Time to switch into a new time zone - geographically, we're now into GMT-9hr but I'll change straight into PDT, meaning a 3 hour (GMT-7, instead of GMT-8) time change due to summertime, so I'll be in sync with people in the 'Pacific NW' (B.C. and Washington/Oregon) and also California.

Monday 2:30pm LT = PDT (Mon 2130 GMT) Quite bright with sun getting through thin, broken cloud layer. Making excellent speed - seeing 8kt at times and averaging over 7.2kt, heading almost E. Small staysail and storm jib working well with full main - just eased the mainsheet a touch. Expect wind to become less and our speed with it at some point soon enough - so enjoying the speed while it happens.

Have spent the usual long time on looking over weather info and trying to second-guess weather ahead and different projected courses and speeds, as well as dealing with some emails - lots more to answer, though... Going to need to have a blitz on that, with lots of really brief replies to get up to date.

About to have a siesta while we speed along nicely. Wind will start veering later.

7pm PDT Light beginning to fade. Was getting more misty in the far distance as the afternoon wore on but nothing much. Now there are fine drops of moisture on the air and a very much reduced visibility - definitely looking and feeling more like fog.

Wind has veered a little and is dropping - we're making ~6kt now and no longer speeding along at ~7kt or more - had to ease the mainsheet for a broad reach.

Enjoying a mug of tea after a good helping of my beans, ham & tomatoes concoction. Not sure what to call it - rather too thick and 'hearty' for a soup but not a stew. I'm inclined towards 'broth' but that's probably just another word for a (thick?) soup. Maybe I should stick with 'thick, hearty soup'?

The time change to PDT isn't affecting me unduly - I'm used to going by GMT (=UTC) anyway for most important things over the day - weather downloads, position reporting, radio scheds etc. Breakfast is usually rather erratic in timing, tending to be, until very recently, after posting the daily reports, and a meal later on has usually been in response to feeling hungry or seeing that it's about to get dark or the sun is about to set, rather than at a set time. Changing time zones so often on this trip has resulted in a lot of flexibility needed in that respect.

8:40pm Still daylight although very dull - a sign of being rather far ahead now in "ship's clock time". Fog seems to have lifted - maybe it will drop down later? Wind a lot less - speed down to ~5.2kt now. Just checked in to Pacific Seafarers Net: 0310 GMT = 8:10pm PDT

Tuesday 1:30am PDT (Tues 0830 GMT) Just finished a long, chatty ham radio session (after some sleep beforehand!) - mainly VK (Australia) stations but also Oregon (USA), New Zealand and Fiji - good propagation around this time on the 40m band. Really great to make contact with so many sending good wishes now we're so close to finishing... Thanks to all of you!

2:30am Wind definitely dying - now only making around 3kt.

8:30am Foggy and everything dripping wet again but, hopefully, will dry out later if fog lifts.

Only 450 n.ml. from Cape Flattery - that would normally equate to around four days of sailing (i.e. arrival on Saturday, if averaging 5kt, which would have been perfect timing!) - but we're creeping along at only ~2.5kt. We've slowed down even more than earlier but at least we are moving due E in a straight line, more or less.

Cargo vessel 'Lord Byron' passed about 4ml to N some time ago, on way to Singapore - ETA is 19th Sept.

Found these position reports amusing - noted today in my Winlink folder. We moved 20 ml in about 7hrs overnight... (and we're still slowing down...!):

TIME: 2019/08/27 09:55 GMT TIME: 2019/08/27 16:48 GMT

LATITUDE: 48-16.22N LATITUDE: 48-17.79N

LONGITUDE: 136-45.07W LONGITUDE: 136-15.61W

COURSE: 090T COURSE: 090T

SPEED: 3.5kt SPEED: 2.3kt

COMMENT: Slowing down - High ahead. COMMENT: Slowed right down - High ahead.

11:30am Enjoying a fresh coffee after clearing up in the galley. Used fresh water from water-maker and water pressure was good while generator was running and freshwater pump was working fine. Brighter now fog has lifted but sun struggling to get out from behind cloud layer...

Sails are slack - moving every which way with the swell and not able to do much in such light wind. Wind generator blades have been still for several hours... Managed to change our drift from ESE to ENE - don't want to lose any Northing if I can help it... Making ~1.5kt - DMG today will not be very good, despite excellent speed this time yesterday onward - c'est la vie! ... Que sera, sera!

ETA: ...?? Tell me! (Or ask the weather gods...)

DTF: Victoria Hbr (Ogden Pt breakwater): 515 n.ml.; Cape Flattery (~60n.ml. from Victoria Hbr entrance): 455 n.ml to E

*****************************************************

While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.

It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!

(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless

they are notified in advance.)

***************************************************

1900GMT = midday PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) - end of Day 328. We made 108 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions. Really excellent speed over y'day morning: ~7kt. Great shame the wind died so it couldn't be kept up.

Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):

TIME: 2019/08/27 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 48-17.64N LONGITUDE: 136-09.91W

COURSE: 086T SPEED: 1.5kt

WIND_SPEED: 5kt WIND_DIR: SW SWELL_DIR: SW SWELL_HT: 1.4m CLOUDS: 100%

BARO: 1020.5hPa TREND: 0 AIR_TEMP: 22.0C SEA_TEMP: 22.0C

COMMENT: Slowed right down - in High pressure... Headwinds soon...!

Sunday 10:30am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Sun 2030 GMT) Drifting SW in almost no wind. Very peaceful, with just a gentle rocking in the rounded 2m swell from W.

11:15am Mostly overcast sky with a touch of wind from NNE so trying now to head NW and managing WNW - so long as it's north-ish, that's OK! A lot better than drifting SW. As wind changes, we'll have to change with it. Pressure even higher now - 1026.5hPa - has been rising steadily for last 9 hrs from the steady 1020hPa of yesterday.

1pm Sky has brightened and I've had to take my warm top layer off - just too warm!
Just managed to keep going - difficult on a close reach in such a light wind and with swell rolling the boat around. But as I wrote that... the wind died away and we couldn't keep going any longer.
Been busy making 'hearty' meal - beans, barley, ham, tomatoes - works well, especially the next day after cooking - thickens up nicely.

1:30pm Went to have a look at the preventer end on the boom - and, to my absolute horror, discovered that the boom end had come away. It had been pulled up and out by the topping lift (previously the spinnaker halyard) and was now lying on top of the boom with two reef lines against the sharp edge of the boom end metal (maybe that sheave had come from inside - from the now-unused, first reef car, perhaps?).
The boom end part wouldn't budge until after I'd lowered the sail to stop it moving around, having released all connected reef lines, the outhaul and preventer and, finally, released the topping lift to let the boom come to rest on top of the bimini framework which acted nicely as a gallows for it.
Ironically, the very light conditions that led to the problem were now a blessing since the sea was a glassy flat calm with just minimal swell so I was able to work on the boom as though at the dock.
Banging at it with a rubber mallet, as I'd tried to do initially, wasn't needed to help move the end part into position once everything was loosened. I was able to pull the end part back to the boom edge and then over and down into the boom with a bit of pulling and wriggling - not too difficult.
Fortunately, I still had one of the two screws needed to fix it in place from previously, so was luckily able to match it up with another of the exact same thread from my spares.
2:15pm Boom end part back in place with Loctite on the screw threads and outhaul re-tensioned.... Now waiting for some wind to hoist the sail... it's totally silent just now - absolutely no wind at all to move the sails. Pressure is 1026.8hPa - high!

