Left Isla Isabela, Galapagos June 2. Arrived Nuku Hiva, Marquesas June 23. The sailing was not comfortable, but was quick. No major incidents. Posts to come. Plan to sail the Marquesas awhile, maybe place Bryce and Trent in school here.
Tag Archives: Leslie Rigney
Is Change a Constant?
May 14th, 2015, Thursday 2:00 p.m.
Change. It is often argued that change in life is a good thing: painful but good. When companies merge, the change brings lay-offs, but ultimately, the merged company has streamlined, gained assets and productivity, hopefully. The crazy thing about living on a boat is that everything is subject to change daily/hourly. Docked in a port or anchored, work is typically being accomplished somewhere on the boat, beds are torn up, tools are pulled out, and the 240 square feet of living space inside is made ever tighter. On a regular day, when someone pulls out a tool, computer or item, even if it’s put away into it’s assigned place, it could be relocated the next time you go to look for it.
When sailing on the open ocean, the weather dictates the changes. The norm might last 2 hours or 25 days depending on the wind, the current, and the direction of the swell. During our sail from Puerta Vallarta to the Galapagos, change was the norm…probably due to the time of year we embarked and/or possibly due to the changes in weather dictated by El Nino. The longest norm we enjoyed lasted about 24 hours. We tacked often from starboard to port where everything balancing well on one tack then balances differently on the other tack. Port light windows are open and closed along with the hatches to ensure the ocean doesn’t come splashing in. Inside it’s sweltering, so sometimes we risk opening up the hatches or port lights, only to close them shortly thereafter because now rain is threatening.
The sea colors are enormously changeable too. On a cloudy day, the sea looks steely grey with flecks of silver with large rippling swells. It looks impenetrable, holding tightly to its secrets. On a sunny day, the sea looks blue: not a light blue, but a deep blue. If the seas are doldrum calm, it is clear, almost like a mirror, and you can see deeply into the water, the rays of light penetrating the leagues. It feels like the mysteries below are close, attainable.
These changes are indicative of life aboard, inside and out. Sometimes hot inside, the crew sits outside to enjoy the breeze. When it rains, the cockpit becomes very wet and inhospitable. Most stay below. If things are not stowed properly in their place, they fall down, whether its books, cups, food, sail wrenches, water bottles or computers.
Mostly, the constant change in sea motion is what confounds and exhausts the mind. Serious studying is very difficult because much of the mind is dedicated to concentrating on staying upright, especially when over 10° healed over. The crew moves side to side, forward and back, constantly. Nothing is still. I find reading and some thought possible, but serious contemplation and learning new concepts, nearly impossible. The ability to accomplish much beyond the most mundane or most necessary (cooking, changing sails, washing dishes, taking showers) is dramatically minimized.
Change is the constant in life. Everyday we spend at sea reminds me of this. Headed to the Galapagos, which exhibits this idea to the utmost, the birthplace of the idea of evolution, change from one species into another distinct species, makes for an incredible learning opportunity. To quote writer Jeff Greenwald from his article “A Natural Selection” in AAA’s Jan/Feb 2015 Westways magazine issue: “Nearly 2 centuries after the 24 year old Charles Darwin stepped onto the Galapagos Islands, they’re still a global laboratory for the study of adaptation. In fact, everything about our planet, even its position in space is in constant flux, moving toward an unknown destiny.” We humans are the same. We change, evolve, grow and learn new ideas and ways to live, make a living, survive.
I don’t know what all of this change around me is teaching exactly: to be open to new possibilities, patience, resilience, to be adaptive to my environment, ‘to be prepared’ like a Girl Scout. I chose this new lifestyle knowing the changes in my life would be great. Now I simply have to adapt to the vastness of change and accept the inconstant as my constant without being disgruntled. Richard Henry Dana wrote in his book Two Years Before the Mast that you can’t get mad at the sea when it causes you to spill your lunch. You have to laugh at what the ocean throws at you, otherwise you’d maintain an angry state of mind. If you laugh, the uncomfortable makes for a much better story in the end.
