Blog entry Twelve – 29th September 2008

TIME:                1100Z

POSITION:               18 01. 31N, 158 10. 50W

SPEED:                   7.8 kts

COG:                    187T

ROGER:

Hi everyone, once again we are on our way.  After a stop in Honolulu of six days we are now heading south to Fanning island, a distance of approx 1040 miles (6 days).  Fanning island is an atoll where copra was processed from the coconut tree by the company Burns-Philp many years ago.  The island is still inhabited and is one of the line island group lying approximately 4 degrees north and 159 west.  A brief stop at Fanning and then we head south west towards American Samoa and the island of Pago Pago, a distance of about 1300 NM.  Honolulu was interesting and not what I expected, many many Japanese – could you believe that after Pearl Harbour.  Speaking of Pearl Harbour, a visit to that historical and tragic site was very moving.  Our tour to pearl was hosted by a casual stout Hawaiian bus driver who kept us entertained all day with some good jokes and the odd song – he knew his business and the island history.  During our stay we toured the island and dined out at a number of restaurants where the food and service was second to none.  Jack has re-joined the boat and now we make four with Brian coming on to Fiji with us.  One of our few tasks whilst on passage, apart from ships business is eating our way through the enormous amount of food we have on board – we will want for nothing in that regard.  So it’s eat sleep and read and of course attend to ships business.

Cheers for now.

 

SCOTT:

Hello one and all,

Here we are once again pushing toward the horizon in ideal conditions.  It was much easier the second time to settle into the motion.  We all tucked into Erin’s lovely mild chicken curry last night on a bed of rice which she had prepared in the days prior, thanks again Erin and Leon for all your hard work. 

It was really good to spend the time in Hawaii, I never thought the little island of Oahu would be so busy, at one point we found ourselves stuck in traffic on a 10-lane highway! The hoards of tourists made for some good night life even though Danni and I found ourselves talking to Australians and watching Manly vs. Auckland in the NRL on TV when we went out ha-ha.  The best place I found was called ‘Sinor Frog’ which looked like a bunch of Bali style huts on the roof of a big mall.  They ran games and gave out food all night I met some funny blokes from California and we all got layed (ring of flowers that is placed around the neck in thanks for spending money on drinks).

A good few days and a great birthday thank you all for the nice messages.  Keep the comments coming; we all take time to read them even if we can’t reply we love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by.   

Blog entry Eleven – 23 SEPT 2008

We have finally arrived! It was so good to round Diamond Head, at this point any dusty little piece of land would have been fine but to arrive in Honolulu, a beautiful paradise, was a treat.  

It is interesting to note that this island has less than ten percent of the land area of the Hawaiian Islands but has 80 percent of the population.  Honolulu is the state centre for communications transport and business and of course the famous Waikiki Beech which, is a major tourist attraction.  The Ala Wai marina where we ended up berthing the boat happens to be right in the middle of the action, right in front of the Hilton Resort village.  Customs clearance was very easy and done by telephone with advice to give them two days notification for clearance when leaving.  This process was made a lot easier thanks to our 12-month cruising permit valid for entry into all US ports.  Jack flew in this morning and was given a cruising permit to travel the islands for six months.  A few miles to the west of our current position is the entrance to Pearl Harbor, which is closed to civilian traffic, and navigation near the entrance channel is prohibited.  We will visit this area by motor vehicle during the week.  We also have plans to jump in the car and circumnavigate Oahu visiting Pipeline in the north and maybe have a stroll up through the Honolulu national park.

Many thanks for all your kind messages and words.

Bye for now.

Here are a few pictures from recent times.

