e from directly in front of us. 0815 It really is a very nice day. Sunny. Scattered low white puffs of cloud. Cooler--65ºF. Wind easing slightly. I keep thinking of the 150 or 160 mile day it would have been with a different wind angle. Put on my foul weather pants and sea boots to pump the bilge. I expected that with this jerky motion I would slosh water on myself, and did. We crossed 30º South just before 0800. Barometer 1008. 1205 We’ve kept alive our string, now at nine, of consecutive days with less than 100 mile runs. The wind is decreasing. I’ve twice let out more jib. And it may be veering slightly. We are getting up to 205º and even 210º. The waves are bigger, 6’, but farther apart and less steep. We can usually sail up one side and down the other without leaping into space. Noon position: 30º 21’ South; 174º 32’ West. Day’s run: 99 miles, which only reduced the distance to Opua by 73 miles. Opua: 644 miles, bearing 242º. 1430 Wind went light, then forced us off to the southeast, so I tacked. We are holding 285º to 290º and are able to power through the waves. Tired of going south anyway. 1700 Sailing more smoothly, but on 300º. Today would have been another fine sailing day with a different wind angle. Felt a sore spot near my left eye. Looked in the mirror and found a gouge and bruise there. I have been jolted about, but don’t know when that happened. Dug out a pair of socks, which I am wearing. Could be the first time at sea this year. October 2 South Pacific Ocean: Friday 0530 It is difficult to believe this is happening and more difficult to live with. During the night the wind lightened. At 0100 I was on deck to remove the reef and the last two rolls in the jib. I also tacked several times trying to find an advantage, but ended up as I began on port on a heading of about 300º. The sky was clear and lit by a full moon. Beautiful, but I didn’t care. During the next few hours, the sky clouded over but the wind remained the same, until forty-five minutes ago when I woke to find us drifting north. On deck again, tacked again several times. Ended up on starboard heading south at 3 to 4 knots. Since starting this entry, we have fallen off to 160º. 0800 Lovely morning. Sunny. Barometer 1017. Light wind that has slowly backed so that we sometimes are sailing 270º. I tacked back to port after the last entry. Only making 3.5 knots. The Kermadecs are a little over 100 miles ahead of us. And we are back up to 30º South. 1205 Waves building from southwest. Also a layer of hazy cloud moving up from that direction. Wouldn’t be surprised to get strong wind on the nose again. Amazing that we’ve had wind from the southwest for five or six days now in an area where the wind can come from any direction, but is more likely east than west. SOG: 4.2. COG: 307º. Noon position: 29º 53‘ South; 176º 00‘ West. Day’s run: 81 miles, of which only 48 brought us closer to Opua. Opua: 596 miles, bearing 237º. It has occurred to me that I might not break EGREGIOUS’s record after all. It was inconceivable that I would make a passage that slow, but isn’t any longer. 1700 About to cross 30º South for the second time. Also about to drink the last of the Calvados. Earlier this afternoon we were being pushed too far north and I tacked to starboard. An hour ago the wind died briefly, then returned from a bit further west and we are able to sail 210º-220º. Even moving to 227º as I write, which means that for the first time in almost a week we are almost sailing in the right direction at 4 knots. October 3 South Pacific Ocean: Saturday 0630 The clouds and swell, which had built to 6’, disappeared after sunset and the wind continued gradually to veer, until at 2300 we were sailing at 250º and I had to go on deck to ease us off onto the desired course. While the wind varied during the night--once when I woke we were heading south and I had to bring us back up, and at 0430 we were at 255º and I had to ease us off again--we mostly sailed at four knots in the right direction; and further adjustments a half hour ago have us sometimes making 5 knots. The sky is mostly clear, but with a bank of clouds to the east and some high cirrus. The barometer has gone up to 1019. I don’t want this wind to die. We are 70 miles due east of Curtis Island, one of the Kermadecs, and heading toward the southernmost out lying obstacle, L’Esperance Rock, 112 miles away. After so many frustrating days, it is a great pleasure to be sailing in the right direction. 1215 Continues sunny. Some high cloud, Mares’s tails. Some swell, coming both from ahead and astern. Wind has increased from 6 and 7 knots to 8 and perhaps 9, and our speed is up to 5.8. Just hit 6.0. Lovely smooth sailing on a close-reach. Took a solar shower. Heated one tea-kettle full of water to add to the rest to speed up the process. Changed into clean clothes. Noon position: 30º 49’ South; 177º 20‘ West. Day’s run: 90 miles. Opua: 506 miles, bearing 238º. L’Esperance Rock 80 miles ahead. The International Dateline 158 miles ahead. It has taken us 7 ½ days to cover the last 500 miles. 