The cause of the problem - only one screw had been holding it in place for quite a time. The other had come away a while ago and I couldn't get it back in place again at the time because the boom end part had moved slightly. It didn't matter then because the outhaul was normally tight and, together with the topping lift, and reef lines when in use, it was actually holding the end part in place. But, in these light conditions, to get more sail shape, I'd very recently released the outhaul quite a lot and the topping lift was loose because the full mainsail holds up the boom instead, so the snatching movement of the topping lift on the boom with the motion of the full sail in the swell allowed the end eventually to come away (held onto the top of the boom by the various lines)

Time to relax over a very late lunch. I was hoping to service the starboard sheet winch but that will have to wait. Similarly, catching up on emails - the boom end took over... Looking forward to a siesta - have been up since very early this morning and feeling pretty tired.

Think I'll celebrate another challenge overcome with a good meal tonight...and now have food ready prepared for the next couple of days.

11pm Keeping my fingers crossed that the wind increases a bit more - we're now making over 3 kt but need a touch more speed to get N enough to find wind to head E before the High moves N and causes us untold complications in trying to head to the finish.

Monday 12:30am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Mon 1030 GMT) Changed course onto 035T after going goose-winged with staysail and sheeting out mainsail as much as possible. Wind SW 8-10kt and we're making ~4.6kt.

4am First light - making good progress - 5kt or more and we've passed 48N 139W.

8am Checked over fresh weather info - seems that the only real option, now we're N of 48N, is to head almost due E now, at best possible speed - so will gybe around to change course onto starboard tack.

8:30am On new course, heading E, making excellent speed - seeing over 7kt, averaging about 6.7kt. Expect wind to lessen later, possibly, and our speed with it.
Time for breakfast...

ETA: ....who knows? Totally dependent on winds coming up... In perfect conditions, would be 5-6 days - but that is unlikely to happen, given present weather forecasts of the High in our way and then a Low developing near the coast.
Can't do more than my best efforts, to get in a.s.a.p. I really want to finish!!

*****************************************************
While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.

It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!

(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless
they are notified in advance.)
***************************************************

1900GMT (= 9 a.m. LT = Tahiti/Hawaii time) - end of Day 327. We made 61 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions. Drifted a lot before very light wind filled in.

Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 327 (by daily DMGs): 27,238 n.ml.

Distances (are all Gt Circle, at 1900GMT): Cape Flattery LH (Tatoosh Island): 563 n.ml. to E (add ~60 n.ml. to Victoria); Seattle: 661 n.ml. to E; Honolulu: 1857 n.ml. to SSW; Papeete, Tahiti: 3994 n.ml. to S; San Francisco GG: 953 n.ml. to SSE.

Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):
TIME: 2019/08/26 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 48-18.89N LONGITUDE: 138-52.29W
COURSE: 093T SPEED: 6.9kt
WIND_SPEED: 14kt WIND_DIR: SW SWELL_DIR: SW SWELL_HT: 1.4m CLOUDS: 100%
BARO: 1024.6hPa TREND: 0 AIR_TEMP: 22.0C SEA_TEMP: 21.0C
COMMENT: Making good speed but won't last! Thin overcast - getting brighter

Hope UK friends are enjoying the Bank Holiday (scorching?) weekend!

Saturday 10am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Sat 2000 GMT) Grey overcast sky. Staysail goose-winged for time being to give better speed in very light SSW wind on almost dead downwind course - wind generator not turning, so wind under 6-7kt.
According to weather info just downloaded wind will stay very light all day, probably backing to S and then SSE at some point very soon...
I'm constantly checking fresh weather files as they come available to see if I can change our course for the better but there's a 'wind hole' in the N. Pacific for the next several days and all we can do is to try to get around it as best we can. It will mean several days of little distance gained, if any, towards Victoria.

Possibility that we might need to change course to NE to get further E if we possibly can. There could well be a Low coming in after the High moves N, giving headwinds towards Cape Flattery - talk about 'threading the needle'! Weather forecasts are constantly changing - will check latest now.

10:10am Looks as though we need to gybe onto starboard tack to try to get further E, if possible... lots of 'threading the needle' will be needed in light winds today... By this time tomorrow, we might have light S wind, becoming stronger SW wind, allowing us to head NE...

10:40am On starboard tack now - making 4.7kt, heading 064T. Wind expected to back so will need to change course as and when necessary. Checking weather forecast to see if course OK.

11:15am Heading 084T - will be forced more N soon enough, so making Easting while it's possible. Good speed - over 5kt - but wind getting lighter.
Need to make enough speed over next few days to reach Strait of Juan de Fuca as soon as possible, trying to beat a Low forecast to develop just off the Strait... Difficult but we'll give it a shot...
Here's the forecast:
29th August - 1st September - the High will have moved N and a Low is expected offshore, giving S-SW wind close to Strait of Juan de Fuca entrance - so a headwind likely when close to and within the Strait (making it very difficult to finish then). After that, winds might be light for another day, until wind from NW fills in to allow a finish towards Victoria.
We'll need either to be finished by 29th August (unlikely) or in a good position just off the Strait entrance (clear of the shipping lanes) during that weekend, so we can heave to and wait for the Low to pass by, after which we can continue in to a finish in fair winds. (I'm hoping that Low disappears from the forecasts soon, so we get in sooner...!)

Midday Light rain, grey sky. Time for lunch - chicken soup and blue cheese on crackers..
Spending a lot of my time on weather thoughts and trying to make best course and speed as wind changes, trimming sails ... so not getting to those email replies.

1pm Just saw a whale! Heard a blow and it surfaced quite close by, to port - very dark grey/black and smooth, no barnacles seen, a very recurved, good-sized, dorsal fin - either a grey or humpback - can never remember which usually has lots of barnacles - the humpback?? Means it was probably a grey. It seemed a bit smaller than I recollect the humpbacks being. Waited for a time, hoping it would come up again - but not seen again.
I was up on deck checking on wind direction and sail trim - we're close on the wind, which must be from SE and has increased with the present light rain, so we're making about 5.7kt. There's a slow, well-rounded 3m swell from W. Hint of fog - visibility definitely restricted.

3pm Dull and wet - light seems to be fading already... We're still making ENE close-hauled - going well although wind a bit less so speed now down around 5kt rather than 5.7kt. Have been filling water-bottles with drinking water while running the water-maker and also cleaning around the galley - always an ongoing job.

