Somewhere North of Oahu

I'm settling into life on the boat. Somehow, at the start of this trip, it didn't seem like life on the boat so much as the beginning of a very long trip filled with unknowns.

Today has been the best day so far with perfect wind and weather. We finally settled into a sail plan that lets us go fast through most of the conditions we've seen so far.

I enjoy the sailing. It's like waking up every day and going sailing without the hassle of getting the boat ready and putting it away. You just wake up, come up to the cockpit, and there you are, sailing.

The necessity of having at least two people "on duty" at all times fits well with my often-erratic sleep habits. Watches are shorter at night (four vs six hours) so we're able to sleep whenever necessary within those limits. Most of the time it's very tame and pleasant sailing. The "on duty" people drive the boat, watch for hazards, and trim the sails while the "off duty" people sleep, cook, or whatever. "Whatever" is limited on the boat--space is tight and the boat is constantly heeled over and pitching, so the most prudent "whatever" activities are those where one stays well-braced against a wall.

The weather router's ETA has us arriving on the 25th of June, but we're running about a day behind schedule so far because of a late start and a couple of periods of light wind.

There's not much to the sailing except trimming for wind and course changes. We've been on starboard tack nearly the entire trip and expected to stay that way for a few more days, until we turn eastward and tack to port. There are the occasional squalls to watch out for though--things happen quickly when those isolated low-pressure areas cross our path.
The wind either dies or doubles, the rain comes, and then the wind either dies or doubles (whichever it didn't do before).

Somewhere North of Oahu,

-Jared