Into the Pacific!   Wednesday, 10/05/2023

Well, we’re off tomorrow, probably late morning. It’s not going to be an easy start to the voyage – winds are light and variable most of the way to the Galapagos. They are 960 nautical miles away, and the first 900 miles or so of that is going to be slow. There’s nothing to be done about this – there’s no point waiting for better winds, it’s just a feature of this area. Thereafter you pick up pretty good wind. Will cross the equator before the Galapagos (they are roughly 0.95 degrees south) and then pass on their south side, heading about 100 miles south west to avoid the Intertropical Convergence Zone – the doldrums – which sits in a band around the equator. 

When we hit longitude 95 West, it’s then broadly west and a little south to the Marquesas. Will aim for Hiva Oa (9.75 degrees south), the main island in the southern group (from there it’s easy to subsequently sail northwest to Nuku Hiva, the main island in the northern group.

It’s hard to tell how long the voyage will take. Looks like at least 10, possibly 12 days, to the Galapagos. But then should hopefully do fine – the subsequent 3,000 miles in perhaps as little as 20 days. This trip is very likely to be the longest I will make. On the plus side, once I make the Marquesas there are islands scattered west, meaning relatively short voyages. To Tahiti it’s 770 miles, on to Bora Bora 400 miles, then 500 to Tonga and another 400 to Fiji. So this trip will break the back of the Pacific Ocean.

There’s nothing more to say – wish me luck!