5pm Foggy afternoon - everything is wet and dripping, with big drops hanging off all metalwork and dripping off the mainsail and boom, into the cockpit ... & onto me if I don't keep out of the way. Need my foulies now. Visibility is down to 2-3 boat lengths.
Having a mug of tea with a rare Tim-Tam (only 4 more left) - always welcome! Rationing my 'goodies' to make sure I don't run out too soon - if having a biscuit, I'd normally have two with my tea - but not just now.
Still managing ENE course but speed has dropped further ... to ~3.2kt in 8kt wind from SE.

6:20pm Just finished chatting to boats in Polynesia - once back in port, I'll miss the boats there and in Fiji that I've been chatting to for several weeks now!

10:30pm Had to finish radio session on 7160 in a hurry - bilge float alarm was going off (needed to pump the bilge!) and we'd gone hove-to - the wind had shifted and backed the sails so I had to gybe us around and then get us back onto a more northerly course in the wind now backed to the E. We're now heading NNE and should be fine on that heading for a time. Will get to a disturbed sleep with alarm set for a few hours' time to check on course and speed - wind likely to back further so will need to make ongoing adjustments to course and sails overnight - hopefully, nothing major before daylight.

Sunday 6:30am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Sat 1630 GMT) Just had to gybe around again and then set a course of NNW in wind that has now backed to NE. Pressure is right up at 1024hPa - we're in a high pressure ridge so winds will be very light for a time.
I was up early with dawn daylight - seems I should be changing my clock time one hour forward to be in sync with where we are now.... but I quite like being still in my present clock time - especially when in fog, as we have been for a time. The fog has lifted, in fact, but it's still lurking. Hawaii and Tahiti sound very pleasant when the sun is hidden in foggy, damp conditions!

8am Wind has died right down and we're not even creeping along - making under 1kt drifting - unable to maintain a course - sails aren't filling and boom only kept in place from swinging around in the swell by use of an inboard preventer. Still a long W swell.
Will grease the starboard sheet winch soon, while it's not in use and I've daylight to see by.
Just found a small sheave lying over the port deck drain near to the cockpit - must look around and try to find out where it has come from... not a good thing to find lying around on deck...
Finished chatting a short while ago on a few morning ham radio Nets, while having coffee and breakfast - 7155, 7146.5, 7192 (Chubasco), 7233.5 (Baja). Hadn't made much contact with them up to now because their usual time was too early for me when I was further W. Good to renew contact with several radio friends that I've known for quite a few years.

8:30am Can't see where that loose sheave has come from - looked everywhere, including within boom gooseneck - one possibly missing there but not in a position where it would be doing anything useful and possibly never there in the first place. Puzzling. Not a big one so can't have been taking a very big load.
Checked weather.... Looks as though we're too far SE to get the nice SW winds that were forecast for this position yesterday and that were supposed to allow us to head further NE...... They're being shown to our NW and we're in a 'hole' going nowhere with slight possibility of light winds later today to help us get further N.... Grrr!

Just furled in staysail, released running backstay and lashed the wheel, waiting until wind strengthens and comes from a more favourable direction - from a S quadrant, rather than from a N quadrant... We're drifting SW at just under 1kt now.

Should get my outstanding emails dealt with today - after winch servicing.

Think I'll make a thick hearty soup - like my Southern Ocean ones - excellent and cheering in colder weather. Putting some beans in to soak ready... Finishing my breakfast - glad I've still some cereal bars to supplement my cereal later next week...

DTF: ....who knows? I certainly don't... Theoretically, just 660n.ml. which would normally equate to 5-6 days - but that's likely to be irrelevant in view of weather forecast over coming week.

*****************************************************
While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.

It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!

(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless
they are notified in advance.)
***************************************************

1900GMT (= 9 a.m. LT = Tahiti/Hawaii time) - end of Day 326. We made 63 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions.

Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 326 (by daily DMGs): 27,177 n.ml.

Distances (are all Gt Circle, at 1900GMT): Cape Flattery LH (Tatoosh Island): 602 n.ml. to ENE (add ~60 n.ml. to Victoria); Seattle: 697 n.ml. to E; Honolulu: 1798 n.ml. to SSW; Papeete, Tahiti: 3933 n.ml. to S; San Francisco GG: 948 n.ml. to SE.

Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):
TIME: 2019/08/25 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 47-24.12N LONGITUDE: 139-39.03W
COURSE: 226T SPEED: 0.9kt
WIND_SPEED: 4kt WIND_DIR: NE SWELL_DIR: W SWELL_HT: 2.0m CLOUDS: 100%
BARO: 1025.4hPa TREND: 1 AIR_TEMP: 21.0C SEA_TEMP: 22.0C
COMMENT: Drifting in no wind

Friday Midday Tahiti/Hawaii time (Fri 2200 GMT) Plenty of sunshine this morning through the gaps in the broken light cloud - very welcome after yesterday's grey and murky afternoon! Warming up so about to take off a thick jumper I've been wearing.

Wind should stay around its present 12kt or so over today but expected to get lighter towards tomorrow morning - maybe down to 6kt, from W still, by dawn.

Boat speed is down now - varying, as usual, with swell but generally around 5kt.

Need to let out first reef very soon to speed us up.

1pm Better speed now that first reef has been shaken out - full mainsail plus staysail plus storm jib now - making 5.7kt in about 13kt of W wind - having a lovely sail!

Seas are up quite a lot - a good 3m from W and fairly close. Sky is overcast.

Checking our planned route with fresh gribs just downloaded - a regular routine, with weather info updated frequently. (Using COAMPS grib files for next two days, rather than GFS, now that they're available - should be more accurate.)

5pm Bad news ..... A big fat High is about to develop across our path E to Cape Flattery and Victoria - I spent an age trying different options on course to steer - nothing would avoid N or E headwinds from late tomorrow except heading due N immediately and possibly for several days, to get around and above the High and reach W winds to take us E towards Vancouver Island - and, eventually, S to Victoria. I changed course as soon as I realised the problem. That means a further delay - just when I was thinking we'd finally be arriving within a week... The good news is that hopefully I've realised soon enough to do something useful/positive about it. Heading due N from here looks as though it's feasible with winds forecast for next few days.

Wind and seas increased a lot at one point this afternoon, so reefed down... Had no sooner finished than the wind died..... Grrr!!

Dull grey skies now, with occasional light showers.

Enjoying a taster of a simple chili con carne that I'd prepared ready in the saucepan for heating up later. Meant to have had it yesterday but left it too late to finish preparing it. So much easier dealing with such things in daylight rather than with the boat pitching and tossing in the dark, with just a headlamp for light.

About to cook some pancakes while there's still daylight and we're not being too tossed around.

Had hoped to have a siesta - was feeling quite tired earlier - but have been too busy to lie down so will get to my bunk early tonight.

9:30pm Enjoyed my pancakes - have now finished the fruity raspberry sauce from Hobart that I've been using so will have to turn to honey, maybe with some lemon juice.

