MV Dirona travel digest for Palmyra and Line Islands 2013


Show Palmyra and Line Islands 2013 travel log map Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise.

On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at //mvdirona.com/maps/LocationCurrent.html.


   

3/9/2013: Provisions to stow
Stowing provisions for the trip to the Line Islands and on to French Polynesia--this is just the non-perishables. We don't expect to be able to reprovision until we reach Tahiti, two months after we leave Hawaii.
3/12/2013: Repackaging
Getting rid of cardboard and repackaging to reduce size.
3/12/2013: Vacuum sealing
Vacuum sealing into cannisters
3/15/2013: Last dawn
Our last dawn view to Honolulu.
3/15/2013: Kewalo Basin
Entering Kewalo Basin for fuel
3/15/2013: Fueling
Taking on fuel from the truck in the background. We fueled with Mike Rossman's Marine Petroleum Corporation--great service, good fuel, and excellent pricing. If you're fueling in Hawaii, there's nobody else to call.
3/15/2013: Bladders secure
Including all tankage, we're carrying 2,350 gallons. Our next fuel stop will be in Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands. That will be 2,550 miles, plus two to three weeks of generator time. So we've filled the bladders as well.
3/15/2013: Underway
On to Palmyra.
3/15/2013: Smooth sailing
Conditions excellent so far. Winds started calm, but picked up to around 15 knots from northwest. Seas are perhaps three to four feet on the stern quarter.
3/15/2013: Night
We're into night mode now and experimenting with sleeping in the off-watch berth in the pilot house again. We generally prefer sleeping below in the master stateroom where it's quieter and boat moation is less. And it's easier for the person who is on-watch as they don't have to be as quiet. But the pilot house is so much cooler than down below. Conditions got a bit lumpy earlier as winds came up to twenty, but the winds have dropped back below ten and the seas are now reasonably calm.
3/15/2013: Midnight snack
Fresh pineapple makes an excellent on-watch treat.
3/16/2013: A few kibbles
Normally we feed Spitfire twice a day. But at sea we give him a dozen or so kibbles at a time throughout the day so he's less likely to lose them.

Conditions remain good, with winds less than 13. Seas maybe 6 feet, but on an 8-10-second period, so the ride is comfortable. We're 155nm out of Honolulu and the KVH still is connecting. We'll be sad to see that go.
3/16/2013: Southernmost sunrise
We've just hit the furthest south we've ever been in Dirona. Previous was South Point at the bottom end of the Big Island. Winds remain below 15 knots and the seas are gentle. We're making excellent time with the wind and current behind us. Our goal is 1.3 nautical miles per gallon to reach our next fueling at Nuku Hiva, and we're well above 1.38 and averaging 7 knots.
3/16/2013: Managing the perishables
In preparing for this trip, we've used a surprising number of Pacific Northwest "Remote Destination Boating" tips from our guide, Cruising the Secret Coast
3/16/2013: Lunch
Char siu (Chinese barbecued pork) sauteed with vegetables to wrap in fried Man Doo Pi (flat egg noodles) for lunch. Conditions still excellent: winds less than 15 and a low northwesterly swell on our stern quarter. Speed has dropped off a bit to 6.5 knots, so likely a bit less current pushing as along.
3/16/2013: Off-watch
When the wind died down and the evening temperature increased past 75, the master stateroom won out over the off-watch berth for overall sleeping comfort. While in Hawaii we purchased a number of Honeywell table-top air circulating fans. They are quiet and move a lot of air. With two running near the berth, the master was quite comfortable temperature-wise.
3/16/2013: Night
Wind remains below 15 and seas reasonably smooth. Boat motion has been pretty minimal entire run. Speed at 6.7 knots with a 1.4nm/gal burn. just humming along in the dark and running perfectly.
3/17/2013: Strawberry crepes
Freshly-made crepes with strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast. This is one of our favourite breakfasts dating back to the 1980s. On driving trips between Victoria and Ontario for student work terms, we'd always stop off at a restaurant perched above Highway 1 in the Rockies for this meal.

Conditions continue to be good. The wind has veered from northwest to northeast, but still is less than 15 knots. We're more than 300 miles out of Honolulu, and still within range of KVH. That can't last much longer though.
3/17/2013: Lunch
Char siu fried rice for lunch on the flybridge. We're developing a routine of a having a larger late lunch and a small dinner before the formal shift cycle starts at 8.