Leslie Dennis Rigney
Galapagos Islands by Bryce
The Galapagos are a very secluded group of islands. There are numerous rare inhabitants that live and prosper on the islands; they are the home of new animal species, never seen or heard of before (until 1535). These islands are what gave birth to the discussion of evolution. The coordinates on the Pacific Ocean are Latitude 0° and Longitude 91°; they are located 600 miles away from the closest mainland (Ecuador) and have been part of Ecuador since the 1870’s. There are fifteen islands in the group, and nineteen volcanoes, which created the islands, the first one over 4 million years ago. These islands play a big part in human history and the study of life.
The man who discovered these islands was Fray Tomas De Berlanga. Sent on a mission from King Charles V to report on the anarchic Peru situation. It was March 10, 1535 that his ship officially discovered the Galapagos Islands. It was an accident, he was drifting with the current since there was no wind and soon enough he happened upon the fifteen islands. Which over time developed the name enchanted islands. At the time, the Latitude and Longitude of the islands were not easy to determine, so the islands were really hard to find. Even though Fray Tomas discovered them, Charles Darwin founder of the Theory of Evolution made them famous. In 1832 the islands were officially claimed part of Ecuador, which now supplies them with resources. In the beginning the islands had no indigenous people; no one had lived there except for the animals. Since then, the population of the Galapagos has tripled in the last 20 years, now there are over 35,000 people spread throughout the four main islands, (one of the excursion guides said that 220,000 tourists visited the islands in 2014). The Galapagos are not a largely populated group of islands compared to Venice Beach in California where on a beautiful Sunday, one million people flood the beaches from outlying areas of Los Angeles.
There are numerous amounts of animals spread throughout all the islands. The most famous animals that live there are the Marine Iguanas, Tortoises, Galapagos Penguins, Flightless Cormorants, Blue Footed Boobies and Darwin’s thirteen finches. The only way these creatures could have found their way to the Galapagos would have been by bird, in a bird, on a bird, by the current on a flotation device, by swimming or by adapting/evolving. Even after finding the Galapagos the various species had to find a source of food not already being consumed, then find a mate to keep the species going. It is very challenging to survive in a new environment!
Although there are lots of animals on the island, I want to talk about a certain three: Blue-footed Boobies, Darwin’s Finches, and Marine Iguanas. The reason the Blue-Footed Boobie is called boobie is due to the Spanish name for stupid = bobo. These birds like most birds love to eat fish and will dive meters out of the sky to catch one…too bad they do the same for fishing lures as we snagged a brown boobie which sadly drowned on our lure about 1,000 miles away from the islands. They also like to live in colonies among the shore next to the ocean, and they only live to the age of about 20. Despite the birds’ stupidity, it is still one of my favorite animals living on the islands. On the island you might be able to find the blue -footed boobie waddle like penguins trying to impress the females in their mating dance trying to show off their blue feet. If the female is fond of the male’s dance she will follow along behind him imitating his little dance. The dance itself is rather silly.
The Galapagos Islands are home to Darwin’s famous 13 finches, which he discovered in 1835. According to Darwin, the first island that the Mother of all Galapagos finches arrived on was San Cristobal, and over time the finches migrated to the other islands. As the population of the finches grew on the islands and resources became scarce, adaptations started to occur. To the untrained eye, the finches look very similar. They all mostly have the same color, brown green or black, and pretty much have the regular sizes: small, medium and large, but if you take a closer look, you might be able to tell that the beaks on each variety of bird have slight differences.
Galapagos Marine Iguanas are the only iguanas known to man that can swim in the ocean; they only live on these islands. Their main diet is algae, which they dive down into the ocean blue to eat. During the day, you can find the iguanas lying everywhere, warming themselves and trying to relieve their lungs of salt water so they can go back into the ocean and get something more to eat. When walking nearby one, it’s important to be aware for the occasional salty snott ball that they blow out of their noses. These reptiles have many interesting features. One very noticeable feature is their spiny-like mohawk that runs all the way from the top of their head to the end of their tail. When you look at them, you might think they are the next step down from a dragon; they have long claws, black skin, spikey mohawks, and they spit water instead of fire from their noses. They are the most interesting animals on the islands!