Keeping an eye on a cargo vessel headed our way at 10 kt with CPA (closest approach) given as 3 ml in just over one hour's time.

10:30pm Just finished a busy ham radio session on 7160 - several good chats - some people stayed up late to make contact, being Friday night, with no work tomorrow for them. Nice to connect with Perth area.

Cargo vessel 'Gobal Eternity' passed safely astern 3.2 n.ml. off, at 10:40pm, on its way to Japan.

To my bunk. Seas are a lot calmer with light wind at present.

Saturday 6.40am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Sat 1640 GMT) Lovely bright sunshine, clear blue sky overhead - but clearly just a gap since clouds all around on horizon. Time for coffee and breakfast while generator runs and weather info is downloaded and checked over.

Nice to make brief but good contact with two of the 7155 group this morning - - up early enough today to do so but missed several earlier radio scheds - need my sleep!

Just finished sail trimming for downwind in very light wind, after releasing first reef - well overdue. Speed increased a touch - to 3-3.5 kt.

8am Missing the bright sunshine - that was clearly a break in the light grey overcast I'm seeing now. Having a welcome fresh coffee with my breakfast. Plan for the calm conditions of today is to deal with emails again - still a lot unanswered - apologies to those concerned.

Expecting this SW wind to stay very light all day, maybe backing to SSE at some point quite soon...

I'm constantly checking fresh weather files as they become available to see if I can change our course for the better but there's a 'wind hole' in the N. Pacific for the next several days and all we can try to do is to get around it as best we can. It will mean several days of little distance gained, if any, towards Victoria. Today (and tomorrow), it's actually being lost.

Looks as though we can expect E or SE wind shortly, becoming NE near sunset - just what we don't want....!! :-( The hope is that, in just over a day's time, the wind will start to fill in from from SSW, becoming stronger from SW in 2 day's time...

Later: Just took staysail over to port in light SSW wind - nicely 'goose-winged' again and speed (SOG) increased to over 4kt.

Possibility that we might need to change course to NE to get further E f possible. There could well be a Low coming in after the High moves N, giving headwinds towards Cape Flattery - talk about 'threading the needle'! Weather forecasts are constantly changing ....

DTF: Not possible to give one just now! (Over 810 n.ml.??)

*****************************************************

While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.

It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!

(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless

they are notified in advance.)

***************************************************

1900GMT (= 9 a.m. LT = Tahiti/Hawaii time) - end of Day 325. We made 87 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions.

Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 325 (by daily DMGs): 27,114 n.ml.

Distances (are all Gt Circle, at 1900GMT): Cape Flattery LH (Tatoosh Island): 655 n.ml. to ENE (add ~60 n.ml. to Victoria); Columbia Rivermouth: 690 n.ml. to E; Honolulu: 1736 n.ml. to SSW; Papeete, Tahiti: 3882 n.ml. to S; San Francisco GG: 965 n.ml. to SE.

Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):

TIME: 2019/08/24 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 46-39.81N LONGITUDE: 140-44.30W

COURSE: 004T SPEED: 4.0kt

WIND_SPEED: 10kt WIND_DIR: SSW SWELL_DIR: SSW SWELL_HT: 2.0m CLOUDS: 100%

BARO: 1018.2hPa TREND: 0 AIR_TEMP: 22.0C SEA_TEMP: 22.0C

COMMENT: Staysail goose-winged.Possible NE course might be needed - checking wx

Thursday 11am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Thurs 2100 GMT) Breakfast - at last!
Going to have to finish this trip within ten days - my cereal, already down to quite small measured portions, will run out then! Still have plenty of dried fruit, nuts and seeds though - and there's always the pancake mix which is so easy to use and which I've enjoyed a lot.
Feeling very buoyant just now - we're making excellent speed NNE in bright sunshine with one reef in mainsail, staysail 'goose-winged' (brought over to opposite side from main) and storm jib flying on removable inner forestay (just aft of damaged furled genoa). Frequently seeing over 6kt - fabulous!
Really glad I checked weather ahead - clearly best to stay on port tack since SW wind expected to veer further. Also, if we head directly for the 'barn door', seems we'd end up becalmed again in the next High coming along in a few days' time - better to keep heading more N to keep clear of its centre and in better wind.
Will make as much easting as possible, but will try to avoid those light winds. Might have to make 47N, maybe even 48N, before we can head for Cape Flattery directly without losing reasonable wind - forecasts will change so will work on best route from day to day.
About to open a fresh mango juice to have some after breakfast - two cartons left - just enough!

Found a security ring missing from its pin on a mainsail batten car attachment to mast track - will put some wire there to hold in place - far easier than a fiddly ring and just as safe, if not more so. Wouldn't have seen it if first reef weren't in - it would have been up out of sight from deck level.
Keep finding tiny flying fish hidden on deck - picked up several small to middling ones the other day - a memento of the trip up from Hawaii.

4pm Sunshine has gone - grey sky with total overcast now and pressure has dropped steadily over last few hours to 1017hPa now. Seas are tossing us around quite often.
Making a mug of soup - it's not quite so warm now! We're sailing very well in good SW wind still - goose-winged staysail is working well, running downwind on a course of 035T.

9pm Has been raining for some time and wind has veered a lot more - to W. Took staysail over to join other sails to starboard and sheeted in main quite a bit. Boat speed has dropped dramatically - from over 6kt to around 4.5kt. Was nice to have the speed while it lasted.

Friday 7am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Fri 1700 GMT) Bright, sunny morning - so different from the murky, miserable grey of yesterday. There's a lot of wispy cloud overhead and cloud on the horizon everywhere, so maybe we've just found a small gap - but it's very pleasant and welcome! Pressure has stayed constant overnight to now, at 1017hPa.
Sea surface temperature is 22.4C/81F and cabin temperature is about the same. Wind is from W at about 14kt and seas are around 2m, every 8sec, so it's a bit bumpy but not too bad. We're heeling a little with the beam wind and making a course of 033T at ~5.7kt - quite a good speed.
Time for breakfast - if it stays not too rough, think I'll have some pancakes later on, after my (carefully measured!) cereal this morning.

8:30am Downloaded fresh weather info... Expecting wind on our route to become around 12kt or so over today but getting lighter towards tomorrow morning - maybe down to 6kt, from W still, by dawn - but back up to 12kt, from SW, by mid-morning and for rest of the day. So outlook not too bad...but definitely slower than the excellent speed of earlier today

DTF: 782 n.ml., measured along my planned route.

*****************************************************
While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.

It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!

(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless
they are notified in advance.)
***************************************************

1900GMT (= 9 a.m. LT = Tahiti/Hawaii time) - end of Day 324. We made 131 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions. Good to see!

Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 324 (by daily DMGs): 27,027 n.ml.

