Ke'ehi Lagoon re-opened this morning. Asking the Coast Guards yesterday, they said "it was a disaster" over there. Many docks have been damaged, several boats too, etc.
Anyway, we are now anchored in the lagoon, west of the mooring zone, this is very sheltered and calm, we'll be able to get some rest! Finally!
See here.
Ke'ehi Lagoon a ré-ouvert ce matin. En demandant aux Coast Guards hier, ils nous ont dit "c'est un désastre" là-bas. Beaucoup de docks sont abimés, plusieurs bateaux aussi, etc.
C'est maintenant là que nous sommes maintenant mouillés, à l'ouest de la zone des coffres, c'est très abrité et très calme, on va pouvoir souffler ! Enfin !
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Honolulu
The switch was flipped back at 1 pm, force 6, from the East-North-East.
We entered the Alenuihaha Channel shortly after that, that was pretty tough. Rough seas, force 7.
We had two reefs in the main, and only the staysail, which we changed for the storm staysail, after tearing up the first one - not too much, but enough not to carry it.
The sea calms down a bit after 7 pm, and the wind shifts too, which is good.
At 1 am the next day (Friday), the wind drops, we're in the lee of Molokai..,.
The wind comes back around 7:45 am, we're carrying the full genoa, gently approaching Honolulu.
But wait..., it's not over yet! A lot of boats were out, like if they were expecting some event, like the arrival of the Queen of England or so... Actually, this was a tsunami alert, all harbors were closed, boats had been asked to leave their anchorage or mooring, and to wait at sea for the situation to clear up!... And so did we.
At 1:30 pm, nothing was cleared. We decided to check out the Ala Wai Harbor - this one was not closed, as opposed to the Ke'ehi lagoon, which we were originally targeting (don't ask me why, it must be something like the Tchernobyl nuclear cloud at the French border, some tsunamis do not enter certain harbors...). There was no room in the marina, so we anchored outside. At last! The boat is stopped!
We'll see later what we do next.
We entered the Alenuihaha Channel shortly after that, that was pretty tough. Rough seas, force 7.
We had two reefs in the main, and only the staysail, which we changed for the storm staysail, after tearing up the first one - not too much, but enough not to carry it.
The sea calms down a bit after 7 pm, and the wind shifts too, which is good.
At 1 am the next day (Friday), the wind drops, we're in the lee of Molokai..,.
The wind comes back around 7:45 am, we're carrying the full genoa, gently approaching Honolulu.
But wait..., it's not over yet! A lot of boats were out, like if they were expecting some event, like the arrival of the Queen of England or so... Actually, this was a tsunami alert, all harbors were closed, boats had been asked to leave their anchorage or mooring, and to wait at sea for the situation to clear up!... And so did we.
At 1:30 pm, nothing was cleared. We decided to check out the Ala Wai Harbor - this one was not closed, as opposed to the Ke'ehi lagoon, which we were originally targeting (don't ask me why, it must be something like the Tchernobyl nuclear cloud at the French border, some tsunamis do not enter certain harbors...). There was no room in the marina, so we anchored outside. At last! The boat is stopped!
We'll see later what we do next.
L'interrupteur a ete remis dans sa position originale vers 13 heures, force 6, d'est-nord-est.
On a commence a traverser le canal d'Alenuihaha peu apres, c'etait raide. Mer forte, force 7.
On portait 2 ris dans la grand'voile, et juste la trinquette devant, qu'on a remplace par la trinquette lourde, la premiere s'etant dechiree - pas grand chose, mais suffisamment pour ne plus la porter.
La mer se calme peu apres 19 heures, et le vent adonne, c'est bon pour nous.
A 1 heure du matin le lendemain (vendredi), le vent tombe completement, on est sous le vent de Molokai...
Le vent revient vers 7:45, on porte tout le genois, on s'approche gentiment d'Honolulu. Mais attends, c'est pas fini ! Beaucoup de bateaux dehors, comme s'ils attendaient un evenement special, comme l'arrivee de la Reine d'Angleterre... En fait, c'etait une alerte au tsunami, tous les ports etaient fermes, on avait demande aux bateaux de quitter leurs mouillages et leurs coffres, et d'aller attendre dehors que les choses se passent. Ce qu'on a donc fait nous aussi.
A 13:30, rien ne s'etait encore passe. On a decide d'aller voir a Ala Wai Harbor - celui-la n'etait pas ferme, contrairement a Ke'ehi Lagoon qu'on visait a l'origine (je ne sais pas pourquoi, ca doit etre comme le nuage nucleaire de Tchernobyl a la frontiere francaise, il y a des tsunamis qui n'entrent pas dans certains ports..) Pas de place a la marina, on est alle mouiller dehors. Enfin ! Le bateau est arrete !
On verra plus tard ce qu'on fait ensuite.
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Thursday, March 10, 2011
Improbable
So, we arrived in the south-west of Big Island, which we saw at about 3:30 pm, progressing at good speed in the right direction.
And suddenly, the wind just dropped. Someone flipped the switch, or pulled the wrong plug.