Blog entry Ten – 21st Sept 2008

CURRENT POSITION:                        22 38N, 154 12W

SPEED:                                                9.0kts

HEADING:                                                242T

 

Hi everyone, well we are running down the track to waypoint five which puts us at the top of the island of Oahu a distance of 230 NM from our current position.  We then have 22.5 NM to run to the harbour of Ala Wai.  Our ETA, on our current performance should be 1400 to 1430 Monday local Hawaiian time.  During last night the wind shifted to the NE and reached about 15 knots the highest reading to date.  It is currently at 10 knots from the same sector and we have a following sea with swell of about 1.5 to 2M.  So the weather patter and our comfort zone has been exceptional with hot meals in the evening, good breakfasts and snacks through out the day.  We are all fit and attentive to our duties and doing three hour watches at night commencing at 9PM in the evening.  During the day we wander about the boat each of us plugged into our own music via iPods, what a contrast to the past.  The boat is big enough for each of us to find our own sanctuary, read and listen to music – its just about my pace.  A bit of R & R in Honolulu, a birthday celebration for our youngest crew member Scott and then the long leg, some 2300NM, to American Samoa across the equator and into home water – the southern pacific.  It all looks good.  When Jack joins us in 
Honolulu we could be four as Brian who initially came for the trip to Honolulu to take us through the complexities of the engine room is seriously thinking of staying on the Fiji.

Cheers for now.

Roger.

Blog entry nine – 20th Sept 2008

TIME: 1500Z
POSITION: 23 47N, 151 20W
BEARING: 242T
ESTIMATED ETA: 0930Z ON 22 SEPT 2008.

SCOTT:
Hello to all, we just wanted to check in one last time before our arrival which has come forward now to Monday morning. The reason being some fair weather and good seas allowing us to sit comfortably on 9kts. We had some luck on the fishing front yesterday, Rog pulled in a nice Dolphin fish after a good fight. The fish was done with some rice and we threw a nice lemon and garlic sauce together too.
The main thing now is arriving in Honolulu, we are all hanging out to step foot on some dry land and have a little break from the boat after two weeks at sea. Brian is especially looking forward to seeing his wife Dulce and we are all excited to see Jack, Erin and Leon! I can’t wait to see the sights of Oahu and maybe even get in a grass skirt and do the hula.
Bye for now.

Blog entry Eight – Thursday the 18th September 2008

TIME NOW:  1300Z

POSITION:          26 42N, 143 45W            

SPEED:             8.2kts

BEARING:            251T

ETA HONOLULU: 1630 on the 22^{nd SEPT} (in time for Scott’s Birthday drinks)           

 

ROGER:

Hi everyone, I’ve witnessed a glorious sunrise this morning at precisely the time expected at our longitude so I took a photo.  It suddenly popped above a clear horizon on a tranquil and windless sea.  I enjoyed my watch while Brian and Scott were in Disneyland.  Yesterday was equally enjoyable, a clear sky with the odd cumulus and a sparkling sea.  Yesterday was perhaps a little better because not long after setting the line Scott pulled in a beautiful Dorado weighing in at 7 pound.  Dorado (mahi mahi) is a spectacularly coloured surface fish and is often caught with a lure on the end of a long line, which I made up in San Diego.  It consists of a long trace with a lure attached and then 150ft of nylon line weighted with four torpedo sinkers, just efficient to keep the lure beneath wind and water.  I say spectacular because the colour below the pectorals is bright yellow transforming to a deep blue to almost black blue along the fin, which runs three quarters the length of the fish.  A little sad when this one dies because the colour immediately fades – but we all ate it for dinner that evening.  The reason for our settled and tranquil conditions is for several days we have been under the influence of a large northern pacific high and being a power boat our direct route to Hawaii takes us through that system where as sail boats would head more south to skirt the high and find wind.  Interesting stuff.  On Wednesday morning about 0400 whilst servicing the primary fuel filters to the main engine the fuel supply to the main engine was inadvertently cut, stopping the engine.  The sudden stillness brought Scott out of his reverie with a worried look.  We started the wing engine and continued on course at about 3.5 knots while the problem was sorted.  About 30 mins later we got the main engine fired up again and continued on our way, the prospect of travelling at 3.5 knots down to Hawaii didn’t excite us at all, in terms of time it would have meant starting the journey all over again.  We have made contact with Jack and are pleased to hear that He, Erin and Leon will be joining us in Oahu on the 23^rd.  We all send our love to those at home, cheers for now.

SCOTT:

Another day in paradise!  We have been really fortunate with the recent weather conditions, the ocean looks like a moonscape at the moment while I sit here and type.  I wish I could post some pictures but doing this over satellite would take ages.  We have some great shots I’ll upload when we arrive in Oahu.  The blood red sunset in a perfect sky was mesmerising last night it was a similar colour to the transom and back deck of Jacks boat after we filleted our Mahi Mahi dinner last night. Ha ha it cleaned up just fine Jack.  I’m trying a different colour text today so hopefully the words come up properly.  All the best to everyone back home, thanks for reading.

