S 00° 32.718
E 172° 46.866

As forecasted, the wind increase into the 5 Bft range. MaRe in her pyjama, runs with almost 6 KN in average through the nightly sea.

With a wind vane angle of 50 deg her COG is around 12 deg.

In terms of progress to our key WPT she is a bit ahead of the calculated point. This means that tomorrow we might need to slow down a bit by reducing the main to reef 3. and furle the genoa a bit.I’m curious where we will be in 6 h from now.

It’s nice crescent moon tonight. Because we are so close to the equator, the moon lies on his crescent. For someone like me who lived his life in the higher northern latitudes, it’s an unusual picture, fascinating me always when I see it.

The end of this long sail is approaching. It was a long sail in terms of time needed. The no and low winds at beginning are now replaced with 3 – 5 Bft winds. Today even the waves are down and we can use reef 1 in the main. Yesterday, the waves where to high to use reef 1. MaRe would have crashed into the waves too hard and too often.

The most important topic on board is the wind and the accuracy of the forecast. It seems that the forecast is better now.

This morning a bit suddenly the wind changes to a few degrees south of E. This enabled us to let MaRe with wind vane angle setting of 45 deg STB run a range of 005 deg to 025 deg. With this course we gain way towards destination WPT and east to gain a few offset miles should the wind turn unforecasted towards N again.

All day long MaRe runs fine on the course I set for her.

I spent quite some time at the wind forecast screen of my PC doing calculations when and where we could be under a few conditions. This because I wanted to see when we are at the entrance of the pass leading inside the atoll, which I typically called “Tarawa Island”.

Now I have a good picture. It looks like we sail like normally towards the key WPT at the SW corner of Tarawa and watch our progress. If we are too fast, we will slow down by sailing only with reef 3 and a partially furled genoa.

A lot depends how much speed MaRe will make with her pyjama during the 5 – 6 Bft winds forecasted for most of the night and tomorrow.

As Tobi lost all his bought lures, we built one today ourselves. Materials we use are an empty tooth paste tub, a piece of an empty powdered milk bag, a hook, a lead ball, and a few cable binders.

We are still waiting for the first bite…

… one may be lucky!

Yesterday, shortly before 1800, I decided to tack and run W
“W” in this case means to run as much N in the NW quadrant as possible.

I knew, I have to use my east offset miles and I will be forced to tack again towards E to gain additionally needed miles towards E.

I took this risk.

We started with an COG between 342 and 350, which was not bad at all because this gave us already way to N, where we need to go.

When I got up for my watch Tobi told me, “We sailed sometimes 0000 and even positive angles”. ‘That’s great!” I replied being very happy, “It means the wind is turning E”.

During my watch I observed the same COG crossing the 360 deg line into the “positive” range. Which means a COG east of N.

The same continued on Tobi’s next watch and on mine second watch. Now, at 1030 boat time (UTC-11) the COG line stays very often east of N. A simple graphical simulation I made shows that if we stay in average at a COG of 5 deg we reach the key WPT at the SW corner of Tarawa.

I think we deserve this luck after all what we went through earlier on this sail.

BTW, this morning at 0400 we achieved for the first time a day distance of exactly 120 NM.

Thanks to Vili whose assessment, made in CH, came in during my second watch. He is of the same opinion. This makes me feeling good with my decision.
Thanks Vili for your assessment.

I had a noon nap to get enough sleep. Tobi had a late morning additional sleep because we had early morning action. He takes another one right now and I later. This works very well between us.

Tobi just had the idea to prepare some “sour fish” for an early afternoon snack. The “fish sour” he prepared already a week ago. He boiled thin, small slices of the mahi-mahi shortly in water, and then pickled it. I wonder what he would say to this expression in use here. It’s originated in Austria where he learned from and elderly fisherman. The original Austrian name is completely misguiding; so in skip it.

This “fish sour” and fresh bread I baked at the end of my watch, was an excellent tasting and stomach filling snack.

A new fish is needed!!!

However, Tobi lost 3 lures. One most likely at a Chinese drifting fishing stuff. The last one he lost yesterday against a real big fish. We don’t know what fish and how big it was but it was a very powerful one.
While Tobi pulled in, the line was still running out. The rod was bent like I never saw before. Even with MaRe slowed slowed down to only 2 KN Tobi could not get the fish closer. It didn’t take long and the line broke. The fish and the lure was gone and Tobi angry. But such is fisherman’s life!
Today he’s trolling again with a pink & white lure. Let’s see what happens around 1700 the typical time for a bite.

