Fuel fears and back in the trades!
2300 UT | 07°29.00’N 149°17.83’W
Sailing baby! Possibly boring you senseless with fuel chat
Good morning from a very happy Falken, currently cruising along at 8-9 knots. We've got the trade winds back! An event that Mary from 5 days ago would be relieved to hear about. Andy had asked me to write a blog on the fuel scenario when we first entered the doldrums. I didn't want to jinx anything, but now I'm confident we're back in the breeze you get the questionable treat of my fuel anxiety brain waffle.
When we stuttered to a halt on the 11th June at 2 degrees South I was more than a little perturbed- I believe my direct quote to Mission Control was 'We're getting absolutely shafted by the ITCZ'. When I gave the weather briefing back in Tahiti, I was maybe a bit too happy about the prediction of quite a skinny band of doldrums to pass through, and my smugness got a royal slap in the face when the forecast developed into an 8+ degrees thick band of doldrums as we got closer.
I'd anticipated sailing across the equator, having a couple of days motoring then hitting the NE trade winds on the other side. Instead I was looking at more than 500 miles of motoring. If we look at the motoring capacity of Falken you'll be able to see why I was slightly concerned.
We carry 600L of fuel, split over 8 tanks. Theoretically that would give us 120 hours of motoring at 6 knots—but there's a lil flaw to this. As it stood I was looking at a max capacity of 90 hours of motoring when we hit these doldrums—so it was a bit of a squeaky bum time. Also bear in mind that I need fuel to charge the batteries when we're out of the doldrums, most crucially the water maker.
Admittedly I am a constant pessimist when anticipating problems (shout out to Big Nez for that character trait), however I think plan for the worst and hope for the best is an appropriate approach in offshore sailing.
My issue was that you can actually get stuck in the doldrums, and I didn't much fancy that. So I couldn't just say well let's motor until the fuel runs out and then we'll just wait for the wind to fill in—sometimes that can take weeks! And there aren't many options in the middle of the Pacific for potential refuelling.
So what was my plan of action?
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Mary
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Among the Channel Islands
In the wind shadow of SoCal we had a restful night with calm conditions ghosting through smooth seas. We’re getting ourselves in position for spicy weather tonight once we round Cape Conception, the seas build and the breeze freshens. It will be an upwind sail into an acceleration zone along a formable coast with few bailout points, Morro Bay being one. The crew is really gelling with lots of smiles and laughter on deck. Monterey is in our sights!
Day Two Delights
The seas were completely glassy with a gentle swell as we approached San Clemente Island, the southernmost of the Channel Islands. Everyone jumped in and marvelled at the lovely temperature and crystal clear, indigo-colored water. Before long the wind started to pick up, and we happily unfurled the jib and were sailing again. The afternoon has been gorgeous, cruising along at 5-6 kts, close hauled on a port tack in a gentle breeze, Catalina Island in the distance on our starboard side, and everyone is happy.
Adios Ensenada!
Around 9am this morning, we slipped lines and made our way out of Todos Los Santos Bay with a pre-arranged escort pod of dolphins. After a few hours of motoring through very calm, very blue, very kelpy seas, we clicked the engine off and off we went. After some delicious frittata and not-new potatoes a-la Adam, we executed our first of many tacks. With only 5-10 kts of wind, our close haul has been nothing but pleasant so far. After a lovely week in Ensenada for me, Alex, and Adam, we’re stoked to finally head out and begin our upwind journey back up the coast.