Whisper’s filled to the brim with fuel, water, food, and beverage. Jose finished washing and waxing. Fresh coats of varnish are complete. Last minute genset repairs (ugh!) are complete. Puddle Jump meetings are over. Robin and Duncan are healthy. Weather reports for a good window to depart stream across the airwaves. Quick, pay the marina bill and check out of the country. Let’s go!
03/25/2004 – Day 1
- Latitude: 19° 06′ N
- Longitude: 107° 24′ W
- Miles to go: Around 2700
- Wind Speed/Direction: NW 10 to 15 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 6 knots
We are underway to the South Pacific as of Wednesday, 3/24! We will keep you posted on how the journey progresses. Our first day brought us 150 southwest of Banderas Bay with an average speed of 6.2 knots. Not bad. We are both happy and healthy. Whales waved good bye to us, dolphins swam off Whisper’s bow and hundreds of boobies encircled us as we left the bay. All in all, it was a fine
send off.
03/26/2004 – Day 2
- Latitude: 17° 38′ N
- Longitude: 109° 43′ W
- Miles to go: Around 2600
- Wind Speed/Direction: NW 8 to 12 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 5 knots
Another day and more adventures. The current count of squid landing on deck is 5 with only one hitting Duncan in the face. Yesterday was a gorgeous day. We debated amongst ourselves and other vessels nearby what the color of the amazing blue water should be called. Fortunately, Dana on the sailing vessel Camira was a graphic designer with a professional color palette on board. She claims the color was cerulean.
Duncan discovered salt water in the engine oil. He thinks it is coming from the genset anti-siphon and the engine anti-siphon are plumbed into the same discharge hose. We think the genset anti-siphon is sending saltwater into the engine block as a result of running the genset underway on a starboard tack. The good news is that we have not needed to run the engine yet. Duncan has clamped the genset anti-siphon to prevent more water going into the engine. Oil changes are forthcoming. Aaaah, it is always something.
03/27/2004 – Day 3
- Latitude: 16° 25′ N
- Longitude: 112° 02′ W
- Miles to go: Around 2400
- Wind Speed/Direction: NW 10 to 15 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 6 knots
Awesome sailing and conditions filled Day 3. This is great from both a fun perspective and an engine repair perspective. Dolphins ran alongside Whisper at night with phosphorescence trailing them. One flying fish kamikaze’ed onto Whisper.
Duncan continues to work on the engine issues. He re-routed the genset anti-siphon and performed the first of several oil changes. He sucked the water out of the exhaust. The next task is to pull the injectors to clean out the cylinders. Thankfully we are in regular contact via SSB with a diesel mechanic – Fred on the sailing vessel Arcturus. Arcturus is located in the Sea of Cortez. Fred owned a diesel repair shop for 30 years. Keep your fingers crossed that the engine starts sometime in the next few days.
We are having a BLAST!
03/28/2004 – Day 4
- Latitude: 15° 47′ N
- Longitude: 114° 00′ W
- Miles to go: Around 2200
- Wind Speed/Direction: NW 5 to 10 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 5 knots
Greetings from the Pacific Ocean. Did we mention yesterday that the sailing has been awesome? Well, the great sailing continues. This is good news for a boat that has an engine under repair. Duncan can now add diesel mechanic to his resume.
“Diesel Duncan’s” Recap & Update: First, we detected water in the engine oil. Then we discovered that while underway, the water discharged from the genset anti-siphon was forcing water into the engines anti-siphon discharge (ironic huh). Long story short, the anti-siphon’s have been re-plumbed independently, the engine oil has been removed and replaced, the cylinders have been purged of water, and the injectors have been cleaned (it took 3 hours to get the injectors out).
The turbo-charger also needed to be removed and cleaned, the 4 gallons of seawater had to be siphoned from the exhaust hose and muffler, a corroded exhaust gasket seat was discovered was removed, cleaned, and the mating surfaces filed.
The engine re-assembly begins today and the first attempt to start it will be tomorrow (assuming the re-assembly goes OK today). Then, two more oil and filter changes will be performed. Then after a 20 hour run — the oil gets changed again. And believe it or not, we are still having fun — this ocean is BEAUTIFUL!
