Three Guys and a Boat Against the Pacific High

Well, I'm back in California. I left Jon, Matt and Sean last night to their own devices. I hope they can get along without a galley wench to cook and clean up! I'm sure they will be fine.

As we speak, they are back at Tunnels beach on the north side of Kauai, doing a bit more snorkeling before spending the next month or so aboard the same 35 x 12 foot living space. They have to leave Nawiliwili today, as the harbormaster made it quite clear yesterday during his rounds that he needs the slip we're renting for another boat. So their plan is to head up to Hanalei tonight, and spend some time there before the final push off into the big blue.

The upcoming passage home will be an interesting one for them. The normal location for the high pressure system this time of year is pretty far north, like around 40 N latitude. We were hoping it would be a bit lower, so that "riding the trade wind carousel" around it would result in less overall mileage and a quicker transit home. Well...it seems mother nature is not in a cooperative mood right now. The high is even further north than usual, and west. If the guys were to sail around it, they would have to sail west towards Japan, go north about 1200 miles, then sail south toward Point Conception. This would take at least a month.

So, they may "cheat" and cut under the high. This means beating somewhat into the swell, and into the wind. However, mother nature is throwing yet another curve ball. It seems that a secondary high pressure has developed between Hawaii and California. It has weakened the wind to only about 10 knots or so, which is definitely not optimal for sailing!

What will the guys end up doing? You'll have to keep an eye on this blog to find out!

We've added more pictures and a new video below. Enjoy!