Hōkūleʻa Update | December 30, 2015

By Bruce Black

Last night, a cold fog rolled in on us, the wind slowly died to 3-4 mph, and the ocean turned silver gray – it was like sailing in a cloud. The fog surrounded us, and blocked out all the stars – all we had to guide us were Jupiter and the Moon.  With Gershon II limping behind us, and other fishing vessels in the area floating unseen in the fog, Captain Bruce decided it was time to tow to the wind and get out of the cloud. The tow was picked up masterfully, and both vessels moved smoothly as the sun worked to burn off the fog. We know the fog is a common occurrence for this area, we think caused by the cold-water upwelling of the Walvis Ridge and the air temperature.

The morning (Day 7, December 30) was a perfect time to scrub the deck and disinfect all the equipment, boxes, and bathroom; and also a wonderful time to take a refreshing bucket shower.  Late this afternoon we dropped tow and put up our red drifter sail, a very lightweight spinnaker/jib for light winds. It is still slow sailing at 3 knots, and still foggy. We did catch another fish, a 5-pound aku, which led to another great dinner cooked by Gary.

The Doc is making sure everyone is healthy, drinking plenty water, applying sunscreen, and paying attention to general body maintenance. Kealoha has done a few safety briefings on the vest and man-overboard drill.     Everyone is in great spirits, sharing a lot of fascinating stories, bad jokes, and good times.

-Bruce Black, on behalf of Leg 16 Crew

Please help keep us sailing for future generations. All contributions make a difference for our voyage. Mahalo nui loa!