We were 15 away from Big Island, maybe it's blanketing us?.... I don't believe that, but who knows.
The night went like that, hopping from puff to puff, pretty slow, but moving West to West-North-West.
In the morning, some little wind came back..., from the West South West!! And some swell from the North.
ALL faxes, ALL bulletins talk about East, North-East, stuff like this. The truth is: the wind we have does NOT exist. The trade wind CANNOT drop like that and let some West-South-West take its place. We must be dreaming. I cant wait waking up!
And suddenly, the wind just dropped. Someone flipped the switch, or pulled the wrong plug.
We were 15 away from Big Island, maybe it's blanketing us?.... I don't believe that, but who knows.
The night went like that, hopping from puff to puff, pretty slow, but moving West to West-North-West.
In the morning, some little wind came back..., from the West South West!! And some swell from the North.
ALL faxes, ALL bulletins talk about East, North-East, stuff like this. The truth is: the wind we have does NOT exist. The trade wind CANNOT drop like that and let some West-South-West take its place. We must be dreaming. I cant wait waking up!
Donc, on est arrive dans le sud-ouest de Big Island, qu'on a vue vers 15:30, progressant a bonne vitesse, dans la bonne direction. Et tout d'un coup, plus de vent. Quelqu'un a du se prendre les pieds dans la prise, ou tripoter le mauvais interrupteur. On est 15 milles sous le vent de Big Island, c'est peut-etre son devent? Je ne pense pas, mais qui sait. La nuit s'est passee comme ca, de risee en risee, tout doucement, mais vers l'ouest a ouest-nord-ouest. Le matin, du vent est revenu,... de l'ouest-sud-ouest !! Et de la houle de nord. TOUS les fax, TOUS les bulletins parlent d'Est, nord-est, des trucs comme ca. La verite, c'est que le vent qu'on a n'EXISTE PAS. L'alize ne PEUT PAS tomber comme ca et laisser sa place a de l'ouest-sud-ouest. On doit rever, vivement qu'on se reveille !
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Plan B
Now the night is behind us, here are some details about what we've done.
We've switched to plan B, which is not to round the Cape Kumukahi to go to Hilo.
In the last 24 hours, we did not even make 100 miles, we were just pounding in some sea that should not have been there, making no progress, stressing the boat, and the crew. And on top of that, the wind was heading, not allowing us to make the cape in one tack. Plus that sea..., shaking us in every possible direction; even sat down, you cannot stand!
And we remembered that we were cruising, not to be pissed off. Something had to be done.
We made the decision to bear away on Honolulu, further, but leeward.
That made quite a difference, now we're moving. The sea is still there - oh yes! - but it's not on our nose anymore.
We've switched to plan B, which is not to round the Cape Kumukahi to go to Hilo.
In the last 24 hours, we did not even make 100 miles, we were just pounding in some sea that should not have been there, making no progress, stressing the boat, and the crew. And on top of that, the wind was heading, not allowing us to make the cape in one tack. Plus that sea..., shaking us in every possible direction; even sat down, you cannot stand!
And we remembered that we were cruising, not to be pissed off. Something had to be done.
We made the decision to bear away on Honolulu, further, but leeward.
That made quite a difference, now we're moving. The sea is still there - oh yes! - but it's not on our nose anymore.
Maintenant que la nuit est derriere nous, voici quelques details sur ce que nous avons fait.
On est passe au plan B, qui est de ne pas arrondir le Cap Kumukahi pour aller a Hilo.
Dans les dernieres 24 heures, on n'a pas fait 100 milles, on etait juste a planter des pieux contre une mer qui n'aurait pas du etre la, sans faire de progres, a stresser le bateau, et l'equipage. Et en plus, le vent refusait, ne nous permettant pas de faire le cap d'un bord. Et cette mer, qui nous secoue dans tous les sens ; meme assis, on ne tient pas debout !
On s'est rappele qu'on etait en croisiere, et pas la pour se faire chier. Il fallait faire quelque chose.
On a donc pris la decision d'abattre sur Honolulu, c'est plus loin, mais c'est sous le vent.
Ca fait une sacree difference, maintenant on avance! La mer est toujours la - oh que oui ! - mais on ne l'a plus sur le nez.
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Tuesday, March 8, 2011
No comment/Pas de commentaire
No comment today, that would be too nasty.
Pas de commentaire aujourd'hui, ca serait trop grossier.
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Monday, March 7, 2011
Poco Agitato
That was the tempo for last night.
But the good news is that the wind shifted a bit, and we can now - until further notice - make the Kumukahi point (East of Big Island).
The North East surge calmed down a bit. The weather is gray, but we are progressing the right way!
But the good news is that the wind shifted a bit, and we can now - until further notice - make the Kumukahi point (East of Big Island).
The North East surge calmed down a bit. The weather is gray, but we are progressing the right way!
C'etait le tempo la nuit derniere.
La bonne nouvelle, c'est que le vent a un peu adonné, et qu'on peut maintenant - jusqu'a nouvel ordre - faire la pointe Kumukahi (Est de Big Island).
