Ports O' Call: 2003 Voyages

Hawaii to Puget Sound, WA

Following are daily reports from Captain Doug Leasure:

August 5, 2003:
Well we are back on the road again (so to speak). The trade winds are down for a couple days but we have managed to find a NE'ly, Force 3-6, to start the voyage with. The forecast is for the East trade winds to fill in on Wednesday, 15-25. We sailed off the anchor in fine fashion at around 1700 Hawaii time and eased on out into 2-3ft seas and 15 kts of wind from the NE. A couple local boats out in the harbor, enjoying the sunset, decided to give chase as we were departing. They were able to keep up until we set the Fore topsail and Jib topsail. Our track has taken us to the NW with the shifty winds and leeway. Throughout the night rain squalls will bear down on us with a lot of wind ahead of it but nothing on the back side. So we go from making 8+ kts to 1 kts in a matter of minutes. Our Noon position was 23 45'N x 159 51'W (about 100 miles north of Kauai). At present (early a.m. Aug 6) the wind has shifted to the East, allowing us to steer North (until the next squall). Our present Longitude is 160 30'W. We are proceeding along under the 4 lowers and reefed Fore topsail. The Jib topsail has been removed from the head rig and brought on deck to reduce wear and tear on the sail. All is well with the crew and vessel and the forecast looks favorable for the next couple days. I hope all is going well back on the mainland. Until tomorrow, Watch Below. Doug

August 7, 2003:
Ahoy to all. LYNX is making progress to the north with the help of an ExS'ly breeze. It is not very consistent though, classic tropics sailing. We will be sailing along without a care until a squall forms to windward most of the time, bringing more wind than rain with it. A little excitement follows, maybe take in a sail or two if the wind increases a lot. Then, more times than not it leaves us in a dead spot with a lumpy sea rolling the ship and frustrate the heck out of me. And so it goes, moving along making 2 or +8 knots to the north. We took advantage of one of the lulls in the wind today to conduct a "man overboard drill." Then followed it up with more training with the ship's backboard. Today's noon to noon is not too impressive considering we should still be in the trade winds and making great time. But nonetheless here it is...25 42'N x 180 17'W, the day's run being 120 NM to the north. We still have a reef in the Fore topsail (with all the squalls in the area) and are under the 4 lowers with the Jib topsail making a couple appearances today to help us along.

There has been much talk of bananas on board, bringing back luck in the fishing department. Well I am happy to report that we have caught 2 medium sized Dorados so far and will be looking for more as we feast on banana bread and chocolate covered bananas. Until tomorrow, Watch Below. Doug

August 8, 2003:
The call came from the galley,"No more fish," so we brought in the lines and looked forward to the seafood feast we would have later. The success of the amount of fish caught so far is being attributed to a wine bottle Ryan, the Boatswain, rigged up on a short string and trailed astern. The swirling action of the bottle must attract the fish to us. Either that or it is a weird coincidence that shortly after we put it out a fish is on. Not only have we had the good fortune of fish today, but the wind has filled in from the East at a steady force 4-5. So our northern progress continues on at a faster pace. Now for the numbers...Noon Position 28 01N x 159 30W, giving us a day's run of 150 NM. The sky is filled with happy Cumulus clouds and the sea rolls on from the East 3-6 ft. The Barometer continues to slowly climb as we get closer to the western side of the High. I hope this wind continues to allow us to sail north quickly. We are still under the same sail plan as before. The crew is starting to get into the groove of things as we complete one full watch rotation cycle, with many more to go. Small work projects are being completed, books are being passed around and sextants are getting the dust brushed off of them. Ship's routine marches on and life is good! Watch Below, Doug

August 9, 2003:
The best Day's Run yet, and more fish to boot! At present (midnight 8/10) we are slipping along under the 4 lowers, Fore Topsail, and Stbd Split Coarse, making 6-8 knots. The wind is out of the SE at force 4-5, the seas remain relatively calm, and the sky friendly with the tropical Cumulus clouds. The Wx faxes show a series of Low pressure systems to the West of us that could keep things interesting for us for a couple days. Last night the Mate (Andrew McKee) noticed a large ominous looking cloud astern of us and notified me. Nothing to be too concerned about since the wind was still slightly forward of the beam and the cloud was to leeward of us. It should just continue getting farther and farther away. But after watching it for 10 or so minutes the squall was actually getting closer, tracking up wind, straight for us. Time to call up some of the stand-by watch from their slumber below decks to take in the Jib Topsail. With only 3 persons per watch it is necessary to rouse the other watches to handle nearly any one of LYNX's 11 sails. If the wind is light and the coffee strong 2 people can set or take in some of her Jibs up forward. It turned out to be a little bit of a frontal passage further west of us, but we still were getting some of the winds and clouds from it. I am trying to position the ship between the wave of Low pressure system and the dominant High, still to the ENE of us. If we favor the High and play our cards right we can expect to have wind from the southern quadrant at about force 5 (17-21 kts.). At this stage of the trip that would be pretty ideal conditions. Too much this way or that way and we could have gale conditions or be floundering around in light winds and large swells. Stay tuned to see how things turns out.

