Mazu Adventures: Mexico to New Zealand : Audios Mexico, our journey begins March 2013

With Zarpe in hand we are cleared out of Mexico, next stop Hiva-Oa!

Well the time has come to say Adios to our time in Mexico,

The cupboards are full the boat is ready and the weather looks promising so lets go!

We plan on leaving with in a few days, perhaps as soon as Sunday March 24th. Our crew, Jack and Suzanne will be making the trip with us. I plan on posting each day so you all can follow along with us.

Mexico to Marquesas, Day One: position 19degrees 17' north 107degrees 46' west

We left La Cruz Sunday March 24th at about 12pm, after fueling and one quick trip to the Sunday Market for fresh berries and yogurt. There were many folks on the dock to wish us a safe and fun trip. We even got to see our good friends, Mark and Emily from the boat Groovy. We were not sure we would see them before we left. We raised the sails just outside the marina and soon we were going a steady 6.5 to 7 knots in 15 knot wind. We hoped that we could maintain that all the way to Hiva-Oa. It would make for a good trip. We had a dinner of stew (I made a few weeks ago and froze it) and fresh bread from the Sunday Market. Everyone is feeling very well, no seasickness, and we were able to get some rest. Lucky for most of us that we are able to fall asleep quickly when we are off our watches. Today the winds have died a bit to about 7-10 knots from the Northwest. We decided to set our Asymmetrical Spinnaker and we are now making 5.4 knots (speed over ground). The seas are a nice even roll most of the time so the motion is good right now. I got to do our first radio check-in. There are 2 that I plan on participating in. One is our Pacific Puddle Jump radio net (folks like us who are sailing to the same place) and the second is the Pacific Seafarers Net. During these check ins I give my position, course and weather/sea reports. The Pacific Seafarers net will post my position if you go to their site (Google it). This morning we were greeted on deck by a flying fish and a squid, they both gave their lives just for the chance to say they too have been sailing with Mazu.... That's it for now, everything is going very well and Mazu is cruising along like a dream.

Mexico to the Marquesas':March 26, Day 2 Position: 17degrees 34' North 109degree 41' West

We were off to a roaring start yesterday with good winds and fast sailing, today we got to test our sail trimming to get the most of light air. Yesterday we used our Spinnaker which worked fine, but we do not like to fly that at night. So we decided to set the jib out on our pole to get more air. But when we went out to set it we could not get the spinnaker pole out of its nice holder on the deck. While pulling on it we managed to pull the entire part up off the deck. Not good. But as it was getting to be sunset we just set our jib and sailed it, albeit slowly most of the night. Mel and Suzanne did have to turn on the motor at about 3 a.m. as the rigging was taking a beating and we were going very slowly. Mel and Jack were able to fix the spinnaker pole holder today, they were very lucky that the seas were calm. So for most of the day we were able to sail in light air with our genoa sail poled out. What does poled out mean you say? Well in light air you want to capture as much of the wind as you can. We have a spinnaker pole on the boat. How it works is, it is attached to a track on the mast. The top of the pole slides down the track and the bottom swings out. On the bottom is a hook that you run the forward sail sheet through. The pole then swings out taking the corner of the sail with it. This then holds the sail out into the wind. Without it the sail would just flop around making a bunch of noise and we would be going nowhere. Tonight we are back to the motor as even with a poled out sail we were only going about 2 knots, it would be a long trip to Hiva-Oa if we kept going like that.

That's all for now as I need to check into my radio net. More on that tomorrow.

