Position Report and other info UTC (-8 Hrs Wind Sprite Time)
Cut and paste the GPS location below into Google earth, you can place mark This position and follow our Progress. Should this page not be updating then updates may be occurring via Satellite phone on the Posts page. You can contact us by sending an SMS (via email) To Satellite Phone. Please Note SMS is a maximum of 160 Characters and you need to leave the subject or message header blank
| Wind Sprite | Galapagos to Marquasas | 28/05/2017 From | 20/06/2017 to | 23 Days | 552 Hrs | 3090 Nm |
Friday, 23 June 2017, 1200Hrs
Leaving Nuku Hiva, Fresh bread on board and water tanks almost fully topped up. Pleanty of rain overnight has given us more than enough water for the 823 Nm to Bora Bora. Winds are expected to be light to start with so we are currently under engine but looking forward to it filling in the further we get from Land and South.
Monday, 19 June 2017, 0900Hrs
09 08S, 138 07W, Reasonable progress yesterday leaving us with 120Nm to go so still expecting to arrive tuesday morning. A couple of good showers of rain overnight so now we have rigged a contraption to catch the water for the water tanks. Of course the rain squalls are now skirting all around us but none to test our gadget.
Sunday, 18 June 2017, 0900Hrs
08 48S, 136 00W, Countdown continues now under 250Nm to the Marquasis. It looks like a Tuesday morning arrival giving us the day to check in and start gathering our supplies for the next leg. Note the time change again, another 30mins due on arrival.
Saturday, 17 June 2017, 1000Hrs
08 28S, 134 04W, Down to 350Nm to go. Another time change later today. Will use the extra hour for more general maintenance and engine checks etc., lubricated the helm etc. again as there is still some jamming happening causing the autopilot to be working only intermittently Planning to try and again tighten the pilots drive chain and download the correct manual and set-up guide in port when able. All well and looking forward to a stop in a few days.
Thursday, 15 June 2017, 1000Hrs
07 59S, 129 58W, Just under 600Nm now to go. ETA at current rate should see us on shore for Tuesday morning. Its a shame we only need water essentially as food and fuel supplies are holding up well. Also another week at sea would probably see some permanent damage from cabin fever.
Wednesday, 14 June 2017, 1000Hrs
07 48S, 127 54W, Counting down now 725 Nm to go. A slow one with the wind dying down to near 10Kts and a slow angle so only made 115 Miles in the last 24 Hrs. The lower speeds also cause the autopilot to jam more often. Thanks Duane again for your reports, after watching rain clouds pass all around us for days finally a couple of short showers landed on board not long after your prediction. Do you have shares in the satellite network or something?
Tuesday, 13 June 2017 1000Hrs
07 23S, 125 58W, 840 Nm to go
Monday, 12 June 2017, 1000 Hrs
07 28S, 123 53W, Less than 1000Nm now to the next stop so over 2/3rds of the way. Just seeing the start of some rain squalls so looking forward to some extra fresh water. Not that its easy to catch but it will be welcome to wash away some of the salt that’s been accumulating everywhere.
Sunday, 11 June 2017, 1000 Hrs
07 36S, 121 43W, Still 1100 Nm to go. I miss judged the amount of coffee the current crew consume so its going to be a very long 1100 Miles as any amount of rationing just wont work from here. The autopilot is currently handling these stronger wind strengths reasonably well so that’s a bonus. Note also the time change, we are now UTC -8 Hrs.
Saturday, 10 June 2017, 1100 Hrs
07 26S, 119 37W, Still some autopilot woes although a bit better recently. A little slow on the averages but expecting the wind will pick up a bit more in the next few days and bring a bit of rain with it. Due for another time change as we are approaching 2/3rds of the way now.
