[MV Starr] Hawaii to Seattle

Hawaii to Seattle-2300nm

Day 3 – 1900nm to go

4/12/16, 1900Z

26 27 W, 153 43, N

COG 40 deg T

SOG 7.8 kts

Wind NE 20-25 kts

Seas 8-12 ft , (on our starboard fwd quarter and bow)

Today is the start of day three. We have covered 380nm on a rhumb line to Seattle.

Joe Golberg has done numerous ocean passages on sailboats, and now is doing his first extended passage on a powerboat. Joe commented how much there is to do, even though our watches are 3 hours on and 9 hours off.

Here are a couple of examples: the water makers would run a short time and then shutdown due to inadequate sea water flow. We re-cleaned the already clean sea strainers, and back flushed with a garden hose to clear any possible obstructions. The seawater feed line is completely clear, yet the water makers continued to shutdown. We have finally come to the conclusion that due to our pitching and rolling we are just picking up too much air into the system.

Yesterday afternoon Joe was headed to his bunk for some shuteye and found his carpets wet with seawater. Here is Joe’s take on that:

“I thought that on a powerboat we just set a waypoint for Cape Flattery and watch the waves go by”. To find the leak we ended up removing paneling, a shelf under windows; we used a 5½in skill saw to rip out the old shelf, a Fein saw, hammers, pry bars, and wedges, major demolition! (Sharry was practically in tears watching our beautiful guest stateroom get trashed.)

We found what we think is the culprit: a hull window that is awash as we roll and power through the seas. The Good News is that we think we know where the water is coming in; the Bad News is that it will have to wait until we are back in Seattle for repairs. It appears that the water has been coming in for a while.

Additional problems for Don & Joe:

We have also been dealing with pesky technology with bugs in satellite communications, weather routing etc. In trying to get it all sorted out it seems that all of the parts should talk to each other seamlessly, but they never do.

And even more fixes:

On day one, when it was very hot, our new 3-ton Northern Lights Technicold chiller died. It has been making funny grinding noises since it was new, and lucky for us it is under warrantee, so Northern Lights has a new replacement waiting at the dock when we get home to Seattle. Lucky us, Don had a backup spare, which is working fine.

On the recommendation of Brian O’Neill on Shibui, Don purchased 2 new fancy-smancy personal Ocean Signal MOB-1 ebirbs that attach to a lifejacket and activate immediately on immersion, giving an AIS signal and a piercingly Loud DSC alert on our VHF radio. Donna was able to get one working and other will go back to West Marine to be replaced.

The GOOD NEWS IS:

The Espresso Machine is working great (but it has been too rough for Sharry to drink coffee) and the Soda Stream is making lots and lots of bubbly water.

We have lots of food that you don’t have to cook in rough seas.

Donna has done a really good job revising out Starr Operation Manuals in Power Point to make it easier for our friends/crew to know what to do in the Pilot House and Engine Room.

We are a really compatible 4-some and thoroughly enjoying cruising together.

More later.

Don, Sharry, Joe & Donna