Temme Travels

The wind has backed off and it sounds as if the last few days at sea might just be the most enjoyable. For the first time since leaving Cabo San Lucas all the sails are flying. Both the main sails are flying high and the spinnaker is full. Yesterday they caught a nice Mahi Mahi that they cooked up breaded style and will have the rest today. With the wind and sea calming down it has given them the energy to do some domestics including showers, sheet changes and for at least Thor a clean shave. He is getting a little bit of badgering from the crew for not conforming to their pirate ways. All is well and the ETA for Oahu is Saturday. 21 20N 150 24W 7-9KTS  Boat Speed WIND ENE 13KTS 420 Miles to Ala Wai

I asked Angela if she wanted to write a post to add to the blog, First I personally wanted to thank Angela for giving up Aaron for the last three weeks, especially since she did not know us very well before this trip, had no previous knowledge of our boat, Thor's experience or what the trip actually entailed. It is a big commitment to take off on a trip like this leaving work, responsibilities, family and friends on a pretty significant journey. Aaron and Kevin both have been a great addition to the entire trip. It's not all fun and games prepping a boat that sat unattended for a year and a half. Their first 48 hours was traveling and lots of work getting the boat ready. They did manage a few fun times including the last 11 days at sea. The trip is winding down and we are all anxious for them to be home. Today their position is: 21 10N 147 11W DOING 7-8KTS W/ WIND FROM NEAT 12KTS SEAS 2-3FT 599 MILES TO ALA WAI AND THEY ARE FLYING A SPINNAKER I am so grateful to Tanya ...

Here is the am posistion for Meshach 21 33N 143 40W 797 MIlLES TO ALAWAI COURSE 245 8KTS WIND 13NE The boat was provisioned for 3 weeks and now it looks like it will be 13 days so they are planning on eating well for the next few days before the agriculture inspection on Oahu. No produce, fruits or vegetables from a foreign port can be on board at time of inspection. Well at least it will simplify things if it is not on board..

Closing on on Hawaiian Islands. They have set the clocks back a few times. the posistion for today @06:28 was 21 42N 139 55W SPEED 10KTS WIND 15NE 1006 Miles to ALAWAI 940 miles to MOLOKAI Update  RECORD Speed 18.9 knots  SMASHED HOURS LATER BY ROOKIE KEVVY MCQUEEN 20.1 They are hoping to go thought the Molokai Chanel during daylight to get some footage of Molokai Pali..

Not sure if they recieved new charge for airtime for the Sat phone but they were still able to text. According to the Sat Phone company the additional minutes should have been processed. Position as of this morning is: 2 2 01N 135 58W PAST HALFWAY LAST NIGHT  WILD WEATHER HAD TO TAKE TURNS CAREENING DOWN SWELLS UP TO 18KTS  STILL REEFED SINCE CABO  It sounds like the weather is a bit frisky and the fact that they are still reefed down means there is no lack of wind. The waves were a bit of a roller coaster ride last night and it was too much for the auto pilot so they were taking turns hand-steering. All is well.

All is well today's position is: 21 35N 131 59W COURSE 268 SPEED 8-14KTS WIND NE 15KTS  HALFWAY TOMORROW Not much sleep for the boys last night as the seas were a bit turbulent and the motion of the boat a bit uncomfortable. Sky is still overcast and the air is cold. This is a good thing for those worrying about hurricanes. Hurricanes don't like cold water and they are far enough north that it is pretty rare to see one this early in the season. (Normally June 1 -November). They did say that the sun was out long enough that they all showered on deck with their allotted fresh water solar showers. They are roughing it a bit. We do have an endless amount of fresh water on-board thanks to water-maker that turns salt water to fresh, hot endless showers ...That is when it works. The pump went out before we came home to Kauai and the idea of bringing all the parts to Mexico and fixing it was a bit more than Thor wanted to deal with, so the old fashioned solar showers one each i...