We got a chance to visit Isabela Island, the largest island in the Galapagos. It was really cool to see all the unusual creatures that live there in the water and on the land. I was so excited to see in person the Marine Iguanas and the Blue-Footed Boobies. We also got a chance to explore Sierra Negra Volcan, which has the second largest crater in the world. I thought the sulfer holes were colorful and interesting as everything else on the lava fields was black. Most of all, the snorkeling was extraordinary; I loved seeing a 4.5 foot white tipped shark sleeping in a water cave, and swimming next to humungous green sea turtles. I had a great time on the island of Isabela.
Bryce Rigney
Sweating At Sea
Wednesday, May 6, 2015, 2:42 p.m. Universal Time Central UTC (Greenwich Meantime)
We switched to Galapagos time yesterday morning to acclimate to the time change while sailing. We want to be ready to jump off the boat and start touring right away. After 17 days at sea, we will be eager to stretch our legs.
Now five full days at sea, we are all getting into a rhythm of our own. Each one of us has had to come to terms with constant boat movement, tropical humidity and the hot sun beating down with a simple awning over the cockpit to provide shade. The slightest of exertion causes a person to sweat profusely. My face has never sweat so much in my life!
Sometimes the ocean is so calm that you can see over 25 feet down. Other times, the wind kicks up the seas and the surface is roiling. The swell seems to come from all directions in a confusing mishmash of waves. There is a small local swell created by the direction of the wind and then there is the large rolling swell that comes from far out to sea and looks like rolling hills approaching the boat. Today, we have both, the smaller ones coming from the Northeast and the large swell from the south.
Eric, who has substantially more experience sailing long passages says that after the third full day for most people nausea disappears and an ocean rhythm sets-in. Since I don’t remember much about my daily living experience when sailing from Hawaii to California for 25½ days when I was 23, it feels much like a new experience for me. Most assuredly, my expectations of comfort and cleanliness are different today compared to 25 years ago. When I was 23, I had just graduated with a BA and was ready to travel, to experience some adventure after all the studying and before working full time. The time commitment I faced was about 3 months. I was planning on finding work in my field of study in Los Angeles. Discomfort was not a big deal. A certain amount of boredom was a welcome friend filled by new companionship, early love, great literature, and forced rest. I didn’t even care that much about hygiene. Since the trip was finite, borrowed money would be paid back later once I got a job. In fact, I was responsible for taking care of myself, no one else.
Today’s experience is so much different. I am the food provider, responsible for the provisioning, determining the menu, prepping, cooking and generally the clean-up for 5 people three times a day. I am co-owner of the boat, responsible for its liability and the potential of losing it. Neither Eric nor I are earning an income. All expenses including boat repairs are paid out of our savings, so when things go wrong, we have to trouble shoot the problem and fix it or have it repaired or replaced. I take care of the bills/money and tax prep. I am a parent, worried about my sons’ physical and mental health along with being their teacher who moves them forward in their studies. I am also their playmate, playing games, watching movies, and hanging out with them. Being half responsible for their safety, I worry about them on the boat, when they are changing sails, taking watches, helping dad with repairs or when they get sick, their cleanliness. When they get hurt or anyone on the boat gets hurt, I am the nurse. I instigate or take care of laundry, cleaning the inside of the boat and making sure things are put away, picked-up. I also predominantly take care of the trash and waste. Then there is the sailing aspects: changing the sails with Eric when he needs me, which is often; doing my own watch; and taking care of myself. It is all so much more complicated with plans to sail much further than from Hawaii to California as a simple crew member on a boat.
Perhaps, my concerns will mollify over time as I completely adopt the rhythm of the cruising lifestyle. These last months since departing Ventura on February 10th, we sailed quickly through California and Mexico. Even in the Galapagos, it will be a short visit of less than 20 days, and then we’ll be off again to the Marquesas for an estimated 25 days at sea. Eric assures me that we will be traveling around much more slowly once we’re in French Polynesia. Both he and I are looking forward to that.