La mer de Nord-Est s'est un peu calmee. Le temps est gris, mais on progresse dans la bonne direction!
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Sunday, March 6, 2011
Like yesterday/Comme hier
Same weather and conditions! Foulies are on, but we're still doing progresses on the route.
Same kind of painful surge too.
Same kind of painful surge too.
Memes temps et conditions qu'hier. On a les cires, mais on continue de progresser sur la route.
Meme clapot penible aussi.
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Saturday, March 5, 2011
Painful!/Pénible!
It begun yesterday just after dark, we blew up the clew of the yankee... We dropped it and set the genoa instead, no big deal.
But since, we have choppy seas..., the one from the wind, and some nasty surge from NE, almost shorter than the boat, there is no way to make any progress in that kind of sea.
Again, what we need is patience, there is nothing to do but wait for those waves to drop!
But since, we have choppy seas..., the one from the wind, and some nasty surge from NE, almost shorter than the boat, there is no way to make any progress in that kind of sea.
Again, what we need is patience, there is nothing to do but wait for those waves to drop!
Ca a commence hier juste apres la tombee de la nuit, on a explose le point d'ecoute du yankee... On l'a affale et remplace par le genois, pas de probleme.
Mais depuis, on a un de ces clapots ! La mer du vent, plus un clapot a la con de Nord-Est, pratiquement plus court que le bateau, pas moyen d'avancer la-dedans.
Encore une fois, ce qu'il nous faut c'est de la patience, il n'y a rien d'autre a faire qu'a attendre que ce clapot se clame !
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Friday, March 4, 2011
Out at last!/Enfin sorti !
At last, we're out of the ITCZ, this as been confirmed by this morning fax. Anyhow, we knew it. The
night has been ok, no rain this time. But the faxes from the last days have been interesting; the front was chasing us. Today was a nice sunny day, close beam reaching in a force 5 trade wind.
night has been ok, no rain this time. But the faxes from the last days have been interesting; the front was chasing us. Today was a nice sunny day, close beam reaching in a force 5 trade wind.
Enfi, on est sorti de l'ITCZ, ca a ete confirme par le fax de ce matin. N'importe comment, on le savait. La nuit s'est bien passee, pas de pluie. Mais les fax des derniers jours sont interessants, le front nous courait apres. Aujourd'hui, grand beau temps, au bon plein dans un alize de force 5.
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Thursday, March 3, 2011
Doldrums/Pot au Noir
Still in the doldrums.
It's like if that shit was moving with us.
It's like if that shit was moving with us.
Toujours dans le Pot au Noir.
C'est comme si cette merde se deplacait avec nous.
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Slow/Mollo
Last night was weird..., the ITCZ caught up on us, we kind of exited it twice...
At 3:15 am, the wind came back, 5 to 6 Beaufort, but from the south-east, which is unexpected.
The fax of 1755 UTC from Honolulu got interrupted, so we did not know for sure which side of the front we were on... Everything told us we were north, except the wind direction.
Otherwise, the day has been slow. Pretty clear skies, but little wind.
There is a current taking us East.
At 3:15 am, the wind came back, 5 to 6 Beaufort, but from the south-east, which is unexpected.
The fax of 1755 UTC from Honolulu got interrupted, so we did not know for sure which side of the front we were on... Everything told us we were north, except the wind direction.
Otherwise, the day has been slow. Pretty clear skies, but little wind.
There is a current taking us East.
The fax from tonight put the ITCZ back in front of us... Ah shit!
La nuit derniere a ete bizarre..., l'ITCZ nous a rattrape, de sorte qu'on l'a passé deux fois...
A 3:15 ce matin, le vent est revenu, 5 a 6 Beaufort, mais du Sud-Est, ce qui est inattendu.
Le fax de 17:55 UTC d'Honolulu a ete interrompu, de sorte qu'on ne savait pas a coup sur de quel cote du front on naviguait. Tout nous disait qu'on etait au nord, sauf la direction du vent.
Autrement, la journee a ete lente. Le ciel etait degage, mais le vent faible.
On a du courant qui nous porte a l'Est.
Le fax de ce soir remet l'ITCZ devant nous... Ah merde!
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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
ITCZ
Yesterday was a very good day, 160 miles in 24 hours.
We entered the ITCZ this morning around 8am, and dragged our feet since then... Slow day, rainy, gray, some squalls,... but the wind direction remains pretty steady, from the East.
This time, the front is weak. Hopefully, we'll get out of this mess during this night...
We entered the ITCZ this morning around 8am, and dragged our feet since then... Slow day, rainy, gray, some squalls,... but the wind direction remains pretty steady, from the East.
This time, the front is weak. Hopefully, we'll get out of this mess during this night...
Hier etait une tres bonne journee, 160 milles en 24 heures.
On est entres dans l'ITCZ ce matin vers huit heures, et on s'est traine depuis... C'est lent, il pleut, il fait gris, quelques grains,... mais la direction du vent reste stable, d'Est.
Cette fois, le front n'est pas tres actif. On espere etre sorti de ce bazar cette nuit...
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