Laysan Delivery - Day 16 - Arrival at Johnston

At 8am this morning, we arrived at Johnston Atoll. We are located at 16-44N,
169-31W.

This is a US Wildlife Refuge, with an interesting history. It was used as a
Military Base, and as a chemical weapons disposal location. There have also
been nuclear testing conducted here. Check out wikipedia for a full history.

Yachts don't normally stop here, but we've been granted permission. The
strike team leader, Stefan met us at the dock and helped us to tie up and
gave us a history of the atoll, and a brief description of the activities
that his team are doing here. Their primary objective is to eradicate the
invasive Yellow Crazy Ants, that are invading the nests of the breeding bird
populations.

We've spent the morning doing a few boat chores (transfer fuel, change oil,
repair nav lights, check knotmeter and prop, etc), and are heading out for a
tour of the island with Stefan this afternoon. Tonight, we've been invited
to dine with the rest of the field team here.

Laysan Delivery - Day 15 - Kicking Butt

It feels as though someone has stuck a spur into Laysan's flank. Or maybe she's picked up the scent of the barn.

Whatever it is, she is off and galloping...

We are cruising along at a killer 5 knots!! I know...that may not seem fast to you. But, after two weeks of 3.5kn, it feels like lightning to us. The wind and waves have both dropped considerably. And, we're 60 miles to Johnston Atoll. It is a ex-US Military Base. Nowadays, it serves as a protected fish and wildlife reserve. It has quite an interesting history, and among other things, it was used to disassemble chemical weapons, test
nuc's, etc. We look forward to the stop.

Laysan Delivery - Day 12

We've just realized that we have so much to learn about power boating.
Yesterday on the PacSeaNet, one of the radio operators asked us if we've
been enjoying lots of ice cream in this nice weather. Well, John and I just
looked at each other with a big "DOH" look on our faces. We've never cruised
with the luxuries of a freezer, and we didn't even consider loading up with
ice cream. I bought a bit more frozen meat than usual, but didn't alter our
provisioning from our usual passages. Now we're kicking ourselves. ICE
CREAM!!! We're running a big freezer. With lots of room. And what a treat
ice cream would be. Or frozen pizza. Next time...

We're 45% of the way to Honolulu!!

0300 utc:
14-11N, 174-57W
Crs: 064T at 4.0 kn
Wind: E 16kn
Waves: E 2m
Cloud: 50%
Bar: 1008

24hr: 79nm, 59.2 gal, 3.3 kn

Laysan Delivery - Day 7

We're closing in on one week out here, and we've got our sea legs, and time
is ticking away. I've finished my first book, The Girl with the Dragon
Tattoo, and I've just started the second book in the series. I'm planning to
plough through the three book while we're out here, among others.

We continue to have 3m swells on the nose. Plus a slightly smaller swell
just off to our starboard side. The boat handles the swell without a
problem. It does however, slow us down considerably. I'm also convinced that
we've got some current working against us. We're progressing at about 3.5
knots. We continue to monitor our fuel consumption.

We're checking into the Pac Sea Net with our daily position. It seems our
spot tracking device isn't working out here, but if you'd like to follow our
position, you can check this link:
www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=V73TN

As I write this, the wind has picked up, and it's started to rain. We've got
gusts of 35 knots. We've had very few of these squalls out here. If it
wasn't for the instruments, you'd hardly know. Amazing how insulated we are
in the pilot house.

Laysan Delivery - Day 4

Well after three full days, we've almost made 300 miles. Swell is still big,
but we're comfortable enough.

Our position is: 8-53N and 175-44E. Our average speed is about 3.9 knots.
The sun has come out, which is good for the spirits!

Laysan Delivery - Day 2

Happy New Year!!

Since we're on the west side of the dateline, we get to be among the first to ring in the new year. But, we're at sea, so there hasn't been any celebrating. We'll wait until our arrival in Honolulu to bring in 2012. We certainly hope you and yours enjoy a happy and healthy 2012!

All is well aboard Laysan. We continue to be blessed with moderate winds, although the swell still makes for a lumpy ride. And it has been raining constantly. We're chugging along at a slow pace, rationing our fuel, making around 4.5 knots average. We're also grateful to be in this wonderful pilot house - dry and cozy! We'd be soaking wet if we were in Renova's open cockpit.

I've broken my hard earned record of not feeding the fish. Sadly, I was sick yesterday afternoon. Not sure if it was the increase in swell, the time on the computer, or the potato salad that had just been served up. Whatever it was, it sent me outside to hang over the rails. John was ever supportive by sticking his head out the pilot house window..."Don't fall over"! Oh well, now we've each been sick once since leaving BC two and a half years ago. Not too shabby, I'd say.

