Note from Mom

Hey All!
Long day of squalls for Zac and some computer troubles. Fixed the one problem only to have salt water splash on the computer charger today! It is carefully drying so no power to the thing and no proper blog either.
He is making great time. He thinks he may be in a current because he is making such incredible speeds - 7 knots and up! The 3 hour swells have turned into walls and are coming more frequently which has been hard. The boat is getting quite wet. That with the heat has Zac a little frazzled. When I mentioned that this will be the hardest job he ever has, he replied, "No, not really. It's still pretty cool out here." WOW...

News from the homefront:
1. Ben turned one! He is a mini man.
2. The guys from Ocean Rescue TV who brought you the original video on the site are pouring through hours of video and earmarking clips (lots of clips) for the site. They should be up in a few weeks? Not sure on that but be assured that they will be good!
3. The web site is up and running after an unknown glitch that lasted most of the day yesterday. The media page and photo albums have been updated. There is a new page called Intrepid/FAQs. It has a lot of common questions with Zac's answers compiled for us by our own Zac Paccer (?) Marilyn from Woodland Hills! There is also a section on Intrepid that will be updated eventually. You boaties can fire Zac and Laurence all the questions you like.
4. We are still working on routing for Zac. Lots of 'if - then' situations. Will post his whereabouts as soon as responsibly possible.

We have been incredibly blessed during this venture and are in awe of all that God has done!
We love you guys. It takes half an hour to cut and paste all of your comments in the little emails that his sailmail can handle but he loves them!

Cheers,
Marianne

PS The latest article from Karen. Don't you miss the photos?

http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/08/20/teen-solo-sailor-making-good-time-to-australia

PPS Sorry to all the very patient people who are trying to teach me how to enter this as an HTML-type link. I'm just too tired to figure it out tonight!

Squalls and Sweat

Latest Position 19 August 08 0436UTC: 7.28S, 167.14E



The wind lightened today to about 8 knots. I try not to be annoyed because I know that I've had great weather all-in-all. I still have a lot of squalls everyday. They are more of an annoyance than anything else. They do keep me clean. I get soaked everytime a squall passes which is good during the day but at night it is hard to go back to sleep after a squall because I am wet and cold. I have been drinking tons of rain water. Our friends the Nashes gave me a wide-mouthed water bottle before I left and I use that to catch water everytime a squall comes. It has been great for drinking between squalls because the water I catch off the sails tastes like sails somehow.

I have had a fast afternoon. For some reason I am going in the mid 7s. (7 knots) It must be a current or something. From time to time I get a wave right over the boat. It comes from the beam (side) and must be that the boat is in a trough and healing slightly but I can hear these big guys coming because there is a roaring sound. I can hear them breaking as well. I now call them 3 hour waves because I get one about every 3 hours. I have been eating pretty well but there isn't much that interests me. The Makwon from Majuro is great. It tastes like dried fruit with a mango and bubblegum flavor. It is really hearty though and gives good energy.

Chris on Moana and I have been talking a lot on the radio net. When we first head out we only talk for 15-20 minutes but now that we are out for so long we talk for an hour. We mostly talk about food and wind. It helps a lot to know that they are out there too and ging through many of the same things.

I don't have an ETA or an address for Darwin yet. I am trying to get rested and well fed before my passgae through the Torres Straights. Once through there I'll be able to know better when I'll arrive. I will have to stop posting my position soon for a time while I pass certain areas. I will keep track and post them when I am in a more secure area.

Thanks for your support!

Cheers,

Zac

Today's Highlights: Spam and Sweat

Latest Position: 18August08 0331UTC 6.24S, 169.16E

Another night full of squalls. I haven't had a good sleep in a few days now. Today I tried to take care of a few jobs and rest. I am reading Passage Guide to the Torres Straights and Northern Territory Cruising Guide in preparation for next week. According to Clearpoint Weather there is a nasty weather system brewing down there. I'll need to keep my eyes on that and really rest up before arriving there. After I pass the Solomons in 450 miles it is only 1000 miles to the Torres Straights. There was a time when 450 miles seemed like a huge distance. Now 1000 miles is a week, no problem!
Today' weather is good. I've got a steady 12-15 knots. I've been heading more westward now and the angle has been more comfortable though I am still rolling and bashing more than I would like. Moana is nearing their next port of Ghizo in the Solomon Islands. We had a good laugh yesterday about our conditions. Everyone has heard of the Roaring 40s. The area at 40 degrees south where the wind and seas roar. We are in the Sweating 5s. I swear my whole boat smells like sweat.
No fish this morning. I feel better because Moana lost their fish as well. I had to resort to Spam today. My next boat will definitely have a freezer.
Cheers,
Zac

The Fish That Got Away

Latest Position 0610UTC 17 August 08: 4.27S, 169.52E


Since I crossed the equator I have had great wind and am making a good 6 knot average. The squalls are a lot higher in intensity and speed down here but by now I'm a lot better at judging their intensity and faster at reefing. Moana has had light winds and has been motoring for days on end.
The heat has dissipated a little bit with the increase in wind. It is almost a full moon now and that helps me be able to see squalls at night but its crazy when the black squall clouds block out the moon and everything goes black. There were a lot of squalls last night so I didn't get much sleep.
The wind is lightening now so hopefully I'll have a better night. The wind angle combined with the swells have had Intrepid pushing through a lot of waves. It is like being power washed for 48 hours. Now there is a small leak right over my bed!
I did catch a Barracuda in the early morning but I was too tired to pull it in so I left it for the morning. I got the old barracuda recipe from my mom on the phone and was going to eat it for breakfast but when I pulled it in it was gone along with half of the lure!
I don't think this officially counts as catching a fish but I thought there were people who may be interested to know.
Cheers,
Zac

