Day 114 [Jan. 24, 0700 JST]

The iron jib sees its first service in a while. A rare, full solar eclipse in the offing.

Position:
29 16 S, 61 26 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 37.8%

Heading: 300
Boat speed: 4.4 kt (7-day average: 4.59 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 106 nm
Distance made good: 9,441 nm (17,485 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 15,529 nm

Yokohama ETA: 141 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 127

To WP6, Cape of Good Hope: 19.7 days

Weather: Clear skies, lighting spotted to the far NW
Barometer: 1015 hPa
Waves: 2.4 m
Wind (from): 10 - 12 kt NE
Current (from): 0.1 kt WSW
Engine: 9.0 hr / 1800 rpm, 0.0 hr / 2000 rpm (67.5 L)
Generator: 7.0 hr (7.0 L)
Sails
Main: 2 pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: 100%

Today's Report

Winds continue to ease. Saito-san motored yesterday to maintain knots and recharge the batteries. He reported that the generator is fine for AC but he's noticed that it is taking longer to replenish the batteries through the AC/DC converter on just generator juice alone. The engine directly charges to DC, however, and works well.

Added Comment

Saito-san will have a front row seat for a rare, full solar eclipse on Monday. It will be a special treat for folks down in the South Indian Ocean. (Thanks to Lee for passing this news article along.)

Day 115 [Jan. 25, 0700 JST]

40 knots in a squall. A turn down south.

Position:
29 55 S, 59 45 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 38.2%

Heading: 265
Boat speed: 4.0 kt (7-day average: 4.44 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 96 nm
Distance made good: 9,537 nm (17,663 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 15,433 nm

Yokohama ETA: 144 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 126

To WP6, Cape of Good Hope: 19.4 days

Weather: Clear skies after squall
Barometer: 1014 hPa
Waves: 2.0 m
Wind (from): 15 - 18 kt NW
Current (from): 0.1 kt SSW
Engine: 0.0 hr / 1800 rpm, 0.0 hr / 2000 rpm (0 L)
Generator: 11.0 hr (11.0 L)
Sails
Main: 2 pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: 100%

Today's Report

The lightning in the distance yesterday morning heralded a squall that visited for about 45 minutes after noon with winds Saito-san estimates reached 40 knots. He had time to furl the headsail but rode it out under a 2pt reef, when a more conservative 3-point main was called for. "Everything is fine, but it was pretty strong for a while," he said. No sail damage was found later.

Headwinds in the mid-teens took over in late afternoon and he used them to make a first move onto a more direct southerly heading toward the South African cape on a near reach. Winds are predicted to drop to close to nothing tomorrow and stay that way for at least a day or two as he enters a wind convergence zone.

Added Comment

Word of Monday's impending eclipse has Saito-san searching for a safe way to view it. Sunglasses have been ruled out as not protective enough, so thoughts turned to finding a piece of glass and smoking it with a candle or the like. Another idea discussed was a "shadow box," the making of which was apparently taught both in Japan and the States and a generation apart. (His charts case just may work in a pinch.)

Day 116 [Jan. 26, 0700 JST]

A quiet day on a southerly heading as a high slows things down. Later, the world's biggest show was ready to begin.

Position:
31 15 S, 59 45 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 38.6%

Heading: 240
Boat speed: 4.0 kt (7-day average: 4.34 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 97 nm
Distance made good: 9,634 nm (17,842 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 15,336 nm

Yokohama ETA: 148 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 125

To WP6, Cape of Good Hope: 18.7 days

Weather: Clear skies
Barometer: 1013 hPa
Waves: 2.5 m
Wind (from): 10 - 12 kt NW
Current (from): 0.1 kt SSW
Engine: 0.0 hr / 1800 rpm, 0.0 hr / 2000 rpm (0 L)
Generator: 13.5 hr (13.5 L)
Sails
Main: 2 pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: 70%

Today's Report

A quiet day under sails as Saito-san took advantage of brisk westerlies to reach down south toward the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, which is just under 3 weeks away. By later in the day a high was slowing things down as the "Horse Latitudes" from 30 to 35 degrees south began to live up to its plodding reputation.

Added Comment

We passed on several ideas about how to make a shadow box to watch the eclipse. Another suggestion was to use binoculars to focus the sun's image on a sheet of paper.

He said he thought he'd roll up a couple of old charts to make a tube. (He's got quite a choice, with some that go back 25-plus years -- best perhaps for assessing continental drift rather than making for a harbor!)

