[PUP] Pacific Crossing on Flat Earth

[Philip Eslinger]

After talking with John Ford, I have changed my plans about how to  
post the record of our Pacific crossing on Flat Earth. Rather than  
compressing 17 days of cruising into one dry summary full of  
statistics, I and combining my daily email updates to our friends and  
families into four or five posts for PUP.  This will give a much more  
intimate account of the passage and a good look at what life aboard  
our boat for 17 days was like.  My crew was my brother who is my co- 
captain and engineer and his best friend and former business partner  
from Orlando.  I hope that the group finds this format more enjoyable  
than the dry summary I had originally planned.



6/6:

We are currently 50 miles North of Oahu.  We are also North of Kauii  
and quite a bit to the East of it.  The ride is uncomfortable, but we  
expected that.  Rick and Chris are asleep below in their bunks with  
the airconditioning on.We expect a bad ride for at least the next  
three days.

We are running at 1100 RPM which gives us our best fuel consumption.   
We take whatever speed that gives us. 6 kts is an indicator that it is  
rough.  Mechanically, Flat Earth is running like the well oiled  
machine she is. Fuel contamination had been a problem in the past, but  
not now.  I had Rick change the primary fuel filters only they had  
been in there since the Marquesas last year.  When they are submerged  
in fuel for that long, they can become soft and get torn.  The new  
filters are running at a very low vacuum pressure which means no  
contamination.  Rick's new design for the hydraulic pump is running  
flawlessly.  With the old design, we would have had to change a belt  
or tighten it at the least by now.  Belt dust, which is another  
indicator of wear, has been greatly reduced.   The stuffing box, which  
seals out water around the shaft from getting into the boat is working  
properly now.  It is supposed to drip at a certain number of drips per  
minute, but we have had trouble getting any drip out of it since Flat  
Earth was new.  I purchased a new high tech stuffing material made by  
the Gore Company of Goretex fame.  We also only use two layers of  
stuffing instead of three and it is dripping just fine now.

I welcomed Chris  into the world of "Ground Hog Day".  "What?" he  
asked.  "Ground Hog Day";  you know, just like the movie where Bill  
Murray wakes up and every day is just like the last one.

22 28.5N   158 10.2W

wind 060/17 kts.  Although that is a little suspect.  We have taken  
the anemometer apart twice in recent months because it didn't opeate.   
It needs to be replaced.

Seas: 10' seas on the beam from the East to NE.  uncomfortable but  
doable.

Heading 350    COG 340 to 345M  there must be current.  We had been  
maintaining 010M with a COG of 000M but turned a little West so crew  
could sleep better.

SOG: 5.8 to 6.0 kts.

It looks like our wx is dominated by a high to the NE of us at about  
30N and 150W.  I would like to get through the winds and seas  
generated from the East on the South side of this high and head  
thropugh the high or up the back side of it if it stays in place.

  6/7

Not much to report today.  Everything is normal and working well.   
Well. OK, I'm not working too much!  We had our usual latches not  
working and opening spontaneously as they dumped their contents out  
onto the floor.  Chris got his first experience cleaning up messes as  
the main door to the refrigerator came loose and deposited the  
contents all over the galley.   After cleaning up the mess, he managed  
to do what I had not been able to do last cruise in several attemps:   
fix the latch so that it would stay shut.

The temperature has been very mild and pleasant.  I didn't even turn  
the air conditioner on last night even though the generator was  
running for the forward cabins.  The cool air is quite a relief in  
comparison to the heat we experienced last year crossing the equator.   
We watched our first DVD tonight, Iron Man, and I will setr up my  
laptop for Rick and Chris to watc a DVD on their watches.  Since the  
waves have smoothed out a little, I fixed out first full blown  
dinner.  We had egg noodles and BBQ'd beef short ribs.  Even Rick had  
a little.

We ar keeping an eye on some developing low pressure areas to the  
north and west of us about 900 miles.  They will become gales.  I am  
hoping that the high pressure centers in the area we are now located  
will push them to the North East and out of our way.

11:30 PM 7 June

position:24 21.5N     157 01.2W

COG- 030M  spent several hours at6 040M but sea got a little worse so  
I turned back to 030M

Speed-  6 kts  Wind - 070/16kts

Seas - smoothed out a little  to six foot waves at 24N as predicted.   
After dark picked back up again.

  6/8  11:49 PM HST

Great day today.  Almost a smooth ride ... very comfortable.   The  
temperature is almost perfect, too.  We are at the end of the first  
three days and Rick and I have YET to change our first belt or  
filter.  Everything is running perfectly.