We haven't seen much of anything out there since leaving Honolulu: no boats, no debris, no fish and only the occasional bird. And even those were mostly at night were we could hear, but not see them.
3/17/2013: Engine room check
We check the engine room between every shift change or at least every four hours. James transfers fuel from the one of the two side tanks to the day tank; checks for fluids in the bilges; inspects the packless shaft seal; looks in the lazarette for leaks and inspects the coolant flow in the hydraulic system; checks the main engine oil temperature; and shoots a few things with an IR heat gun to look for temperature anomolies. In the photo, James is looking at a Maretron gauge that shows the levels of all four tanks (side port, side starboard, wing and day).
3/18/2013: Nearing dawn
Ran the watermaker yesterday afternoon and topped of the freshwater tank. Conditions excellent--winds about 5 knots and seas a gentle 5-6-foot swell. And, amazingly, we're almost halfway there and still within KVH range. The stars sure are beautiful out here. Feels very remote though--haven't seen even a bird in the past day.
3/18/2013: Sunrise
.
3/18/2013: Sunrise #2
The sunrise became more dramatic as the sun passed behind the clouds.
3/18/2013: Fruit cocktail
Fresh strawberries, blueberries & rasberries before breakfast.
3/18/2013: Rain
This small storm system was clearly visible on the radar twenty miles out. It was very concentrated and relatively small for a weather system. Rain fell as we passed through, but nothing like some of the squalls we saw coming across to Hawaii from San Francisco. Modern digital radar is a joy to use. Unlike our previous radar where best results was attainable only with much adjustment and care, these new systems are easy to read right out of the box. We particularly like ARPA (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid). Being able to flag multiple targets, track them and know closest point of approach (CPA) is incredibly useful. We've had no targets to pickup on this passage, but having accurate CPAs in busy areas is invaluable.
3/18/2013: Life!
Finally saw a little more life today: several birds chasing a school of flying fish that skimmed over ten feet across the water surface. Still not a single other boat though.
3/18/2013: Off watch
Although we are sleeping down below in the master stateroom, the pilothouse off-watch berth isn't going entirely unused.
3/18/2013: Lunch
Soft-shelled tacos for lunch in the pilothouse.
3/19/2013: Out of Mini-VSAT range
We fell out of Mini-VSAT range around 9pm last night, 550 miles out of Honolulu. Disappointing to see it go, but amazing it lasted so long. We're now only going to be able to connect once or twice a day at great cost. Conditions are still good, with winds around fifteen. Waves about 8 feet behind us, with a slightly smaller period of around 8 seconds, so a little more boat motion, but not a big deal. We're now 11 degrees north of the equator. Temperature a steady 80 day and night, and with the master stateroom at 85F, we're finding the pilot house off-watch berth is now most comfortable for sleeping. We've consumed 457 gallons of fuel so far in 614 miles, for a fuel economy of 1.34 nm/gal. It looks like we'll be able to pump the bladders out shortly before reaching Palmyra, and then we'll leave for Fanning with nearly full fuel tanks.
3/19/2013: Nearing the equator
We're currently ten degrees north of the equator. The outside air temperature is 81F, the water temperature is 83F and the outside humidity is 75%. Inside the boat, the temperature is 86F with 61% humidity. It's getting toasty, and beginning to challenge our resolve that we weren't going to run the generator and the air conditioner and instead enjoy the outdoors. The good news is that the temperature will plummet to an overnight low of 80F. :)
3/19/2013: Sunset
.
3/20/2013: Morning
We're within 200 miles of Palmyra now and should arrive sometime tomorrow afternoon. Later today we'll have consumed enough fuel to drain the fuel bladders. On the run to Hawaii we didn't quite fill the fuel bladders all the way. This time we filled them almost to their 300-gallon capacity and they are more stable on deck. We just crossed 2,600 hours on our John Deere 6068AFM75 main engine. It continues to run well. Nothing underlines the importance of engine reliability more than being alone in the central Pacific.
3/20/2013: Flying fish
A flying fish landed on the boat deck, about ten feet off the water. That's a long way up. Another one landed just outside the pilot house door last night. Spitfire was sitting about a foot away and just about blew a gasket. We had the screen door closed, otherwise he'd have had an early breakfast.
3/21/2013: Roll
We're less than fifty miles out of Palmyra now, so we'll arrive this afternoon. The winds picked up overnight and have been blowing steady 20-25, with 7-8' seas about 6-7 seconds apart. The stabilizers are working well, however, and boat motion is not severe, although we are rolling quite a bit.
3/21/2013: Fuel transfer
Tightening the ratchet strap on the starboard fuel bladder during the fuel transfer. Conditions haven't improved much, but we'll be in soon, so it doesn't much matter.
3/21/2013: Land ho!
We can't actually see land yet, but Furuno can. Palmyra Atoll showed up on our radar about 32 miles out (the curved shape near the bottom of the screen, to the right of the vertical heading line). The island is small--only 4.6 sq miles. The radar reflection isn't much larger than a container ship's.
3/21/2013: Land really ho!
Finally we can make out the atoll about five miles away. Palmyra's elevation is only about six feet above sea level, so the atoll is difficult to see until quite close.
3/21/2013: Red-footed boobies