03/29/2004 – Day 5
- Latitude: 15° 28′ N
- Longitude: 116° 00′ W
- Miles to go: Around 2100
- Wind Speed/Direction: NW 5 to 10 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 6 knots
Enough of these updates with just ‘great sailing’ and ‘diesel repairs’. Here is the real scoop. At present, there are around 24 boats underway from Mexico to the Marquesas. In addition, two boats returned to Mexico – one under tow because they lost their rudder and one because the crew was sick and tired. There are several more boats awaiting a good weather window for departure.
We work with 3 hour watches at night. In between the navigation and sailing activities performed on watch, we listen to music on our favorite toy, an IPOD. With all the unplanned work on the engine during the day (aka no naps), we are a little tired but still love the passage.
More fun updates on life in the middle of the Pacific Ocean will be forthcoming.
Oh, by the way, the engine IS BACK IN BUSINESS thanks to a valiant effort by Diesel Dunc. Okay, so we saved the best for last. Did you hear our screams of elation back on land? What a relief!
03/30/2004 – Day 6
- Latitude: 14° 47′ N
- Longitude: 118° 27′ W
- Miles to go: Around 2000
- Wind Speed/Direction: NE 15 to 20 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 6 knots
With the engine fixed, we spent most of the day relaxing and catching up on sleep. Every morning we listen to a radio net on the Marine SSB to catch up on weather. At 11:30 Mountain Time, we check into the Pacific Puddle Jumpers Net. There is a roll call of all the boats heading to the South Pacific from Mexico. As a part of the roll call, each boat gives its position and weather information. It is fun to check everyone’s progress.
We think we’ve arrived in the much desired trade winds. From now until we reach the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), typically somewhere between latitudes 02 N and 07 N, the winds are supposed to blow between 10 and 25 knots from the northeast. We will give you more scoop on the ITCZ in another update.
03/31/2004 – Day 7
- Latitude: 14° 22′ N
- Longitude: 119° 27′ W
- Miles to go: Around 1900
- Wind Speed/Direction: ENE 10 to 15 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 5 knots
Today is a big milestone in our journey. This day marks the end of the first week of our passage to the Marquesas and the 2 year anniversary of departing San Francisco. We are one third of the way to the Marquesas.
We consume more energy than expected which results in more generator runtime than planned. What takes up all this energy? Throughout the day and night, we run navigation instruments (wind, depth, speed), refrigerator, freezer, fans, computer, autopilot and 2 GPS. For at least an hour, the watermaker replenishes the water consumed. The hot water heater runs an hour each day. Random amounts of time and energy are spent talking, listening and sending/receiving email on the Marine SSB radio. At night, navigation lights, cabin lights an radar add to the mix. But, we are very comfortable. You didn’t think we’d turn minimalist now, did you?
04/01/2004 – Day 8
- Latitude: 12° 24′ N
- Longitude: 119° 47′ W
- Miles to go: Around 1800
- Wind Speed/Direction: ENE 15 to 20 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 5 knots
Focus has turned to figuring out what direction to head. Now you are probably saying to yourself, just go southwest. The predominate wind direction is from the northeast which is the direct opposite of southwest. Unfortunately, this is not a great point of sail. So, we tend to head west for a while and then southwest for a while putting us on a broad reach (that will make sense to the sailors in the group). Another big factor is the swell height and direction. Minimizing the roll of the boat adds comfort. At present, winds are from the east northeast. Whisper is headed west southwest on a heading of 240 degrees magnetic. Focusing on comfort and safety resulted in neither of us being seasick (yet).
04/02/2004 – Day 9
- Latitude: 11° 57′ N
- Longitude: 121° 43′ W
- Miles to go: Around 1700
- Wind Speed/Direction: NE 10 to 15 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 5 knots
Last night brought us winds between 18 and 22 knots for most of the night with gusts as high as 28 knots. The seas were between 3 and 7 feet. We stayed on a broad reach with triple reefed main and triple reefed genoa for the night. Whisper behaved well in the conditions.
The excitement of the night was the “Bye Bye Booby” saga. In the past, bobbies (of the bird variety) landed on the top of the mast and hitched a ride. The bummer of this is the potential for them to damage instruments at the top of the mast or leave ‘Booby Prizes’ on the sails. We’ve moved into a new state of booby boldness.
Around 5 pm, a booby landed on the hatch closest to the cockpit and stared at Duncan. After the booby deposited a prize on the hatch, Duncan shoo-ed him away. But the booby returned and made himself comfortable on the aft deck. After hours of preening, the booby fell asleep. Uh Oh! He wants to stay for the duration. Okay, we let him spend the night, but that is it.
