We’ve now had a couple of days to recover on shore – we’ve caught up on some sleep, stuffed ourselves at our local seafood place, and feasted at our favorite bay area pizza joint. So, we have a small bit of perspective on our trip and can offer a short recap:
Our paths to and from Hawaii – each pin is a noon location. For an interactive version, check out the “Where Madrone’s Been” link at the top of the page.
Total distance: 2644 nautical miles – our trip to Hawaii was about 2400, and the return trip is longer because it’s generally impossible to sail directly for the mainland because of the strong trade winds and correspondingly large waves, both from the northeast.
Total time: 19 days, 1 hour – we expected the trip to take between 2 and 3 weeks, and we fell pretty much in the midpoint of that range. Without the Pacific High being repeatedly pushed south and east by a large storm from the Gulf of Alaska, we likely would have been closer to 2 weeks. But the reality of an ocean passage is that a couple of days more or less doesn’t really matter much once we’re in our routine.
Average speed: 5.8 knots – we averaged 6.1 knots on our trip to Hawaii, and we would have been around or a little better than that speed if not for the day or so we spent drifting to conserve fuel.
Fuel consumed: 78.25 gallons – we motored across the High (twice) when it looked like it would take an extra 4-5 days for the wind to fill in. And, that motoring time allows us to fully charge the batteries and refill our water tanks even when the sun is not out.
Number of fish caught: 5 – 3 mahi mahi and 2 tuna
Number of fish landed: 2 – we’re still perfecting our technique – we call it “practicing fishing”, and one day we hope to actually “go fishing”
Number of times propeller was fouled: 2 – we only ran the engine three times during the passage, so we were surprised to foul it twice, once on stray fishing line and once on a fishing net – both were likely floating just below the surface. This is representative of the amount of debris and trash that we saw in the water – it was rare to go more than a few hours without seeing a large chunk of plastic or two.
Number of storms: 0 – we left before the first hurricane of the season approached Hawaii (thankfully!), and we were only brushed by the edge of a giant storm that moved south from the Gulf of Alaska (thankfully!). We did have some big winds and big seas in the first few days out, and one of our most uncomfortable nights of the trip was the last one on the coast of California. But we’ll take uncomfortable instead of dangerous any day!
Marco and Jan Casazza wrestling with signs in the wind as Madrone motors into the bay in front of a classic SF fog bank
Number of welcomes: 1 – we were delighted to be welcomed back to San Francisco by Angie’s parents and cousin Kristine. One thing that we’ve found is that it can be anticlimactic returning from a rough sail or long passage – all of a sudden you’ve arrived, and it doesn’t look that different from a boat that’s coming back from an afternoon daysail. Having family greet us with handmade signs on the point at Fort Baker was a fantastic welcome.
We’re happy that we made the trip – what an adventure! And we’re happy to be back for some relaxing while at anchor and tied up to a dock. All’s well aboard Madrone.