At the request of our weather router, we have maintainjed a more  
Northerly course to inercept a point 29N 155W before we turn back to  
the East.  Both Rick and Chris have been monitoring the weather faxes  
with me and see no reason we can't turn East now.  I submitted the  
"why question" to Susan Genette, our weather person.

Today was so smooth that Chris put out fishing lines today.  Within  
the first hour he got a hit.  We stopped the boat and the fish  
promptly got off the hook.   The fish followed the lure right up to  
the boat and tried to hit the lure again.  Chris could see that it was  
a nice sized Mahi.  Over the course of the next two hours, Chris got a  
total of four hits, all with the same result: no fish for dinner.   He  
saw one of the Mahi jump clear out of the water.  It was a beautiful  
fish and may have neen the one that straightened Chris' hook out.  We  
also got a hit from our first flying fish this evening.  I think that  
he was aimiong for me.  He hist the side window in the pilot house  
right where I was sitting.  I don't hold grudges, though.  Despite his  
assasination attempt, I was able to grab him and toss him back in the  
ocean alive.

We had lasagna for dinner along with baked cinnamon apples.   The DVD  
player is becoming a nightly staple, all except for me because I'm on  
watch.

More tomorrow,     Phil, Chris, and Rick

Course 010M headed for 29N 155W   speed - 6.5 kts

Position - 26 36.8N  155 57.5W

Wind 059/9.5 Kts.   Seas: 4 to 6 feet, very comfortable ride.

There were a few small showers around us earlier, but none hit us.

  6/09  This is unbelievable and flotsome and jetsome!

Position:  29 06.5N    154 20.8W   COG - 060M  speed:  currently is  
6.5 kts  (While we were headed North, I kicked up the rpm's by 200 and  
we were able to make 7.8 to 8.0 knots.  I even saw as much as 8.2  
knots.  When we turned the corner our speed dropped off and the  
heading was not quite so favorable so I pulled engine speed back to  
1100 RPM which is our most economical.)

Wind - 109M/10kts  Seas - 2 to 4 feet with almost no wind waves.  very  
smooth.

There have been some very light (mist) showers in the area. We have  
turned the corner and are heading to the next waypoint at 32N  140W.

Jean and Frank:  Rick says that you guys would not believe how the  
trip is going so far.  I thought that the ride yesterday was good, but  
today, it was absolutely SMO-O-OTH.  Rick just keeps shaking his head  
and says, "This can't be happening.  It just doesn't work like  
this!"    Chris says, "This is like boating on a lake."   I say, "Jean  
and Frank should be here to enjoy this!"

The water is smooth and everything on the boat is working 100%.  We  
haven't even had to restart the computer yet. Even the automatic  
shutdown functions of the water maker are both working now ... Thanks  
PJ, it must have had something to do with the bad LCD unit.    The  
temperature is even perfect.  Normally, I am elated if I can keep both  
doors to the pilot house open; however, at night it gets a little  
chilly so I have to close one.  Day time temperatures have been 75F.

We have found the infamous refuse pile of the Pacific Ocean.  Anyone  
who has PBS or National Geographic Channel knows that there is a huge  
pile of floating flotsome and jetsome trapped by currents in the  
middle of the Pacific.  It consists of non-biodegradable trash like  
styrofoam, water bottles, and floats from fishing nets.  It is usually  
trapped somewhere in the Pacific High pressure area.  Guess where we  
are!   This stuff isn't exactly piled right on top of each other; but  
every 10 minutes or so, we see another piece of trash floating by.   
We've seen several styrofoam coolers, lots of water bottles  ... Chris  
even saw "Wilson" from the movie "Castaway" float by.  Wilson was a  
soccer ball for those of you who have not seen the movie.  We even saw  
a piece of Samsonite luggage float by (That would be from another Tom  
Hanks movie "Joe vs the Volcano").

We had steak fajitas tonight and will take advantage of the smooth  
water tomorrow to charcoal broil steaks and baked potatoes.

We are now more than 500 miles North of Oahu and turned more to the  
East on the recommendation of our weather router.  Currently, we are  
headed toward 32N and 140W, a point some 760 NM in our future.  I'm  
sure that there will be further course changes, but if we maintain  
this heading, I could arrive in Park City in another three weeks (via  
Monterey, Ca.). The smooth conditions are forecast to last through  
Friday with tomorrow (Wednesday) being the best.  Then on Saturday, we  
can expect a frontal passage and about 24 hours of not so comfortable  
conditions (read as "normal").

  Another thing that has Rick baffled is how well the boat is  
working.  Usually something breaks or needs adjustment ... not  
anymore, though!   Actually, I think that Rick is having separation  
anxiety because the Flat Earth just doesn't need him anymore.  She may  
be looking for a reason to dump him!  Is a "Dear Rick" letter in his  
future?


More later....Phil Eslinger    Flat Earth N50