The sky today appears gray but it’s not really gray. Leaders side there are many different types of clouds hanging up on the sky. Through holes in clouds the sky is visible.

On the windward side there is blue sky to be seen sprinkled with with small altocumulus, altonimbus and a few cumulnimbus clouds. But in the area where the wind comes from there are also quite a few low hanging cumulusnimbus but they want reach MaRe.

The sea appears gray today. Especially on the leeward side. The wind wave are up to maybe 1.5 m. A swell is hardly to be recognized.

I also found a tacking strategy for our way to Tarawa. I’m happy about it, because it let’s me keep most offset miles for the final approach to Tarawa. In 2 days there are winds from E forecasted.

As for the forecast, the ECMWF model seems to be reliable again. At least that’s what I dream of. In about 4 – 5 h we will take and sail again eastward – if the wind stays as forecasted.

Since we started sailing this morning at 0720, we progre very well in NE direction.

TWS is around 3 – 4 Bft, the wind waves only about max 1.5 m, and a low, not catchy swell, let’s MaRe’s run smoothly and fast.

I’ll keep sailing with a 45 deg AWA until a westerly course is better. The current course will give us bonus miles to the east when the winds are blowing from NW on the next days.

Also the weather forecast was awful since we started, I feel it’s getting better. At the end the SE trade wind from E will be dominant bringing its wind from E, a low pressure system S – SW of us can create the NE winds forecasted for the coming days.

I hope, I make the right decision with changing the tack.

Tobi most likely contemplates about the lure he is using. Since days not fresh fish and his favorite lure was taken by a bigger fish the other day.

I would not mind eating another of his fish dishes!

Yesterday, I really was pisses off with Chinese obstacles, stretching in line over 20 NM; adding a safety margin to the eastern end, where we need to go around, it has a length of 30 NM .

There were with AIS equipped 4 obstacles in linear arrangement. The AIS send a only 8 digit MMSI number. Normal MMSI numbers habe always 9 digits and the first 3 are the MID number, which indicates the flag state of the vessel.

These obstacles’ send an MMSI starting with 98 which indicates there is an accompanying parent ship somewhere. Later at night, we saw the AIS signature of a parent ship. As this has a Chinese MID, and all devices had the same Chinese sounding name – except for the last 2 digits – I can conclude that the obstacles were Chinese.

What these obstacles were, we don’t know really. I kept a distance to the line arranged obstacles of 2 – 3 NM and an 6 NM at the east while looking carefully for any obstacles being in the water for while.

With what we observed we asked Claude AI, and ChatGPT.
Most likely it was a kind of fishing device(s); drift nets which are size depending ilegale, drifting squid jigging gear, etc.

These obstacle moved during the night very slowly NNW. The way they drifted indicates a huge 20 NM long illegal drift net.

So far about the obstacles.

They forced us to change our course from NE to E while MaRe at around 7 KN. Next we were forced to sail parallel to the obstacles for about 25 NM.

Already in the night, the obstacles disappeared from the AIS screen. Nets pulled in that nobody sees?

With all the fishing by Chinese boats in the entire
Pacific islands sailed, I am declined to assume the worst, the use of illegal huge drift nets, just the AIS is switched off.

The point for us is that we can’t rely on disappearing AIS signal.

Without being disturbed by these Chinese – properly illegal – obstacles we would be about 20 – 30 NM further north, for us a big chunk.

Today, with the wind is blowing in favor of an easterly course. I hope to be able to sail without such or similar Chinese obstacles an westerly course again tomorrow or the day after.

During the day we saw two other Chinese fishing boats. According to the AIS data in the 70 m class.

I am seeing the Chinese emptying the World’s oceans and the World just doesn’t see it. Beside French Polynesia, the Pacific is already the backyard of China. I know why, since 10 – 20 years I avoid Chinese products to the extrem possible.

S 06° 10.129
E 170° 50.617

Yesterday evening, after the squall shower, a squall dance started. The wind turned gradually from E to NE and around midnight even to N.

The turning to N was a good timing because Tobi needed to get up anyhow to start his watch. So we tacked.

During Tobi’s watch the wind turned for a while to NW, which resulted in a gain of miles in NW direction.

Unfortunately, during my watch another series of squall erased the gain in N direction and we only gain in E direction.

Let’s see how it will continue.

S 06° 10.187
E 170° 48.591

Yesterday I was lucky. The monkey with the tin tool arranged a squall ahead of us with nice volume of rain.

So I could take a rain shower. It feels good, when the raindrops hit the skin and cooling it, and massaging it. I felt refreshed thereafter.