Distances (are all Gt Circle, at 1900GMT): Cape Flattery LH (Tatoosh Island): 690 n.ml. to ENE (add ~60 n.ml. to Victoria); Honolulu: 1660 n.ml. to SSW; Papeete, Tahiti: 3795 n.ml. to S; San Francisco GG: 942 n.ml. to SE.

Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):
TIME: 2019/08/23 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 45-14.19N LONGITUDE: 141-04.04W
COURSE: 034T SPEED: 5.5kt
WIND_SPEED: 14kt WIND_DIR: W SWELL_DIR: WSW SWELL_HT: 2.0m SWELL_PER: 8s
CLOUDS: 95% BARO: 1016.6hPa TREND: 0 AIR_TEMP: 23.0C SEA_TEMP: 22.0C
COMMENT: DTF 782 n.ml. Bright day, occasional sun, light broken cloud

Wednesday 10am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Wed 2000 GMT) Grey cloudy sky - just circled around to get back on course after wind dropped more and backed sails in swell... Making NW at 1.5kt or less - difficult to hold a course...

10:30am ....In fact, impossible! We're drifting SW at under 1kt, despite a boat heading of 350T. Best to ignore trying to maintain a course and get on with jobs while wind is down. Wind generator blades are still, showing wind is anything from zero to 5-6kt - so nothing to sail by.

Was delighted to see a Black-footed albatross fly by early this morning - nearly all-dark - hope to see again - they're not uncommon all over the N.Pacific, right up to the W. coast of N.America. I've twice seen one, on different trips, just outside the Strait of Juan de Fuca in October.

Midday Had a very nice mug of fresh coffee - followed advice to make sure it was made using non-salty water - made a vast improvement!
We're drifting SW in light NE wind of 7-8 knots, judging from the wind generator which is only just about spinning. Since we need to head NE and that's clearly impossible, I've furled in the staysail and lowered the mmainsail (actually to third reef). I was hoping doing that would slow down our SW drift but it seems not to have made much difference. Clearly it helps stop wear on the sails, which is good. Part of the reason for keeping the sail hoisted with the third reef tied in is to get at the mainsail tear on the leech there - it needs some more attention, once I've finished with the other jobs.
Another item needing attention is the starboard sheet winch - it's started squeaking so clearly needs cleaning and greasing. Not a big job and I'll get to it after lowering the genoa - that's the job of the moment, now wind has died down so much. Pressure is 1023.7hPa - same as the 1024hPa given for the High's centre in the forecasts.

2:30pm Plan A just went down the drain .... impossible to unfurl the tattered genoa from the forestay... It's too tangled in place around the foil for the material that was torn away from the edges (leech and foot) to come undone. So the forestay and furling gear can't be used now for another sail, as I'd hoped..
Spent a time tidying up the lines around the mast and securing the genoa, its furling line and sheets (control lines).
Bright, sunny, peaceful, relaxing day. Smooth sea but with 2m swell rocking the boat from side to side. Pressure is 1023.5 - so fairly constant - and we're drifting NW.
About to try to mend the lowest tear in mainsail again, while I've access from cockpit with that part of mainsail being close to the boom. Sticky tape initially, running out of Gorilla tape but will use up what I've got left since it seems to be holding fairly well if I use a long enough piece each time. Having lunch 'on the run' - shrimps with sweetcorn and mayonnaise - tasty and it's still warm enough for cold food. Tonight I"ll finish it and follow with some blue cheese on crackers - had been saving it for my celebrations...!

9pm Increased swell from NE rolling us about a lot.
Spent useful time this afternon attaching the removable inner forestay to a dedicated point on deck below the genoa furler drum and then hoisting the storm jib on it, using the 2nd genoa halyard. Added a long strop below the tack of the jib so it ended up raised very high - hopefully, getting more wind - it's not at all big...
Used one long line to make its pair of sheets (control lines), using a cow hitch at the clew. Used the electric drill to add a machine screw onto the track to act as a stop behind the newly-repaired genoa car - now in use to take a sheet from the storm jib. All finished in the last of the daylight this evening.

It's possible that the present very light winds will continue for a short time tomorrow morning - in which case I'll try to add some tabling to the mainsail leech repair I worked on earlier today. Have some material left still but need some time to stitch it in place to strengthen the torn leech.

I also need to grease the starboard sheet winch before we get underway again - might be possible tomorrow morning if I finish the sewing soon enough, although shouldn't take long and is quite urgent so might do it first.

Thursday 2:30am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Thurs 1230 GMT) Suddenly heard sound of wind - from S-SW at 10-12kt - rushed up on deck to get moving - was difficult with wind not so strong and needing to head downwind but eventually we were making NNE - perfect! Never mind if we're very slow still - NNE is far better than SE - where we were heading before!!

Will get some sleep - but fully expect it to be disturbed by wind dying possibly. Need to raise more mainsail but will wait for daylight to do that - safer if able to see what's happening.

8am Lovely sunny day with very little cloud - woke earlier to find us heading due N at over 3kt - great! Adjusted course to head a little more E but was nice to find us heading on a good course at a fair speed, instead of being becalmed still, as was expected as of yesterday ... Need to let out some reefs to speed up more but want to check weather ahead so will do that first to make sure our heading is OK. Downloading weather info now. Greasing winch will have to wait for when not in use.

9am Glad I checked weather ahead - best to stay on port tack for a time. Also, if we head directly for the 'barn door', seems we'd end up becalmed again in the next High coming along in a few days' time - better to keep heading more N to keep away from its centre and in better wind. Will make as much easting as possible, but will try to avoid those light winds. Trying to 'goose-wing' the staysail - seems to be working to give better speed just now - giving wind to jib as well, hopefully.

*****************************************************
While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.

It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!

(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless
they are notified in advance.)
***************************************************

1900GMT (= 9 a.m. LT = Tahiti/Hawaii time) - end of Day 323. We made just 21 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions. Drifted in almost a circle!
Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 323 (by daily DMGs): 26,896 n.ml.

Distances (are all Gt Circle, at 1900GMT): Cape Flattery LH (Tatoosh Island): 805 n.ml. to NE (add ~60 n.ml. to Victoria); Honolulu: 1528 n.ml. to SSW; Papeete, Tahiti: 3678 n.ml. to S; San Francisco GG: 980 n.ml. to SE.

Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):
TIME: 2019/08/22 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 43-26.12N LONGITUDE: 142-45.86W
COURSE: 028T SPEED: 5.3kt
WIND_SPEED: 14kt WIND_DIR: SW SWELL_DIR: SW SWELL_HT: 1.5m CLOUDS: 80%
BARO: 1020.8hPa TREND: 0 AIR_TEMP: 24.0C SEA_TEMP: 25.0C
COMMENT: SW wind filled in - heading NNE to avoid next High

Tuesday 1:30pm Tahiti/Hawaii time (Tues 2330 GMT) Had a great two-hour siesta - needed it badly. Now having my breakfast cereal with dried fruit and nuts while the generator is running, computer is charging and water is on to boil for tea. I'll fill a lot of water bottles in a moment - keep the small ones beside the chart table to drink from whenever I feel thirsty and a big one stays in the galley.
Sun is shining nicely, although temperatures are down - cabin is now at 25C, not near 30C any more. I'm about to go and wrestle with the second reef line and 'frozen' sheave. In this fairly light wind, I left the reef half out to give more speed, rather than take it in before my sleep.
Even the line has been difficult to persuade to slide over the stuck sheave - just now, it won't move. I'm hoping to 'work' it if I can, by lowering the mainsail to release the tension in order to do that. Have squirted a load of Kroil around the sheave to try to persuade it to move. Don't want to put too much tension on the leech of the sail by raising the main without the reef line releasing - it needs to come loose.