Now for the noon to noon facts; 33 20'N x 158 04'W, day's run-180 NM, E'ly force 4 breeze, E'ly 2-4 ft sea, steady barometer of 1028 mlb. The "field day" went well with the ship getting a wipe-down and polish below decks. Music from the stereo kept things moving along and the post field day matinee of SHREK was enjoyed by all. On Sunday we will have a "coffee house" where the crew can recite poetry, tell jokes, read little pro's and stories, and enjoy each other's company on board. Watch Below, Doug

August 10, 2003:
A Tall Ship and a star to steer her by with a following breeze off the quarter. That's how we spent our Sunday on board. The "coffee house" was nice mostly because it brought everyone together for a short while. When you are rotating through the watches, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, there is always someone asleep at any point in the day. Or they are working aloft and below on something. So Sundays give us a chance to get together and visit. There were readings about the sea, horses, a character in a Steinbeck book and poems on Sam McGee and Charlie's fish weir. And all the while LYNX charged to the North under the 4 lowers, Fore Topsail and the Stbd Coarse, making a respectable 7-9 knots. The seas are building to 5-7 feet and the Cumulus clouds have given way to some high Cirrus and Cirrostratus clouds, Which makes sense given our position between a High and Low pressure system. The wind is also agreeing with the Wx faxes forecast. Veering to the SE and keeping up a steady force 5 (17-21 knots). The barometer has dropped slightly to 1027. I feel lucky and somewhat spoiled to have all the information available on board. I receive a Wx fax daily that tells me what is happening in the Pacific Ocean and what they predict will happen in the next 48 hours. Not too long ago a Captain would only have a Barometer, to measure the atmospheric pressure, and whatever he/she could read from the clouds, wind, and sea state. Most of the time you could forecast accurately what to expect for the next 24 hours just as good as what a machine could tell you today. But the luxury I enjoy is the heads up about Wx that might be coming 3-4 days from now. Or the probability of more or less wind a degree or two over in Longitude. That information helps us to be a little more efficient and hopefully safer. Ships can now see and track Hurricanes to avoid them all together. Sailboats can avoid calm windless patches of ocean to keep them moving along to their destination. But even with all this knowledge and information at hand, we all know that the Wx is not predictable and is constantly changing. Now for the Noon to Noon facts and figures. Our noon position was 35 56'N x 157 28'W, making the days run at 165 NM. And I forecast as good of a day, if not better, for the 11th. Stay tuned to find out. Watch Below, Doug

August 11, 2003:
Running up the Latitudes on a beautiful Baltimore Clipper. The noon position had us at 38 48'N x 156 24'W, making the day's run at 180 NM. Late last night/early this morning we took in the jib and furled it to the jib boom. Out in the very front of the boat, hanging over the frothy water being parted and churned up as LYNX rose and fell with the following seas. The Fore Topsail and Stbd Coarse pressed full with the SE'ly wind, backlit by the moon, made us stop and stare at the impressive sight we were privileged to be seeing. It didn't matter that we were getting relieved from watch and could go below to our bunks and slip off to sleep, we just hung out there taking it all in and trying to figure out how we could capture this scene and show it to others. If we could, there would never be an empty bunk on board for any of the passages. Once you saw that image you would sign aboard the next instant.

As I write this we are quickly closing in on 40 N. If the wind holds up we should be thinking about turning more to the East in a couple days. Talk of a halfway swizzle is starting to circulate amongst the crew. Maybe this weekend will be an appropriate time. We will be sure to document the occasion with Heather's digital camera. The wind is slowly continuing to veer more to the South and we have traces of Cirrostratus and Cirrocumulus in the sky. Mars is still bright in the sky and the winter constellations are appearing on the morning horizon. And the LYNX rolls along. Watch Below, Doug

August 12, 2003:
The sky is pulling out all the stops in the cloud department today. Throughout the day we have been treated to little wispy low thermal clouds, high ice crystal Cirrus clouds resembling horse tails, a mix of Cirrostratus and Cirrocumulus (fish scales) clouds, and the occasional layer of Stratocumulus. The wind is continuing to blow from the South at 11-15 knots and we continue to steer to the North, making 5-7 knots. Our days run from noon to noon was 170 NM, putting the noon position at 41 14'N x 155 00'W. The fishing is still fruitful as we landed 3 Bonito today, keeping 2 of them for supper. A pod of dolphins went racing by yesterday afternoon, not stopping by to say Hello or deviating from their mission. The water is colder now that we are north of 40 degrees and some of the crew are wearing pants and jackets on night watch. The deck was thick with dew this morning foretelling a clear dry day. All is well on board and spirits are high as we count our blessing for a beautiful passage thus far. Hopefully this will keep up. Watch Below, Doug

