Zac Sunderland: Massive Swells
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Last night the wind did lay down and I was able to get more sleep than usual. There were only 3 squalls and a little lightning. (Can't believe I am saying that!) I spoke with Moana last night for the forst time in a few days. They have been having a great time in Gizo sleeping, eating and all of the other things you can't do much of at sea. It was great to talk with them. They got an email from Lady Sarah. They have finally arrived in Vancouver, Canada. While they were entering the channel there they had 60+ knots of wind. They have an awesome 50' sailboat in perfect condition. They said that it got totally trashed inside. They were on the radio with the Coast Guard for a lot of it - pretty terrifying!
I have been missing the Rag on the Air radio net more and more because my time zone is changing and I often get to sleep in the early morning. It is prbably time to start listening in for the Sheila Net out of Oz (Australia).
The swells this morning were massive and steep. I think they must have been about 15 feet judging by where they reach on the mast while I'm in the trough. I copped a few into the cockpit today and learned that my cockpit drains are clogged. After some troubleshooting I found that the valve on one was closed. I was sitting in the cockpit steering when one of the waves came into the cockpit. So much for my squall shower yesterday!
I have been seeing more shipping lately. The AIS ship radar has been awesome. When there is a ship within range, an alarm sounds and the display shows me the ship's speed, direction and position. Thanks again to Dr. Lowenberg for researching this and arranging to have one put on my boat.
Have been studying the Torres Straits and trying to memorize my landmarks and waypoints. Talk about schoolwork...there is only pass or fail out here sometimes!
Cheers,
Zac
posted by Zac at 9:42 PM 34 Comments Links to this post
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Squalls, Squalls and More Squalls
Yesterday I had 20-25 knots all day. I was running with it so it was a good ride and I was able to get some jobs done. At around 7pm I saw a squall on the radar and when I zoomed out I saw that it was over 24 miles wide. When I went out in the cockpit to get a look at it, it filled half of the horizon. Quickly I reefed and waited for it to hit. The wind dropped to about 15 knots for about 5 minutes and then it hit at about 30 knots and built to 35 knots constant with higher gusts. This first squall lasted about 2 hours. When it passed, I had about a 20 minute break before the second squall hit. This one was slightly more powerful than the previous one. By now it was dark and the only light came from the phosphoresence in the water from the big breaking swells. About 10 minutes into the second squall the lightning started all around the boat. It was closer and there was more than the last lightning storm. It went on all night getting hit by squall after squall and lightning flashing everywhere. Everything died down around 5 am but the minute I pulled up more sail and hit my bunk my AIS ship radar went off. So I was back up on lookout. Finally, the ship passed about 4 miles off my bow. I grabbed a couple hours sleep before I had another set of squalls and had to reef again.
I did catch about a gallon of water so I am looking forward to some good drinking water for now. We're still talking about possible stops and timing everything so I can be safe and still make good time. Thanks for the comments and emails. Good to know everyone is out there!
Cheers,
Zac
posted by Zac at 8:50 PM 39 Comments Links to this post
Friday, August 22, 2008
Just a note tonight from Mom:
It was a bit serious around here this morning as we waited for Zac's 12:30 - 1:00 'morning' call. He eventually called around 1:00 and let us know that his all-night navigating had gone well and that he was again in open ocean. He was somewhat incredulous that the wind and waves had calmed down so much. I reminded him that there must have been at least 1000 people praying for him. He was pretty amazed. He is also 'running' (wind and waves coming from behind the boat) with the wind and swells more now which makes the ride more comfortable. The swells are rolling again and not so steep. So he is tired but able to rest. Just one squall today.
He ran through all of his systems checking for problems. There is some chaffing on the windvane lines but nothing serious. Hans from Scanmar Marine called Laurence today and will be sending out some new lines for Darwin. The computer charger shocks him when he plugs it in so the laptop is not up but trusty Leviathan still works. His engine wouldn't start for some reason. He did as much troubleshooting as he could think of but just a groan and then nothing. He called tonight to let me know that he tried again and it started! While it is fairly calm he will add some bleach to his water tanks as it has become moldy and tastes awful.
Still working John Knight in Darwin and David Morris in Cape Cod to route Zac around and through the Coral Sea and the Torres Straits. Please keep this portion of Zac's trip in prayer. It is particulary difficult even if you aren't singlehanding.
Thank you for all the kind words and prayers.
Marianne
posted by Zac at 9:32 PM 42 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, August 21, 2008
ENDURANCE
The wind has been strong (20-25kts) and the waves big (8-12feet) for the past 2 days. I spent some time yesterday before the wind really built up trying to clean the boat because it is getting pretty wet and still smells awful. Because the waves are breaking over the topsides even the tiniest hole is dripping water. I have been able to keep the electronics safe but I now have what seems like about 10 leaks over my bed.
