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May 8, 1999
Hawaii to Tarawa Voyage, Update #6
Day 5. Saturday, May 8, 1999, 0258 GMT
Latitude: 18deg 26.747N
Longitude: 158deg 50.642W
Wind-E, Frce3-4.
Current heading: 215 Mag.
Gorgeous day out here in the trades. The water under Moksha is now clear, clear blue. Good enough to drink.
All would be perfect if it wasn’t for the current still driving me north. According to the GPS my COG (course over ground) while drifting is about 315 degrees @ 0.8knts. All day I’ve been battling to keep my southing. I’ve managed to claw back 3.5 miles since 8.30am (7.5hrs) with an aggressive 215 mag. heading. My aim is to keep below 19 degrees. The price for this though is a poor performance westward. If I knew that the current would shift more in my favour the further west I get perhaps I could afford to lose some southing just to keep moving - then make up the difference later. But the pilot charts don’t look too promising in this respect. It’d be a sinch to get to Japan from here!
My first few days alone on Moksha have been a delight. It’s a bit like having free run of the house when your folks leave for the weekend. You’re free to turn up the stereo full blast, tear off all your clothes and act like an idiot ALL THE TIME!!! It’s bloody great.
Jason
Posted on May 8, 1999 9:07 PM