2pm Will need to lower the sail and try to winch in the reef line after trying to work it by hand at the boom end before the line is tensioned again... Occurred to me that the problem might be inside the boom...I hope not!

2:35pm Problem solved... :-) I'm relaxing over my mug of tea! I was puzzled why there was so much tension at the boom end and none leading back to the cockpit clutch - I'd mistakenly closed the wrong clutch at the for'd end of the boom when I went to tension the outhaul on the mainsail foot the other day.... So having lowered the sail enough to realise my mistake near the gooseneck (boom-to-mast connection), the sail is now raised again, with the reef line having passed around the (still-frozen) sheave without too much difficulty.
Now to raise the sail fully by letting out the first reef - wind is dying, as expected, so our speed didn't stay up for long. Finishing my tea first and then, after raising full mainsail, I'll look at the starboard genoa car - hoping to get that repaired and back in place on its track soon.

Later: Spent some time on the genoa car. Stainless steel screws into aluminium were always going to pose a corrosion problem - but turned out to be not too bad - one screw proved difficult but came free with oil and firm but gentle persuasion... New replacements for the missing end pieces holding in place the long white plastic strips, acting as 'runners' on the track, were screwed into position. Tomorrow, the car needs to be fixed in place as a stop at the aft end of the genoa car track - either with a sturdy machine screw or being held by strong cord. (Useful to have an electric cordless drill on board!) The original machine screw sheared off so that will be left alone since it cannot easily be dealt with but fortunately it does not prevent the car from being slid into place over the track.

Very much enjoyed my evening meal of (wild) salmon and sweetcorn with mayonnaise - simple and appropriate. I'd decided it was not cold enough for a hot main meal, having started to prepare it in the warmth of the sunny afternoon...

9pm Finished most of evening radio sessions - having to change band for contact with several places (California/Oregon/B.C.) since they're now in 'skip' zone for 20m, but 40m is working fine. 20m is still working well for Australia.
Boat speed is now well down - around 2.5kt in dying wind... Just about keeping on course, which has been adjusted to 072T at present, but that will almost certainly change overnight if wind veers more and dies away, as expected. Pressure is now up to 1017hPa - has risen 2hPa/3hrs over the last 9hrs and is expected to increase as we get close to centre of High pressure cell quite soon.

My plan for tomorrow depends very much on being in calm conditions if genoa is to be removed from its foil and replaced by a second (small) staysail, to add in to available sail area.

Wednesday 1:45am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Wed 1145 GMT) I've been very surprised by our speed this evening, often seeing around 5kt, even 6kt at times... Must be cloudy and we're getting frequent increased wind under clouds. The wind has been slowly veering, so I've had to adjust our heading slowly - now due E although our COG has been mostly rather N of E (current?) and only now are we actually making a COG of almost due E. I'll be interested to see how the unexpected increased speed affects our DMG by morning. Expecting light headwinds over the coming daytime.

7am Bright day with 90% broken light cloud layer. Gybed around in veered wind - now coming from NE. We're making around 4kt on a COG of 007T, close-hauled with (small) staysail and full mainsail. Wind stronger than was indicated by forecasts - expected it to be a lot lighter by now. Pressure has risen 2hPa in last three hours - to 1021hPa.

8am Amazingly, wind seems to have dropped a lot since gybing around - just when I was hoping we'd make some good northing. Now only making about 2kt on 008T in wind of maybe 8kt - wind generator blades just about turning, despite heading upwind... Pressure now 1022hPa.
Spoke to 'Zoomac' on PolyMagNet - great still to be talking daily to boats in Polynesia and Fiji! (Had useful advice from Andrew on 'Eye Candy' last night.)
Clouds have virtually cleared away - blue sky overhead and thin wispy cloud layer on horizon all around. Seems we're in the light winds of the High pressure cell - expected to last for about a day, so little progress will be made over that time but, hopefully, we can keep heading N-NE while doing some boat jobs.
Hearing gurgling of water against the hull as we sail on slowly ... Time for breakfast while preparing 9am/1900GMT reports for posting.

*****************************************************
While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.

It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!

(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless
they are notified in advance.)
***************************************************

1900GMT (= 9 a.m. LT = Tahiti/Hawaii time) - end of Day 322. We made 72 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions.

Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 322 (by daily DMGs): 26,875 n.ml.

Distances (are all Gt Circle, at 1900GMT): Cape Flattery LH (Tatoosh Island): 819 n.ml. to NE (add ~60 n.ml. to Victoria); Honolulu: 1509 n.ml. to SSW; Papeete, Tahiti: 3657 n.ml. to S; San Francisco GG: 979 n.ml. to SE.

Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):
TIME: 2019/08/21 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 43-05.50N LONGITUDE: 142-50.36W
COURSE: 002T SPEED: 2.3kt
WIND_SPEED: 8kt WIND_DIR: ENE SWELL_DIR: NNE SWELL_HT: 1.5m CLOUDS: 60%
BARO: 1022.6hPa TREND: 2 AIR_TEMP: 24.0C SEA_TEMP: 26.0C
COMMENT: In High pressure cell, slow day today...

Monday Midday Tahiti/Hawaii time (Mon 2200 GMT) Pressure is 997.3hPa - rising now... so Low must be moving away. Looks though wind has changed direction to NW since our drift is now almost due E and sky is also a lot brighter, although still cloudy.

3pm Got underway, heading NE, roughly on a beam reach and on port tack a while ago, using staysail in place of genoa. Loss of genoa is a big nuisance since it will slow us down a lot - especially in light wind, since genoa so much larger than the staysail but at least we've some headsail, even if it's only a small one.

Wind is from NNW and still well up. Pressure just got to above 1000 hPa and sun is shining now and then through occasional breaks in the clouds. So weather is improving but seas are still very rough - steep and short (close together)....

Trying to reply to a lot of emails - please forgive my brief answers!

9pm Seas lying down a little - not quite so rough... Still working on emails - a lot to deal with. Wind looks settled from N-NNW for a day or more, but becoming light NE for a time, in a High, before SW sets in on Friday, becoming W after the weekend - that will be good!

Seeing shipping every so often - but they see my AIS signal and usually stay clear. If they look to be getting too close, I call on VHF but that wasn't needed today or overnight.