August 13, 2003:
We finally caught up to each other, us and the strong Low pressure system that has been working its way across the Pacific. In a matter of hours we have left the tropics behind. The pacific northwest has welcomed us with a gale. One by one we either took in or shortened sail today and now we are rolling along under double reefed Main, single reefed Fore, and stay'sl. Our speed has been 8-10 knots with several 11+ spurts and we are currently steering for a spot just north of the entrance to Puget Sound. The swells have built to 7-10 feet with a rogue wave cresting at 12+ feet as it finds its way over the rail and on to the deck. The wind continues to veer and is now making its way to SSW at force 7-8 (30 to 40 knots). There has been a constant drizzle/shower all day and it looks like there is more coming. It is going to be a fun night on watch. Here are the noon to noon numbers: 43 34'N x 152 24'W, giving us another day's run of 180 NM. If this wind keeps up through the night, by midnight we will have gone over 210 NM since last midnight. All the crew is holding up well and glad the wind is pushing us where we want to go. LYNX is also holding up well and is showing no signs of slowing down. She just shoulders her way on through the swells. This system should be with us the next couple days. Watch Below, Doug

August 14, 2003:
Busy day on board LYNX today. This morning brought a slackening of the breeze which warranted taking out some of the reefs and setting more sail. The swells were still running large and a light mist in the air reducing visability to 1 mile. So we started with the Foresail, shaking the reef and resetting, then we set the reefed Fore topsail. LYNX needed more to keep her moving along through the swells and lighter winds. Out came the split coarses and the reef was shook out of the Fore topsail. Take in the Fore sail and set the Courses. A brief intermission for breakfast and morning chores, then both reefs were shook out of the Mailsail. While some of the crew were going aloft, tending to the Fore topsail, they spotted several white shales feeding all around us. They had a perfect view of them from aloft while the folks on deck just saw the 10-foot swells rolling by. That was the third whale sighting so far this passage. One set we thought were sperm whales from the look of their blows. We couldn't identify the ones this morning. The rain and mist cleared and the sky loooked less heavy and dense by lunch time. The wind calmed to force 4 and veered to the SW, so we gybed ship somewhere in the sail setting and striking drill. Now we are smoothly sailing along again under Main, Split Coarses, Fore Topsail, Staysail and Jib, making 5-7 knots steering 055 True (for the time being). In an hour things could be different. For th ose crew members that wanted a storm, they got a pretty good one yesterday.

Now for the daily numbers: Though at times we were averaging 10-11 knots, that did not last all night. Our lst midnight to midnight run was 200+ NM; but by noon today we had slowed to averaging 4 knots, putting our noon to noon run at 180 NM again. The position was 44 38'N x 148 22'W. Our destination draws nearer. Watch Below, Doug

August 16, 2003:
We have slowed to a crawl and the much anticipated and forecasted Low in the area is not producing the expected winds. It hasn't produced much of anything except rain, fog and drizzle. Another day free of sun block and sun glasses. The Barometer is staying in the range of one millibar so I am not hopeful we will see much wind tonight. A couple more hours and the box will spit out another weather fortune for the day. After so many miles traveled under sail alone I am hesitant and reluctant to start the engine at this point. But it is also hard to watch the booms and gaffs swing around while the sails hang limp from them. Sailors hate being becalmed, especially when they are close to port. They will do just about anything if it is believed to conjure up a breeze. Some would put the youngest crew member on the helm, or scratch the mast with a coin then throw it overboard (like an offering) and others would try to whistle up a wind. Maybe we will have the youngest crew member (Emma Millet) whistling at the helm after scratching the main mast with a dime and throwing it overboard off the stern. I will let you know what the results are. We may have jinxed ourselves a bit too: I would overhear talk of arriving early and questions asked about what they think we would do and where we would go. And now look what happened. We were sent a little reminder that the big lady hasn't sang, no chickens are to be counted and we still have many miles to go.

Today was Tia's Birthday so we had a little party of sorts. With the rain and gloomy weather outside most of the crew spent the time below watching a movie (of Tia's choice) and gorging themselves on the cakes Tia made. Not too many embarrassing stories will be told about this party. We took some pictures for the web site of the decorated main saloon and party goers.

