Thursday June 16
Position N 28 42.755 W 119 01.661
Hello Friends and Family,
Today finds me in good sailing conditions winds NNW at 9-12 KN. Sea state is easy swell and modest wave height. The sky is overcast and it is hazy. The weather forecast is indicating similar conditions for almost a week. After that there looks to be a lighter winds period. My point of sail is a beam reach and comfortable. I will be transitioning to a broad reach in a few days as the wind backs somewhat.
If I were to sail a rhumb line course to the Marquess I would be steering 201 deg Mag however the winds are slightly better N of the rhumb line and I am being set South by an approximately 1 KN current. As a result I am steering about 20 deg North of the direct course line.
The last few days have been somewhat challenging with unfavorable and light winds for the first day and half. That began to change about 30 miles NE of Isla Guadalupe late last nigh. I passed N of the Island at about 2:00 AM but experienced a local calm at that point. A few hours later the winds returned and have been pretty consistent since.
People wonder why boats are so much work, it is because stuff breaks out here all of the time! Since I left Ensenada a shackle on my traveler has come apart, my BBQ grill mounts have become loose and I have blown a fuse! (The fuse was my error) All easily fixed but you need to have the tools and parts to deal with these minor issues.
The AIS has been a wonderful asset, the ability to identify traffic 36 miles away with all of their information is great. The addition of transmitting this same information about me to that traffic is a big help to a solo sailer. Also having onboard weather while involving a learning curve is another big plus. It is possible to sail without this equipment and some feel it is best not to rely on it but I for one am glad I can.
Ben Lindner, S/V DAWN
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