March 27, Day 3: Position 16degrees 13 west 111degrees 08 west. 408 miles
All is good aboard Mazu. Last night we started our new watch schedule. We began our trip with a 2 person watch so Mel and I could teach Jack and Suzanne what to do. With the new schedule there is one person on at a time. This means that everyone gets at least one long period of much needed sleep. For my boating friends you know what a watch is for my non boating friends I will explain. As you may know we keep moving 24 hours a day so someone needs to be up and be the eyes and ears of the boat. We have an autopilot so you do not need to be at the wheel the whole time. We also have a chartplotter, which is like a large GPS screen that shows the position and direction of the boat. We also have radar so we can see if there are other boats in the area. So the job of the person on watch is to maintain a look out, watching for lights etc. Monitor the radar, again looking for other boats or squalls. Keep the sails trimmed, maintain our course and make sure no lines have gone overboard. If we are motoring they will also monitor the engine gauges. In between these chores you get to look at the stars, watch the boobies (birds) fly around the sails and meditate. Each evening I check into 2 radio nets using my SSB marine radio (like a HAM radio). The Pacific Puddle Jump is first. This net is for the boats like us who are making the crossing to the South Pacific. So far only 4-5 boats have checked in. We are some of the first boats to get underway. I have been able to hear one of our friends on the boat Pantanjali, (they were next to us in La Cruz and left 15 days ago) they have crossed the equator. It is nice to hear where everyone is. Also we can get an idea of the winds and weather that we may be getting into. The second is the Pacific Seafarers net. This is a more "professional" group of HAM operators that help us marine mobile stations. We check in with our position, weather and sea conditions. They then keep track of that and even get it posted up on the internet. They are also there for emergency's helping mariners with boat issues. On this net there are several stations that are listening for us mariners so we are all heard and can check in. They could also help us make contact with other boats or even to folks back home. It is a great service all run my volunteer HAM radio operators. Because we have been is calm seas and light wind cooking has been pretty easy. I have not gotten any complaints yet so I guess I am doing ok. We have had stew, meatloaf with potatoes and salad, and tacos. Tonight it will be a chicken stir-fry. Things we have seen so far: sea turtles, flying fish, dolphins, white boobies (have not caught any fish so far)

Mexico to Marquesas day 4 Position: 14 degress 10' North 113degrees 32' West. 595 miles

Last night we had to motor sail as the wind was very light. We kept the main up with a reef to help steady the boat. We really had not planned to use any fuel so soon but the rigging was taking a beating and we wanted to get further along as our weather reports said we should see more wind. We had some free-loading boobie birds hitch a ride with us last night. Three were on the bow of the boat and one was perched on our spinnaker pole. They stayed with us all night and into the morning. There seems to be a small flock following us as they tried to perch on us again tonight. You would think that you would have many idle hours floating around on a boat in the middle of the ocean, but in fact I may have logged only an hour of reading since we started. There are sail changes to be made, meals to prepare, weather to download and just keeping watch. It makes the day go by fast. As expected the winds increased today and we sailed with our spinnaker poled out for a day of downwind sailing, a very nice day. Tonight we are still down wind sailing but the seas have picked up and it is a bit of a rolly ride. Until tonight there were only 3 boats that left Mexico at about the same time as us, tonight with a favorable weather window several other boats are out and checked into the Pacific Puddle Jump radio net tonight. It is good to have more company out here. All in all everyone is fine on Mazu and we are sailing along...

Mexico to Marquesas Day 5 Position: 12degrees 29' north 114 degrees 59' west. 750 miles

We have entered into the trade winds. After the light winds of the past couple of days we now have steady 15-20 knot winds from the Northeast. We are sailing wing on wing and going about 6.5 to 7.5 knots. With the trades also came some rather rolly seas. We have a swell from the NE of 7 feet at 5 seconds. This makes even the simple tasks of moving around the cabin or doing dishes quite challenging. We will all have strong abs, and leg muscles if this keeps up. Last night there were a few rain showers around us. We could track them on our radar, which is good practice for when we need to watch for squalls. No rain got on us. Too bad a little shower would have been welcomed to get the salt off the boat. Today we needed to charge our batteries, and make water. For that we run our generator, while it was running we also got to take showers and do a bit of laundry, always a welcomed activity. The rest of the day was uneventful, we all read, took naps, and sailed the boat.

Day 6 and 7 Position: 08 degrees 41 minutes North 119 degrees 39 minutes West

Easter Sunday, I hope you all have had a great day with friends and family and that you all got lots of eggs from the Easter Bunny. We have gone 1000 miles! That is about 1/3rd of the way to Hiva Oa, Marquesas Our winds are still very good but we are still plagued with rolly confused seas. Sometimes we feel we are sitting in a washing machine! The motion makes all tasks a challenge. Imagine trying to cook while your body is swaying back and forth like you were doing the hula-hoop, and don't let go of the tomato you are slicing or it will roll across the counter and into the sink.... I still manage to get a meal on the table, tonight it was taco salads. We eat outside in the cockpit and tonight we enjoyed a great sunset. We are now starting to think about when we will cross the equator, and the ITCZ. The ITCZ is an area of unsettled weather near the equator, known for squalls and just funky weather. The trick is to try to pass through it between the squalls. After that and the equator you can pass through the doldrums... any area of little or no wind. We will closely watch our weather reports and GRIB files to help us decide when to go through.