Leslie Dennis Rigney
Galapagos by Trent
The Galapagos Islands and National Park are located on the equator at 0° latitude and approximately 90° longitude. It’s located in the Pacific Ocean about 600 miles west of Ecuador. There are 19 islands in the Galapagos Archipelago. Fray Tomas discovered the islands in March 1535 accidentally because he was headed to Peru but at a certain point, there was no wind, and the ship drifted off course to the archipelago. There were no native people when the islands were first discovered. In the early 1800’s through the early 1900’s, different colonies were established but failed. It wasn’t until the Second World War when the American Air Force built an airport to defend the Panama Canal that more people began to live in the Galapagos. In 1994 it is estimated that 20,000 people populated four of the primary islands: San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Floreana and Isabela. The islands of the Galapagos are special because of the animals. Charles Darwin made the islands famous because he wrote a book called “The Origin of the Species” published in 1859 based on his travels to the Galapagos in 1835. His famous book was a study of evolution or natural selection based mostly on what he learned studying the finches. The tame animals that make the Galapagos interesting to visit today include: turtles, tortoises, boobies, marine and land iguanas, penguins, flamingos, cormorants, sea lions, and sea horses. I am most interested in the Black Marine Turtles and the Galapagos Penguins.
There are eight species of marine turtles in the world but only four species have been seen in the Galapagos .The most common turtle is the Black Marine Turtle. The turtles came from Baja California. Only four other turtles have been seen in the Galapagos: the Leatherback, the Olive Ridley, the Hawksbill, and the Green Turtle. I got to see these black turtles and green turtles up close while snorkeling. They swam slowly and gracefully feeding on marine algae. The turtles were much larger than me. I also got to see really cool huge tortoises at the Tortoise Breading Center of Villamil. I learned that when tortoises lay eggs in the wild only 5 to7 live but in the breading center, almost all of the 120 laid eggs survive. The tortoise populations are now replenishing after their numbers were destroyed by pirates and whalers.
The black turtle feeds on ulva. Ulva is a sort of algae that comes from the leaves of a red mangrove. Male turtles happen to be smaller than the female black turtles and male turtles also have claws to attach themselves to the female to procreate. Males and females can begin to procreate around the ages of 20 to 25 years of age. The mating season starts when the turtles feel that it is hot outside. The turtles lay eggs in January threw June. The adult’s shell is 84 centimeters long.
The females usually lay eggs during the night. She digs a hole for a while till it’s deep enough. She lays about 80 to 120 eggs close to the size of ping-pong balls at the very bottom of the nest, and then she buries them with sand. It takes about 55 days for them to hatch. The babies are soft and about 4 centimeters long. If the temperature is 30°C when the eggs are in their nest, every single egg will be female. But if the temperature is less than 30°C, they will be male. The black turtles’ worst predators are sharks and orcas in the water. Crabs, and the beetle Trox Suberosis prey on the eggs. If the eggs hatch in the day, the baby turtles can’t see and they can’t find the water because the sun is too strong. The adult female turtles tend to lay their eggs at night so that the babies hatch at night.
The Galapagos penguin is related to the Magellan Penguin. The Magellan Penguin comes from Southern Chile. It’s also related to the Penguin of the Falkland Islands near Antarctica. The penguins came to the Galapagos Islands by the Humboldt Current. On the islands there were 13,000 penguins measured in 1982-1983. The penguins swim with their front fins and steer with their back fins. Penguins swim really fast underwater and jump out of the water when they are happy. When they travel on land over rocks, they jump from rock to rock. Before jumping it stretches its neck forward as if studying the terrain.
During the mating season, the Galapagos penguins preen each other’s heads and also slap themselves gently with the front flippers. They nest in cavities where eggs will be laid three to four days apart. On Fernandina Island, egg laying occurs in September. Incubation lasts for 38 to 40 days. Penguins are very shy animals so they nest in groups. They sleep on land and look for food during the day and return to shore in the late afternoon. In the early morning you can see them between 5 and 7 am. Penguins form a wake behind them just like ducks. In 1982 to 1983 the Galapagos lost 77% of the population, but since 1985 their number has slowly been returning to about 2 to 3000 penguins. Their predators are Red Crabs, Rice Rats, Galapagos Snakes, Short-Eared Owls, and Galapagos Hawks. I got to see many penguins from a distance in my kayak and when I was snorkeling in Los Tuneles, I got a chance to swim up close to 7 penguins, which were sunning themselves on the rocks.
