Communications with the World Outside
Day: 32, Odometer: 1137M
Position: N27d26.6’ W133d04.3’
Distance from start: 961M
Nearest land: Pt Arguello, 768M due 053T
Waikiki Yacht Club by my course: 1416M due 260T
Solo career total: 876 days
Overall career total: 960 days
It was just over 9 years ago that I completed the first solo circumnavigation by human power at Bodega Bay, CA registering 15 Guinness World Records in the process. I’d like to take a moment to catch my breath and recognize this achievement. Please celebrate with me wherever you are!
I was noting Pt Conception west of Santa Barbara as the nearest land until now. There is a lesser known point about 12M northwest of that called Point Arguello which happens to be 3M closer to me. Before long, the northeast shores of the big island of Hawaii will be the closest lnd and I will have passed the half way point between North America and Hawaii.
My moving average according to the trip data on my chart plotter is 1.8 knots. If that holds I will reach Waikiki in another 32 days or around August 25. My pace may even improve once all elements like swells, wind waves, currents and winds soon align in my favor. We shall see.
I saw my first flying fish two days ago which means that birds and dorados (mahi mahi) which give those fish a chase are soon going to make an appearance. It may finally get more entertaining out here…
Hurricane Felicia peaked on the 19th about 730M south of me. Please note the 24-hour forecast that I included below from the July 19 query reply by saildocs.com, another trick that Jason Christensen at RacingTheWind.com taught me. Its winds kicked up to 85-kt gusting to 105-kt near the eye and seas up to 28-ft within 120M to her northwest. From then on Felicia would diminish as it moved west into cooler waters.
Trailing simultaneously just east of Felicia was the next in alphabet, named tropical storm Guillermo. These cyclonic events rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere. Being this close, they interacted much like meshing gears. Felicia’s southerly blowing east side met the northerly blowing west side of Guillermo, which deflected the latter northwest to diminish into a tropical depression.
So the increasing order of severity is Tropical Depression, Tropical Storm then Hurricane. These both stayed south of 20N, deflecting winds around me to become more northeasterly and turning swells easterly, which I welcomed. Let us all cross our fingers to keep hurricanes at bay as I approach Hawaii in August.
Please note that winds and swells are described “from” the direction that they blow. So a northerly wind blows from the north to the south. Currents on the other hand are described “in” the direction that they travel. So a southerly current would flow also from north to south.
SailDocs is an email driven setup. I am also able to see winds as animated graphics using the app PredictWind on my smartphone. This downloads GRIB files for the area that I choose then provides a visual display much like windy.com.
While you are at it, please go to the Ocean Rowing Society website where they have setup a tracking page for my row which has a layer showing the winds around me. If you scroll down that page you will see more stats on my previous rows as well.
I use an Iridium Go modem at 9.8k baud rate data speed to gain limited access to this sort of information. I have onboard an Iridium Extreme handset for phone calls. My Iridium Go also allows voice calls when I use my smartphone.
I have long messaging ability and access to basic weather forecast thanks to my ZOLEO device. My messages can be up to 1047 characters when the recipient also has the Zoleo app, about 230 characters to an email address and 160 to a mobile phone. This is a tiny unit that fits in the palm of my hand to give me access using my smartphone to worldwide messaging via Iridium satellite network and also one step SOS notification with the push of a button. It is a light and practical solution.
There is also my much bulkier Garmin Montana which can display detailed charts using the same microSD cards as my main chart plotter. This unit has the inReach service which is another way for me to message, get weather and also comes with an SOS button.
I just mounted the Montana outside after transferring the route waypoints so I have a visual on my course while rowing. This also keeps my inReach messaging to continue uninterrupted.
My YellowBrick Tracking device mounted outside, a.k.a. YB Tracker is what tells you my location on our tracking page. This device as well has messaging and SOS features. Set to send my location every hour, its battery power will last for 90 days!
I have a BGAN Explorer 510 on board which is a high bandwidth modem. This would have allowed me to send images to the team, maybe even video conference with media or potential sponsors for short periods. However I was sent the wrong size 12V charger which I had specifically intended to use while on the move. Now I cannot even charge that device. I left the wall charger at home of course… I will receive the replacement 12V charger at Waikiki.
All of these redundant methods of communication add to my safety. They rely on my rowboat’s power system to recharge but if that were to fail, I have a small battery with its integrated foldout solar panel, so I can recharge one of these enough to maintain emergency communications.
And finally, please check out our new page with educational content on plastics in our ocean in collaboration with the Ocean Recovery Alliance. The materials are available in three languages. Please follow and share!
Erden
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July 19 synopsis for Hurricane Felicia:
..HURRICANE WARNING...
HURRICANE FELICIA NEAR 16.4N 131.0W 979 MB AT 0900 UTC JUL 19 MOVING W OR 280 DEG AT 10 KT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS 85 KT GUSTS 105 KT. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WITHIN 40 NM N SEMICIRCLE AND 30 NM S SEMICIRCLE. SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER WITHIN 150 NM NE QUADRANT...60 NM SE QUADRANT...30 NM SW QUADRANT...AND
120 NM NW QUADRANT WITH SEAS TO 28 FT.