Last night my ship's radar went off about 11pm. The ship wasn't using usual red and green running lights. This light set up helps you to know which direction the boat is going. This ship only had two white lights so I couldn't tell which direction it was heading. There was a lot of lightning around although it wasn't very close to me if counting seconds between the light flash and thunder is accurate. It was pretty eary to be watching out for this ship by the light of lightning. The seas have been confused, coming from different directions. Sometimes 2 waves will come towards each other and slam together. At night when they hit there is a spray of phosphoresence that goes everywhere including on the boat. It is really awesome. I finally got back to bed at 1am. I slept til 3am when my radar alarm sounded - another squall. I am getting very fast at reefing and can get all the sails reefed (shortened) and set in 2 minutes. It used to take me 15!
I slept through the radio net today but I did speak to Moana later this morning. They have caught the first fish. To make things worse it was a 40 pound Yellowfin Tuna. They have so much fish they can't eat it all before it will go bad. They have stopped at the island of Gizo in the Solomon Islands for a week.
Today I had sustained winds of 25 knots for most of the day. I had a squall hit me with 35 knots gusting to 40 knots. I ran up on deck to secure some lines. I didn't have time to put on a shirt. The rain was coming sideways and felt like pins hitting my skin. Before I was able to reef for this squall I was nearly knocked down because I still had so much sail up when it hit. I caught a lot of this on film. I don't know if it can capture how intense it really was though. At one point today I had water in both windows; one side because of being heeled over and the other side because of a huge wave smashing against it.
You could say it has been a rough week. I am so tired and I have to be extra vigilent because there are islands and reefs all around me. I am considering going hove to (Daveh will explain) so I can get some sleep. I have to wait until I am clear of some nav hazards first.
On a positive note, I ate some freeze dried food that my Grandma sent to me in Majuro. It was terriyaki chicken and rice and it was great. I have also been eating power bars and soup trying to keep up on eating because the weather is going to be pretty much the same for awhile as far as I can tell.
Mom says she has asked a lot of people to pray. Thanks for that. The seas have laid down this afternoon so I am hoping to get a good nap before some serious navigating tonight.
Cheers,
Zac
posted by Zac at 9:48 PM
Last night the wind did lay down and I was able to get more sleep than usual. There were only 3 squalls and a little lightning. (Can't believe I am saying that!) I spoke with Moana last night for the forst time in a few days. They have been having a great time in Gizo sleeping, eating and all of the other things you can't do much of at sea. It was great to talk with them. They got an email from Lady Sarah. They have finally arrived in Vancouver, Canada. While they were entering the channel there they had 60+ knots of wind. They have an awesome 50' sailboat in perfect condition. They said that it got totally trashed inside. They were on the radio with the Coast Guard for a lot of it - pretty terrifying!
I have been missing the Rag on the Air radio net more and more because my time zone is changing and I often get to sleep in the early morning. It is prbably time to start listening in for the Sheila Net out of Oz (Australia).
The swells this morning were massive and steep. I think they must have been about 15 feet judging by where they reach on the mast while I'm in the trough. I copped a few into the cockpit today and learned that my cockpit drains are clogged. After some troubleshooting I found that the valve on one was closed. I was sitting in the cockpit steering when one of the waves came into the cockpit. So much for my squall shower yesterday!
I have been seeing more shipping lately. The AIS ship radar has been awesome. When there is a ship within range, an alarm sounds and the display shows me the ship's speed, direction and position. Thanks again to Dr. Lowenberg for researching this and arranging to have one put on my boat.
Have been studying the Torres Straits and trying to memorize my landmarks and waypoints. Talk about schoolwork...there is only pass or fail out here sometimes!
Cheers,
Zac
posted by Zac at 9:42 PM 34 Comments Links to this post
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Squalls, Squalls and More Squalls
Yesterday I had 20-25 knots all day. I was running with it so it was a good ride and I was able to get some jobs done. At around 7pm I saw a squall on the radar and when I zoomed out I saw that it was over 24 miles wide. When I went out in the cockpit to get a look at it, it filled half of the horizon. Quickly I reefed and waited for it to hit. The wind dropped to about 15 knots for about 5 minutes and then it hit at about 30 knots and built to 35 knots constant with higher gusts. This first squall lasted about 2 hours. When it passed, I had about a 20 minute break before the second squall hit. This one was slightly more powerful than the previous one. By now it was dark and the only light came from the phosphoresence in the water from the big breaking swells. About 10 minutes into the second squall the lightning started all around the boat. It was closer and there was more than the last lightning storm. It went on all night getting hit by squall after squall and lightning flashing everywhere. Everything died down around 5 am but the minute I pulled up more sail and hit my bunk my AIS ship radar went off. So I was back up on lookout. Finally, the ship passed about 4 miles off my bow. I grabbed a couple hours sleep before I had another set of squalls and had to reef again.
