Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 81
Miles since departure: 38,458
Overnight the breeze stayed just strong enough to keep the sails quiet and Mo in steerage. But with sunrise, the sea went flat. I drowsed sails at eight o’clock, and we drifted until after noon.
One ship. One albatross, blackfooted. A deep blue sea below our hull with pale columns shimmering downward.
A lovely way to spend the middle part of the day, frankly. I cleaned the cabin ...
Noon Position: 45 53N 130 56W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): E 6
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 128
Miles since departure: 38,377
The rain that fell lightly but without remission all yesterday and last night finally eased to a drizzle by breakfast and then dried up altogether before noon. However, the S wind we’ve had for two days shows no signs of following suit.
By now we’ve run our easting down and are not in need of more. In fact, with a mere 250 miles remaining between Mo and the Oregon coast, ...
Noon Position: 45 14N 133 55W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): ESE 6-7
Wind(t/tws): S 15+
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 131
Miles since departure: 38,249
A year ago today Mo and I departed Drakes Bay and headed S toward Cape Horn.
Today we are 700 miles NW of Drakes Bay and close reaching into an autumn southerly. Winds yet lack that hard edge of winter and they are warm. The sea is small and Mo makes her speed without pounding.
All day I sat by the lee window and wondered what I ...
Quick update on the return plans. Yes, Randall will arrive in the Bay Area earlier than October 19th. He’s going to hang out for a bit and get prepared for his return to civilization so the date is still firm.
We’ll be posting the schedule for the weekend by mid next week along with both the Saturday shenanigans and Sunday reception. Keep an eye out as we’ll need your official RSVP for a couple of the events so we can get you into various locations.
We’re still looking for folks who are planning on sailing (or motoring) out ...
Noon Position: 47 12N 140 03W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): ESE 7
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 160
Miles since departure: 37,961
Randall: Hey Monte, have you heard this one? “A guy walks into a bar…”
Monte (perspiring at the tiller and concentrating hard): SENIOR! PLEASE!, if this is no an hemergenthia, then the god of wind and waves and your pilot appreciate you talking only when necessary.
It’s been a challenging day for Monte. Winds are fast and the sea is high. Holding a course is real work, and even with ...
Noon Position: 48 29N 143 35W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): ESE 8
Wind(t/tws): W 25+
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 167
Miles since departure: 37,801
Overnight, wind veered WNW and hardened to 25 knots. I slipped a third reef in the main and hauled the jib sheet tight and left wind on the starboard quarter all night.
Stars. The Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, Arcturus. In the wee hours, Orion. “Stars,” I said, “stars!” We had not seen them in so long, the word felt foreign.
Noon Position: 50 21N 146 46W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): SExS 7
Wind(t/tws): W 15
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 116
Miles since departure: 37,634
Mo and I began the Figure 8 Voyage 2.0 one year ago today.
September 30, 2018, 10:30am. The sun lit brightly the hills above Horseshoe Cove, and the water was as still as a lake. I said goodbye to friends, had one last affectionate moment with the wife, and then Mo and I were off under the bridge and out to sea.
Noon Position: 51 41N 148 59W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): ESE 5
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 138
Miles since departure: 37,518
Rain and fog, drizzle and fog, or just fog. A strong and contrary wind. All we do is pound, pound, pound.
The boat crashes and bangs and shudders right down to her very soul. It makes one wonder about metal fatigue and the stability of welds in an old boat. Would I even have time to grab the EPIRB when they finally call it quits?
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 125
Miles since departure: 37,377
Conditions stable overnight. Winds S 20; two reefs and Mo close reaching comfortably in a subsiding sea. I slept long and hard, nearly ten hours in the bunk, though up every 90 minutes. To be dry and in the warmth of a sleeping bag–all needs met.
Conditions same all day. Sails full, Monte pulling at the tiller.
The only occurrences of note: one, a passing ship just ...
Noon Position: 52 31N 155 58W
Course(t)/Speed(kts): SxW 6 – 7
Wind(t/tws): ESE 25+/Sea(t/ft): SE 8-10
Sail: Three reefs in main and working jib, close reaching on port
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 84
Miles since departure: 37,252
I tacked at 2am when the wind went into the SE so as to grab some southing while I could. Rough night close hauled in winds 25 – 30. Rain, drizzle, fog; spray everywhere. On deck every hour to reef again, adjust Monte, recoil a line pulled down by the constant water ...
Randall Reeves grew up reading about and dreaming of the sea. He learned to sail on the rivers of central California and interviewed world-famous solo sailor, Bernard Moitessier, for his college radio station, an event that changed his life. Randall’s blue-water sailing began in 2006 when he crewed on a 40-foot boat for a 26-day, 3,000-mile passage from Hawaii to British Columbia where “everything went gloriously wrong.” He was hooked. In 2010, Randall departed San Francisco for a two-year, 12,000-mile solo-loop of the Pacific in a 30-foot sailboat. Randall crewed the Northwest Passage in 2014, a grueling 65 days over an ice-strewn 5,000-mile course aboard one of only seven boats to complete the Arctic run that year. Randall’s preparations in 2016 have included long passages aboard his new Figure 8 boat from Kodiak, Alaska to Hawaii and back to his home in San Francisco, a total of 7,000 miles. Randall is a licensed Master of vessels to 50 Gross Tons