1630 A glorious afternoon. The sun has burned off the high cirrus clouds. There is a bank of cloud to the west, and the barometer is now 1018. The wind increased to 10 knots and continues to veer. I wish it wouldn’t change too quickly. Our speed has usually been above six. Lovely sailing. I spent a couple of hours on deck, drinking one of my last beers and listening to music. Haven’t done that for a while. Glad I showered this morning. The increased wind has made it cooler this afternoon. If this wind holds we will be at 180º tomorrow and may skip Sunday. October 5 South Pacific Ocean: Monday 0600 We still are 50 miles short of the Dateline, but will reach it today, so I have changed the date now. The wind increased last night. I lowered the mainsail at midnight under a bright full moon, and furled the jib partially at 0200 and more an hour ago. Wind 22 knots from the north. I just heard the forecast on New Zealand radio. There is a low off East Cape, 400 miles south of us, due to strengthen and move to the southeast today. New Zealand has also had a late snowstorm, which blocked highways and stranded cars in the middle of the North Island. High overcast here. Seas a lumpy 3’. Barometer 1012. When I was on deck at midnight, there was a strong fishy smell of bird droppings. I assume from L’Esperance Rock, which was then eight miles to windward. 0800 Reading J. Christopher Herold’s MISTRESS TO AN AGE: A Life of Madame de Stael, which was first published in 1958, won the National Book Award, and was the book that made Herold’s career. In it this morning I learned that in the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, a total of seven prisoners were freed: “four counterfeiters, one sex offender, and two madmen, whom the crowd had carried in triumph from the prison to the insane asylum.” Thus the National Holiday of France, celebrated by pirogue races on the other side of the planet in Tahiti. ---------- Wind circulates clockwise around a low in this hemisphere, which means west wind on the north side. I hope we are too far from the low off East Cape for this to happen to us. There is some clearing, with the sun sometimes breaking through the thin layer of high cloud. Wind continues at 22 knots from the north, and we continue making 6 knots on course for the Bay of Islands. 1015 Partial clearing was only temporary, and conditions have become rough enough to slow us down. With the wind still around 25 knots but just aft of the beam, with the amount of jib I had set waves were starting to come aboard; so I just went out, wearing foul weather gear, and reduced jib to storm jib size. This has smoothed out the ride and enabled the Monitor to maintain better control. It has also reduced our speed below six knots. Barometer steady at 1012. I keep hoping we are just on the fringe of this, and that with us and the low moving in opposite directions, it won’t get worse. 1205 The wind keeps catching up with me by increasing in strength and increasing our boat speed. Just before lunch in foul weather gear on deck reducing jib again. Now a mere scrap. Wind 25-30 knots. In past two hours barometer has dropped to 1010. Sky completely overcast. Clouds thicker, lower, grayer. Noon position: 32º 11’ South; 179º 42‘ West. About 18 miles to International Dateline. Our first six knot day in more than two weeks. Day’s run: 146 miles. Opua: 361 miles, bearing 239º. 1500 A rough, raw afternoon. Rain began at 1230, continued for an hour. Then during a lull, I pumped three buckets of water from the bilge, and went on deck to increase the jib slightly, which a subsequent increase in wind has just caused me to rectify. Moderate rain began again a half hour ago. The seas are not big--4’ to 5’--but some come aboard impressively. An albatross with a 6’ wingspan is gliding through the rain. At least, so far, this is not coming from ahead of us. Although I’ve kept my clothes mostly dry, everything in the cabin is damp. Just made a cup of tea to warm up. 1630 Heading northeast under deeply furled jib and double-reefed main. We have had the whole fiasco and no luck at all on this interminable passage. Wind died. Boat flopping around horrendously on left-over waves. Got in foul weather gear and on deck just in time for torrential rain and boat laid over by 30 to 40 knot wind from west. In rain and boat leaping around, I got main raised with second reef in. This took a long time with my often having to stop and hang on to something. By the time I finished, wind had died. Moderate rain continues. Not enough wind to move boat through the leaping waves and sail in any direction. Simply being pushed back east no matter what I try to do. Won’t set more sail until some wind returns. Certainly don’t want too much sail up if another 40 knots appears from somewhere. We are at 179º 59’ West. One mile from Dateline. Or were. 1800 Sailing close-hauled starboard with double reefed main and about 40% of the jib at 3 to 4 knots south. Sometimes up to 195º. With waves from previous wind coming up from on the beam, heeling us more than normal. Which is better than being thrown violently up and down by waves and no wind. Still in Western Hemisphere. Now five miles from Dateline. October 6 South Pacific Ocean: Tuesday 0745 This is not much fun, but on the other hand it isn’t getting the job done either. We are close-hauled on port tack making 4 knots to the northwest. I got tired again of heading south on starboard. I went to bed last night wearing my clothes in expectation of getting up when the wind shifted. Unfortunately it didn’t. The sky did clear, until the