We’re on our last leg. Weather conditions are far from optimum for this passage, but rather than wait a couple of weeks, we’re underway, having departed Honolulu Monday morning.

A temporary relaxation of the Pacific High is due over the next four or five days, followed by a ridge building up towards the coast. Yesterday’s departure brought with it 25-knot winds and 12-foot (3.8m) waves. Not fun, but we need to get up to around 30 to 32 degrees North latitude as quickly as possible to take advantage of the forecast, so we’re pressing on. We ran at reduced RPMs most of yesterday with speed over the ground averaging 10 knots.

The sea state was such that we could not find a soft speed or angle that was acceptable tactically, so we were doing a bit of pounding. Fortunately, Wind Horse has a very soft squish when she drops into a hole, rather than the hard bang we are used to with our sailboats. Still, no amount of softness could make this enjoyable.

However, the barometer is climbing quickly, now up to 1021mb from 1017 yesterday, which indicates we are closing in with the high’s center. The breeze is down to 17 knots, still on the nose of course, and seas are beginning to subside. Boat speed over the ground is up to 10 knots (after deducting the half knot of adverse current). We’re hopeful that another 24 hours will see things much calmer.

There are a whole series of exciting developments to report. We’ve seen the 6000th mile pass under our new keel. Now at 24 degrees North latitude, we are no longer in the tropics. And the freezer/fridge are producing such novelties as sprouted wheat bagels and soy yogurt to augment our cruising physiques.

Meanwhile, a great deal of attention is being paid to weather tactics. We will have to decide in another day how far north to go. Anything beyond 30 degrees adds miles to our passage. On the other hand, we do not want to be so far south that the rebuilding high pressure feeds us another set of headwinds. If we stay a little further north, we’re more likely to be in the windlass center, or to get a push from the circulation on the top of the high. Aside from the extra miles, being too far north exposes us to the equinoctial gales that should soon be sweeping down from the cold country. We don’t mind these as long as they stay at a moderate intensity. Picking the latitude to run down our easing, as you can see, is a balancing act.

There are lots of sources of weather data. We’re downloading the GFS model out to 10 days, picking up forecasts and discussions using Saildocs, looking at buoy data, and discussing options with Rick Shema. And then there are our local conditions, which are still an important ingredient in all of this.

If we were on one of our sailboats, we’d probably wait a few weeks for the high to establish itself in a winter position further south, which would make for a much easier trip. But with this new boat’s ability to make good progress in adverse conditions, we’re going for it. On the great circle route we have 2100 nautical miles left to go. But we’ll probably add 200 to 300 NM to this before we are finished.