 

BRIAN:

Aloha is the word as we begin to anticipate our arrival, as we start our last but longest leg tonight.  I have been touched by the pacific ocean where we are just now she has the most lovely electric blue colour, it just swallows the sunlight.  The flying fish are now out constantly skirting across the water around the small Portuguese man-o-war jellyfish.  Hopefully we will see more sea life as we approach Hawaii this weekend.  Big hugs and kisses to family in San Diego, I miss you guys, and to everyone in Brasil reading this.  Tchau. 

Blog entry Seven – 16th Sept 2008

ROGER: 

Hi everyone. As you all should know by now we had an Internet connection problem so a breakdown in communications resulted – a matter of us being in the wrong zone for a satellite connection. I took the first and last watches after we took in a movie – not bay ay. I have been totally corrupted as far as following any plans of cruising in my little sailboat. The weather to day has been remarkable in its consistency - calm seas, very light winds, the swell which is ever present has moved around to our starboard quarter- from NNW to NE – and has reduced the tendency to roll allowing us to move about the boat more easily. This morning however we have rain clouds to the NW of us and I’m sure there will be some wind behind it. Today will be a milestone with the half way mark reached between San Diego and Oahu in the Hawaiian islands – about 1080 NM – so from here on, its count down. We have been favourably looked upon by Mother Nature to date – hopefully that will continue. I’m very impressed by the robustness of this boat and the detail of its finish – from the galley to pilot house to engine room, even down to the subdued courtesy lights through out the list is long but in short provides for every need one finds necessary at home including a substantial desalinator for showering and washing. To Roger Mac my computer fixer at home, Hi! I got your email thanks. Best to you and Gwyn. Love to Maureen and Family. Cheers for now.

BRI BRI: 

Ola from the middle of the Pacific Ocean! As this is being typed in we are just arriving at the half way point to Hawaii up the this point I feel very fortunate with the way all had progressed and can only hope all continues the same the rest of the way – touch wood. Not much to report, so I will just send love to Dulce and the boys and the other family and friends who read this. Tchau.

SCOTTY: 

Hello to all, I really want to make this quick because today is shower day and the fact that Brian (who has already taken his) really kept his distance when giving me his words for the blog I think I need one. I am really looking forward to Hawaii now that we have reached half way. A little mermaid told me the rollers coming around Diamond Head are prime and ready for the carving not to mention the giant steak I am looking forward to carving up. I don’t mean to say the food has been bad on board, ‘Marie Calenders’ frozen TV dinner selection has served us very well every night, the boys any I still begin to salivate every time our fishing line twitches at the thought of fresh Mahi Mahi. It is surprising how long fresh food can actually last, we are still eating fresh bread that tastes good and milk that allegedly went out of date on the 13th but the after the initial sour flavour, it goes down pretty well. Love to all and thanks for stopping by.

END

12 Sept 2008 and 13 September 2006

0727Z (Local time)

Current position                         N31 45. 994

                                                W123 21. 76

Wind WNW                                     10.5KTS

Speed over Ground                        7.1 KTS

Time till first Waypoint:            11H 54M

Scott : Good morning everyone.  Today we are looking at an overcast day three of this second take although it is day five at sea overall.  Today is a very exciting day for Speedbird and her crew!  We are going to reach our first waypoint!  The funny thing is that once we reach this one we then have over 500 miles till we reach waypoint 2! I don’t even look at the plotter anymore, it seems like time stands still.  We are in good spirits and happy about the fact that we will be showering today.  Roger and I have opted to let the facial hair go so we are both looking pretty salty sea dog like.  The boat has a very awkward wobble today so every five minutes I find my right leg will fly up in an effort to stabilise. 

We had our first action yesterday and I don’t mean the 007 movie we watched I’m talking about a small bilge pump issue in the keel.  For some reason the automatic sensor is telling the pump to run non stop.  The stern gland is leaking at about one drip every minute so rather than taking the whole thing apart we decided to run the pump manually every so often.