Here are the figures for the day: Noon position 46 39'N x 143 06'W giving us a day's run of 130 NM. That puts us about 750 miles west of the Columbia river and Washington/Oregon border. The winds have been light out the SW quadrant and the swells have shrunk to 3-5 feet from the SW as well. Needless to say this is a fine way to spend the weekend. Watch Below, Doug

August 17, 2003:
We picked up some wind this morning after motoring for 8 hours last night through the calm. By the end of my watch (midnight) LYNX was barely making way at 1-2 knots. That part was acceptable. We still had steerage and were making way toward our destination. It was the crashing and banging on the spars and sails from the swells, relentlessly pitching the ship this way and that, which warranted starting the engine. So the trusty Caterpillar diesel purred away down below, propelling us along at 7 knots. Along with the NWly wind came clearing skies and cooler crisp air. Hatches were opened to circulate some dry clean air from below decks. It was pretty damp and musty after 2 days of rain and fog. The best I can figure is the Low pressure system formed right over us a little to the north. So we got the rain and clouds but not the wind. That was being reported to the East of us. With the Low spinning off to the North, a High has filled back in, bringing with it this wonderful force 4 breezes. More whales were sighted today right off the stbd beam and again, no boats were launched to give chase. He was really close and big. Just swimming along beside us and surfacing every minute or less. From what we saw about his features we think he was a Blue Whale.

Now for the daily figures: Noon position 47 01'N x 139 42'W, bringing the day's run to 140 NM. We are currently sailing along on a port teck under the 4 lowers and Fore Topsail making 6-8 knots, steering for the Straits of Juan de Fuca at 060 p.s. compass. If this wind keeps up, our E.T.A. off Cape Flattery will be the 21st. Watch Below, Doug

August 18, 2003:
The breeze is back still and LYNX is smoothly sailing along under the 4 lowers, Fore Topsail and Jib Topsail, making 6-8 knots. The wind is out of the NW at 12-18 knots, the swells have calmed down and the moon is showing about half of itself these days. Last night we witnessed a rare treat, for most of us. The Northern Lights were giving us a little display in the sky. It wasn't a spectacular, dancing whirlwind of colors, but just a glowing radiance to the north. The other excitement was another time warp. We set the ship's clocks ahead 1 hour again as we make our way back across the lines of Longitude toward the Pacific Daylight Savings Time Zone. Hawaii was 3 hours from the West Coast so we have 1 more to go.

Here are the figures; Noon position 47 22'N x 138 55'W, giving us a day's run of 160 NM. We are still steering for the entrance to the Straits of Juan De Fuca and if this breeze holds... Our E.T.A. will be on the 21st of August. Watch Below, Doug

August 19, 2003:
Look out cause here we come! With a NW'ly strong breeze and a full press of canvas LYNX is barrelling her way toward The Straits of Juan De Fuca with an E.T.A. of Wednesday evening crossing the line of demarcation. The crews' spirits are high as we think about sodas, ice cream, and beer (of course), among other things. The speedy passage and early arrival gives us an opportunity to explore the San Juan Island a bit before starting up our programs again. We are noticing more birds in the area as we close in on land and an increase in vessel traffic as well. Tomorrow night should be busy for us. In a matter of hours we will go from almost complete isolation on the Pacific Ocean to a potentially crowded channel, lots of shore lights and tidal currents.

Here are the figures: Noon position 47 40'N x 131 40'W, giving us another 180+ NM days run! More to follow tomorrow with the last position report for this passage. Watch Below, Doug

August 24, 2003:
LYNX is enjoying a little down time in Victoria B.C. after the speedy Pacific passage. We have arrived early and are putting the entire time to good use with maintenance projects and liberty ashore in this beautiful city. Even looking a little tired and paint faded from the harsh tropical sun, LYNX still brought the harbor to a standstill as she paraded her way into the inner harbor. I wasn't aware of the "no-sail" rule in the harbor on our approach, so the crew jumped into position and quickly doused the 4 lowers in no time. After clearing customs and explaining the reason for the period armament on board we came alongside and secured her to the dock for a couple of days. Many curious admirers came by to ask about the sleek, rakish vessel. We proudly told them of the ship, her mission and the recent adventures. And what adventures we had! 26 nautical miles in 16 days and 6 hours. That gives us an average of 160 miles per day, average speed made good of 6.7 knots, and all of that with only 8 engine hours. LYNX has proved herself to be fast and able once again. Of course the Wx was very favorable to us with only 1 gale and really 0 calms. The reason for running the engines one night was to relieve the strain and wear and tear of the sails and rigging from a large rolling sea. The wind had calmed to 8-12 knots and LYNX was making 3-4 knots speed, but the swells were rolling the vessel so much; the booms and gaffs were swinging around, rolling the wind out of them. A situation LYNX could have endured but alltogether not necessary.

Puget Sound and the surrounding area is a truly beautiful sight to see, especially after 16 days at sea. We are all looking forward to exploring and visiting the other towns and I'm sure LYNX will continue to attract many admirers. Not to mention the occasional "gentlemen's race" with some of the local Tall Ships. Watch Below, Doug

Ports O' Call