This is more uncertain than I would like

Day 16, odometer 590M, distance from start 514M
Solo career total 860 days
Overall career total 944 days

When my rowboat was west of Monterey, there was no knowing what would happen near Pt. Conception where the coastline turns east toward Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, here winds and currents accelerate as they bend east. There was the real possibility that I could get swept east.

Not seeing any clear paths forward, I began contemplating whether to take advantage and simply aim for San Diego and call it done this year. I posted my last entry and waited.

But waiting was setting me east toward the point and I dared not lose an inch east lest I got pulled and my hand would be forced.

So I began casual rowing just to maintain a southerly path. The NNW winds are relentless and would remain so. Then a combination of occasional north blows and meandering eddies gave me an opening which I took. It has been 18 hour days to make it this far.

About 130M ahead of me a wind hole will form on Sunday. West of that are trade winds and Hawaii. East of that are waters off Mexico. The current apparently forks similarly just south of me. This evening I tried to slow my southerly pace by using a para-anchor which made no difference in my speed but turned me due 130T. Utter disaster! So I gathered the para and let her run unhindered due 175T.

Tomorrow I am supposed to receive winds from the north. I was beginning to believe that it only blew from the NW around here!!! With that, I must work overtime to register some westing or this attempt towards Hawaii may result in failure. This is weighing heavily on me right now.

Erden