Galapagos to Marquesas – 4 May 2024 – Day 3 – Trade Winds Kick in.

Charles and I had the 8.00pm to 11.00am watch and we were sailing reasonably well although the swell was annoying as it caused the sails to flog. There was no traffic although we saw what seemed to be a light over the horizon. We do not know what it was. We heard the Swall Tailed Gulls feeding on the wake Stormbird made and the fluorescence in the water. You could hear their clicking and see the odd shape flying around in the dark.

We were continuing to follow the course Predict Wind had suggested and were waiting for the trade winds to kick in. These are winds which operate at certain times of the year and in certain areas of the world and they blow east to west consistently roughly 15 -25 kts. The wind was less than this and we went off watch to return for the 5.00am to the 8.00am watch. It was still dark and we had some excitement as we saw the light of a boat about 8nm away on our port side. It was not on AIS but we could see it on our radar. It passed down our port side without any issue. As there are so few ships on this voyage seeing one is an excitement – what a funny life we are leading!!. We also got some rain. It became light about 5.30am and there were some dark clouds which we saw. It then started to rain and the wind increased up to 20 kts and we were soon whizzing along at about 8.5 kts. However, the rain passed and we were back to 10-12 kts again which is a little slow for us on this point of sail.

We were still quite a bit off course and the wind was supposed to come round to 135 degrees (southeast) and this would be ideal to keep us on our course.  However,  it was swinging from 78 degrees to about 110 and this puts us quite a bit off course. Charles and I decided to gybe (put the rear of the boat through the wind) and have the wind on the other side of the boat which means we were heading on a bearing of 320 degrees whereas our route is about 260 – so again we were off course but trying to compensate for the off course angle on the other tack. Of course, once we gybed the wind started to come round more toward the 120-degree mark making the gybed angle worse. After an hour we gybed back again.

Mark and Joyce took over and Mark started doing the daily checks. Mark found a flap on the generator coming off, so we fixed that. One of the panels on the electric panel had been banging in the swell so I tried to tighten up the fixing to prevent it happening. Keith made us all a bacon and egg sandwich which went down well. Keith also cut up a papaya for a fruit salad.  We had bought a large bunch of bananas – I am not sure it has a name but when you see a banana  tree with a great group of bananas growing on a stalk – that is what we bought and it must have about 40-50 bananas. They were bought green and we stored them in the dinghy on the davits at the back. Well, they are now ripening quite fast so we had a banana eating competition and we shall be eating them over the next few days. Charles said you can cut them into slices and store them in the freezer. He therefore cut up quite a few and they will now be frozen. It was a busy morning for us all. Charles made some coleslaw and we had this with salad and chicken pieces for lunch in sandwiches.

We had a competition again for the 24-hour run from noon and I guessed 159nm, Mark 160, Joyce 163, Charles 165, Keith 168 and Ian 170. Well in the last hour  leading up to Noon we were looking at 159 but without my noticing changed the sail angle so we went faster and it just nudged to 160. I think we cheated – but hey well done to him. We have therefore had two days of 159 and 160 and this has included some motoring and some slowish sailing. 

After lunch some rested. Ian made a potato salad, as you do and I made a loaf of bread mixing the ingredients and allowing it to prove for two lots of 30 minutes. Keith and Ian turned and checked the vegetables and fruit and we do this every day to detect anything going off or ripening so we eat what we should eat quickly to minimise wastage. Mark had put the fishing rod out and there were a couple of false alarms and the fish must have got away.

Charles and I came on again at 4.00pm and it now feels like we are in the trade winds. The wind has come round as predicted so we are now more or less on course and the wind is pretty consistent at 12-16 kts and we have been sailing along quite consistently 6.5-7.5 kts and the sea state has begun to calm down so there is less flogging and it is calm, nice sailing with little heel and less roll. Let’s hope this continues the whole way as we could be on this tack and course for another 15-17 days.

We chat, read and chill and all seems calm and happy on board which is great and what I want it to be. Joyce is washing some of the curtains which have become a bit mouldy in the climate and my bread turned out well. We are eating well and are now into the groove of shifts and roles.

We always have supper together in the cockpit and although we see each other a lot during the day it is one time we get properly together as a crew and have supper and enjoy each other’s company. It is also the moan opportunity where if anyone wants to get anything off their chest they can do so.  We have Mahi Mahi with plantain and a potato salad followed by a fruit salad. This is the last of our Mahi Mahi and so we need to catch another fish soon.  We settled down for another night and we are moving gradually toward our destination. It appears there is no one else here. We are heading towards one of the most remote places on earth.

Crewing Opportunity

We will arrive in the Marquesas in French Polynesia about 20-23 May 2024 and we will then move through to the Tuamotu’s before getting to Tahiti about the end of July 2024. There may be some space on Stormbird during this period should any sailor/reader be interested in joining for this period or part of it in what must be one of the most distant and beautiful places in the world.

Year Two

In addition, in year two I will be going from New Zealand in early January 2025 across to Sydney and up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and probably across the Indian Ocean to Cape Town and I will need some more crew.

If there is any interest do email me at  hine.nick9@gmail.com  

The blog will continue as we head off to the Marquesas and beyond.

If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com  I can only upload one picture a day and visit our website www.stormbirdgoesglobal.co.uk