I could even rinse my shirt and undies. It’s not washed but better than before.

Additionally we could make some fast way to destination

The monkey with the tin tool made a nice mistake.

S 06° 40.033
E 170° 38.470

This morning, while we drifted backwards because of no wind, I saw it again.

If I recall it right, I saw it last time two and a half year ago. That time in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The little creature has moved to the Western Pacific Ocean. I’m sure it did just to anoy me.

This morning I saw it while it interacted with the wind workers of the wind worker union of Mr Wind-Ows company.

At around 0730, I saw it discussing with the wind workers. It made promises like the most intelligent man of the world, the deal maker does. It promised a Golden Age if they only follow his ideas consequently. It asked them to refuse working and with the tariffs it world charge to me, they all would start living in the New Golden Age.

I saw the monkey with the tin tool again and suddenly understood all the problems we had with the wind since we left Vanuatu. All problems were created by the little beast, the monkey with the tin tool.

But at about 1030 this morning, I got Signal message from one of the wind workers. We know each other since long because they shoveled a huge amount of wind along my routes. “Today” I was told, “we will shovel wind for you just a bit east of your route. At the beginning not to much but later around 3 – 4 Bft”. “Thanks guys for that. You make my day! ” Gosh I was happy!

We pulled up the main without a reef or as I call it, “reef 0”. Soon MaRe started moving. An hour later the wind increased and we changed to reef 1 in the main sail.

The guys kept their promise and we are sailing parallel to the planned route a course around 20 – 30 deg. This brings us nicely to our WPT already less then 500 NM ahead.

Thanks guys for shoveling so constantly the wind from between E and ENE!

S 06° 51.780
E 170° 32.845

I feel there is need to update and re-publish this glossary again.

The lasted posting in this “Glossary” series is always an updated version of the previous “Glossary of terms”.

I’m using in my narrations a lot of abbreviations and special terms, which are understood by sailors. As I know that there are many people without sailing knowledge reading these narrations, I decided to add again this glossary of terms. Here you find always explanations on the terms and especially the abbreviations I’m using.

TWS – True Wind Speed – the speed measured at any position at land or at sea where the position does not move. On board of a boat this wind speed is calculated using satellite data.

TWD – True Wind Direction – the true direction of the wind. The direction from which the wind comes in the global coordinate system where N = 0 deg, E = 90 deg, etc. It is not to be mistaken with TWA, which it relative measured from the boat.

AWS – Apparent Wind Speed – the wind someone standing on a boat feels. This is the wind the sails feel, thus the wind, which drives the boat forward. It is measured on the top of the mast.

AWA – Apparent Wind Angle – the angle equivalent to AWS. It is also measured on the top of the mast

TWA True Wind Angle – the angle equivalent to AWA but recalculated using GPS data. It is the calculated angle at which the true wind would hit the boat.

STW – Speed Through Water – the speed a boat makes through the water. It is measured just outside of the hull. There is through hull in which the sensor is located. This is used to calculate the TWS from the measured AWS.

SOG – Speed Over Ground – the speed with which the boat moves over the ground of the globe. It is calculated from satellite data.

COG – Course Over Ground – the course (direction) in which the boat moves over the ground of the globe. It is calculated from satellite data.

WPT – Waypoint – point along the route a boat sails. Each WPT has a pair of coordinates that determines its position on the globe or on the sea chart (digital or paper)

BTW – Bearing To Waypoint – the direction under which the WPT is located; being seen from the boat.

DTW Distance To Waypoint – the distance of the waypoint from the boat.

PRT – Port or Port side – the left side of a boat when looking from stern to bow. Color is red. (The red heart is at the left side of a human body.)

STB – Starboard or Starboard side – the right side of a boat when looking from stern to bow. Color is green.

XTE – Cross Track Error – The distance a boat is left or right away from the planned route to the next WPT.

NM – Nautical Miles – distance unit for navigation. 1 NM is the equivalent distance of 1 angular minute of a longitudinal circle around the globe (these circles go through the North and South pole). They have all the same length.

KN Knot – a speed unit for which means the NM per hour.

As Nautical Mile and Knot are not an ISO units, they don’t have an internationally fixed abbreviation. Thus, one can find other abbreviations as well. I’m using the ones here in capital characters because they are not in conflict with any ISO units.

Sails
Every sailboat can have different sails but almost always have a main sail and one head sail.

The main sail – or short the “main” is the big 3-angular sail behind the mast.

The head sails – are always before the mast. Head sails can have different sizes and thus have different names. MaRe has 3 different head sails.

The genoa – biggest and most often used has 49 m2.