The island we visited was Isabela, the largest in the archipelago. It has five volcanoes and the most northern volcano, Volcan Wolf, erupted while we were visiting on the island. We didn’t feel it or hear it because the lava flow and ashes flew northeast. Puerto Villamil where we were anchored is located on the southeastern corner of the island in Turtle Bay. We got to visit Volcan Sierra Negra. It was incredible to see because it’s the 2nd largest active crater in the world after the crater in Yellowstone Park. The last time Sierra Negra erupted was in 2005.
I thought our stay on Isla Isabela in the Galapagos was super amazing because of all the animals, the great food and the interesting culture: everyone riding bikes, sandy roads, open shops, and friendly people. But I really wish I could have been able to visit a different island too.
Trent Rigney
Mexican Customs and Provisions
Tuesday, May 5th, 2015 12:15 a.m.
We left Paradise Village, Nuevo Vallarta on Friday, May 1st just past noon. We had wanted to depart for five days, but we simply couldn’t get our VHF radio to work properly until we finally installed the extra antenna Uncle Bill had brought for us as a back up. We determined after much trial and error, and Eric working at the top of the mast for hours, that the cabling and connectors running up the mast was not properly receiving and sending signal. In any case, due to miscommunication with customs concerning our intended day of departure, we had to wait another two days for an official to be available.
Before allowed to depart, Mexican customs officials requested to board our boat. We were a bit nervous as we had never hosted officials aboard our boat and didn’t know what to expect. We were not quite sure why they needed to come aboard since we were planning on leaving their country, perhaps to see if we had any drugs or large purchases unaccounted for that we needed to pay duty? On the day of our departure, Mexican customs officers pulled up in their boat around 9:45 a.m. Three officers arrived at our slip, two boarded the boat. They were interested to note how many of us were on board as they only counted three. The officers didn’t see the boys initially as Bryce and Trent were quietly holed up in the fo’c’s’le, the forward part of the boat. Everything was conducted in Spanish. Eric did all the talking since we decided ahead of time not to engage in small talk to avoid giving the agents any extra information beyond what they needed. One agent handled the paperwork; another asked Eric to open a food cabinet, clothing drawers, and the large engine room. All was on the up and up with the exception of Uncle Bill’s customs entry papers. When Bill had passed through customs at the airport two weeks prior, the agents there required he open all the boxes of spare parts and special items that he had brought for us. In the confusion of identifying items (the chai tea bags looked like potential drugs and the green chlorella powder (algae) looked ‘suspicious’ even though it was sealed shut), his immigration permit paper was lost. Fortunately Bill’s passport was stamped with date of entry and we had the receipts for the duty we paid. Eventually an hour and 15 minutes later, after the agent had taken pictures of all the papers and receipts, and had called the office for approval to clear without an important document, they handed us our international clearance zarpe (document) and allowed Kandu to depart. We left within the next hour. Didn’t want to take any chances that the officials would come back!
We were more than ready. Having planned to leave several days prior, were it not for the VHF radio and customs officials’ schedules, we stayed days longer than intended. All the fresh provisions that I had bought the week earlier at Walmart and at the market were now getting old. The food was not yet rotting, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep the fresh fruit & vegetables longer than another 5-6 days during the passage. Good thing Kandu has a small freezer and the dry food lockers were loaded with lots of canned and dried-stored options like beans and rice. As it was, during the voyage, much food spoiled before it could be eaten and the last week of sailing, all the fresh fruit and vegetables were gone. Canned pineapple and frozen green beans sufficed. Ms. Kandu Chef was very happy to finally arrive in the Galapagos to restock with fresh choices: papaya, pineapple, apples, onions, broccoli, chicken, yogurt, and bread! I baked banana bread, cookies and a cake along the way, but couldn’t muster baking bread.
Leslie Dennis Rigney
Remiss
Since arriving in La Cruz, Bandaras Bay, the push for me has been to get Kandu going and to keep her so. Several unexpected problems of significant proportion required my undivided attention and complete effort: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Delays were compounded by the pressures of the upcoming hurricane season, the French Polynesian visa requirement that we arrive in June, and the disappointment of having to cross so many desirous locations off our list. These demands left little time for visiting Mexico or writing. I went to bed exhausted around 8pm and woke around 5am. The pressure was non-stop. We knew that once we left Mexico, any chance of getting parts would be very difficult, time constraining, and costly. It felt like “now or never.”
