Wednesday, March 11, 2009

11 march 09/pacific crossing

position Lat: 19;13.612 North long 107.48 West.

just a few day's before parting, we met Naomi & Nathan n easy going taxidermist & his wife, they were moored in slip adjacent Us at La cruz..in their Islands 36.. they, like us, had just sailed the sea of Cortez...But were having second thoughts about undertaking a pacific crossing in their older boat,,...so to cut a long story short....their joining us on apple for the adventure......

more on that later..

OK we set sail 10 am yesterday morning wind build from 10 to 22 knot's at around 3am... thus we covered 198 miles..amazing sailing, a little bumpy.... we're see hundreds of dolphins,seal & whales since beginning our journey....but around 5pm last night a massive jet black head with white stripes... some giant penguin? will diamond shaped teeth .. suddenly rose up..about 6ft from the stern....& just looked at me & apple (dog) then rolled back under..? strange.. anyways,we're safe making fresh drinking water,eating fresh fish, winds picking up at NNW 24 knots..perfect..
Mikex

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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

ship to shore test

Apple testing her e-mail..

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Sunday, March 8, 2009

Apple & the beginning... of the PACIFIC..




Although during my 1 month in Porto Vallata I've only really seen a succession of boat yards...  I have to say, i really like the feeling here....... ... I guess  PV  being so far down in main land Mexico , it escapes the "sport fishing"- killing machines that seem so prevalent further up the pacific coast.. ..  & Mexicans outside America Are such a proud people & very rich in culture.. I really going to miss this place,..

especially everyone who helped get Apple ready... as mentioned since i left LA...  "Apple"  now produces 16 amp an hour on solar power, she can double that with her wind generator.. she also creates 150 gallons of pure 3 ph water a day, with her new spinnaker i can surf her at 10.5 knot's achieving around 200 mile s a day in the right wind conditions( 15-20 knots).& in there no wind, she now hold 188 gallons of diesel for her turbo diesel which could take us around 1000 mile's with out wind.... I've also added two scuba tanks & gear. w.   she completely off the grid.... self sufficient, even creates her own text Internet 1000's of miles out...no phone company needed..

Obviously I've become completely immersed in weather,..... Ummm... weather or not to leave?   especially since being caught in a force 8 gale of San Fransisco last April .. "Me" thinking i could simply sail down the sunny  coast of California ... Wooow.. what a big mistake!!..I literally blew round Point Conception, ( which is the American "Cape horn" sideways, no sails, with winds gusting at 55 mph & breaking sea" pooping" me ... 
(POOPING is a term that means's breaking over the yacht)  as the sea quickly rose up to  30+ feet with intervals of around  7 seconds..    that's rough... the first night was very scary...   I kept running through the words I'd read in  the boat yard... "Apple"  was a class A hull.... Ummm class A... that's  pretty strong.. stronger that class B & C  I hope..?

simply got into dealing with each wave . one at a time..  all night... & realising exactly how different each one is...  perhaps CAA might be interested in signing up a couple of the larger one's... its like swimming upside down  in cold throaty milk, ... anyways I'm really looking forward to this epic adventure... & although I be expecting to see considerably higher sea's  the intervals with be as epic... creating rolling Meadows... rather than confused rut's....

So basically my plan is... To catch a developing high, which is presently forming just of San Diego..  this should develop into strong northerly winds... strong enough to wisk us out 3-400 miles to break out across the pacific shelf.. .... then hopefully catch the trade winds south.. that was easy... Ummmm

oh yes..& cross into the south pacific @ 128 degree lat...  ..I have one great fear/concern.." lightning" & i guess the ITZ zone or convergence zone is apparently pure lightning...eek!!