Welcome to Nuka Hiva, French Polynesia

To begin with, here are a couple photos from our days at sea. We didn’t get many nice sunsets, but the few we got were beautiful. We also had a huge rainbow around the boat the days it rained.

We dropped anchor at 6:00 am local time on May 19, just as the sun was coming up (8:30 am PST). The view of Taiohae was just as we had seen in photos. Continue reading

Kosmos Arrived Safely at Nuka Hiva!

The crew is healthy and happy. We had no system failures, and overall it was a great passage. We really appreciate everyone’s support. Seeing land after 21 days at sea is as wonderful as you would expect. Nuka Hiva is beautiful sight. We have lots to do, so look for more of a recap later. Land ho!

The numbers: We traveled 2835 miles on about 1000 gallons in 500 hours. That means 5.67 knots, 2.83 miles per gallon, and 2.00 gallons per hour.

San Diego to Nuka Hiva Day 19-20

  • Position and Time: S 05-09 by W 138-20 at 2140 UTC May 17, 2574 miles from San Diego
  • Average Speed and Course: 6.3 knots, 199 degrees true, 1600rpm
  • Wind: 15 knots at 300 degrees relative
  • Waves: 3-4 foot swells at 12 seconds, 2-3 foot wind waves.

It is time for some current talk, as in flow of water kind of current. On Tuesday evening our speed magically picked up by about 1.2 knots, which means we have finally escaped the clutches of the evil equatorial countercurrent (translation: where the current goes opposite way of our travel direction near the equator). Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! After 4 whole days of painfully slow speed (low of 4.4 knots), we are singing and dancing in the aisles to celebrate the restoration of our speed. While still keeping Continue reading

San Diego to Nuka Hiva Day 17-18

  • Position and Time: S 00-26 by W 136-26 at 1935 UTC May 15, 2271 miles from San Diego
  • Average Speed and Course: 5.1 knots, 204 degrees true, 1600rpm
  • Wind: 12 knots at 270 degrees relative
  • Waves: 3-4 foot swells at 10 seconds, 2-3 foot wind waves.

We crossed the equator! Yipee! The exciting event occurred at 5:52 am this morning, local time (one hour later than PST). It was still dark outside. It was a rare, clear night with the stars brilliantly shining. The stars are amazing out here. Our wake was sparkling and glowing with specks of bio-luminescence, which is stunning. It was a spectacular setting for our huge milestone. We gathered in the pilot house, watching the countdown on the GPS, then celebrated by Continue reading

San Diego to Nuka Hiva Day 14-16

  • Position and Time: N 03-02 by W 135-02 at 2200 UTC May 13, 2048 miles from San Diego
  • Average Speed and Course: 5.1 knots, 204 degrees true, 1600rpm
  • Wind: 18 knots at 310 degrees relative
  • Waves: 3-4 foot swells at 10 seconds, 3-4 foot wind waves.

We are in a convection zone near the equator. And we have a pretty big current against us right now, hence the slower speed.

No ships or other boats sighted, and alas no more fish caught. Although, almost every night Kosmos collects squid and flying fish on her decks. Kosmos is running smoothly and overall things are good.

Many people have asked us what life is like at sea. Continue reading