Zac the Shellback

Latest Position 0337UTC 16August08: 01.55S, 170.18E



So yesterday I had pretty light winds between 4-8 knots on the nose from my rhumbline to my next waypoint. It was a long day of tacking and dodging squalls. I finished rigging up some new lures with metal leaders and new hooks. I'm hoping to pick something up soon.
As the day went on the winds gradually shifted in a direction that I could make good progress toward the waypoint without tacking. I crossed over the equator about 8pm with full sail up going about 7 knots running from a squall with a ship 6 miles off my bow. When I crossed he equator, I filled a cup with rain water, toasted to King Neptune and ran up on deck to reef before the squall hit hard. The squall only had about 25 knots but the rain lowered the visibility to almost nothing which would have been no problem if the ship wasn't so close. The radar is pretty much useless in a squall because it picks up all the rain clouds. The whole radar screen for 8 miles around was the color of a solid object. Luckliy it blew over quickly and the ship passed 3 miles off my beam.

After the squall the wind stayed relatively strong at 15 knots so I left a reef in the main, pulled out full genoa and flew along at 7 knots with no squalls. Being in the Southern Hemisphere is pretty much the same as the Northern so far. I am actually officially in winter now. Winter with 90 dgree weather and way too much humidity. Anyway, I am now a shellback and it feels good to pass another milestone on the way back home.

Cheers,

Zac

PS Yes, Warren I received the fishing gear. Thanks!

PPS Another great article from Pat Reynolds:

http://www.argonautnewspaper.com/articles/2008/08/14/columns/nautical_news/nn1.prt

The Doldrums

Latest Position: 0304UTC 15August08 00.12N, 170.51E


Another good day. The sun is so hot here! I haven't had much wind and what I do have is right on the nose. I am happy enough because I don't have any lightning storms. I've had a few squalls but they didn't last long so I still haven't crossed the equator. I'm hoping to cross sometime tonight.

I have been meeting Chris and John off Moana on the radio everyday. They haven't had any wind and haven't crossed the equator either. We are having a bet to see who can catch the first fish. Flying fish (my specialty) don't count. I've been sorting out my tackle today. I've got 2 lines out even though I am really going too slow to troll. I need to try not to be the only person to sail around the world without catching a fish. Thanks Pete!

I tried to get on the Sheila Net from Australia today but wasn't close enough and needed a relay to talk so I decided to wait until I'm a little closer. It is hard to get up by 7:00am to make the Rag on the Air Net. Sorry guys! I'll try again tomorrow. I'm often up in the night so I don't just wake up at dawn anymore.

According to David, current satellite images show quite a few areas of convection nearby but nothing real close. I definitely have been well-guided and protected on my journey. I really have so much to be grateful for. There are way too many people to thank. I couldn't do this trip without everyone who is advising, coaching, encouraging etc.

But for now, I am going 3 knots off course in the blazing hot sun and there is another squall coming that looks like trouble. That is all for today.

Cheers,

Zac

Link to LA Times article (without all the cool pics):
www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-zac14-2008aug14,0,6815518.column

In the Groove Again

Latest Position: 01.17N, 170.47E 0313UTC 2013PDT 14 August 08

(80 miles from the equator)

I'm getting in the groove much quicker on this leg. It helps to have some wind to keep me moving. I've been busy interviewing with different people. I think there will be an article in the LA Times tomorrow in the Sports section that is if they can squeeze me in between the Olympic stories. Pete Thomas has been great to work with.

I had a good night's sleep last night because the wind had died down some. The Clearpoint Weather forecast shows light wind to nothing all around me but I have had a steady 11 knots most of the day and so am moving along pretty well. There haven't been any squalls today but I am ready with my buckets to catch some fresh drinking water. I did see a fishing boat today. I wasn't able to speak to them so I don't know where they were going but it was good to see the AIS radar was still working. Speaking of equipment, my solar panels are putting out more power than the batteries can take. Thanks to Mike Smith and Tom Brown in North Carolina for putting that right. Now as I check my email and talk on the SSB radio, I hope that it stays that way. The sun has been high and hot.

I have been eating well. The day I left, Carla came out to see me off with her grandparents. Her grandmother gave me a basket of drinking coconuts and spongy coconuts and some dried fruit roll that the ancient Marshallese mariners used to take on board their long passages. The drinking coconuts are excellent and have helped my stomach ache. Other than that I have been eating a lot of fruit and some Goober Grape peanut butter and jelly that I scored at the market in Majuro.

Moana is on a different tack from me headed straight for the Solomon Islands. They have no wind and a lot of fuel and so have been motor sailing all day. I am headed straight for the equator and will tack gradually westward once I am 'safely' in the southern hemisphere. There are areas of convection all around me but so far I have only seen one lightning strike and that was pretty far away.

I have been thinking about what I will do when I cross the equator. Chris from Moana is thinking about swimming across. It is so hot here I would really like to jump in but don't worry, I won't. The tradition says that you should offer something to King Neptune who is the Roman version of the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon. Tune in tomorrow to hear what I decided! I should pass early in my morning.

Cheers,

Zac

Note from Mom:

Two things:

Here is a link to a fantastic photo essay of Zac's week in the Marshalls by photographer Jen Edney:

http://www.vimeo.com/1518420

She also has a great essay on the prearation stage of Zac's trip at:

http://www.vimeo.com/1232030?pg=embed&sec=1232030

Also, the Photo Gallery is up and working on the web site. We will be adding more photos now that a format has been chosen and uploaded to the site. Any comments you have on how they are working would be appreciated.

Good Night!

http://www.vimeo.com/1518420