It’s about 2000 nautical miles in a straight line from Easter Island to mainland Chile. But just like the North Pacific, there’s a large semi-permanent high pressure (no wind) area located about 1000nm offshore, and this time of year it’s directly in our path.
So, our strategy for this passage is to sail more or less straight south from Easter Island until we reach the latitude of the westerlies. At that point, we’ll make a left turn and head downwind for the mainland. It’s a mirror image of the path we took when sailing from Hawaii back to mainland USA.
That’s the theory, at least, and only time will tell whether the local weather will make it possible. So far, the winds are very light – just enough breeze to make consistent headway. With a few more days of light wind in the forecast, the crew is enjoying the gentle conditions.
Day Two: 108nm
31 08.0S 108 42.7W