Tuesday 6:30am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Tues 1630 GMT) Grey skies, pressure rising still, wind getting less, but rather gusty, and seas still well up and lumpy. Managed to reach sail just above boom to replace a few of the Gorilla tape patches holding torn sail at luff of mainsail near third reef cringle before releasing third reef - we've been very slow overnight and needed more sail to speed up.

If we weren't so close to the wind, trying to make a NE course, we'd make more speed but I want to keep making northing when possible - we're still well S of Cape flattery and there's likely to be a N wind (and maybe a S-flowing current) nearer to the coast.

Downloading latest weather files. Wind will be veering over next day or so and becoming more N, then from NE and eventually E, as High pressure comes along behind the present Low we're in - so we'll be forced to head even more E for a time soon enough and then we'll have to head N. Only making ENE now.

7:45am Feeling very tired still - would like to get back to my bunk for some more sleep... but will let out next reef - we're still going far too slow...

9am Went to let out 2nd reef but ran into a problem - sheave at far end of boom is thoroughly stuck and won't turn. Have been fighting for a time now to try to release the reef line - but it doesn't want to slide over the stuck sheave. I'm hoping to 'work' it if I can, but means repeatedly lowering and hoisting the mainsail to do that. Have squirted a load of oil around the sheave to try to persuade it to move. Don't want to put too much tension on the sail by raising the main without the reef line releasing - it needs to come loose. Today's 'challenge' - to add in to the previous list...

I'll get some sleep and then try again - maybe the reef will come free while I sleep? :-)

*****************************************************

While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.

It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!

(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless

they are notified in advance.)

***************************************************

1900GMT (= 9 a.m. LT = Tahiti/Hawaii time) - end of Day 321. We made 67 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions. Slow overnight with 3rd reef still in...

Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 321 (by daily DMGs): 26,803 n.ml.

Distances (are all Gt Circle, at 1900GMT): Cape Flattery LH (Tatoosh Island): 882n.ml. to NE (add ~60 n.ml. to Victoria); Honolulu: 1459 n.ml. to SSW; Papeete, Tahiti: 3635 n.ml. to S; San Francisco GG: 1044 n.ml. to E.

Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):

TIME: 2019/08/20 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 42-52.94N LONGITUDE: 144-27.48W

COURSE: 072T SPEED: 5.0kt

WIND_SPEED: 15kt WIND_DIR: N SWELL_DIR: NNW SWELL_HT: 3.0m CLOUDS: 60%

BARO: 1010.5hPa TREND: 2 AIR_TEMP: 23.0C SEA_TEMP: 27.0C

COMMENT: Trying to release 2nd reef - sheave stuck

Sunday 10am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Sun 2000 GMT) Wind has picked up and we've still full sail so good speed - around 6kt in about 10-12kt wind. Light overcast with sun trying to get through. Less than 1,000 miles 'as the crow flies' to Cape Flattery - but small matter of strong weather coming up shortly.

Pressure has dropped noticeably - now down at 1021hPa, from 1024 last night and 1029 yesterday early morning - the Low is on its way... Ready to reef down as and when necessary.

Usual morning weatherfaxes are still being downloaded and just finished preparing reports for posting. Always takes a bit of time, especially if photos included - have to re-size and edit them.

12:40pm Spent quite a time clearing up in the galley and dealing with items there. Want to close that seacock so I've been using galley sink while it's easy.

Cloudy and showery now - a lot of big grey clouds around.

Wind got up and we've been making good speed - but with no reefs in, feeling 'at risk' so I need to start reefing down. The Low is supposed to be moving quickly so I don't want to be caught out with too much sail.

Already furled in some genoa to make it easier to take over to port and we're feeling a lot more under control just now. We're still making around 5.5-6kt but not swinging around so much. We were making more earlier but that wind was likely to have been up due to rain we just had.

Pressure has continued to drop - now 1018hPa ...and still dropping - sign of Low getting closer so good reason to begin reefing down - might be early but that's better than too late!

1:20pm Of course, now there's patch of blue sky overhead, the sun is trying to get out and the band of rain clouds is well astern - although there are plenty more clouds ahead and to the W. With the first reef now tied in, I've unfurled the genoa and got back on course. When the wind picks up again, I can tie in the 2nd reef if it looks needed and the genoa can always be easily and quickly furled in to reduce sail if wind is getting very strong. Lines are all ready. Just now, we're back to creeping along in wind of perhaps 8-10kt - the wind generator is only just turning gently.

Time for some lunch

2pm Had to gybe the sails - wind from S now, no longer from SSE. Feels pleasantly warm in the sun... but mostly grey clouds everywhere. Back to my lunch...

3:30pm Water on to boil for tea... Making around 4kt in very light S wind still. Ambling, waiting for Low system to arrive - should come within next few hours, meaning I'll need to reef down. It should pass just to S of our position, as it heads E. Pressure now is 1016 hPa.

10:30pm (Lost my previous note from near sunset - I hate that!

I'd wanted to reef down by sunset and then heave to, ready for the Low and its Front to pass by overnight. Pressure has now dropped to 1011 hPa.

As light was fading, I reefed down - furled in some genoa and took in 2nd reef, then 3rd reef - but had a problem doing that and needed to release the line on the winch with a rolling hitch. I managed to finish sorting out 3rd reef in the last of the light and heaved to with genoa furled in - all as a heavy rain squall came through - I got soaked... I started out so much earlier in such relatively benign conditions that I'd not put on my jacket.

By the time all was finished, I'd had a thorough cold fresh shower and needed to change into dry clothes. Found what I needed fairly quickly, fortunately, since I was shivering with cold and happily donned underlayers and fleece top layer, followed by having hot food - all ready in its saucepan, just needing to be heated up.

Monday 5am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Mon 1500 GMT) Daylight... Raining... Bouncing around in the swell but not as violently as last night.. We're drifting SE and wind seems to be from N .. so maybe we can get underway and head E?? Waiting to download latest weatherfiles to check on Low and its progress - to E of here? Making mug of CuppaSoup in the meantime.

5:35am Cargo vessel 'Dorado Leader' looks to be heading directly for us from ESE - too far for VHF contact just now...

6:10am We're making 3-4kt close-hauled. Spoke to 'Dorado Leader' on VHF and said we couldn't go any more upwind - "We will stay clear," came the reply.

All safe by 6:30am - they turned upwind by about twenty degrees to stay clear and passed just over one mile off to our N... They're back on course now towards Japan at ~ 17kt- ETA 28th Aug....

Very poor visibility in heavy rain & fog. Pounding into the seas, making 113T at ~4.5kt.

7:30am Back below after heaving to again in strong conditions - wind very strong now - around 30kt or more, from N. Furled in remains of genoa - totally shredded, and end genoa car has come off the track. I'd been recently seeing some long plastic bits coming loose which I'd been forever sliding back in place - hadn't realised before, but they must be for holding the car onto the track.... Wonder if maybe the loose car led to genoa flogging and hence tearing...?