For now, know that we are all clean, well fed and in good spirits.

A beautiful sunset...

Day 8 Position: 07 degrees 01 minutes North 121 degrees 06 minutes West 1,172 miles
The washing machine action of the last few days has subsided. We have pleasant 16 knot winds with following seas. This is what all sailors' desire. Today we are flying our asymmetrical spinnaker and a full main "wing on wing". That means the spinnaker is on one side of the boat (in our case starboard) and the main is our over the other side, (our port). After 3 days of the washing machine we are all in better spirits. The crew is doing great, even during the past few days everyone has kept their sense of humor. There has been a minor problem today. Every day we must run either the motor or our generator in order to charge our batteries. We noticed that it was taking a very long time to charge them. Mel noticed that the inverter was getting over heated and it would stop taking the charge until it cooled a bit. As it turns out the fan for our inverter is not working. We need to have the inverter working for the charge to get to the batteries. Being a resourceful guy ( and a Sat. phone call to our friend and boat electrician Bob, for a confirmation of the problem) we have put a small fan in the space with the inverter and ran an extension cord. Now when we charge the batteries we will plug in the fan. Yesterday and today we have been rewarded with fantastic sunsets that filled the whole sky. We really love dinning in the cockpit and enjoying the view. Our weather report today shows that there is little activity in the ITCZ area, but as it is unstable they are not able to give any long term forecasts for the area. We still have a little ways before we enter it so we will keep looking at our weather reports and contact our weather router as we get closer. My crew is easy to please when it comes to meals. It seems that the day revolves around what and more importantly when is our next meal. Last Monday we had meat loaf, so Monday has become "meat loaf Monday" Tuesday will be taco Tuesday (we hope fish tacos if I can catch a fish tomorrow), Chicken stir-fry on Wednesday (can't think of a 'w' food) etc. They have not complained once about the meals. They may be upset next Monday as I do not have another meat loaf in the freezer, I must think of another 'm' meal. We still have plenty of fresh food on board just using up the last of the strawberries today. Danice, you will be sorry to hear that the basil did not make it through the "washing machine" action of the last few days, (she gave me a rooted cutting from her plant before we left ).

So all is well on board and we are all still amazed that we are really out here in the middle of the ocean!

Day 9 Position: 05 degrees 32 minutes North 123 degrees 01 minutes West 1,319 miles

Rules are made to be broken right? Well not this time. One of our rules we had was not to fly our spinnaker at night. Why you ask? Well a spinnaker is a light air sail that you need to go out to the foredeck of the boat to deploy. So usually they are not flown at night because if the wind picks up it is a mad scramble in the dark to get it down and into its bag. Well yesterday we had a lovely day of sailing, light winds following seas, everything was great. After dinner as a rule we usually decide on our sail plan for the night. After careful review of 3 different weather sources that all called for very light winds, we decided to keep the spinnaker out on the pole. Well as you may have guessed by now, the reports were wrong. The winds picked up about midnight and it was all hands on deck as we doused the spinnaker and got it into the bag and stowed. There were a few "exciting" moments but all in all we did a fine job. After that everyone went back to bed or to their watch. So, lesson learned, some rules are not meant to be broken. Tonight we find ourselves in the beginning of the dreaded ITCZ. As I sit here I am also keeping a careful watch on the radar screen monitoring the various squalls that are forming and dissipating. If I see one near us I calculate how far it is and in what direction it is going so we can adjust our course if needed. So far all of them have been several miles and going away from us. It is important to avoid these squalls if possible as they usually pack some wind (sometimes in the opposite direction) and rain. We will continue to monitor this area and try to pass through as fast as possible. So once again today finds the crew of Mazu well and in good spirits.

