I so love it but since is costs about the same as a tank of gas I only have it on hand for special occasions. In the spirit, and in community with my mates at sea, today I broke into the Kona Coffee. Don't mock me. Until you have tried 100 percent pure Kona Coffee you don't know what you are missing!
Tonight I am arranging a Luau (others might call it just a bar-b-que but like I said I'm in the spirit) and I will wear an Aloha Shirt in their honour for that occasion.
At first glance one might think that our team was laying back a little yesterday with a more modest 204 miles run on course. But you tireless correspondent has uncovered a lighter trend to the trades over the last 24 hours that likely impacted their DOC. I must be noted that they did convert all but 8 miles of that run into the direction of the finish line.
Here is an e-mail received from the boat yesterday:
Less than 500 miles to go (2 Swiftsures), Port gybe, and a clean t-shirt. as I came off shift just now Ross announced that by his calculations we now had less than 500 miles to go. We are well into race 4 now having gybed off the high at about 6 this morning. Faced with diminishing wind and hotter gybe angles that were taking us away from Hawaii, Evil decided that we should gybe in order to get in front of a nice squall. Now that we have them figured out, squalls are beautiful things.
So the usual routine is that Evil and I come on at 6 am sharp, if you are late at all the on watch can get a little pissy so we try to make sure we are on the mark at 6 sharp. This of course conflicts with my need to capture a 0600 position report and e-mail it to Alaska Eagle. So what happens is that we get on deck, let Ross and Chuggy climb into their bunkies and I come down shortly after to file the e-mail position report. I give all this background because the moment of our decision to gybe came fairly abruptly as Evil (now on deck by himself lets go the tiller to begin to rig for the gybe (he is a native foredeck person) with no one technically steering the boat and with no one on the EDSQRM we promptly rounded up and began dumping seawater in the companionway hatch. Luckily I was able to catch most of it in my jacket. So anyway we did manner a rather clumsy gybe (doublehanded in the dark) and low and behold we were sailing directly at Hawaii on port. The wind is bouncing around a little now but we will likely stick with this gybe for a couple of hours yet.
Can report a new entrant into the 20 mile club as Evil ticked off some 20’s again this morning.
So, its hot, there’s wind and things are going well.
More to follow,
Doug
Here was my reply to that mail:
Dear Doug,
Great to hear things continue well out there. A little too bad you are not so out there any more though huh?
When I was describing the numbers of Swiftsures you had remaining I was speaking of the kind where you find the lightship in its usual spot about 67 miles out there and then come back. I was not thinking of the ones where you miss it entirely - maybe even on purpose - and keep sailing out west until you run out of beer and then come home!
You have to admire Evil he is a get her done kind of guy. Was he sleep walking when he undertook the gybe? I remember sort of waking up in my hotel room in 2003 the night after we arrived with the windows open and the curtain flailing. Finally I got out of bed thinking well someone has to gybe that thing. Then I woke up a little more and realized it was only the curtains. So I just went on to gybe the curtains instead! Maybe I am a slow waker upper.
I have no problem seeing you as squall hunters.
Congratulations on Evil’s initiation into the 20-mile club. But I know girls from Evil’s past who will tell you he goes for zero to a hundred in almost no time!
Cap’t Billy
And I have received an new and important entry into the ETA Pool such information was uploaded to the boat:
Dear Plan Bees,
Here is a distinguished entry into the ETA Pool tonight it comes from Evil’s Mom.
She says:
>>>>>Hi Capt Billy
Thanks for all the emails keeping us up to date. We are checking the race site every hour just after the hour.
As near as I can figure out all the stats are in PDT so
Take care
Evil’s Mom (aka Verna)<<<<<
Duly logged into the journal,
Cap’t Billy
Even though I thought Momma Evil was a kind of rough with our Evil - we know how sensitive he can be - her finish estimate may turn out remarkably close.
Starting tomorrow as they approach the Island I think we can count on Narrow Escape stretching her legs a little in stronger winds as the boys let her run towards the finish, hopefully and likely sometime tomorrow, at Diamond Head.
Cap't Billy
PS: Check back here often as I will be reporting their 100 mile check-in live as it happens - probably sometime around PDT1000 hrs tomorrow.
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