During the night, a flying fish flew into Duncan’s back and landed on deck. A bird and a fish on the same boat…the food chain should kick into gear. The bird looks at the fish flopping frantically trying to get off the boat, yet the booby just stares at the fish. Unfortunately for the fish, the flopping eventually deposited the fish at the feet of the booby and the fish became a snack for the boobie. This is one lazy booby.
At dawn, the booby flew off the aft deck. The term ‘poop deck’ applied to Whisper’s aft deck. Out came the fire hose to wash down the deck. Subsequently, the fire hose was used to prevent the return of the booby to the poop deck. No more Mr. Nice Guy. “Bye Bye Booby!”
Aaahh, the excitement is almost unbearable.
04/03/2004 – Day 10
- Latitude: 11° 02′ N
- Longitude: 123° 26′ W
- Miles to go: Around 1600
- Wind Speed/Direction: NE 13 to 17 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 6.5 knots
Frustration at zigging and zagging back and forth across our desired course line set in today. With neither of us adept at staying frustrated, we changed the sail configuration to wing-on-wing. Woo Hoo! And, we are headed in the right direction.
04/04/2004 – Day 11
- Latitude: 09° 49′ N
- Longitude: 124° 43′ W
- Miles to go: Around 1400
- Wind Speed/Direction: NNE 18 to 20 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 6.5 knots
One of the primary navigation/safety tools used at night is radar. Every ten minutes, whoever is on watch checks the radar for blips indicating other vessels or other shapes indicating land. We have not seen another vessel in several days.
The last two nights brought our first “rain blobs” on the radar. Two nights ago, a little rainstorm moved over us and washed the decks with a 30 minute shower. Last night on watch, Robin noticed a few blobs on the radar moving toward Whisper. The blobs grew in size and moved closer. With the blobs about 2 miles away, Robin woke up Duncan to gave him a quick status and suggested evasive action. We reefed the genoa and the main in preparation for “the blob”. If we were doing the Rorschach test, this blob looked like a matador and a bull to both of us. Feel free to analyze this information.
Now, here is the question. As we approach the ITCZ, how do you tell the difference between a squall and a wimpy rainstorm? Is it size? Is it direction? Regardless, we ran away from the blob with only a few drizzles of rain spotting the decks. As we learn more about this squall thing, we will keep you posted.
04/05/2004 – Day 12
- Latitude: 08° 54′ N
- Longitude: 126° 41′ W
- Miles to go: Around 1300
- Wind Speed/Direction: NE 15 to 18 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 6.2 knots
Lest you think it is all fun and games out here, we do have our moments. As usual, Duncan reported an uneventful watch as he shook Robin awake at 1:30 am. As Robin dressed, Duncan said “You might want to bring up your jacket and waterproof pants. There have been a few sprinkles”. Robin settled in up in the cockpit ready to pop on the iPod and listen to a few tunes.
A check of the radar revealed a squall (aka ‘rain blob’) on the way. No big deal. The squalls typically last about 30 minutes and then everything is back to comfy and dry. Within moments, the squall drenched Robin and the cockpit. Winds reached 25 knots and a bit of hand steering was required. The squall passed as Robin spotted the next squall ready to pounce. The next squall arrived with winds up to 27 knots. That’s okay. Robin loves this stuff.
After 2 hours and 15 minutes of squall after squall, Robin let out a squawk of frustration. Yes, squawk…not squall. Startled by the sound coming from the cockpit, Duncan sat up in bed and said “What’s wrong?”. He peeked into the cockpit to discover Robin looking like a drowned rat. “Will you please take over the last 45 minutes of my watch? I am wet and cold”, she said in a pathetic whimper. Duncan jumped into action.
No squalls occurred on Duncan’s watch!
04/06/2004 – Day 13
- Latitude: 08° 07′ N
- Longitude: 128° 52′ W
- Miles to go: Around 1200
- Wind Speed/Direction: E 4 to 7 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 6.2 knots
You must be asking yourself “How do two people who prefer to eat out every night survive without a restaurant for over 20 days?” We are asking ourselves the same question. If anyone wants to give us an air drop of tasty take out items, we’d appreciate it.
Early on in the planning stages, realization set in that no one but us was going to prepare, serve and cleanup our meals. As we developed the meal plan, the theme focused on simplicity. The thought of preparing elaborate meals while Whisper is heeled at 20 degrees or rolling side to side did not appeal to either of us.