At noon local time today he was still watching for the rare solar event under clear skies. "I think I am starting to see it now," he called back in to report.

Day 118 [Jan. 28, 0700 JST]

The high continues to hold, and is even warding off an approaching cold front's welcome winds. That eagerly awaited eclipse also turns elusive.

18,000 km point reached.

Position:
31 38 S, 55 14 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 39.4%

Heading: 290
Boat speed: 4.3 kt (7-day average: 4.20 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 105 nm
Distance made good: 9,822 nm (18,190 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 15,148 nm

Yokohama ETA: 150 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 124

To WP6, Cape of Good Hope: 18.2 days

Weather: Clear skies
Barometer: 1014 hPa
Waves: 1.5 m
Wind (from): 5 - 6 kt WSW
Current (from): 0.2 kt WSW
Engine: 13.0 hr / 1800 rpm (97.5 L)
Generator: 4.0 hr (4.0 L)
Sails
Main: 2 pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: 100%

Today's Report

Another day of poor winds as the high pressure system lingers. Saito-san is growing frustrated and impatient, and was forced to use the engine to keep up his DMG, which at 106 nm, is off from the 120 nm average he tries to maintain.

He reported that despite a careful watch, the eclipse never was apparent. A cloud cover passed through in early afternoon, but he also said he was never aware of the unusual darkening you might expect. He very well may have been outside the path, though this was how it was forecast to travel:

"The partial eclipse will be seen in a much wider swathe, including the southern third of Africa, Madagascar, Australia, Southeast India, Southeast Asia and Indonesia."

He's roughly midway between Madagascar and Australia.

Added Comment

Clearpoint's animation feature lets you see a progression of the weather forecast over the next 2 days in 6-hour intervals.

At present a broad cold front is shown approaching from the west, and appears ready to sweep up to Saito-san's position bringing with it a gift of fresh winds and a welcome wind shift.

As it is, he's looking at just 3 to 5 knots of wind out of the south or southeast for at least the next 32 hours.

But at about Hour 32 the cold front collides with the high pressure cell he's in and then careens deeply off to the southeast, too far south to provide any respite from the nearly dead air. The front isn't expected to get any closer than about 400 nm away.

Saito-san is now even deeper into the "Horse Latitudes" at 31 degrees south, so is experiencing firsthand what was essentially a massive oceanic desert to mariners of the 17th century. This is where they threw horses overboard in their panicked desperation to stay alive.

***

Rei's report from a call made yesterday:

Although I had been looking forward to it, I missed the lunar eclipse.
Not sure if the timing when I looked up the sky was wrong, or it was behind a cloud.

There are no fish around this area. Looks like I cannot expect fresh food for a while.

Phone connections for both the Iridium and Inmarsat are, as I have always experienced
in this region [on previous voyages], quite poor around here.

So, until I get to Africa and a better connection comes back, which will be
in a couple of days, let's leave our chats short.

Day 119 [Jan. 29, 0700 JST]

On traversing the world's biggest lake, a comment from another ancient mariner.

Position:
31 19 S, 52 25 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 39.9%

Heading: 330
Boat speed: 6.0 kt (7-day average: 4.44 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 145 nm
Distance made good: 9,967 nm (18,459 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 15,003 nm

Yokohama ETA: 140 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 122

To WP6, Cape of Good Hope: 15.9 days

Weather: Clear, beautiful skies
Barometer: 1017 hPa
Waves: 0 m
Wind (from): 3 - 4 kt NNE
Current (from): 0.2 kt WSW
Engine: 18.0 hr @ 1500 rpm + 4.0 hr @ 1800 rpm (102.0 L)
Generator: 0.0 hr (0 L)
Sails
Main: 2 pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: 0%

Today's Report

A day of motoring with virtually no wind on a totally flat sea.

The engine throbbed for a solid 24 hours, a noise Saito-san complained about yesterday when asked if he could try to motor a bit more. "It's too noisy," he said, voicing the yachtsman's common complaint. (Yet from the cockpit his quiet new engine can scarcely be heard.) He vowed to make better time, however, and so today's distance: the fourth-best DMG of the voyage at 145 nm.

"There are no waves at all -- nothing at all!" he exclaimed with a small laugh, describing lake-like conditions in every direction to the far horizon.

But for his wake on an otherwise empty and cloudless ocean.

