We’ve had our share of squalls while sailing the South Pacific probably because we are sailing off season and this is the rainy season. Our trip from Makemo to Fatu Hiva the squalls have been helpful because the lack of wind. We’re almost excited to see a squall pop on the radar because generally there is wind, kind of.
Some of the squalls we encounter have been helpful as we ride the extra wind boost on the correct course and other times the squall decides to take us in other directions. We haven’t tacked yet because of a squall, but we have fallen off the wind and pointed higher into the wind so our track line looks like a squiggle.
A few of the squalls this morning have acted more like a snake by luring us into the squall because of good wind, then the squall steals the wind, but it is too late we are in the squall path. The squall lets us rock back and forth from the swell until it strikes with a big blast of 27 knots of wind, then the wind goes away again, until it strikes again, haha. Kind of dramatic, but you get the idea. We finally had to turn on the engine for an hour or so to get out of this no wind trap. We have decided that we are going to try and minimize the amount we use the engine because we want to conserve for fuel for motoring in and out of anchorages and exploring.
Cheers,
Wade and Sara
Math Be Hard For Sailors – Fatu Hiva UPDATE
Destination: Fatu Hiva (10° 30.721’S, 138° 41.532’W)
Prize: Fatu Hiva post card from us to you
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- Weather: Sunny and about a squall an hour.
- Ves. Pos. 130° 9.986’S, 139° 20.522’W
- SOG: 1.8 kts
- Heading: 42°
- Course Over Ground (COG): 16°
- Time: 12:00:03 PM 2/26/17
- Nautical miles to destination (Crs Rng & Brg): 163 nm
- Compass degree required to reach destination (Crs Rng & Brg): 14°
- Apparent wind speed (AWS): 6.4 kts
- Apparent wind angle: 40°
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