Breeze means lack of sleep for Zac Sunderland

by Zac Sunderland on 29 Jun 2008 Zac Sunderland is 16 years old. He is currently sailing across the Pacific Ocean in his quest is to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the world alone by yacht. Read Zac's latest blogs.

Current Position (as of 8:15pm PT): 22.17W, 135.39W

A calmer day today. The wind has been lighter averaging about 8 kts all day with periods of time with 15 kts. I am making a pretty consistant 5 knots and am more comfortable as the swells are smaller and not as steep.

I set out a fishing line today. The line screamed suddenly for about 2 seconds and stopped. When I finally hauled everything back on board there was no fish but the lure was still there. I have lost a lot of lures but have never had a fish escape from one! So no terriyaki fish tonight though I have been in the mood for some meat. I'll try again tomorrow all being well.

The boom vang came detached from the boom early today and banged against the dodger. It took me an hour to line up the holes with the pin while rocking and rolling up on deck. Hopefully it will make for some interesting film. Spent some time checking the other pins and attachments this afternoon.

My mom asked me today if I felt like quitting ever. I don't feel like quitting at all but I am tired and wishing for wind to get me going faster! I wouldn't mind pulling over for some In N Out either.

Many questions about wildlife but I really haven't seen very much. I had a few sharks following the boat when I was first out. I saw a few small white birds with long tails a day or so ago. I haven't seen any trash either. Pretty much sky and water out here.

Question: Why aren't you stopping at Hawaii?

Hawaii is right on course to the Marshall Islands and if I need to stop for any reason, I will. Because I left later I need to make some distance to keep up with my weather windows. I am basically working backwards from the Indian Ocean. I need to be able to leave Darwin in September and Mauritius by November 15th.

Cheers,
Zac


Friday, June 27, 2008 - Current Position (as of 8:18 pm PT): N23.28 W134.51

The yawing (swerving off course) conditions that I had yesterday had me up until about 1:00am. Things were settling down a bit so I crashed (went to bed down below). I was up a lot but managed to get a few good hours in after about 4:00am when things really began to settle down (about 12knots of wind).

Unfortunately, they continued to settle down so that I had about 2 knots of wind this morning and rain. Not enough to have my shower (besides it is still to cold for that sort of thing). After my morning routine I went to call home to check in but the sat phone wasn't registering for some reason. I grabbed old Leviathan (my MarineNav computer) and dragged it over to the Single Side Band radio and sent out a few emails. I haven't figured out the problem with the lap top yet. By then, the sat phone was working so today has been a really strange day. In fact, this whole trip has been strange in the sense that it has not been what I expected. It keeps me thinking though and I am still totally focused on my goal.

Many people ask how I keep from going crazy. I try to keep in touch with family, eat well, sleep as much as I can but mostly I have to keep my thoughts focused on the task at hand. Can't get too caught up in what ifs. Like tonight, I really want to get more speed out of the boat but I am still pretty tired so I will focus on getting some sleep tonight while I can and figure out my sails again tomorrow.

During the lighter winds, I was able to go up on deck and check everything and tidy up some lines etc. The wind picked up a bit so I was able to make some headway. I watched the movie Ned Kelly today. I am able to put my portable DVD player out in the cockpit. That helps to pass time and hear other human voices. I had to pause the movie 5 times to check and tweak. I had a good nap. My lee cloth was not made properly and so can't be used so I am often being tossed out of bed. When I was thrown out of bed during today's nap I just grabbed my pillow and slept on the floor. If someone knows a good canvas person in Majuro, let them know I'm coming.

I made a feast for dinner. Some left over Top Ramen mixed with a can of chicken noodle soup, 2 pieces of toast with butter and a can of fruit cocktail. I was so full I had to lay down for an hour before calling home to check in. When I was little my dad would come home from work and ask me what I learned that day. Today I learned not to over pressurize your alcohol stove. I am missing the hairs on my right hand to prove it!

The winds have picked up to about 12 knots again. Wind and swells are fluky, coming from different directions at times and wind filling in and then dying down. The swells are farther apart today which makes them less intense.

We are keeping our eyes on Tropical Storm Boris today. So far he has about 30 knots of wind and is moving NW at 8 miles per hour. I am about 1500 miles from the storm so hopefully we won't get too close.

Thanks for the emails and comments. My mom forwards a bunch to me each day. It may take a while but I will try to answer as many as I can.

Cheers,
Zac

Thursday, June 26, 2008 - Current Position (as of ): Sorry no position came through tonight. - Mom

Rough night last night. The motion of the boat and slapping of the genoa made it hard to sleep. There are the most incredible stars out here. I have never seen anything like it. There are thousands of stars in a black, black sky. There is a hazy, cloud-like thing up there too. Not sure if it is the Milky Way? Awesome!

The wind increased early today to 20-25 knots. BTW a knot is a measure of speed. One knot equals one nautical mile per hour. One nautical mile is equal to 1.15 miles. Nautical miles are measured in relation to lines of latitude somehow. One knot is about equal to 1.15 miles per hour. The term came from the old sailors who measured how many knots on the line (rope) paid out in a certain time period. One of my favorite books to read was an old, mildewy book called the Origin of Sea Terms. Very interesting stuff.

With the wind increase came an increase in wave/swell size. When I was between 2 swells, the water was as high as my first spreaders (metal bars that hold the halyards from the mast). My first spreaders are 15' high. It was pretty scarey when they started to crumble at the top. Because of their angle, they are pushing my boat off course. Then the boat turns slightly and heals over so that the toe rails (rail around the top edge of the boat deck) are in the water. I have been fiddling with this a lot today. It has helped to head more south which was recommended by David, the forecaster who is helping me. Apparently, there is a high (calm) heading in my path so a little southing should keep me in the wind anyway.

Please pray tonight. I am getting pretty tired and still have to deal with this awkward motion.

Question: What do you do with your trash?

I really don't have that much trash. I am keeping it in a plastic garbage bag in the bilge until I get to the Marshall Islands.

How do you take a shower? Actually, I have not had a shower but I have to just wash with a wash cloth etc. When I hit the lower trades and there is a rain shower, I will go up on deck with my shampoo and soap for a quick shower. The reason for this is water conservation. We are hoping to pick up a water maker at some point in the journey. This will allow for safer water in foreign ports and fewer limitations on how much water I use each day. I have 3 water tanks with 90 gallons and about 10 gallons of bottled water on board.

What kind of photos and video are you taking and when can we see it?

I have a still camera (Nikon D200) and 7 video cameras on board. I have one HD camcorder, 2 surveillance-type cameras that are mounted outside. One of these is mounted on the mast and one above the solar panels on my tr