As we neared the atoll, red-footed boobies buzzed the boat. They seemed eager to land on our forward-spotlight shield, but the bird-spikes we'd installed in Hawaii did their job.
3/21/2013: Welcome to Palmyra!
Amanda Pollock, the Wildlife Refuge Manager for Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef NWRs, welcoming us to Palmyra. On board with her was Eric Pohlman of the Nature Conservancy. We'd corresponded with Amanda while in Hawaii to obtain our visitor's permit. On our radio call, she came out to guide us through the channel.
3/21/2013: Tropical paradise
A first view to the tropical paradise that is Palmyra Atoll. Palm trees crowd the shore above lush vegatation. It is absolutely beautiful.
3/21/2013: Entrance channel
Following the channel into the West Lagoon behind Amanda and Eric.
3/21/2013: Briefing
Amanda directed us to the designated anchorage, then she and Eric came onboard to give us a briefing.
3/21/2013: Six degrees north
At anchor in Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, within six degrees north of the equator.
3/22/2013: Palmyra Atoll
The Nature Conservancy maintains excellent trails on Cooper Island. We walked a loop around the east end of Cooper Island northeast along the mile-long runway, and back west along the north shore. The sign reads "Palmyra Atoll 05 52'N 162 05'W elevation 6 feet population 18." The population fluctuates as staff and guests come and go.
3/23/2013: Lagoon Tour
On a lagoon tour with Amanda Pollock, the Wildlife Refuge Manager for Palmyra.
3/24/2013: Palmyra Ternado
Sooty Tern nesting area. Terns will often take off, fly around, then land as a group. We were out on the water with Amanda one time and passed under a literal cloud of Sooty Terns. "It's a Ternado!" she joked.
3/25/2013: Sunset
.
3/26/2013: Sunrise
.
3/27/2013: Population increase
The 6-person group from Calgary left, and a 15-person group arrived, plus additional staff. So the island's population has almost doubled in the past week.
3/31/2013: On to Fanning Island
We leave Palmyra Atoll this evening for Fanning Island in Kiribati. Thanks to Amanda, Eric and rest of the The Nature Conservancy team for the wonderful time. And thanks also TNC for the covetted Palmyra shirts.
3/31/2013: Rough conditions
Conditions a bit rough with steady 25 knots wind and 8-10', tightly-packed seas from the east. Fanning is 200 miles from Palmyra--a 39-hour run--and 24 hours ahead. We want to arrive Wednesday morning to hit low-water slack at the entry channel where currents can reach five knots. Navigating in Palmyra is not allowed at night, so we left as late is possible today and planned on runnig at 5.2 knots to arrive at the right time. Problem is, we can barely make 5 knots to reduce pitching motion and that is at only 1.1nm/gal. We need an overall 1.24 to reach the Marquesas with our current fuel load of 1542 gallons.
4/1/2013: Improvement
Conditions improved--winds at below 20 and we're now making 5.2-5.3 knots at 1.4nm/gal.
4/1/2013: Last rasberries
This morning we had the last of the rasberries from Honolulu. They lasted well--almost three weeks--without any losses. We did take good care of them, using all our tricks from our guide, Cruising the Secret Coast, but even still, that SubZero fridge is amazing. Conditions continue to improve: winds are around 15 east, waves are perhaps 6 feet now on a 8-second period and boat motion is much diminished.
4/1/2013: 90 miles to go
We're making great time now: 5.5 knots at 1.4nm/gal. Conditions are decent--3-5' seas on the beam. Winds 15- 20 knots.
4/1/2013: Teraina Island
We passed within three miles of Teraina Island, Kiribati, unnamed on the chart. The island appears to be inhabited--several large buildings and a tall radio tower stood along the beach.
4/2/2013: Land ho!
We're about 18 miles out of Fanning Island. We can't yet see the island, but it is clearly visible on the radar at bottom right along our course line. Conditions are excellent now--winds below 15 from the east with a gentle 5-foot swell. We're doing 5.5 knots at 1.7nm/gallon. We'll arrive with plenty of time to hit slack water at the entry to English Harbor.
4/2/2013: Sunrise over Fanning
We're about 5 miless off Fanning Island now and can see land under a beautiful sunrise.
4/2/2013: Fanning arrival
We arrived about an hour before low water, and conditions looked good to enter. Current still was ebbing a bit, but we had no trouble passing through. We're now anchored in English Harbor just off the main village.
4/2/2013: Cleared through
Shortly after we'd anchored, Customs, Immigration and Quarantine officers came aboard and cleared us through. We can now exchange our quarantine flag for a Kiribati courtesy flag.
4/2/2013: Anchorage
We're anchored off the main settlement on Fanning Island. The village appears to have no electricity: no lights came on as night fell, so the stars were amazing. We could clearly see the milky way, unusual for being close to a village. They may not have electricity, but everyone seems to have some form of flashlight. During the evening, tiny spots of light floated around the village and shoreline as people moved about.
4/3/2013: The office
James and his BGAN. We are exclusively using tablets for connectivity now, to avoid the near-uncontrolable bandwidth consumption of a personal computer and all the update processes.
4/4/2013: Dive
This morning we did a dive just outside the entrance channel to Fanning Island. The quantity and variety of sea life was amazing: 3' Giant Trevally and Double Header Wrasses, the biggest we've seen; schools of Barracuda that circled us completely; many varietes of Butterflyfish and Angelfish, in particular the striking Flame and Golden-Spotted Angelfish; and a sea turtle. Unfortunately the camera battery hadn't been charged properly, so we don't have pictures for this one.