Day 10 Position: 03 degrees 47 minutes north 124 degrees 42 minutes west 1,457 miles

Half way there! We have been out for 10 days now and we are about half way to the Marquesas. If we continue to make good time we should arrive in Hiva-Oa in 10-12 more days. Time is going by fast. Now we are in the middle of the ever moving ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone). Today we had fun tracking the rain clouds on the radar. We had a couple of good rain showers that gave the boat a good washing. We were happy that no adverse winds were associated with the rain fall. We think we will be in the ITCZ for a couple of days, then into the dreaded doldrums of the equator. Most boats plan to motor through this area and pick up the southern trade winds on the other side. Another day, another problem. Last night in preparation of an oncoming rain storm Mel and I decided we should furl in the jib sail. Try as we might we could not get it to go in more than one third of the way. We have learned (the hard way, but that is another story) not to force things if they seem harder than usual. So as the winds were not building we decided the best option was to leave it as it was until daylight, oh did I mention this was at 1 in the morning? Seems like if something is going to go wrong it is always in the middle of the night. The next morning after a good stiff cup of coffee Mel and I went up to investigate. Luckily it was an easy to fix,
wrap of a halyard (that is a line that lifts sails up and down, a sheet moves a sail from side to side). I have come to believe that lines and ropes on a boat have a mind of their own. If there is any way for it to get caught on something or tangle it will.

A squall in the dreaded ITCZ

Day 11 Position: 02 degrees 26 minutes North 126 degrees 04 minutes West 1,557 miles

Night Watch: Night watches are usually a very peaceful and relaxing time of the day. Tonight is no exception. We have a nice light wind that is blowing on the side of my face. The night air is cool, and the motion of the boat is very pleasing. As I look up at the sky it is an explosion of stars. I feel just like I am in a planetarium. The stars are like a dome ending at the ocean. I sure wish I knew more about the constellations as I am sure I would be able to pick them out. Night watch is also a good time to reflect. I find my mind wandering over how we came to be here in the middle of this big beautiful ocean and how lucky we are to experience this.

Today we think we have sailed out of the ITCZ as we have clear skies after a very dark and cloudy morning. And as you can tell from our position reports we are getting closer to the equator, a milestone of the trip to be sure. Well back to star gazing and reflecting.....

Day 12 Position: 01 degrees 20 minutes North 127 degrees 10 minutes West 1,654 miles We have had light winds today and into the night, so it has been slow going. Winds are 7-10 knots and we are going about 3.5 knots. The seas are calm and it was a beautiful sunny day. We decided to open all the hatches to let the breeze in. What a difference that made. The cabin stayed cool and comfortable all day. After so much sun yesterday we made an effort to stay in the shade. Luckily we did not have to do any sail changes that warranted going out on the foredeck.

I thought I would describe a typical day at sea (if there is a typical day):

12:00 a.m. I have one our left of my watch. I usually write this blog, emails, and download weather. 1:00 a.m. to 8:00 (ish): Mel comes up to relieve me of my watch and then I SLEEP. 8:00: I make coffee and breakfast, usually yogurt and granola or perhaps eggs, all depends on the sea state. 8:30 - 10:00: clean up the galley and cabin. If we are running the generator and have water this is when I may do a load of laundry (yes, I have a washer on board). If we are making sail changes this is when we will usually do it. 10:00 - 12:00: read, relax or even nap 12:00: LUNCH TIME, today is was a chef salad 12:00 - 4:00: Boat projects, sail trim or changes, read, nap. It just depends on what the weather and wind is doing, and if anything on the boat needs attention. 4:00-6:00: if we are lucky and have made water we take showers every 2-3 days. Showers are taken in the cock pit. Girls first then Boys. Showers, depending on the seas can be easy or very difficult, no matter what a lot of balance is needed as you try to wash your hair, rise, and hold on to the boat at the same time. 6:00 (ish): DINNER tonight it was meatballs with garlic butter pasta 6:30: Sunset, this is a group activity. We have seen some great sunsets. 7:00: Pacific Puddle Jump radio net. We track where the other boats are and get to hear everyone. Letting us know we are not the only ones out here. 8:00 - 8:30: I rest as I wait for our next radio net to start 8:30 - 10:00 I do my check in on the Pacific Seafarers Net, I then rest until it is my watch. 10:00 - midnight: the first 2 hours of my watch.I monitor the radar and chart plotter, trim sails, look for any boats, read and write my blog and down load weather on the SSB.