Ok the sat phone is fine. A little communication error. Here is the boys daily update. 21 39N 128 20W COURSE 276  Sailing 8-10 knots in 13 knots of wind.Still cloudy and cold. No traffic, No Fish  but Happy Crew. Almost to the halfway mark. So there it is another quick bit of info. 1860 miles to go with a stop in Honolulu for immigration and agriculture.  Hoping to be on Kauai no later than the 4th , weather permitting. They all sounded up beat and looking forward celebrating the halfway mark with Meshach message in the bottle tradition. Till tomorrow.

Today's Position as of 6:30 am this morning. 22 03N 124 40W HEADING 276 WIND 13KTS NNE The air is still cold , the sky is clearing and the sun is shining just  a bit more. 200+ mile days with 1854 miles to go. I was gone for the last few days with Sienna's first grade class in Kokee . Kokee is a fabulous escape from technology, but explains the lack of communication over the last 24 hours. All is well, but there is a chance that the sat phone has gone on the blink. Angela received a short call from Aaron which basically ended with "Battery is dying, and only charge when engine is running" and then silence. So there is a possibility of some type of charging issues or a major defect in expensive satellite phone. Charging is usually no problem unless the solar panels are not keeping up due to the cloud coverage they have had. They can run the engine to charge batteries, so hopefully it is a simple problem that with lots of free time a three brains hard at work wi...

Here is the  location and a few tidbits from a 2 min satellite call and a few 160 character text. They can receive text for free and outgoing is reasonable with the Iridium sat phone, but voice calls are still pretty pricey. Technology is a amazing and has changed quickly. Today's position is: 22°17N 117° 39W heading is 266° on the line to Hawaii 2,242 miles to go  Sails still reefed and they are maintaining an average speed of 8 knots Wind is N 14 knots and wave heights 3-5 feet. The wind is turning a little more NE which means they are hitting the trades. Everyone is eating well and Kevin is quickly becoming a seasoned sailor. No boats spotted. Nights have been wet and a bit cold but they are all adjusting well to the rhythm of the ocean and their watch schedules. The best part about sailing is you never miss a sunrise or a sunset. They all reiterated how amazing the solar eclipse was. If anyone would like to send a quick text let me know I will forward text # ...

A morning call at 6:10am found the Meshach crew well and having covered 196 miles in the past 24 hours. The wind is still out of the NW with seas 2-3 feet.  They have a reef (shortened sails) in both sails and are doing about 8-9 knots boat speed. Today's Position is: 22° 09 n  -114° 49'w They were all in good spirits and feeling great. Doing great time and looking forward to hitting the Pacific NE Trade-winds this will be a fun and fast point of sail for Meshach. Last night they were treated to the Solar Eclipse The Ring of Fire where they saw about two-thirds of the eclipse and took great photos that will have to be shared when they arrive back on terra firma.

Received a short call on Satellite phone that all was well. 20 -25 knots of accelerated nw winds and a bit up a bumpy sea. Position at 5:30 am Hawaii time was 22°20' north 111° 17'w. Everyone is doing fine.

22.8800° N, 109.9000° W Cabo San Lucas There is an old sailing superstition that you never leave for a long passage on a Friday, do not have bananas on board or women for that matter. This would not be the first passage that was started on a Friday. The new development would restart the voyage to today making the official start day Saturday. Ok I feel so much better. Ha Ha I was surprised this morning to receive a call from Thor's cell phone this morning clearly still in range and not as far off as I thought they would be. The decision to stop in Cabo was made due to the fact that...well why not? The winds were light, not much to talk about on the horizon, more fuel wouldn't hurt , topping off water, and a few more select provisions were needed. Peanut butter black tea and a bit of fresh bread to be exact. The first 24 hours out was an easy motor sail, mostly motoring at around 7 knots in calm and glassy water through the Cerralvo Channel. The boys were kept entertain...