On last nights watch time along with seeing a lot of darkness go by between the times of 8 and 11 PM, I had a call from Jack!  Jack is back in Sydney after a really smooth trip back home.  He was pleased to say that he will be joining us again in Honolulu if everything falls into place.  Look forward to seeing you Jack!

 

Roger: 1230 Local time and 42 NM to our first waypoint, some 400 NM from san Diego and our third day at sea.  At that rate approx. 10.5 days to Honolulu.  Tonight we thought we would celebrate the occasion with a sip of mount gay rum – that should be 630 PM local time tonight.  Seas are still slight with a westerly swell, breeze out of the same quarter and expected to go nor east as we dip down the latitude scale.   Since early this morning we have had some assistance from current, which has increased our speed from 6.8 to 7.2 knots, which purely from a sailors point of view is pretty good going.  Conserving fuel is the name of the game at this modest speed in case we meet with some foul weather later on.  A special call to my ever-tolerant wife, lots of love Maureen – and Mel look after grandma and make sure she has petrol in her car.  Love and best wishes to all – cheers.

--- NEW DAY ---

Blog entry Six – 13 September 2006

Roger: Hi everyone its 1130H local time but our watches are still on San Diego time and for the non-nautical amongst you we are following the sun so every fifty degrees of longitude west we go we have the confusion of altering our watches one hour.  It is too much of a hassle so we don’t bother anyway we have Greenwich time on board so we can refer to that if we experience any confusion.  UTC time zone time, daylight saving time, its all to confusing and there is our own time and that’s all that matters.  Conditions are much the same today with a West Nor-west swell 1.5 to 2M on the beam, so there is a bit of rocking and rolling.  I brought a mattress up from down below and I sleep on that in the saloon, Scott sleeps on the settee in the saloon - the most comfortable berth in the boat in these conditions. Brian the old sea dog he sleeps in the master cabin but I'm sure he cat naps on his feet.  Scott our executive officer is in charge of the entertainment and the computer but his choice of movie last night (Bad Boys 2) was too much for me so I retired to he wheel house.  Still he has a choice of over 300 movies to select from so I'm sure there will be some good ones amongst them.  From all of the foregoing you can guess all is well with us on our small capsule on this vast ocean with a mountain of food to eat our way through on our way down to Hawaii.

Cheers for now.

 

Brian:  As I have learned that this blog will now be reaching some interested eyes in Brasil I thought I had better contribute what I can, although with Scott’s descriptions of the journey and Roger’s sailing insights I’m not sure of what else to add.  With all of my cruising experience being coastal from Canada to Mexico; turning west and heading into a watery desert intrigued me.  One feels very alone out here days go by without seeing another boat and at that it would most likely be a cargo ship travelling very quickly on and then off your radar screen but it has been interesting hearing the stories of life in OZ and sailing exploits we have settled into a routine now which does help and Dulce should be happy to know that I am putting on some weight.  We look forward to and celebrate each waypoint and that being said we should arrive at our second big one tomorrow night, halfway to Honolulu! Anyways a big hello to Nick and Daniel from the middle of the pacific ocean you guys had better be doing your homework and helping your mom! And kisses to Dulce.  E abracos e beijos para todo mundo no Brasil que esta lendo este blog.

 

Scott:  Hi everyone, I just wanted to make a quick apology for the time that has passed since the last blog we inadvertently went from one satellite region to another and had some major problems getting a connection.  Thank you very much to Peter for saving the day and It is pretty amazing that the second we got connected again after two days the sky literally broke open into perfect blue after having been overcast up until now.  Missing everyone back home, wish you were all here! MWA

 

The Departure! 8 September 2008 and entry for 10 Sept 2008

Well today is the day.  Finally we can drop the lines and start the long passage to Hawaii.  We woke up in the shadow of doubt because we still required clearance from US homeland security for the boat to leave and we had already tried to get this last Friday but the dopey guy who ‘helped’ us couldn’t find our paper work and told us to come back Monday.  Thankfully a nice woman sorted us out this time quite easily which Erin gladly noted, “Of course, it took a woman!”  On top of getting us clearance she organised a US cruising permit, which is valid for one year!  On arrival back at the boat I checked the email to find a few from Roger ‘Clouds’ Badham, whom I had written to the day before asking for advice with regard to the weather.  He was writing from Europe but was still able to check the weather models and give us an indication on what we could expect for the first seven days, which looked to be pretty smooth. 