Thursday, 8 June 2017, 1100 Hrs
05 35S, 115 57W, My fingers are getting arthritis from keeping them crossed for the last 3 days. We tightened the steering chain and cables which helped the autopilot for 12 hours yesterday however now they are back to there original tightness since Greece. Will need to try this again in port to make them stay firmer. More lubricant again has been working for the last 2 hrs. but I am currently touching wood which is not so painful
Thanks again Duane for the updates which are exactly what we are getting wind strength and direction wise. Have a good long weekend rocking on the Gold Coast! Will update in another few days.
Wednesday, 7 June 2017, 1100 Hrs.
05 18S, 113 48W, Almost half way on this leg, less than 1600Nm to the nearest landfall. Our average has dropped back a bit now as the wind is directly behind us only allowing one sail to work efficiently. The autopilot has continued to give us grief for the last 24 hrs. Currently its been fine for the last hour so fingers are crossed. The problem seems to be the steering has tightened up causing the failure. Lots of lubricant over the entire system and the application of special tool no. 65 on the helm locking mechanism (believed to be the culprit) just may have saved us some sleep. Otherwise all going well.
Tuesday, 6 June 2017, 1100 Hrs.
04 56S, 111 28W, Not sure how the averages will go as the autopilot now is starting to switch off with the swell . 165 Nm in 24 hrs again our best yet.
Monday, 5 June 2017, 1100 Hrs
04 20 S, 108 47 W, Wind has now moved a little more to the East at 20 Kts. Another good day of distance made good. Had a couple of hiccups with the autopilot going off course but hopefully this was just due to the change of wind overnight, keeping an eye on it but seems to be behaving well this morning. Also keeping an eye on our water supply, we have now past 2/3rds of the way to the next possible top up.
Sunday, 4 June 2017, 1100 Hrs
04 03 S, 106.13W, Our best 24 Hr average yet with 160Nm travelled. Poor Harun has a serious bed wetting problem. He wanted some steering practice which resulted in him taking another wave through his open hatch. Its about the 5th time he has had his bedding strewn up all over the boat to dry out.
Saturday, 3 June 2017, 1100 Hrs
04 01S, 103 35W, Note the time change as we are now on UTC -7 Hrs. Our best 24 hr average to date I believe, 153 Nm in 24hrs. The wind is gradually increasing still predominantly in the SE direction.
Friday, 2 June 2017, 1200 Hrs
03 20 S, 101 11 W, Making good speed in clear sky’s. Not as hot and oppressive as it was on other legs. All in all very pleasant sailing. Just over 2300 Nm to go or more.
As a special treat 5 eggs were released for consumption this morning, this afternoon at happy hour we will wind the clocks back to UTC -7 Hrs The egg protein should get us through the extra hour today. Hoping to time it so when the dateline is crossed we miss a whole Monday like Dinah did. Thanks Dinah for the update, Go the BLUES !
Thanks Duane, for your updates, yes the long swell is quite smooth so I expect we will keep increasing our averages as we get to further South. Could use the rain to wash my hair though!
Tuesday, 30 May 2017, 1200 Hrs
02 23 S, 94 19 W, Only 2800 Nm to go to the Marquises as now, So that’s only 300 Nm behind us since leaving early Sunday Morning. The wind has gradually picked up to 15 Kts from the SE and we are expecting it to increase a little as we get further down the track. Its a lot easier with the wind and current on our side especially since the last leg. Currently the crew are working on a small bucket of squid and a few flying fish to cook up. They can keep the flying fish as far as I’m concerned. We do have plenty of provisions but I guess it keeps them occupied.
Friday, 26 May 2017, 1500 Hrs
All set to go again. Fumigation done and passports stamped. Just busy collecting some last minute fresh supplies and some quick weather checks and updates. Finally on the last day found an internet café that has a fast connection.
Thanks for your weather update Duane, I like the sound of consistent trade winds to kick off with especially once we get a bit further South.
Will update in a few days
Notes on Communication: – Please feel free to send SMS messages via your email
direct to the satellite phone on board. Simply click the “free” link shown on
the top of this page or type the address as 881631430767@msg.iridium.com
It’s only a maximum of 120 Characters and you need to leave the subject or
message header blank