S/V Halley

09 54.512 S 139 06.231 W Stepping on to terra firma after 29 days at sea was quite the sensation. Sea legs on land - it’s a thing. Concrete dock under foot, yet the ground is moving to and fro. We all felt it, but perhaps Kicki the most. She even felt nauseous; you might call it “landsick”. Ironic since she did not experience any seasickness during the month on the big blue - in fact, none of us did. We made landfall on the island of Tahuata by Hiva Oa. Land appeared as a faint shadow in the early morning. As the day progressed, the outline of Hiva Oa grew before our eyes. It’s dark and foreboding with jagged steep cliff faces, but was a welcome sight to us. Once on the leeward side of the island, we were greeted by a lush landscape in all imaginable shades of green. A sight for eyes used to nothing but sky and sea. We also experienced the distinct smell of land. Rich and earthy.  We celebrated anchor down with champagne on deck, then set off for our first walk on land and a meal o...

09 50.453 S 138 20.742 W Day 29 from Panama to the Marquesas. 3,953 nautical miles of 4,000.

08 18.521 S 123 48.607 W Day 23 from Panama to the Marquesas. 3,085 nautical miles of 4,000. In no particular order: Nap Man the helm Clear deck of flying sea creatures Gaze at the waves Read Update the log book Eat Play games Adjust the clocks Fish Trim the sails Exercise Slather sun lotion Make water Chase away Booby birds Listen to audio books Stargaze Do yoga  Cook Watch the sun set Manage power Clean Watch a show or a movie Check the weather Check the sailing competition Bake bread See the sun rise Eat again Take another nap Plan the passage Check equipment Do laundry Read Plan the passage Update the log book Watch the sun set Man the helm Styrman Andersson. Hard at work at the helm.  [The autopilot is our fifth crew member.] Do the laundry Hang the laundry Nap Chase away Booby birds Clear deck of sea creatures Flying squid?! Do yoga Nap Make bread Manage power 2310 watts of solar power keep us going. We also have a backup diesel generator for cloudy days + the alternator...

05 39.612 S 115 48.232 W Day 20 from Panama to the Marquesas. 2,573 nautical miles of 3,800. Champagne sailing is over. We got what we asked for. The wind has picked up to 20-22 knots with gusts up to 28 knots. The seas have built to 2-3 meters. Both the head sail and the mainsail are reefed. Halley is skipping along at 7-8 knots, at times as much 12 when surfing down waves.  Time to hold on and enjoy the ride!