Recap: Hawaii Passage, The Third Week at Sea...

We have covered a lot of distance during our third week at sea, 821 nm. In total we have now traveled 2278 nm with only 312 nm to go until Hilo, Hawaii!!
The beginning of Week 3 was our shift to consistent downwind sailing. Around Day 16 the winds began filling in as the North Pacific High recovered from the low pressure disruption and we were really moving with our light air sail. By Day 18 we had consistent ENE and E winds in the 12-15 kt range day and night and were able to keep moving with the jib up and poled out to starboard. We pretty well rode out this configuration the rest of the week, but did also put up twin head sails on Day 20, with the C-0 to port poled out on the main boom.
Downwind is great because the sails don't have too much trouble staying full poled out, and we are able to maintain some fast consistent speeds. However, the waves have been big also, so the motion is really rolly. This makes for a lot more bracing inside the cabin, and sometimes meal preparation and cleanup can be a frustrating affair as ingredients, knives, pots, everything are rolling in every direction. Avoiding the urge to multitask is the key to dealing with the rolly motion, so that only the objects that you are currently working with are not stowed. In any case, it is a true test of patience and certainly the path to Zen to maintain calm in the midst of rolly chaos.
The rolly nights can also be a challenge. Imagine the sounds of a house settling, creaks and ticks and pops as the structure settles under its own weight. Now imagine a house that is 46 years old and rolling 25° to each side over and over again all night and all the wonderful sounds that come with that. So it's been tough to get a decent three hour shift of sleep in the rolly motion.
On the night of Day 20, we had the worst set of squalls that we have seen. Of course we were running with twin head sails and so had to work quickly to get both sails furled. Typically, the only warning you get is a light rain followed closely by a sudden increase in wind with not much time at all to respond. Since we were running downwind and could not tack to avoid the squalls, we simply had to wait it out as 4 sets of squall lines passed over us, making for a soggy cockpit and foulies.
The equipment failure for Week 3 was the halyard for the light air sail chafing through, and subsequently having to recover the light air sail from the water. Fortunately, it happened while we were having our morning tea on Day 18 and we were both able to get on deck quickly to pull the sail out of the water without any damage. The excitement for the week was Matt then going up the mast at sea to relead the slightly shorter light air sail halyard. This is a tenuous situation at best, as the rolly motion, which can be difficult on deck, is hugely amplified by swinging through the ever larger arc as the masthead is approached. Losing grip on the mast can result in being swung back into the mast like a pendulum, resulting in severe injuries or worse. We ran with the full genoa to help damp the motion, and set our course on a broad reach. Our procedure for going up the mast is by now fairly routine, so with Rachel on deck belaying and calling the big waves, Matt harnessed in and worked his way up the mast steps between the big rolls and held on for dear life (literally) when they hit. Once the halyard was set, getting down before muscle fatigue set in was critical. It was a spectacular sight from the masthead, looking out over the infinite Pacific and down on our little floating home.
Miraculously, we still haven't resorted to canned fruits or vegetables. We are still eating one grapefruit and one green apple per day, and have carrots, potatoes, cucumbers, jicamas, and cabbage as fresh veggies. Our list of 'innovative' meals from shelf stable protein sources is keeping us going. Baked goods and treats have helped keep morale up. For example, in response to a frustratingly light wind morning shift, I (Rachel) made a key lime pie. Our fresh water supply is at 37 gallons, which means that we really do use about 10 gallons per week for cooking and drinking (30 gallons total for three weeks), and about 2-3 gallons per week for showers (8 gallons total for three weeks). For reference, the navy specifies one gallon per person per day for everything, and we are just under that estimate. However, we also have a large stash of supplemental beverages.
This third week at sea has really been about trying to focus on the present and not look too far ahead to the anticipated landfall. Somehow being 900 nm out from Hawaii seemed so close, even though it's really another 8-10 days at sea. So we focused on taking everything day by day, and dealing with the challenges of the day at hand, instead of projecting too far into the future.
But now we are only 300 nm away and are starting to get very excited!! We are hoping to arrive on Monday, but as always there are no guarantees with the sea. The good ship AEOLI and her crew are looking forward to landfall!!

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