Laysan has a SSB radio aboard, so we're checking into the daily Pacific Seafarer's Net. It really is comforting to know that these guys are tracking our position each day, in addition to our friends and family back home.

Laysan Underway - Day 1

We're ready. We've loaded the boat with fuel, baked banana bread, and made
arrangements for Renova to be loved while we're away. So we've dropped the
mooring lines from MY Laysan, and have headed out the pass.

Conditions are as expected. Big swell, 2-3 meters. Wind is only 15-20 knots,
which is good, but not sure we can hope for that to continue.

All is well with us - we're working to get our sea legs under us.

Our position at 1700 dec 31 (ship's time) is 7-22N, 171-44E.

Merry Christmas to You and Yours

Since we are one of the first time zones to bring in Christmas day, we are
sending out a BIG holiday greeting to all of you!

We hope your Christmas is happy, healthy, and shared with loved ones!

Our Christmas in the Marshall Islands has been fabulous so far. We woke
early to fresh scones (thanks, Brandy)! We took our time opening our
stockings and a couple of presents (aka boat parts) that we'd bought for
each other. We were spoiled with treats that Ron had brought from home
(thanks to our family)!! John had bought a new camera to replace the one I
dropped in Kanton, and so did my brother! We're finally once again a two
camera family! Hurray!!

It's been a great morning. We're rolling sushi in preparation for a
Christmas potluck ashore with the other yachties here.

Enjoy your Christmas, wherever you might be!!

Cockroaches, Car Rentals and Late Cargo - by Ron

Dec 19

We had great intentions for our trip to the town of Laura at the north end
of the atoll. We had a nice breakfast and although the skies looked rather
grey, we had a rental car waiting and cargo/luggage to pick up from the
airport.

I got a first hand experience with island time twice today. First was our
experience at the rental place. It took us well over an hour to get the
rental car, only to find it had a nice little colony of cockroaches and
ants. John had a small freak out, which led to us getting another rental
car. It too was full of cockroaches. John sucked it up though, but he sat in
the front seat.

It reminded me of a time when John, Mom and I had gone to the local fair
that came to town every year in Campbell River. John was about 8 and I was
6. It was on this day that I realized my brother was afraid of things. He
freaked out at the top of the Ferris wheel, and the attendant had to bring
us down.

Regardless of the cockroaches, we decided to carry on. We had planned lunch
and an afternoon at the beach. Unfortunately, a lot of rain got in the way!
We had fun driving around checking the north end of the island. We stopped
for boiled eggs, cupcakes, fanta and ice cream for lunch at a side road
store.

The main reason we had rented the car was to retrieve the cargo/luggage that
was coming in from Guam. This was my second experience with "island time".
We were told to come back at 8pm by the cargo guy. Nothing arrived and we
were told to come back at 11:15pm.we got back to the boat at 1:30am (the
airport is only 25 minutes from the boats). It was a very long evening
getting the cargo. Needless to say it was enjoyable hanging out just John
and me and talking about our thoughts and plans for the future. We went
through the bags when we got back to the boat and headed off to bed. I went
to sleep knowing I would have clean underwear in the morning. Yahoo!

Snorkelling, Sailing and Supper - by Ron

Dec 18

I woke up early and read, made coffee and waited for John and Naomi to wake.
I was up at 4am (7am Vancouver time). I am staying in the master suite; very
nice!

I arrived yesterday from Honolulu, Hawaii to an airport that consisted of
one air strip on about 1 km wide piece of land. The arrival/departure
building was from circa 1960, but worked just fine. The luggage was brought
to the luggage drop off by a forklift. Unfortunately, my bags did not arrive
(they say it will be here Monday night). I am now wearing my brother's
shorts, and not much else as it is too warm for jeans. All is good.

I have easily switched into relax mode. I am so enjoying being on a boat for
an extended length of time. As well, it is so nice to be around Naomi and
John and share in part of their adventure. The Laysan is truly an amazing
vessel; 1st class!

It was a sunny day, but the wind has been rather intense. We decide to take
the Laysan out for a test run. It was nice to go to a protected island for
the afternoon. We tried out the sails and cruised around the lagoon. Naomi
and I snorkelled on a coral reef around a sunken helicopter and airplane. It
was one of the highlights of the trip so far. The fish were amazing to swim
near and came in many beautiful colours, shapes and sizes. We saw one huge
puffer fish (as big as a nice sized tyee). We explored the coral and the
beach.

We had yummy left over spaghetti for lunch and an afternoon cocktail. It was
a lazy and enjoyable day. I seem to have designated myself "preparer of
food". I made sweet chili pork and rice for supper. We ended the day with a
movie on the flat screen t.v., which magically ascends from the living room
cabinet. Life is not too bad at all. I crashed by 11pm.