November 16, Sunrise: Skies clearing; first sighting of Hōkūpa‘a (the North Star); a happy birthday wish for Captain Bob

The morning sky makes it appear that we have emerged from the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).  We hope so – our clothes and skins need to dry out!  Blue sky is visible, with cumulus clouds and northeast winds at 20 knots, gusting to 25 knots.

A few days of sun before the familiar Hilo rains would be most appreciated.  But, we will be delighted to see Hilo, rain or not!

Last night, on the 2 am to 6 am watch – Stars!  After almost a week of not seeing anything in the sky except dark clouds and overcast, the sky finally opened up around 4:30 am and we could steer by Hōkūpa’a (Polaris, North Star) for the first time, making it easy for us to hold course the rest of the watch.  We could also see Hōkūle’a (Arcturus) well for the first time and it’s looking a little more like home in the night skies now.

Tiny bioluminescent life continues to amaze us with their abundance – they glitter in each breaking wave and along the hulls as we move through the water.

Yesterday, the overcast began breaking up, with fewer, lighter rain showers. Wind blew from the northeast at 20 knots and Hikianalia made 101 nautical miles  in choppy, confused seas.  The crew wish Captain Bob a Happy Birthday.

Captain Bob Perkins

Hawaiian Star Compass (Click on the link for an explanation of the names of the directional houses of the compass. Click on the compass for a larger image.)