At one point, it looked like the lack of supportive wind would force us to cross Galapagos off our itinerary, a magical place I really didn’t want to miss. Realizing that the wind would not be dangerous, but variable, light, and rain-riddened, we made the decision to suck it up, spend the fuel, and go for it.
The sail to the Galapagos was uncomfortable and discouraging. Sailing in confused seas (again), motor sailing often, having to dodge thunderstorms and squalls day and night, all as we passed under the latitude of the sun and its intense tropical heat (sea temp 89oF), against the southeast trades and current, placed in jeopardy the whole idea of sailing around the world. Rain forced us to close all hatches and portlights, cutting off ventilation. Were it not for the portable 12-volt fans throughout the boat, we would have drowned in our own sweat. I often sleep in the cockpit so Bryce and Trent have easy access to me should they have any question. The last 4 days were the worst, as we tacked back and forth against ever-changing winds, through wet thunderheads, rocking in all directions, while discovering that our alternator charging system (the engine powers the alternator that makes electricity to charge the ship’s batteries) had failed for some unknown reason.
Arriving in Puerto Villamil at the southern tip of Isla Isabela, the largest of the Galapagos islands, 17 days after leaving Mexico, we focus on meeting the complex entry requirements. Were it not for the help of our agent, JC DeSoto, we’d not have done so well. Entry permitted, and although many more standard issues beckon, I apply intense focus on resolving the alternator problem. It takes 8 days, more than half of our intended stay. In between the other boat maintenance requirement and preparing for the next, and longest crossing, I visit Galapagos with the family, taking several half-day excursions, land and sea.
Time constraints of the Galapagos and of French Polynesia require we leave now. Instead of sailing to Gambier, a less comfortable sail, we’ve opted for sailing directly to the Marquesas, a more favorable direction with regard to wind and sea. I can’t very much afford another uncomfortable crossing if I want to keep morale up for a 25-day crossing. In Gambier, we’d have to leave after a week or two. In the Marquesas, we can stay a month or longer, providing the rest and stability we all crave. Off to the Marquesas we go.
The intensity of effort to prepare Kandu for the Galapagos and beyond, combined with the power issue that developed along the way, prevented me from blogging. Although I have many stories to share, I’m going to have to wait until we settle into the Marquesas before I can publish. Appreciating that such breaks from regular posting are the death of a blog-site, I hope you’ll bear with us and reap the reward once we are able to share once again on a more regular basis. In the meantime, for those on Facebook and/or Twitter, we have been posting regularly to these sites via our satellite texting device, Delorme inReach SE, which provides not only the text, but a link back to our current position. The same device provides the tracking and map location of Kandu, a link to which is provided on this site’s front page. So if you’re needing your RigneyKandu fix, look for us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rigneyskandu or me up on Facebook (Eric Rigney) or on Twitter@RigneysKandu until we can get back to delivering more in-depth writing.
Thanks for sticking with us!!!
Eric Rigney
Ventura to Mexico Recap
This is a recap I submitted to the Ventura Yacht Club’s, that they published in their newsletter, “The Forecast,” in its “Members on the Move” section. Leslie thought I should post it for all to read:
The Rigneys aboard their Tanaya 42, Kandu, made a soft start of their planned circumnavigation, taking full advantage of reciprocity to finish last minute items aboard Kandu. They wonder if YELP should include reviews on the various yacht club showering facilities? The clubs have been very accommodating, some more regulated than others. Clubs visited in order of appearance: Del Rey, California, Alamitos Bay, Dana Point, Oceanside (Eric gave OYC his VYC presentation), Southwestern, San Diego, Silver Gate, Chula Vista, Coronado Cays, Navy (They honored reciprocity as well. The Rigneys just needed a sponsor, which the Navy club provided), back to Silver Gate and Southwestern. The new showering facilities at Silver Gate take first prize.