The jib sails – Only a few catamarans can fly jib sails. MaRe has two. A jib with 20 m2 and a storm jib with only 8 m. Depending on wind and direction conditions one jib can be used in combination or instead of the genoa.

Gennaker – this is huge, 123 m2, sail made out of material also used for parachutes. It is a light wind sail, which I can use for AWA from 70 – 180 deg. (For sailors: I can even fly to 150 deg on the other side with a tack height of 2 m). It is flown in the very front of the boat but can be pulled to the side as well; this depends on the AWA.
MaRe got last year a new gennaker. It’s colors are only dark blue and light blue. The dark blue color is at the edges of the sail, to get a good contrast against the sky. In the inner, light blue area it carries the name “MaRe”.
It got the nick name “The Big Blue”.

Reefing a sail – or – put a reef in sail – making a sail smaller because their it’s too much wind or there is more wind to expected.
The main sail has 3 reefs plus what I call reef 0. Reef 0 is the unreefed sail. When the reef number increases, the sail is getting smaller. Reef 1 covers a large range of wind speeds; it’s used for normal daylight sailing. Reef 2 is good for strong breezes and light gales. I use it also during night to not get surprised by a squall which can have wind speeds of up to 30+ KN. Then there is reef 3, a storm sail. Fortunately I never had to use it in a storm. The only time I used it was during the last 24 – 48 h in the approaching to the Gambier islands. MaRe was running to fast with reef 2, so we changed to reef 3 to arrive later at the check points.

For the genoa there are bar marks at the foot (lower edge) of the sail. The more number of bars are to be seen, the bigger the sail is. 3.5 bars means the full sized genoa. 0.5 bars means the genoa is reduced to the size of a “handkerchief”. The finally stage is furling (rolling up) the genoa fully. The number of bars is also in the reefing table of the boat designer.
Now, you might read “we furled the genoa” – furling a genoa is a work done very often on a boat and has not necessarily something to do with strong winds. Most often it just means getting the genoa out of the way because we need to work at mast on the main sail.

The gennaker can not be reefed. For that reason I can be called a “binary” sail; it’s up or down. Like “1” or “0” in a computer.

Jib sails will not be reefed but exchanged.

Halyards – each sail has its halyard, which is a line to pull the sail up.

Sheets – Each head sail has 2 sheets. Sheets are lines with which a head sail must be adjusted to the AWA.

The main sail has only 1 sheet to adjust the sail to AWA.

Barber Hauler – a special line, which allows to open a head sail more than what is possible using a normal sheet. I use this typically when I only sail with the genoa and have winds between about 150 – 180 deg AWA.

Autopilot – it is a computer, which can steer the boat depending an information it is given and the steering mode being selected

Steering modes are:
STBY – stand-by – the autopilot returns the steering to the person at the helm and does nothing else.
AUTO – the autopilot steers the boat into a direction entered, ignoring wind and current drifts.
WIND VANE – the autopilot steers the boat in a way that the entered AWA determines the direction the boat is going. Thus, when the wind changes direction, the boat follows the new direction.
TRACK – the autopilot steers the boat to a given WPT correcting drifts by currents and wind. This mode can only be used with very stable wind directions or when the boat is running by its engines.

Directions in hours
If one stands somewhere at the boat and wants to tell another person where there is something to be seen, the hours of clock are used. 12:00 is fixed to the bow and 0600 is fixed to the stern. The other hours are distributed around the clock.
E.g. 0300 is on STB at a 90 deg angle from the boat. 0900 is the equivalent on PRT. The others are in between on a logical order.

Compass directions
N north (0 or 360 deg)
NNE north-north-east (22.5 deg)
NE north-east (45 deg)
ENE east-north-east (67.5 deg)
E east (90 deg)
S south (180 deg)
W west (270 deg)
Between each main direction the sub directions equivalent to the ones between N and E exist.

Waves
There are wind induced waves and the swell. Wind induced waves are on top of a swell and are cause by wind closer to the boat. Whereas swell is created by constant winds far away and these waves roll long distances.
(If I’m not wrong there is a good article in Wikipedia: “Douglas Scale” is a pretty good search term. )

Kartoffelacker
“Kartoffelacker” translates to ” potato field” and here the term refers to a potato after harvesting the potatoes. It’s a synonym for the ground being fully bumpy. Thus, German speaking sailors use this term for a very bumpy sea after some clouds passed through.

I hope that the terms are understood even by non-sailor. At least this was the objective for writing this glossary of terms. Feel free to ask for additional information to reinhold@cat-mare.de.