            The send off was pretty momentous, Brian (our newest and fittest crew member) took the boat out while Jack organised ‘Now is the Hour’ by Buddy Clark to play over the loud hailer and Roger and I worked the crowd ha ha not really.  Thanks again to Erin and Leon for all of your help in preparing us with everything we needed we certainly couldn’t have done it without you both.  Thank you also to Peter, Mary rose and Mike for coming out and saying goodbye we all look forward to seeing you again in Auzie.

            A quick stop at the fuel wharf where we took 1300 gallons/$6660 US worth of Diesel to top up the tanks and also met some Auzie boys who were crewing on a 200ft super yacht ‘Ulysses’, which they lived aboard and sailed wherever the New Zealand owner wanted her, on this occasion they were headed to Tahiti which was a shame as if they had have said Honolulu we might have negotiated a tow.

From here we cast off and made for Pt. Loma, skirting the massive beds of Kelp which is said to be the fastest growing plant in the world at 1ft per day and is a nightmare to get caught around the prop! I got some great footage of the Californian sea lions on the way out, they were laying all over the marker boys and barking at us as we steamed past.

10 SEPT 2008

Blog entry 4 - Wednesday 10 Sept 2008

A new day and an unexpected change for the mighty Speedbird and her crew.  We must bid a temporary farewell to Captain Jack until he re-joins us in Fiji.  The Speedbird sat phone has been running hot all night with calls from Australia, the long and short of it all being that Jack must return to Australia for business reasons.  We turned the boat around at about 1030AM Tuesday after steaming for 19 hours.  The return trip was much quicker as we bumped the speed up from 7 to 10 knots.  Swell still calm under 1M and rolling with the boat all the way back to the coast of California.  The general feel of the crew was disappointment, we are feeling for Jack as he will now miss a large part of the voyage but he had to do what he had to do and the show must go on. 

            We arrived back at the shelter point fuel wharf at approx. 0500 on Wednesday morning and in true Jack style there was no messing about.  Steve the legend broker was there to pick up the clean shaven and sharp looking Jack, no-one would have known he had just done a 300 mile round trip at sea.  We re-filled our tanks with approx. 600 Litres of diesel and shot straight back out to sea.  Second time lucky.

Current time is 1111 on Wednesday and the weather is beautiful, wind speed is about 10 knots on the nose and swell is less than 1M also coming straight on the bow.  We had a weather report of a tropical depression lower down at Lat. 110 degrees West but according to all reports we wont see it up where we are.  Brian and I are sitting here in the wheel house enjoying some Australian grown mandarins and watching a pod of over 200 dolphins play right in close to the boat.  

Blog entry two: 5/9/08

JACK: The various upgrades to the boat including computer systems and electronic charts are now completed and we will clear customs on Monday morning, Tuesday your time, and hopefully depart Coronado, San Diego the same day, after refuelling to make up the 2050 US gallon capacity.  Ian Smith from Burraneer Bay Marina previously confirmed that in metric terms one US gallon is 3.79 litres whilst our Australian gallon (imperial) is 4.54 litres, either way it is a lot of diesel however we should arrive in Honolulu with a 10% margin for error.

This adventure has been under consideration for many years and was a dream beyond practical reality when you take into consideration the exchange rate $A to $US and only the recent variance nearing parody made purchase of a US vessel a consideration.

The ancient Greek historian Thucydides stated that the secret to happiness is freedom, however I believe the real secret is to be surrounded by loved ones, friends and close acquaintances.  I am already missing this contact and will have to come to terms with this aspect of the journey during the 7000 Nautical mile trip home.

This said I must add that with out the support of my wife Elaine, son Russell, plus the support and huge effort put in by Erin and Leon who visited the US with Roger and myself on the first occasion to purchase the vessel and returned with daughter Danni to fully stock the vessel for the initial trip to Honolulu.  It was unfortunate that Danni arrived with severe influenza and spent the time in the hotel room so it wasn’t much fun for her.