full moon was shining through the companionway like a searchlight, and we sailed well until about midnight. We finally crossed the International Dateline around 2200, after being within a mile of it six hour earlier. Even now we’ve only made twenty more miles to the west. At 0400 the wind picked up and we began bashing into and leaping off of waves. I had finally undressed about 0200. So got in my clothes, foul weather gear, and went on deck, where I found the wind to be 28 knots. Furled the jib down to storm jib size. Eased the main traveler. Improved our motion, if not direction. Back in the cabin, I pumped several buckets of water from the bilge. Then had orange juice and coffee. Can only do one thing at a time. Making coffee, even instant, difficult. I spilled some onto my hand when the boat heeled. Fortunately not quite boiling. Heard the weather on New Zealand radio. “Fresh southwesterlies” as far as Auckland and beyond. After coffee, I went back on deck--you can assume foul weather gear until further notice--and managed to tack. Sometimes we get to 300º--this is COG, which includes considerable leeway in these seas--but mostly around 315º. All this has only brought us 60 miles closer to Opua since yesterday noon. Now 301 miles and on this heading not being reduced much. Cabin very wet. Many leaks around new hatches. Disappointing. I installed them carefully with double beads of sealant. Had to put plastic tents over head and foot of berth last night to keep water from small hatch and mast falling on feet and companionway on head. Temperature in the 50sF. 53º when at 0400. 58º in cabin now. Barometer rising. Up to 1011. Sunny with scattered low clouds. 1200 Continued strong SW wind. A half hour ago we leapt off four waves in quick succession. I went on deck and reduced jib to a few square feet. Waves 8‘ to 10’. Wind 25 to 28 knots. We weren’t getting anywhere anyway, so no reason to get beat up. SOG: 4.3. COG: 314º. Noon position: 33º 02‘ South; 179º 26‘ East. Day’s run: 67 miles. Opua: 297 miles, bearing 243º. 1630 Wind has moderated slightly and backed so that we are able to point almost west. I just went on deck and let out a little more jib. Perhaps too much. We’ve leapt off a couple of waves in the past few minutes. I’ll give it a little longer before going on deck and furling again. Barometer 1013. A cloud with rain to the south. Cold on deck. October 7 South Pacific Ocean: Wednesday 0800 The wind dropped from the 20s to the teens last night. I got up at 0200 and went on deck, without foul weather gear, to let out a little more jib. Unfortunately the wind has remained southwest. New Zealand National Radio used to give detailed marine weather forecasts at 0300 and 0500 (0200 and 0400 ship’s time). I listened to the 0500 broadcast, which did not include the marine forecast. What it did say is that the North Island will have showers, clearing this afternoon, and continued southwest wind. There was also mention of a possible gale Friday, but I am not sure where. Today is partially sunny, partially cloudy. Two showers visible. One off our port bow. We are sailing at about 4 knots at 290º. Mostly this morning we have been around 285º. The seas dropped quickly and dramatically last night, going from 6‘ to 8‘ at 1800 to 2‘ to 3‘ at 2000, but have since increased again a foot. I’m keeping our speed down to avoid crashing off them. Last time I checked, Opua was still 260 miles away. If this wind had been from any other direction, we would have been there tonight. We need only 48 hours of fair wind to be in. I don’t know when we will ever get it. Less cold. 60º F. Barometer continues to rise. Up to 1014. I heard on the radio of the tsunami a week or so ago that killed people in Samoa and Tonga. The Australian boat on which I had a drink in Bora-Bora were headed for American Samoa. I wonder if they were there or still safely at sea when it hit. Rain cloud over us. COG 270º. Momentarily. Opua is now bearing 240º. 1210 By far the two slowest weeks of the circumnavigation back to back. The sky has largely cleared. Wind 18 knots. Seas 4‘ to 5’. Wind still southwest. The bearing to Opua has changed by 13º this morning. I’ll tack after lunch and see what we can do going south. Managed to get two chores done this morning, in addition to pumping the bilge twice. Shaved and took cat bath and replaced a valve in the head, which stopped in-taking water. Two valves in the head wear out and need replacing. I assumed I knew which one had failed. I looked to be sure I had a spare. In order to get replacements, you have to buy an entire spare parts kit. This head is easy to work on, thought less so going to windward. Got it done. Wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t. I could have flushed with salt water carried from the galley pump, or used a bucket. Bouncing around and heeled over, every bit of work tries both energy and patience. Noon position: 32º 31‘ South; 177º 46‘ East. Day’s run: 90. Week’s run: 661, which only brought us 556 miles closer to Opua. Opua: 247 miles, bearing 227º. 247 miles away and I have no idea when I’ll be in. 1300 Well, that didn’t work. Got in foul weather gear, went on deck. Tacked. COG 160º. Let us head off that way for a while, then tacked back. COG 280º. These are not compass heading, but take in account leeway. I expec