Ensenada brought the first international leg, and the boys responded well. VYC members Bill Kohut and Joe Houska joined them for the border crossing. Eleven-year-old Trent was and remains bent on learning Spanish. Bryce was mostly interested in skateboarding the streets and port of Ensenada, drinking Mexican Coke and drinking coconuts. Between Ventura and Puerto Vallarta, some problems arose aboard Kandu. Debris from a dissolved inspection plate gasket blocked their fuel supply. The control unit of their windvane malfunctioned. Hydraulic fluid leaked from the ram of their autopilot. And the inside rigging of their extendable spinnaker pole gave way. But nothing “mission critical” occurred that redundancy couldn’t circumvent. The first overnight sails with watch schedules went well. Thirteen-year-old Bryce has difficulty waking for the 10 p.m. to midnight watch, but is otherwise fine. The confused seas, remnants of Hurricane Pam, didn’t make for comfortable initial crossings. After two nights, Isla Cedros was their first landfall. Then a surf stop at Isla Natividad on their way to Turtle Bay. Passage to Bahia Maria meant another two night sailing in confused seas. Leslie questions going all the way to Easter Island, but will wait to see how the sail to the Galapagos goes this month. They missed the Grey Whales in Mag Bay by a week (darn wind generator controller and fuel blockage!). The four day passage to La Cruz, just outside Puerto Vallarta, provided two days of favorable seas and wind, which calmed to a day and half of low rpm motoring (tachometer quit, so they go by ear until Bill Kohut arrives with a new sender unit in a few days). Bill Kohut is flying to meet them in Puerto Vallarta, bringing many requested parts and supplies. Kandu is thoroughly shaken down and ready for her long upcoming passages: Galapagos, Easter Island (maybe), and French Polynesia. Don’t forget to follow them on the website and subscribe to their blog feed at RigneysKandu.com. It includes a map link that will track in real-time their passages.
Post script: Easter Island and Pitcairn are off the list for now, due to time constraints surrounding our visa with French Polynesia. Maybe we’ll visit them on our return, after transiting the Panama Canal. Today, April 30, after many false starts, we plan to leave the Puerto Vallarta area for the Galapagos. It will take 15 days or more, before we arrive in Isla Isabela.
Bahia Maria: New Experiences
April 7, 2015
A couple of days ago on Thursday, April 2nd, we sailed to Bahia Maria from Bahia Tortugas. By the way, the Spanish word “Bahia” means “Bay.” We were told that it was a great surf spot. When we got there it was too windy to do much of anything except put the boat away, eat dinner, take outdoor showers, and rest from our 48 hours of sailing. The next morning, Kandu motored over to the other side of the bay to find some good surf. As we were looking at the waves, we saw on the beach some sand dunes. They looked like they could be really fun to slide down. Dad didn’t want us to go right away to the sand dunes because the only reason we were at Bahia Maria was to surf. So we found a nice spot and Bryce and I set off to go surfing. The waves were okay, but after an hour or more, we decided it was time to go sand duning.
Bryce and I paddled back to the boat to get ready for the dunes. Dad motored Kandu over to where the dunes looked the best and Bryce and I headed off on our banana yellow kayak with boogie boards. Once we got close to the waves we waited for a set to go by and started paddling as hard as we could. We looked behind us and we saw a wave forming, so we paddled even harder and faster. Unfortunately the wave crashed right behind the kayak and hit us. We totally failed at staying dry. I jumped off the kayak so it wouldn’t flip over, and started running with all my might, the kayak following right behind me. Bryce also jumped off, but into deeper water. We made it to shore, just a bit wetter than we had wanted. We had a really great time sand duning.
Trent Rigney
Easter Sunday
April 5, 2015
I woke up slowly this morning having gone through a night of watches. Sleeping on a moving boat and being responsible for that boat is not relaxing. Even at anchor with a steady wind blowing, I have not been sleeping soundly. My ears, nose and motion sensors are all actively accessing the situation – constantly. The night before, early on, there was a crashing “BOOOOM.” Our telescoping spinnaker pole broke. The extension or telescoping section could not support the tension of the outstretched genoa and crashed back in. Fortunately, it was during Eric’s own watch, so he dealt with it.
9:10 pm. It is still Easter Sunday, but the day has darkened outside. I’m on the first watch from 8:00 p.m. until 10, then I will repeat a watch early in the morning from 4:00-6:00 a.m. The moon is just rising. It is an eerie yellow full moon. The wind is coming from dead downwind. Once again, it is not coming from a great direction for Kandu. We’re trying to conserve fuel, so no motoring right now. We are also trying to see what it’s like to use less energy.