So far, our favorite meal is little pizzas. Other favorites include cocktail shrimp, salami and cheese, chicken curry and taquitos. Yes, we know these are not very South Beach or Atkins. We keep a snack box in the cockpit filled with nuts, cookies, dried cranberries, crackers and other fun stuff. The biggest treat we brought was a “Cheesecake Factory” cheesecake. We’ve only enjoyed one delectable piece each, but it sure was good.
We drink lots of water, gatorade and soda. As most of you know, we do love to drink wine and coffee — not at the same time. However, we are abstaining from all alcohol for the passage except for a toast at the Equator. On the other hand, we wanted to drink coffee during the passage, but the coffee maker does not appear to like being on an angle. We will be finding coffee grounds throughout the boat for the next few years.
04/07/2004 – Day 14
- Latitude: 05° 51′ N
- Longitude: 128° 20′ W
- Miles to go: Around 1100
- Wind Speed/Direction: ENE 7 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 6.0 knots
Today brings two big milestones on our journey. First, this is the two week anniversary of our departure. Second, we MAY be through the dreaded ITCZ. Keep your fingers crossed.
We are motoring through the what we hope it the end of the ITCZ. Soon, the southeast trades winds should start. Then, we will turn off the engine and turn the corner toward the Marquesas.
On crossing the equator at any time in either direction, all hands must toast King Neptune by individually pouring over the side, a wee dram of the most expensive beverage in the liquor locker.”
Typically, Shellbacks deliver varying degrees of hazing to Pollywogs as an initiation rite. Since we are both Pollywogs, the hazing portion of the rituals will be eliminated.
The champagne is chilling and the excitement is mounting. Perhaps tomorrow’s report will be from newly anointed Shellbacks.
04/08/2004 – Day 15
- Latitude: 03° 48′ N
- Longitude: 130° 27′ W
- Miles to go: Around 950
- Wind Speed/Direction: E 10 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 6.2 knots
Not that we expected to see one, but it’s been 7 days without seeing another vessel. Within the last 3 weeks, 43 boats left Mexico headed for the Marquesas. The first boat made landfall today. There are 5 boats ahead of us and 36 boats behind us. Within a 200 mile range, we are aware of 4 boats. If any boat appeared in our sights, we expected to see another “Puddle Jumper” boat or a commercial ship.
Robin napped below while Duncan stood watch in the cockpit. “You’ve gotta see this”, Duncan exclaimed as he raised Robin. “It’s another boat”. Ooo, how exciting. Charging toward us was a rusty, antiquated squid or tuna boat.
The boat proceeded to within 100 yards of Whisper. Duncan snapped lots of photos and started waving. Waves and smiles were returned from the 9 guys on board. They pointed at Robin with surprised looks. We guess they did not expect to see a woman on board. As quickly as they appeared, they turned northeast and motored away.
Here are our words of wisdom. Don’t eat any of the fish they catch because it must be rotten by the time they get back to land.
04/09/2004 – Day 16
- Latitude: 01° 47′ N
- Longitude: 131° 34′ W
- Miles to go: Around 800
- Wind Speed/Direction: E 12 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 7.0 knots
As the equator approaches, plans for ceremonial requirements and celebrations are the main topic of conversation.
Our favorite weather forecaster/router Don Anderson passed on these insights into ceremonial requirements. “Those who have never crossed the equator are called Pollywogs. On crossing the equator for the first time, one is immediately elevated to the title of Shellback and is entitled to hold that distinguished appellation until confined to the deep.
On crossing the equator at any time in either direction, all hands must toast King Neptune by individually pouring over the side, a wee dram of the most expensive beverage in the liquor locker.”
Typically, Shellbacks deliver varying degrees of hazing to Pollywogs as an initiation rite. Since we are both Pollywogs, the hazing portion of the rituals will be eliminated.
The champagne is chilling and the excitement is mounting. Perhaps tomorrow’s report will be from newly anointed Shellbacks.
04/10/2004 – Day 17
- Latitude: 00° 05′ S
- Longitude: 132° 31′ W
- Miles to go: Less than 700
- Wind Speed/Direction: E 8 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 4.8 knots
Clear skies and stars surrounded us last night. This was the first night in many days without a single squall or cloud. Duncan noticed a light on the horizon during his watch. On watch change, he pointed out the light. After a while, Robin identified the light as a boat. Another boat? Two boats in two days? Weird.