I did catch about a gallon of water so I am looking forward to some good drinking water for now. We're still talking about possible stops and timing everything so I can be safe and still make good time. Thanks for the comments and emails. Good to know everyone is out there!
Cheers,
Zac
posted by Zac at 8:50 PM 39 Comments Links to this post
Friday, August 22, 2008
Just a note tonight from Mom:
It was a bit serious around here this morning as we waited for Zac's 12:30 - 1:00 'morning' call. He eventually called around 1:00 and let us know that his all-night navigating had gone well and that he was again in open ocean. He was somewhat incredulous that the wind and waves had calmed down so much. I reminded him that there must have been at least 1000 people praying for him. He was pretty amazed. He is also 'running' (wind and waves coming from behind the boat) with the wind and swells more now which makes the ride more comfortable. The swells are rolling again and not so steep. So he is tired but able to rest. Just one squall today.
He ran through all of his systems checking for problems. There is some chaffing on the windvane lines but nothing serious. Hans from Scanmar Marine called Laurence today and will be sending out some new lines for Darwin. The computer charger shocks him when he plugs it in so the laptop is not up but trusty Leviathan still works. His engine wouldn't start for some reason. He did as much troubleshooting as he could think of but just a groan and then nothing. He called tonight to let me know that he tried again and it started! While it is fairly calm he will add some bleach to his water tanks as it has become moldy and tastes awful.
Still working John Knight in Darwin and David Morris in Cape Cod to route Zac around and through the Coral Sea and the Torres Straits. Please keep this portion of Zac's trip in prayer. It is particulary difficult even if you aren't singlehanding.
Thank you for all the kind words and prayers.
Marianne
posted by Zac at 9:32 PM 42 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, August 21, 2008
ENDURANCE
The wind has been strong (20-25kts) and the waves big (8-12feet) for the past 2 days. I spent some time yesterday before the wind really built up trying to clean the boat because it is getting pretty wet and still smells awful. Because the waves are breaking over the topsides even the tiniest hole is dripping water. I have been able to keep the electronics safe but I now have what seems like about 10 leaks over my bed.
Last night my ship's radar went off about 11pm. The ship wasn't using usual red and green running lights. This light set up helps you to know which direction the boat is going. This ship only had two white lights so I couldn't tell which direction it was heading. There was a lot of lightning around although it wasn't very close to me if counting seconds between the light flash and thunder is accurate. It was pretty eary to be watching out for this ship by the light of lightning. The seas have been confused, coming from different directions. Sometimes 2 waves will come towards each other and slam together. At night when they hit there is a spray of phosphoresence that goes everywhere including on the boat. It is really awesome. I finally got back to bed at 1am. I slept til 3am when my radar alarm sounded - another squall. I am getting very fast at reefing and can get all the sails reefed (shortened) and set in 2 minutes. It used to take me 15!
I slept through the radio net today but I did speak to Moana later this morning. They have caught the first fish. To make things worse it was a 40 pound Yellowfin Tuna. They have so much fish they can't eat it all before it will go bad. They have stopped at the island of Gizo in the Solomon Islands for a week.
Today I had sustained winds of 25 knots for most of the day. I had a squall hit me with 35 knots gusting to 40 knots. I ran up on deck to secure some lines. I didn't have time to put on a shirt. The rain was coming sideways and felt like pins hitting my skin. Before I was able to reef for this squall I was nearly knocked down because I still had so much sail up when it hit. I caught a lot of this on film. I don't know if it can capture how intense it really was though. At one point today I had water in both windows; one side because of being heeled over and the other side because of a huge wave smashing against it.
You could say it has been a rough week. I am so tired and I have to be extra vigilent because there are islands and reefs all around me. I am considering going hove to (Daveh will explain) so I can get some sleep. I have to wait until I am clear of some nav hazards first.
On a positive note, I ate some freeze dried food that my Grandma sent to me in Majuro. It was terriyaki chicken and rice and it was great. I have also been eating power bars and soup trying to keep up on eating because the weather is going to be pretty much the same for awhile as far as I can tell.
Mom says she has asked a lot of people to pray. Thanks for that. The seas have laid down this afternoon so I am hoping to get a good nap before some serious navigating tonight.
Cheers,
Zac
posted by Zac at 9:48 PM
Labels: Zac Sunderland
posted by ClearPoint Weather - Weather Decision Technologies Inc. at
8/25/2008 09:02:00 PM
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