic lure, I of course said, “If you want fish, we have fish.” About 30 minutes later we brought in a tuna, that was promptly cleaned, marinated for 30 minutes in soy and fresh ginger, then quickly pan fried and served over rice with some vegetables. Delicious!
So where do we stand now? It is looking like lighter breeze through late Sunday, as a thermal low in Northern California is breaking down and dissipating. Our next hope for breeze should be late Sunday or early Monday as a low is forming in the Gulf of Alaska that should help with the compressions. We have about 50 gallons of fuel left, so enough to motor to more fuel if we need to. I avoid San Francisco whenever possible, as you basically need to commit a day to get in and out. A more likely stop if necessary will be Santa Cruz or Monterrey.
8/21 6:10am
N 40.38.080
W 125.41.155
In one morning we went from motor sailing to the kite, and then back to where we are now with just a main. Yesterday was nothing short of spectacular. Everyone had a chance to drive in great ocean conditions with a big kite up. Everyone saw at least 15kts of boat speed, with the high speed for the day being 22.4kts attained by this handsome devil named Nigel. At the 9pm watch change, we opted to take the kite down and sail the night with just the main. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a delivery. While I do need to get down to San Diego in good time, the safety of the boat and the crew is paramount. It is just too hard to keep a kite flying at night with only 2 people on deck. You really need a driver, kite trimmer, kite grinder, and main trimmer to be effective and safe in the dark. As I write this, we are about 106 miles off the coast, have now done a gybe so that we are heading back toward land, and still sailing with just the main. The winds are steady now at 20-25kts, with small variances in the angle. TWD is 320-330 degrees. Boat speed is averaging 10-12 kts, with the occasional surge to 16kts.
Artemis 20-Aug-11 9:25am
42.55.820N
126.51.686W
COG 140
What a difference an afternoon can make. We have spent most of the day sailing around 10-12kts in 20-25kts of wind with the main and an A4 (full size 3/4 oz A-Sail). Our COG is on average 175, so we are making pretty good tracks down the coast. Our plan had been to head toward the shore for better breeze, and this strategy seems to be working. At the moment the plan is to gybe at the end of the 6-9pm watch, and then probably gybe again at the 3am watch on 8/20. This is to keep us in our lane heading down the coast in breeze. Top speed so far has been 16.8kts.
45.11.823N
125.41.980W
We cleared the Straits yesterday (8/18) around 3pm, and quickly got the main up and started motor sailing. The wind direction initially was not the most favorable, but over the course of the evening back enough that we spent the night sailing with the main and #3 managing to hold a steady 8-9kts of boat speed. The winds have been generally light and shifty, staying between 10-15kts and 310-340 degrees.
Last night though was awesome. We were all commenting about how different it was than the first few days of the Transpac when we never saw the sun or moon for the first 5 days. The moon was casting shadows over the deck, and visibility was great. We are currently heading 140 COG back toward land on a shift. We expect to see better breeze closer to land this afternoon, and plan to gybe back out at dusk and hoist a kite for the evening sail.
Artemis
8/19/11- 10:37am
46.05.081N
125.32.265W
The crew for this delivery of Artemis consists of regulars on the boat, and veterans of either our offshore racing or deliveries. Lou Bianco the owner, Christopher Butler a veteran of our last Transpac and the deliveries. Chester Hibbert and Bruce Dunn who both brought the boat back from Hawaii, and Rich Demmler and regular crew member, and myself. Finding a good offshore crew is key to a good fun, safe delivery or race. Of course you always try to pull from your regular crew, as they are the ones that are known quantities. You also always try to load up on drivers. Typically someone that drives can do all the other jobs on a boat, but the adverse is not always true.
The route that we take down the coast is more driven by the wind than any other form of conventional wisdom. That being said, the sea state is better off the continental shelf, and there are no crab pots in 4000 ft of water… At the moment for us, there is better wind closer to shore, so we are staying 15-40 miles off the coast. This looks to change further south, so I suspect we end up about 100 miles off my mid-California.
For deliveries offshore, we try to go with six people. With six people our preferred watch schedule is 3 on 6 off, so 2 people on deck. When you are used to the traditional racing schedule of 4 on 4 off, those extra two hours in a 6 off schedule seem to be the greatest 2 hours ever. Because of this, everyone is pretty well rested all the time. You should not really struggle to power through a 3 hour watch, and then when it is all over you get a 6 hour break.
Marty McOmber
Nigel Barron