Then, on the radio, comes the sound of a voice in another language. Also weird since we’ve not heard a voice on the VHF in over a week. Duncan returns the call. The other boat responds. “Tuna, Fishy?”. Duncan replies, “No tuna, no fishing, Sailboat”. The other boat responds, “Tuna, Fishy?”. Duncan replies, “No tuna, no fishing, sailboat” and gives our latitude and longitude. Then, the other boat declares, “I go 0-0-0, you go 2-0-0, “. Duncan confirms we will go on a course of 200 degrees since we were on a collision course. Then, the other boat shouts, “Tuna, Fishy, Taiwan”. Duncan replies in Spanish, “Americano”. Hmmmm, perhaps they are not Spanish. Sounds of another language emit from the VHF and Duncan replies “No comprende”. Okay, we both realize they are not Mexican but we cannot get any languages other than English or Spanish out of our mouths.
As we watched on radar, we passed each other on the planned courses. Later that night, we started listening to our French language tapes not that these will help us with Taiwanese/Mandarin/Cantonese.
At around 7 am , crossing the equator was celebrated with champagne and HagenDazs ice cream. Mates, thanks for the champagne. We are even more tipsy than normal on a sailboat. Neptune received his fair share of both treats. Now, we are Shellbacks.
04/11/2004 – Day 18
- Latitude: 01° 48′ S
- Longitude: 133° 41′ W
- Miles to go: Around 550
- Wind Speed/Direction: NE 6 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 5.7 knots (yes, the engine provides a boost)
Happy Easter! The Easter bunny left us a couple of chocolate eggs with surprises inside. Due to temperatures being hot, we need to quickly eat the chocolate. Darn!
The winds are very light and we are motoring. Discussions of taking a swim in the ocean are being bantered about the cockpit.
As realization sets in that we will arrive in the Marquesas in a few days, Robin pulled out the South Pacific cruising guides. We’ve been reading about all the places to go in French Polynesia. Our first anchorage will most likely be Atuona, Hiva Oa in the Marquesas. After exploring Hiva Oa, we will visit a couple of other islands in the Marquesas before heading southwest to the Tuamotus. Wow, what an amazing adventure!
04/12/2004 – Day 19
- Latitude: 03° 58′ S
- Longitude: 135° 12′ W
- Miles to go: Around 400
- Wind Speed/Direction: NE 9 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 4.2 knots
The last day proved to be uneventful with no wind, lots of motoring and rain squalls. As a result, we spent most of our time reading. Between the two of us, we’ve finished 9 books. With harness and line attached, Duncan went for a swim (in the gin-clear 83F water) to check out the rudder and look for any problem barnacles. The rudder looked good and the barnacles were minimal.
The questions we’ve received in your emails have been interesting. Questions range from “What point of sail you on?” to “How does Robin shave her legs?” to “What do we do all day?” The burning question is “When we you arrive in the Marquesas?” although some think the shaving question is more important. Our best guess is that we will arrive in the Marquesas on Thursday, April 15th. Visions of long naps and baguettes are dancing in our heads.
Oooo, gotta go, here comes the wind.
04/13/2004 – Day 20
- Latitude: 05° 41′ S
- Longitude: 136° 12′ W
- Miles to go: Less Than 300
- Wind Speed/Direction: E 16 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 7.2 knots
Excuse us if we are repeating ourselves. We are getting SO excited about arriving in the Marquesas. Consistent wind and forward progress leave us less than 300 miles from landfall. We are able to get reports from boats already in Hiva Oa about the anchorage.
Just as we find ourselves 90% of the way to our destination, we are feeling in the groove of our watch schedules. We both feel well rested although thoughts of napping frequently pop into our heads. The frig and freezer have room for fish, so we are dragging the fishing lines in hopes of a sushi dinner or a celebratory landfall fish dinner. “Here fishy, fishy” is our mantra.
04/14/2004 – Day 21
- Latitude: 07° 37′ S
- Longitude: 137° 21′ W
- Miles to go: Around 150 miles
- Wind Speed/Direction: E 14 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 6.8 knots
Today’s scheduled Week 3 statistics update has been interrupted. Just when you thought we were out of interesting stories, we came up with one. The lengths we will go to keep the updates intriguing has “hit” a new level.
