Leg 31 Navigation Updates

Day 8

24 hour nav update: May 24 6am to May 25 6am

Total distance travelled along reference course: 812 nmi, 29 mi of easting

(reference course starts at northern point of Tikehau at approx. 9am on May 19)

Average speed: variable, around 6+ knots throughout the day.

Wind: ʻĀina Koʻolau- 12 knots.  Wind has shifted more to the north since yesterday and last night.

Heading: Haka Koʻolau

Lee drift: half house

Swell: NE, ʻĀina Koʻolau swell, 4 ft this morning. Noio Malanai, 6 ft swell.

Course made: ʻĀkau/Haka Koʻolau.

Clouds: 30% cloud coverage, cumulus at sunrise. Throughout the night cloud coverage was about 10%. Great night to steer off the stars.

Wildlife: ʻEwa ʻewa pair- one had more white on the belly, the other a little more black.  Female and male pair?  Loss a few fish on the fishing lines, not sure what they were.

Latitude:  Was calculated two ways, to a pretty consistent degree.  1) We measured Pherkad and Edasich in the meridian. Pherkad was measured at about 14 degrees, giving a latitude of 4 degrees at midnight.  We assumed we made about half a degree by sunrise, giving us 3.5 degrees south at sunrise. 2) Based upon dead reckoning, and accounting for the variation between ʻĀkau and our reference course, we calculated about 3 degrees south at sunrise.

Day 9

24 hour nav update: May 25 6 am to May 26 6am

Total distance travelled along reference course: 891 nmi, -54 mi west of reference course

(reference course starts at northern point of Tikehau at approx. 9am on May 19)

Average speed: 5 knots

Wind: variable. Wind clocked as far north as Noio Koʻolau. By sunrise it shifted back to Hikina/Lā Koʻolau. Wind was light 10-12 knots.

Heading: variable. Nālani to ʻĀkau. By sunrise we were pointing Haka Koʻolau.

Lee drift: 1house

Swell: Noio-ʻĀina Koʻolau 6-8 ft NE swell this morning. Noio-Manu Malanai, 10-15 ft, SE swell. Hikina-Lā wind swell 5 ft.

Course made: variable Manu/Haka Koʻolau.

Clouds: 30% cloud coverage, cumulus at sunrise. Throughout the night cloud coverage was about 10%. We were blessed that despite the northerly shift in wind it was a great night to steer off the stars.

Wildlife: ʻEwa ʻewa, boobies, squid on front manu, koaʻe.

Latitude:  We calculated latitude two ways. 1) measured Pherkad and Edasich in the meridian. Pherkad was measured at about 7 degrees, giving a latitude of 1 degree  south at midnight.  2) Using dead reckoning since midnight we believe we are at less than 0.5 degree south by sunrise.

Day 10

24 hour nav update: May 25 6 am to May 26 6am

Total distance travelled along reference course: 998 nmi, 61 mi west of reference course

(reference course starts at northern point of Tikehau at approx. 9am on May 19)

Average speed: 5 knots

Wind: Variable. Light wind (10 knots) clocked more north (ʻĀina-Noio Koʻolau) and by mid day we could only make Nā Leo Hoʻolua. By sunset it shifted back to Hikina/Lā Koʻolau, a light 10-12 knots.

Heading: Variable. Nā Leo Hoʻolua to Nālani Koʻolau.

Lee drift: ½-1 house

Swell: Noio-ʻĀina Koʻolau, 6 ft, NE swell this morning. Noio-Manu Malanai, 10 ft, SE swell.

Course made: variable Nālani Hoʻolua/ Nā Leo Koʻolau.

Clouds: 30% cloud coverage, cumulus at sunrise. Throughout the night cloud coverage was about 10%. However the Hilo moon set shortly after sunset so the horizon was difficult to identify.

Wildlife:  ʻEwa ʻewa, boobies, ʻiwa, and few bites on the line but no takes.  During the 6-10 pm watch the canoe was surrounded by hundreds of squid that would jump out of the water when you shine white light on them.  A pod of dolphins joined us again last night, their paths in the water illuminated by phosphorescence.  We could hear them singing!

Latitude:  We calculated latitude two ways.  1) Measured Pherkad and Ed Asich in the meridian. Pherkad was measured at about 19 degrees, giving a latitude of 1 degree north at midnight.  Musca was measured when it aligned with Mimosa in the horizon. A measurement of approx. 21 is believed to also infer 1 degree north. Kumau or the North star was not visible due to a slight haze on the horizon. We believe based upon these measurements that we are somewhere between 1-2 degrees north at sunrise.  2) based upon dead reckoning we believe at sunrise we are at about 2 degrees north.

We believe based upon these measurements that we are somewhere between 1-2 degrees north at sunrise.  Yesterday we celebrated crossing the equator!

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