Our new friends Peter and Mary Rose, previous owners of Speedbird have been of considerable assistance and we thank them for their efforts and opportunity to purchase their much loved vessel, which incidentally they are replacing with a new Nordhavn 64 which confirms their view on the product.

 

The Nordhavn broker Steve Miller accurately compared Speedbird to a new vessel and he is spot on, also giving us assistance above and beyond normal expectations.  Nordhavn are indeed fortunate to have a man of his calibre on the team.

Our young crew member Scotty is of great assistance with our nav computers and we even got him to sit still for an Andre rieu DVD, and yes Erin and Danni he must have enjoyed the experience as we saw him twitch twice during the program.  He is enjoying the trip, eats like a horse, and is happy with the fact that he can claim the hours for his coxswain certificate and later no doubt for his Master 5.

ROGER:  Hi, the more I see of the US reminds me that Tasmania is a great place to live even if Jack maintains that four cars and a dog at a roundabout in Howden creates gridlock.  I would like to say however that when I walk into a store in the US with preconceived ideas of my requirements I always find something better.  I’m like a boy in a lolly shop when I walk into a ‘West Marine’ superstore catering for all boating requirements.  No doubt the multiple sales people in the store are on commission, which makes them really willing to help. Thanks to my wife Maureen for your support and regards to my old friend Mac and thank s for his assistance.

SCOTT: We continue to prepare ourselves both mentally and physically. 

Now that we have the DVD hooked up, it has been a nightly ritual to get comfy in the theatre el Speedbird with mega bass pumping sound and giant plasma vision.    On the first occasion we watched ‘The bucket list’ with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman… it kinda seemed appropriate, anyone who has seen that movie will know what I mean ha-ha.

The second night I was introduced to the sights and sounds of Jacks colourful DVD collection.  Andre Reiu live in Dublin was one I had heard all about because Jack is a big fan (and he sits in his bunk late at night and watches it on his portable DVD player) but until this point had never witnessed it.  To tell you the truth, and as Jack already said, my foot was tapping, I had fallen asleep and my leg was having intermittent spasms that’s all.

  Last night it was Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood in the 1960s western comedy ‘Paint Your Wagon’, some very good laughs were had as the boys built up the ‘Town with no name’ and then brought it back down again.

 

The theory we have adopted as far as physical prep is concerned is quite simple you see, if we gain enough body fat stores through dining till bursting point at all the best restaurants in Coronado and then back that up with a cup of ice cream from ‘Moo time’ as big as your head then we will all be right in the case of hypothermia and also if we need to spend several weeks in a life raft.  

Jack advised me that the next report will be loaded mid next week.  We will write about leaving the US and the first few days at sea.

Untill next time, thanks for stopping by.

Blog entry One 1 Sept 2008.

Jack says: Hi Folks, report one, we are berthed at the Coronado Bay Marina in San Diego waiting for the holiday weekend to finish so that previously ordered work can be completed. Murphey's law has kicked in as an inverter to change electrics to world wide current was found to be faulty so work continues.  Moving from this impressive marina will be hard however we intend to depart on Monday next, Tuesday down under, to fuel up with 2000 US gallons or 8000L, and cross the pacific to Honolulu.  It is interesting to note that the pacific is twice the size of the Atlantic and covers two thirds of the earths surface (64 million sq. miles).  The mariana trench is almost three kilometers deep or 1.6 miles deeper than everest is high, heck, we will certainly have no place to anchor so we will need to keep steaming. Roger and I are doing all the work while scott keeps getting way laid by the American females and won't share.  We are all packing on the weight dining at the best restearaunts so the wives better smarten up by the time we get home. Love to all from jack…

Roger: Love and best wishes to all back home and Maureen, please show peppa my photo every day so he doesn’t take my arm off when I get home.

Scott:  G'day all, well good news today, the average age of the crew took another drop from 57 down to 50 as we have managed to convince Brian, Speedbirds young fit mechanic to join us on our first leg over to Hawaii.  Roger and I are dealing really well with the jet lag but Jack cant seem to choose the right staircase down to the bunks and ends up in the engine room where he then tells the good Lord’s son all about it.  Thank you all for reading and please stay tuned!