Duncan settled into bed after the 5 am watch change. Robin sat in the cockpit listening to the weather report and looking forward to the sunrise. “BAM!” Whisper lurched at the bow. Robin stood up and started looking around. “BAM!” This is obviously not normal. The second “BAM” hit forward of the port midships.
Duncan called “Was that a wave?”. Robin responded, “Nope. I’m trying to figure out what we hit.” Now if that doesn’t get someone out of bed, nothing will. Wacky waves are bouncing all around. Duncan started to climb up the companionway. “BAM!” Whisper heels and Duncan gets knocked back down into the cabin. Duncan, now with a broken toe, made his way up toward the cockpit just in time to see the WHALE!
The fluke of a WHALE is within two yards of Whisper‘s port side. Then, the whale spouted its seafood-breath blow right into the cockpit — soaking Robin and spraying Duncan. Simultaneous shouts of “It’s a whale!”, “Start the engine”, “Check for holes”, “Is water coming into the bilge?” jolted us into action.
At this point, we are not certain who was more startled — the whale or us. Robin powered us forward while Duncan went below to check the bilge for incoming water and assess damage. Robin kept looking behind to see if the whale was following us to get revenge.
The initial damage assessment is one broken toe and a damaged boat-speed transducer. Checking the hull to see if there is any surface damage will be a priority upon arrival. No water is coming in the boat. The rudder still seems to be functioning as usual. Damage to the whale is unknown.
We’ve been sailing along for the last several hours without any issues. Did someone say we were supposed to get bored out here?
04/15/2004 – Day 22
- Latitude: 09° 43′ S
- Longitude: 138° 45′ W
- Miles to go: Around 20 miles
- Wind Speed/Direction: SE 15 knots
- Current Boat Speed: 6.8 knots
LAND HO! We spotted land at approximately 5:30 am this morning. At present, we are 2 miles east of the island. The plan is to sail around the bottom of the island and anchor near a town called Atuona. By early afternoon, the anchor should be set. Rumor has it that baguettes will be awaiting us.
Yet again, the champagne is chilling. The big question is will we be too tired to drink it. Have we mentioned that we just crossed the Pacific Ocean?
We anchored near Atuona at around 1:00 pm. Friends welcomed us with baguettes and a bottle of red wine. WOO HOO!
Wrap-Up
Whisper sits anchored in a little bay near Atuona in Hiva Oa, Marquesas. The bow and stern anchors set at around 1:00 pm yesterday. Euphoric shouts of “Woo Hoo!” and “We just crossed the Pacific Ocean!” resonated throughout the bay. Three sets of fellow Puddle Jumpers greeted us on the VHF and in person. The main salon morphed from sleeping quarters back into living space. We settled into the cockpit to watch a few other boats arrive as well as to eat an early dinner of grilled ostrich burgers.
As the sun started to set, we kept asking ourselves “Where are we?” and “How did we get here?”. Palm trees, lush foliage, black sand beaches, rugged volcanic peaks to 4000 feet surround us. Marquesans in outrigger canoes paddled around the bay in preparation for the big festival tomorrow on the other side of the island. This is unbelievable.
Check out Whisper’s final Puddle Jump statistics:
| Number of Oceans Crossed: | 1 |
| Trip Miles to First Sighting of Hiva Oa: | 2997 nautical miles |
| Trip Miles to Anchor Down near Atuona: | 3014 nautical miles |
| Best Daily Miles: | 162.3 nautical miles |
| Trip Average Speed: | 5.7 knots |
| Highest Speed Over Ground: | 12.8 knots |
| Highest Wind Speed: | 28 knots |
| Lowest Wind Speed: | 1 knot |
| Trip Engine Hours: | 66 hours (thanks to Diesel Dunc and his helpers) |
| Trip Generator Hours: | 72 |
| Average Daily Generator Hours: | 3.2 hours |
| Trip Fuel Consumption: | Approximately 90 gallons |
| Current Time Zone: | Alaska + 1/2 hour (or Hawaii – 1/2 hour) |
| Longitude for Crossing the Equator: | 132.5 degrees West |
| Books Read: | 12 |
| Number of Boats Sighted Underway: | 12 (no fellow Puddle Jumpers) |
| Number of Whales Hit: | 1 |
| Fish Caught: | 0 |
| Great Days of Sailing: | 12 |
| Uncomfy Days of Sailing: | 3 |
| Occurrences of Lightening & Thunder: | 0 |