Much of my on-land and sea days are involved in keeping the family fed and watered…and then cleaning-up. This morning, because it was Easter, and due to the calm sea situation, I felt inspired to make pancakes served with applesauce. The boys requested chocolate chip pancakes. We did not have an Easter egg hunt as they had hoped, so chocolate pancakes it was! Instead of an Easter church service, I decided to acknowledge the day with a morning full of Easter music: Handel’s Messiah and later Sylvia McNair singing Exsultate Jubilate. It was glorious music to hear while floating along in the middle of the ocean.
We are a little speck moving on a massive waterway with no land in sight. Most of the time I do not allow myself to think about the possibilities of what could go wrong. But I catch myself at different times of the day, everyday, taking account of our rather precarious situation. We are so alone, out in foreign waters, watching the radar, paying close attention to the sea patterns, the wind, the provisions, the amount of water and propane being consumed, the direction (navigation), and keeping tabs on the general mental health of the crew.
After cleaning up breakfast, we all had some quiet time. I listened closely to Handel while playing a bit of Sudoku; the guys worked on the rigging. Dad taught Bryce how to seize the ends of the lines and ropes, offering him a dollar per end seized. I asked how to do it also and helped with six or seven ends. There are always ends of rope that need attention.
I brought out knives to sharpen in anticipation of catching a fish! Bryce put out the trolling lines, in hopes of snagging some unsuspecting tuna, to no avail. Since it was Easter, I wanted to make sure to prepare delicious meals, well balanced and as fresh as possible. For lunch, I prepared a cucumber, tomato, red onion and feta type cheese salad served with crackers and smoked tuna that we had bought at the Ensenada fish market. It was light and tasty.
Looking through my “Boat Galley Cookbook,” I tried to figure out what kind of fun desert I could make. Bryce decided to bake cookies. He was excited to eat a fresh tasting dessert. Eric doesn’t eat added sugar foods anymore, so I often refrain from baking sweets out of respect for his choice. But with two boys around, they do want to enjoy fresh sweets from time to time. Easter seemed the perfect time to make it happen.
Aside from baking cookies, during much of the afternoon, the boys and I played games starting with checkers, then one of our favorite card games: Rummy. We really enjoy ourselves with that game. We were even able to play outside because the wind and swell were not powerful.
I got a chance to read a bit while Eric worked with the boys on trouble shooting the sump pump for the aft shower. Then it was time for dinner preparations: boiled potatoes, grilled Mexican bacon wrapped hotdogs, and romaine salad with shredded carrots, red onions, celery, topped with our favorite dressing: ‘Annie’s Shitake Sesame.’ All these fresh foods today were quite luxurious since our fresh salad supplies will only remain through tomorrow. We are down to one fresh egg, 3 boiled eggs, 2 oranges and some limes. The rest of the passage will be canned fruit and frozen vegetables along with pastas, beans and rice. Tomorrow we’ll eat bean soup from yesterday’s large pot that I made in advance while in Bahia Maria.
Yesterday, I got a bit overwhelmed with the idea of cooking and providing for 5 people 3 times per day for many days on end when we travel to the Galapagos and then onward to the Tuamotus. I have got to create some future menus in advance for our long passages so the task doesn’t overcome me.
9:50 p.m. My first watch of the night is almost over. It’s been a long day with no nap. Winds are holding generally from one direction. This is important to note before handing off the watch to Trent. If the winds were to have changed, then I would have had to wake Eric to reset the sails; I still defer to him at the moment. As it is, the wind is blowing at about 10-11 knots, but we’re only going about 3.8 to 4 knots because the sails are not capturing efficiently.
A little prayer before I turn over the watch to Trent: “Thank you Lord for our easy sailing south, our solid boat, fair winds and seas. I am grateful for our safe travels. Thank you on this most important day that we remember Jesus’s sacrifice for us. We are blessed…in Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.”
Leslie Dennis Rigney
Post script: today we plan to sail 15 days to the Galapagos from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Uncle Bill is going us.
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