Pegasus Is There, Here is the Daily Rundown
The Pegasus LogNOTE: The following logs are transcribed from voice mail messages sent by satellite telephone. Some sections of the message were unintelligible and are noted as _____. Most recent log entry is on top.Update: After 17 days, 5 hours and 45 minutes, Pegasus and crew have arrived, safe and sound, at Ala Wai Yacht Harbor at 1600 local time Honolulu.Last entry from Satellite phone on the Pegasus log forSaturday, October 26, 2002Land Ho! at 0700 by MikePosition 21° 21.8 N — 157° 9.7 WDays Run 166 NMCurrently 9.5 miles north of westend of Molokai. Threading the needle into the Molokai Channel. Current wind 18 gusting to 24 knots with 8 to 10 foot seas. A flurry of activity as we prepare to enter the world of land. Leaving our little water world will seem strange. For the past 17 days we have been our own utility company, stockyard, feedlot, butcher shop, bakery and grocery store, but shortly we will be in the land of ABC Stores on every corner.We have 42 miles to Ala Wai. Aloha Nuiloa! Friday, October 25, 2002Noon Fix 21° 56.4 N — 154° 14.8 WDays Run 163 NMToday was a repeat of yesterday. Early a.m.shift from ENE to SE winds. Proceeding under reduced sail. Honolulu weather states 20-25 knot winds, 8 to 10 foot seas. Seems about right. We are 208 miles from Ala Wai as the crow flies. Projected ETA based on current data indicates an approximate arrival into the Ala Wai Harbor at 1800 local time tomorrow, Sat. 26Oct. Thursday, October 24, 2002Position 22° 09.33 N — 151° 19.7 WDays Run 168 NMStill gybing downwind towards Oahu. Winds are moderate during daytime with squally, gusty winds in the early a.m. Lots of hands-on time at the helm. With the boats roll, cooking has become minimal. Delune(?) Pilot crackers and clean knives for peanutbutter are at a premium. We are beginning to make estimates of our arrival. An update and ETA will be in tomorrow's log. Wednesday, October 23, 2002Position 22° 28.0 N — 148° 19.0 WDays Run 153 NMWeek's Wrap up:Total miles for week: 898 NMAverage days run: 128 NMAverage wind speed: 12 knotsHighest recorded gust: 29 knots Average point of sail: broad reachAverage wind direction: ENE Currently broad reaching on port tack with reefed main and genoa. Wind and seas have abated during the night. Has anyone seen the surf forecast? There have been some really good WNW swells rolling toward the coast. Tuesday, October 22, 2002Position 22° 56.08 N — 145° 36.1 WDays Run 183 NMIt appears we have arrived in the tradewind zone. Now 3+ days sailing without motor. Steady 15-20+ knots winds on our starboard quarter.We had a challenging evening with windswept seas and squally late night and early morning activity. Presently sailing under reduced canvas. Monday, October 21, 2002Noon Position 23° 26.08 N — 142° 19.37 WDays Run 148 NMWe have experienced steady winds for the past 24 hours. We don't speak about the fact but accept it with graciousness. The fish taco fight yielded no clear champion. However the vienna sausages made a good showing. We look forward to continued wing and wing progress towards our destination. After a sashimi lunch we look forward to mahi mahi primavera. Sunday, October 20, 2002Position 23° 57.9 N — 139° 37.5 WDays Run 103 NMSaturday, we had 9 hours under spinnaker, including our days run and duration under sail. That is 28 hours sailing by noon today. Sashimi and tuna melts are great. We set our evening sails for broad reach for NE winds, then at 0200 put the genoa on a pole for wing and wing downwind. We are looking forward to mahi mahi helper. Tonight is the battle of fish tacos. The contender, Mr. Big Eye vs. the challenger, Marvelous Mahi. Note: Happy birthday to Terry! Saturday, October 19, 2002Position: 24° 13.4 N — 137° 46.0 WDays Run 101 NMFish on Friday! We took in 3 while on motor. 2 mahi mahi and 1 big-eyed tuna hooked within 5 minutes. Continued on motor until mid-afternoon. Big mahi dinner at sunset followed by full moon. Another noisy night with mild fickle winds and crossing swells. Old saying...the beatings will continue until morale improves. We reached our halfway point at 0400. Started motor and opened the halfway package with goodies. Thanks, Paulla! The crews spirits had lifted again before sunrise. Motor off and spinnaker up by 0900. Flying the kite is a challenge at the helm with these conditions but brings us to motor_______. End These are the voyages of the sailing vessel Pegasus,...Friday, October 18, 2002Position: 24° 40.38 N — 135° 59.12 WDays run 106 NMWe are approx 68 miles from our halfway point. At present speed, we should be there (24° 28.5 N — 137° 12.75 W) about 0200 hours 19-Oct. The full moon is now present almost all night hours, setting in orange and red colors, soon before the sun rises. Overnight sailing winds were steady enough for quiet progress. AM winds became mild and unstable astern. Now on motor. We ask all to appeal to their higher power for fish on our lines. Pickled eggs are now in season. Wonderful as salads and sandwiches. Thursday, October 17, 2002Noon Fix 