There is no way to describe the feeling of pulling up the anchor and heading off into truly the last frontier. It is an adventure no matter how far your sailing. Some of the best adventures are just the next bay over. Today Meshach left La Paz. The kids and I are excited to have Meshach home and more excited to have our family back together. The best way to describe the send off is by someone who was there. This is an email from our wonderful friend Nancy on S/V Eyoni. Nancy is also our official boat photographer when we are sailing together.  Ethan will be keeping the guys updated on weather and Zada keeps us smiling. Love the toothless grin Z! Thanks for the send off. Well Tanya, this morning at 7:11am the anchor rose from the choppy waters of the bay of La Paz and with a slightly tangled shackle Aaron & Kevin hunkered over the bow to twist it free while Thor stayed at the helm. Aaron and Kevin Raising Anchor Anchors Away Zada saying goodbye to Meshach and crew ...

There is a lot of planning involved when you set off on boat to cross 3000 + miles of open ocean. Find crew X Get Boat cleaned and ready X Provision boat with necessary supplies. (ok according to the boys this is a X as well) Wait for weather window ( WHICH IS WHERE THEY ARE NOW...WAITING) So a little background into provisioning a boat. This job usually falls into my to do list. It takes a lot of planning, many trips to multiple markets, more planning, organizing and stowing. Buying produce at all different stages of ripeness and buying produce, eggs fruits and vegetables that haven't been refrigerated will lengthen the life of the produce as well as knowing just the right type of goodies and food will work well underway. Thor will admit this is not his forte and Aaron asked me multiple times for a list, since I know my boat and what works, I didn't manage to do that and Aaron was confident they would be fine. Sounds like Aaron sorry Thor.. might be the only cook amongst ...

Meshach sailed quietly into the La Paz channel this morning. It is a always nice to sail into a place that is familiar. La Paz is a place we have been going to with Meshach since 1999 when we sailed for two years pre kids and then in 2010 with them. What's better than a familiar place is familiar faces and the smiles and laughter shared with friends. What a great feeling to be in a place so far from home and not have one familiar face but many.  Thank You Nancy Ethan and Zada on Eyoni for the multiple times you sailed north and stopped by to check on Meshach at anchor in Puerto Escondido, thanks to Marc for taking the boys around and getting the boat fueled up. Nothing better than a ride to the petrol station in a truck with a/c in the 104 degree dry air. Kevin arrived today in La Paz. Kevin already had ties to La Paz and a truck and surfboards waiting. The crew is all together now and by the looks of the photos they are all having a great time. Thanks Nancy! The next few day...

We all agreed we  would rather be with Thor sailing back to Hawaii but we found a great way to spend Mothers Day at home. Lovely day at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. Mothers Day at NTBG

Aaron and Thor have already proven themselves a good team. With sleep deprivation and two days of hard work cleaning fossilized bird poop off the deck and oyster sized barnacles off the hull, these guys have managed to get the boat shipshape, provisioned, fueled up and underway in a little more than 48 hours. There is a bit of mixed emotion realizing Meshach is leaving Mexico and starting the first leg of her journey home from Baja. Thank you Linda and Orlando on the sailboat Cube Libre 3 for keeping me updated and sending the photos of Meshach leaving P.E. The Sea of Cortez and Mexico is by far one of the most beautiful places. The desert meeting an emerald colored sea , the most amazing sunsets, sunrises and a sky dotted with millions of stars. If you look at Baja at a glance it is a desert, not much to see, and from some perspectives boring, but if you live Baja it is life. Truly you live, you explore, you search and you find. The ever changing landscape, unimaginable colors of s...

View Meshach Pacific Crossing 2009 in a larger map

It has been awhile since I wrote anything on the blog. Starting up again to track the progress of Meshach coming home to Kauai from Mexico. So here we start the 3,000 mile adventure home. I will update the blog an soon to be added map to chart their progress over the next few weeks. So today is the day that the adventure to bring Meshach home to Kauai gets underway. There is a bit of sadness to see Thor leaving to go back to Mexico without us, back to Meshach but we are excited about having the boat home and spending time this summer in Hanalei and getting reacquainted with boat life. Oh how we all miss it and can't believe a year and a half have gone by. New adventures in business have kept us more than busy. Captain Thor and First Mate Aaron Martin left Wednesday for Mexico. Thor will be making his tenth Pacific crossing, the 6th on Meshach. We are excited to have Aaron aboard as first mate. Aaron and Thor race together every Thursday as part of the Ozone crew which al...