Day 13 Position: 00 degrees 16 minutes North 128 degrees 14 minutes West 1,757 miles

As you see by our position we are very close to the equator where we will follow tradition and pay our respects to Neptune with an offering of grog (and an offering of grog to the crew). By our estimation we will reach it at about 3 a.m. on Sunday April 7th. It will be all hands on deck as we mark this momentous occasion. We were in the doldrums again today. When our boat speed got below 3 knots we decided it was time to turn on the motor and get going. After all the peacefulness of sailing the motor sounds really, really loud. If Neptune hears our plea perhaps we will see more wind tomorrow. It is hard to believe that we only have about a week left of this voyage. Where has the time gone? Other folks that we have talked to that have made long passages all said that the time would fly by, but I did not believe them. Even here in the doldrums the time passes quickly. As I wrote yesterday there is a lot to do on a boat. I just talked about what my day was like. Mel has done a fantastic job on setting our course, charting our position, interpreting the weather, setting good sail plans, and keeping things in working order. This cruising stuff sure is a team effort. Perhaps I will have him write a blog of a day for him on Mazu. Well now I must go and prepare our offerings to Neptune.

Day 14 Position: 01 degrees 12 minutes South 129 degrees 46 minutes West 1,883 miles

An Offering to Neptune

WE ARE SHELLBACKS! Early this morning (3 a.m.) we made it across the equator. This makes us Shellbacks. I don't know where that came from but that is what you are called. It is an old tradition that you also make an offering to Neptune as you pass into his realm. We made offerings of silver (quarters) and rum (Capt. Morgans' Spiced Rum, and had a shot ourselves). We decorated the cockpit, we played "Southern Cross" by Crosby, Stills, Nash as loud as we could and sang along. It was a fabulous equator party. Today at dinner time King Neptune (Mel dressed up) came to award his new shellbacks with a certificate of the accomplishment. I can't wait to get to the internet so I can post these pictures. On the down side we are in the middle of the doldrums. With no wind we must motor sail to keep going. It does not look like we will have much wind until mid-week.... So we will motor along and sail when we can. We have seen very little wildlife. Even the boobie birds that were or faithful followers are few and far between now. We hope that as we get closer to land we see more dolphins, turtles, birds etc. For now the crew and Mazu are doing well, and having a great time.

Our GPS at the Equator

Certified Shell Backs:

Day 15, 16 Position: 04 degrees 06 minutes South 132 degrees 44 minutes West 2,113 miles

We have wind again. After 3 days of doldrums we finally have some wind for sailing. While Mazu is does carry almost 200 gallons of fuel it is not enough for us to motor all the way. We also must run the motor or generator each day to charge batteries and to make water. So we do not want to motor unless we must. With the wind have also come bigger seas. Not as bad as before but as they are coming on our side it makes for an uncomfortable motion. Last night just as I was sitting down to write this blog, we had a deluge of rain and a blow of wind. The rain came sideways and gave the cockpit a good washing. Luckily we did not have but a reefed main up so the wind squall did not really affect us. Today it is sunny and humid and we are making about 5.5 knots with about 12-14 knots of wind. If we keep up this course and speed we should make landfall sometime on Saturday. Bad news is I do not think we can check into the country over the weekend so we may be confined to the boat, no bother though as we can use the time to catch up on sleep and clean up the boat. Yes, to sleep and entire night (sigh).

Day 17, 18

Trade winds are back and we are "smokin" going about 7.5 knots in 16-18 knot wind. We think we will be in Hiva-oa either the 12th or 13th. We have made email contact with our bond agent in Hiva-Oa who will help us check in and she is ready to receive us. Can't wait to anchor and be able to sleep an entire night, cook a meal on a non- moving surface,(or dare I say eat a meal out?) and to take a shower without sitting down. This passage has been not so much hard work, it has, it is really about endurance. Each day has been different with new challenges each day, the sea is never the same. We have been lucky we did not have thunder and lightning in the ITCZ like other boats. We had enough fuel to motor us through the doldrums and to make as much water as we needed. Also we have enough battery power to have refrigeration the entire trip. Not everything went our way. We lost a part of our swim step (not a critical part), we have some work to do at the mast with our spinnaker halyard, and we had some electronic glitches that are mostly resolved. And somehow my yellow collapsible bucket is missing? That mystery may never be solved. Am I glad I did it? YES! Sure it has been uncomfortable at times but the achievement is worth it. We now get to explore a beautiful part of the world like few can. That makes it worth it to me.

Next blog will be landfall, I hope.

Day 19 Position: 09 degrees 48 minutes South 139 degrees 02 minutes West

Courtesy Flag goes up, were in Marquesas waters now.

Land Ho! At one p.m. today (Friday April 12, 2013) we spotted Hiva-Oa. We set anchor in Traitors Bay at about 8:30 this evening. The passage took us 19 days... good time. We celebrated with a cold beer and a warm shower. Now for a good nights sleep, more soon.