25° 17.6 N — 134° 03.75 WDays Run 104 NMOne word wraps up today's synopsis--slow. Unusual wind shifts over last 18 hours has made us complete seven gybes. We have remained on a broad reach following gybes. Still hunting for the ellusive squall to gain a lift, wind speed and direction. Our fishing lures will have to spend time in beauty school to recapture their allure to the fish. We will have our first pasta meal tonight. Good-bye broccolli. Note of the day: the sun is almost as bright as the moon was last night. Wednesday, October 16, 2002First week completed.Position 25° 50.4 N — 132° 14.25 WDays run: 115 NMWrap up:Total miles for week: 918 NMAverage days run: 131 NMAverage heading: 242Average wind speed: 8 knotsAverage point of sail: beam reachAverage wind direction: NLast 24 hours we've seen every point of sail and 2 jibes, utilizing iron gennie during lulls, hunting the elusive squall for local wind. Food has been great! Tuesday October 15, 2002 Position at Noon: 26° 24.5 N — 130° 11.5 W Days Run 146 NM Loud and rough uncomfortable night. Confused seas and wind gusting 12 to 20 knots. Wind shifts up to 50 degrees. Everyone got a good workout at the helm. Earlier in the evening, we had a dinner party yesterday. Besides Mike, Alan, and Jay we had Barbara ________, Connie Ham, and Patty Melt. Currently, overcast skies and moderate sailing conditions. A good day to get some sleep. Received via Sat Phone: 12:13 PM Monday, October 14, 2002 Noon Fix: 27° 25.1 N — 127° 42.2 W Days Run 145 Nm. Not much to report we had our first day with wind averaging about 10 knots. However, with the windshift we were sailing a little aft of the beam and are now wing on wing. Neither is the best point of sail for Pegasus. Alan continues to have solo encounters with dolphins. He may be dancing with them next. Mike reports that the fish tacos were excellent. We all thought of your favorite recipe. (Note to the uninformed -- on the crossing of s/v Tenured from Hawaii to Alaska, Jay made special fish tacos for the Captain in which the fish was replaced by Vienna sausages -- yum.) Mike also found the technology to repair his sunglasses. Thanks J. V. Pegasus thank you and out. Received via Sat Phone: 12:18 PM Sunday, October 13, 2002 Position: 27° 36.45 N — 125° 02.31 W Days run: 118.7 NMYesterday winds were very variable. Extremely light to nonexistent afternoon breezes called for a stop at the YMCA We tried out the new 2300 fathom pool. Mike took pictures of the clean boat bottom. By sundown sailing breezes had returned. As Jay was hauling in the fishing line for the evening, he caught our first fish, an ahcu (phonetic). Allen had a solo encounter with an early am pod of dolphins Boat can be trimmed extremely well and sails on her own in the light breezes and long rolling swells. Jay has completed a thorough galley cleaning this AM. Fish tacos tonight. This is Pegasus log. Thank you. Out. Received: 12:12 PM Saturday October 12, 2002 Noon fix: 28° 39.2N — 123° 08W Days Run: 102 NMWinds extremely light and variable punctuated by variable engine usage. The sea is a mirror that you can shave by. Hope all is well. Pegasus out. Friday 11 October, 2002 Noon Position: 29° 45.6N — 121° 39.2W Distance run in the past 24 hrs: 155 NmGreat sailing from noon yesterday until 0700 today. Beautiful evening sale under a full main. Unusual ship encountered at 0400. It made many maneuvers and flashed a signal light at us. No response to us on VHF. Currently proceeding under Iron Jenny on Lake Pacific. (Some brief unintelligible jargon precedes log message) Thursday October 10, 2002 12;12 Pacific Time Position of Pegasus: 31° 13.5 N — 119° 11.3W Day's run: 137 Nautical Miles in the last 24 hoursOvercast skies once past Los Coronados Islands. Reduced sail to main and ____ (unintelligible) Wind light and variable last night. Wind oscillated from 40-50 degrees in direction over night and was variable speed from 4-10 kts with occasional gusts to 15 knots. No steady breeze above 10 knots. We did have a beautiful phosphorescent trail following the sheer of transom overnight with occasional moonlight. (Unintelligible) HATO 31 23 118 52 W October 9, 2002 Due to last minute changes in our personal lives, Paulla is not going to be on this passage to Hawaii. New development in personal commitments have made it necessary for Paulla to remain behind. October 9, 2002 Pegasus Log Transmitted by Mike Kirkpatrick (aka Capt. Bar Napkin) via cell phone.Underway at 12:15 local on October 9, 2002 Winds from the West at 10 kts. Sep 30 - Oct 2, 2002 With S/V Pegasus' owner Bill, Jay had a great 2 day shake down cruise from Marina Del Ray to Dana Point, and then from and Dana Pt. to San Diego, where various system checks will be completed. They enjoyed Pegasus' superb handling and hospitality, and the delightful interaction of pilot whales, dolphins, and naval vessels protecting our inshore waters. Pegasus is now berthed at the Shelter Island police dock. Pegasus is a dream and we look forward to delivering her to the tropical paradise we all dream of as Hawaii.