Was about to heave to anyway, before noticed genoa gone, since we seemed to be heading SE, rather than E as I'd hoped, too much towards centre of Low to our S, in what had become a very much increased N wind. Pressure now is 994.2hPa - has dropped by 6hPa over last 3 hrs - a lot... Must be very close to centre of Low now. Will just have to wait for Low to move on now.

8:20am Pressure still low - 994.0hPa. Waiting now for wind to ease and change direction and pressure to rise, indicating Low has moved away. Will wait to post daily reports after 1900Z/9am LT and then maybe I can get some more sleep.

*****************************************************

While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.

It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!

(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless

they are notified in advance.)

***************************************************

1900GMT (= 9 a.m. LT = Tahiti/Hawaii time) - end of Day 320. We made 43 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions.

Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 318 (by daily DMGs): 26,736 n.ml.

Distances (are all Gt Circle, at 1900GMT): Cape Flattery LH (Tatoosh Island): 954n.ml. to NE (add ~60 n.ml. to Victoria); Honolulu: 1404 n.ml. to SSW; Papeete, Tahiti: 3602 n.ml. to S; San Francisco GG: 1102 n.ml. to E.

Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):

TIME: 2019/08/19 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 42-24.19N LONGITUDE: 145-49.09W

COURSE: 157T SPEED: 1.9kt

WIND_SPEED: 30kt WIND_DIR: N SWELL_DIR: N SWELL_HT: 3.0m CLOUDS: 100%

BARO: 995hPa TREND: -5 AIR_TEMP: 24.0C SEA_TEMP: 28.0C

COMMENT: Drifting hove-to, waiting for Low to move away

Saturday 11:30am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Sat 2130 GMT) Bright sunny day again, with pressure still high at 1029 hPa, but a slight breeze and full sail are moving us nicely at ~4.5kt - we're bouncing gently in a slight swell.
About to have my breakfast, having finally finished with daily reports. Have downloaded emails and will study weather updates to make sure my recent change of course to 036T was a good idea...

Weather is cooperating for once - looks like another day of gentle sailing conditions in warmth and bright sunshine - a great way to celebrate a birthday!
Light conditions are not expected to last much longer, with Low and Cold Front coming in by overnight into Monday but looks as though there's a chance we might be able to avoid the worst of the expected gale.

1:40pm Changed back onto more northerly course, although a slower point of sail. Was nice to have more speed being nearly on a beam reach before but a course of 015T seems to avoid strongest winds (40kt or more) developing on Front overnight Sunday into Monday. I'll probably heave to by sunset as centre of Low will be getting close - it's likely to have very strong gusty winds up to 30kt or more, backing very quickly from S to E to N to W. Once winds go into NW-W, I'll know the Low has passed over (tomorrow morning?) so we can get underway again and head ENE - towards the Strait.

2:30pm 'Motor stall' error message came up on AP - not happy to see that... Reset AP and seems to be working OK for time being....
Seeing more shipping now - cargo vessel 'Maullin' is heading across our path at almost 20kt - will pass 5ml off in 40 minutes' time, bound for Yokohama, Japan.

2:45pm Sprayed arm of AP ram, that acts on steering quadrant, with lubricant in hope that will help avoid more 'Motor Stall' messages. Took advantage of being by rudder post to unscrew grease gland and replenish the grease in there - keep having to pump the bilges fairly often due to a slight leak from there.

Warm enough to have a quick deck shower and hairwash in the sunshine - a birthday present to myself to add in to the extra mango juice I just found stored away - thought I had just two cartons left but found three!

3pm Got 'Motor stall' msg again... reset AP... OK...

3:20pm Feeling beautifully refreshed after my shower - even found a touch of perfume to dab on ...! Now for some pancakes... 'Maullin' just passed across our bow as I was taking my shower - big enough to see clearly on the horizon, despite being 5ml off.

5:30pm Afternoon tea in a beautiful pottery mug (thanks, Louise!) - only brought out on calm, special occasions. Had a big slice of 'birthday cake' with it (tasty, rich Dundee).

Pleasant evening - heated up a special ready-made meal (smoked chicken and chorizo in a foil pouch) with a mango juice & gin sundowner before, accompanied by anchovy-stuffed green olives and peanuts, then apricots and cream for dessert... & lots of chocolate!
Chatted on a few radio Nets - made contact with sailing vessels 'Scoots' and 'Anahata' in Fiji - and later with B.C., Oahu, E.Australia, Florida & several more - HF/SSB radio is great! A few more "Happy Birthdays!" received (to add in to the emailed ones) and, all in all, had a very sociable evening in the continuing light conditions, as we made our way slowly N-NNE.

Thanks to everyone for their good wishes - it will take a time to catch up on a lot of emails now...!

Sunday 4:20am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Sun 1420 GMT) Dawn breaking - first light at 4am, with waning, near-full moon still shining brightly high up in the clear overhead sky until daylight increased too much and a thin cloud layer also came over. Low bank of grey cloud on eastern horizon, turning slightly pink with imminent sunrise as I brought the genoa over to starboard to go goose-winged - it was far happier and more efficient like that, with us sailing downwind. Our speed instantly improved to around 5kt - should have done that a while ago!
Pressure has dropped a lot recently - now down at 1021hPa, from 1024 last night and 1029 a day ago, as Low gets closer.
Back to my bunk for a little more sleep.

7:20am Bright sunny morning. Wind has backed more towards SSE from S and I was about to take genoa back over to port to keep it filled but a slight change of heading was needed to keep us on course, so it was better left where it is for now. I wonder if there's a slight E-flowing current hereabouts.
Breakfast... Feeling cooler - cabin temperature now at 26C from previous 30C.

8:30am Usual morning weatherfax downloads, while preparing reports for posting soon after 9am. Getting photos ready - takes a bit of time to re-size and edit them.

*****************************************************
While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.

It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!

(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless
they are notified in advance.)
***************************************************

1900GMT (= 9 a.m. LT = Tahiti/Hawaii time) - end of Day 319. We made 88 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions. Surprised it wasn't less.

Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 318 (by daily DMGs): 26,693 n.ml.

Distances (are all Gt Circle, at 1900GMT): Cape Flattery LH (Tatoosh Island): 985 n.ml. to NE (add ~60 n.ml. to Victoria); Honolulu: 1363 n.ml. to SSW; Papeete, Tahiti: 3561 n.ml. to S; San Francisco GG: 1108 n.ml. to E.

Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):
TIME: 2019/08/18 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 41-42.84N LONGITUDE: 146-03.21W
COURSE: 008T SPEED: 5.5kt
WIND_SPEED: 12kt WIND_DIR: SSE SWELL_DIR: SSE SWELL_HT: 1.5m CLOUDS: 80%
BARO: 1020.4hPa TREND: 0 AIR_TEMP: 28.0C SEA_TEMP: 29.0C
COMMENT: Bright & sunny. Thin cloud layer. Goosewinged.