Added Comment

What better description than from the "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"?

Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down,
'Twas sad as sad could be;
And we did speak only to break
The silence of the sea!

All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody Sun, at noon,
Right up above the mast did stand,
No bigger than the Moon.

Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.

Day 120 [Jan. 30, 0700 JST]

And then the clouds come, oh joy ... as mile 10,000 slips by.

Position:
31 07 S, 50 09 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 40.4%

Heading: 320
Boat speed: 4.9 kt (7-day average: 4.44 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 117 nm
Distance made good: 10,084 nm (18,676 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 14,866 nm

Yokohama ETA: 139 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 121

To WP6, Cape of Good Hope: 14.6 days

Weather: Overcast withe scattered showers
Barometer: 1017 hPa
Waves: 0 m
Wind (from): 8 - 12 kt E
Current (from): 0.1 kt NE
Engine: 13.0 hr @ 1500 rpm + 0.0 hr @ 1800 rpm (52.0 L)
Generator: 6.0 hr (0 L)
Sails
Main: 2 pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: 90%

Today's Report

An approaching trough brought a complete weather change, ending several windless and cloudless days to Saito-san's relief and delight, as cloud-bearing winds picked up at 8 to 12 knots from the east. They continued into today and should hold over the weekend out of the east and northeast.

(Hmmm... we quoted Coleridge yesterday, and maybe this was thanks from an albatross spared?)

Added Comment

He reports discovering the first minor sail damage of the voyage, a hole of about half an inch that has developed near the foot of the genoa headsail. He planned to fix it with a sail patch.

He said as well the 3rd batten car of the mainsail had come out of its track and may be more difficult to fix while under way and without help. Since it now seems likely he will stop in Cape Town in about 2 weeks to replenish fuel and supplies, he expects to fix it at that time.

***

Yesterday saw the 10,000th nautical mile slide past, marking Day 120 and 40% of the voyage finished. Now less than 15,000 nm remaining.

***

Rei was able to speak with him yesterday and relays the following, almost poetical in itself:

It is another windless day. Very quiet.
Instead, I can see beautiful stars in the night sky.
Imagine, Orion on your right, Southern Cross on the left.
The crescent moon had been in the sky as well, but has already gone.
So, there is nothing blocking my view, no city lights hiding the starlight
(even no moonlight, as it is just after the new moon), and
you can enjoy these beautiful stars.

I will be passing Madagascar on the coming weekend.
Then, Cape of Good Hope will not be far away.
If you are not sure about the part on the globe I'm talking about,
check your map. It's a good opportunity to enjoy learning more geography!

Day 121 [Jan. 31, 0700 JST]

Winds move to unfavorable, but at least still westward. "Indian Lake" is no more. Planning a brief stop in Cape Town.

Position:
30 56 S, 47 47 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 40.9%

Heading: 340
Boat speed: 5.1 kt (7-day average: 4.54 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 122 nm
Distance made good: 10,206 nm (18,902 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 14,764 nm

Yokohama ETA: 135 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 120

To WP6, Cape of Good Hope: 13.2 days

Weather: Overcast with scattered showers
Barometer: 1009 hPa
Waves: 2.5 m
Wind (from): 8 - 12 kt ESE
Current (from): 0.3 kt E
Engine: 9.0 hr @ 1500 rpm + 0.0 hr @ 1800 rpm (36.0 L)
Generator: 7.0 hr (7 L)
Sails
Main: 2 pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: 90%

Today's Report

Still in the trough with its welcome fresh breeze, though later the winds changed to unfavorable out of the ESE, putting him on a port tack and about 30 to 40 degrees off his desired compass heading. (ENE is ideal.)

The totally flat, lake-like conditions of two days ago have now been replaced by heavy swells brought by the weather trough that has lingered over his position. He says the direction of the swells on his present northwesterly tack has caused heavy vessel rolling.

Added Comment

Preparations by the shore crew in Japan will start soon to arrange a brief stopover in Cape Town. The list is short but important: add fuel, pick up provisions & some spares, address the Inmarsat issues, and reset the batten car that came out of the mainsail track. And, not least, add fresh food to the larder.
He does not expect to stay over for more than a day.

He said he thought the supply of Como Long-Life Bread he was given by the company as a donation before he left Yokohama is probably at the end of its life, noting "there is still no mold... but my stomach is starting to need something different, I think." He's not quite finished, but has eaten it almost every day of the voyage.

Asked whether he has able to maintain his weight, he said he can tell that he has not. He continues to take the protein supplement provided by our sub-sponsor U.S. Dairy Export Council. He feels that has helped especially when the weather is bad.

But a lot of the time, he admitted, "I'm too busy and too tired to cook food.

Day 122 [Feb. 1, 0700 JST]

He enters a convergence zone of mixed and slower winds. A question about his EPIRBs at the end of satellite monitoring of the old frequency.

Position:
30 56 S, 47 47 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 41.3%

Heading: 345
Boat speed: 4.5 kt (7-day average: 4.61 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 109 nm
Distance made good: 10,315 nm (19,103 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 14,655 nm

Yokohama ETA: 132 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 119

To WP6, Cape of Good Hope: 12.1 days

Weather: Overcast withe scattered showers
Barometer: 1012 hPa
Waves: 2.5 m
Wind (from): 8 - 10 kt ESE
Current (from): 0.1 kt NE
Engine: 1.0 hr @ 1800 rpm (7.5 L)
Generator: 8.0 hr (1 L)
Sails
Main: 2 pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: 90%

Today's Report

Saito-san is back near a wind convergence zone, in which wind patterns become mixed as shown by Clearpoint below. This produces a day or so of varied or quite weak winds. If he's close to the edge, he can sometimes work his way up into "good air" (stronger, favorable wind). If not, he must wait it out or resort to the engine.

At 7 am Tokyo time (2 am local) he was reporting a nice 5 knots boat speed under 8-12 kt winds but the 24-hour prediction was for failing winds as he gets solidly into the convergence zone.

Added Comment

Saito-san has 2 EPIRBS on board, in addition to the locator beacon that automatically reports his position every 12 hours. This weekend the emergency frequencies that are monitored by satellite will be changed. Older units will no longer be constantly monitored.

What this can mean to cruisers is detailed here.

Anyone calling for help with an older EPIRB after Saturday might still get help if the signal is picked up by a passing airplane because 121.5 MHz remains an aviation distress channel. But the satellites themselves will no longer be used to access that frequency.

Both of his EPIRBS ARE old, though their batteries still checked out prior to Saito-san's Yokohama departure. One or both may be affected by this change, and he will be asked this evening to check their registration plates to determine their frequencies.

Day 123 [Feb. 2, 0700 JST]

More of the same -- clear skies and weak winds, but with rain and lightning in the forecast. We get the answer on the EPIRB question.

Position:
30 49 S, 43 41 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 41.7%

Heading: 300
Boat speed: 4.3 kt (7-day average: 4.66 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 103 nm
Distance made good: 10,418 nm (19,294 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 14,552 nm

Yokohama ETA: 130 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 118

To WP6, Cape of Good Hope: 11.0 days

Weather: Clear
Barometer: 1015 hPa
Waves: 2.0 m
Wind (from): 3 - 5 kt S
Current (from): 0.1 kt NE
Engine: 9.0 hr @ 1800 rpm (67.5 L)
Generator: 8.0 hr (8 L)
Sails
Main: 2 pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: 100%

Today's Report

Those weak and variable winds continue as the high pressure cell holds. To the southwest a series of lows approaching from the SW threaten rain and thunder-squalls by later tomorrow, though the high may block their northerly progress. We'll be able to tell by tomorrow morning or perhaps even tonight.

At 7 am Tokyo time (1 am local, now 6 hours behind JST) he was reporting 6.5 knots boat speed motoring, with winds at just 3-5 knots unfavorably from the south. The 24-hour prediction was for favorable winds from the ENE, rising slightly to 7 knots.

Added Comment

As we noted yesterday, Saito-san has 2 EPIRBS on board. These are satellite-monitored distress beacons he can activate in a situation requiring emergency assistance. As of this weekend outdated 121.5-MHz units are no longer being constantly monitored, though airplanes can still pick them up.

If you missed it, here again is what this can mean to him and other cruisers:

We asked him to check the nameplates of his EPIRBS, one he acquired sometime before "Challenge 7" in 2004, and the other about 3 years old, for their operating frequencies. It turns out both transit over the 406 MHz "newer" digital frequency that will receive constant satellite monitoring.

Hopefully he'll never need them, but it was reassuring to know. Signals to NOAA satellites from maritime distress beacons have been used to rescue more than 11,000 people since the program began in 1982.