July 26 – August 4, 2014
We came to Pago Pago mostly to provision, and it’s been raining pretty much non-stop, but we are still enjoying ourselves.
Logbook – July 26, 2014 (Suwarrow to Pago Pago)
Passage Log Highlights
- 1004 Engines on
- 1012 Depart Suwarrow
- 1039 P engine off
- 1158 SB engine off. Main + genoa
- 1842 Main (2 reefs) + genoa (1 reef). TWS 21.1 kts SE
Logbook – July 27, 2014 (Suwarrow to Pago Pago)
Passage Log Highlights
- 0502 Main (2 reefs) + genoa (2 reefs). TWS 26.1 kts SE
- 1819 Genoa only. TWS 17.1 kts NE
- 1900 Genoa and Genniker
- 2053 P engine on
Logbook – July 28, 2014 (Suwarrow to Pago Pago)
Passage Log Highlights
- 0000 Genoa (1 reef) + P engine. TWS 16.3 kts SE.
- 0021 P engine off. Squalls everywhere.
- 0336 SB engine on
- 0540 SB engine off
- 0550 Genniker only. TWS 10.5 kts E
- 0649 P engine on, no sails
- 1012 P engine off, SB engine on
Email to family and friends dated July 28, 2014
Subject: Exodus – En Route
We had way more wind yesterday and through the night than forecast, so we made some excellent time, but now it’s tailed off a bit and clocked around to our stern so we have slowed down considerable, but still doing over 5 kts. At this pace we would arrive at Pago Pago just after midnight tomorrow night, but we expect the wind to continue to die, so it might all work out OK for a Tuesday morning arrival. If the winds persist or even pick up we will likely keep going to Apia, Western Samoa.
The passage has been good, even if lumpy and bumpy. On the radio net last evening all of our monohull friends were really complaining about how uncomfortable it was, so either they are just bigger whiners or catamarans ARE more comfortable. At least in these conditions.
Even though the seas have been bigger this time, Brenden and I aren’t feeling nearly as bad as on our passage to Suwarrow. It’s not always about the size of the seas, but the direction and frequency. Random, high freqency, beam on swells are very uncomfortable in Exodus.
Our thoughts go out to Fluenta who is also on passage right now (to Papeete).
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Logbook – July 29, 2014 (Suwarrow to Pago Pago)
Passage Log Highlights
- 0712 SB engine + genoa. TWS 7.1 kts SE
- 0804 SB engine off. P engine on.
- 0828 P engine off
- Time zone change – 1 hr (UTC – 11)
- 1250 Engines on – genoa & genniker torn
- 1507 VHF call to Port Control – received permission to enter harbor & anchor
- 1615 Engines off Pago Pago
Logbook – July 30, 2014 (Pago Pago)
Daily Notes
- D – cleared into Pago Pago – left B’s passport @ Immigration
- Potluck & late night on Novae
Email to family and friends dated July 30, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Pago Pago
We arrived in Pago Pago yesterday afternoon, but we haven’t seen much of it yet. It was rainy and foggy when we arrived, so we just spent the afternoon/evening hanging out on the boat. After motoring for over a day, we finally got some wind yesterday, and, well, sometimes you just have to be careful what you wish for. By the time we passed by the east tip of the island we had 25-30 kts of wind, 4-5 meter seas (the biggest we’ve seen since our San Felipe passage), pouring down rain, and fog. And to top it off we had a 2+ kt current pushing us north making it hard to round the island. But the harbor is well protected, so once inside you hardly knew the conditions were so bad out there. Our anchor dug in on the first try, which I guess is pretty rare. The bottom of this harbor is very fouled up with junk as a result of a devastating tsunami in 2009 (I think, but you people with your instant access to internet can just google it if you like.) A boat that arrived just after us dropped their anchor and brought it back up and had a Christmas tree on it. Today we will clear in to the country and see what this place is all about.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Logbook – July 31, 2014 (Pago Pago)
Daily Notes
- Rented car. Cost U Less & groceries. Pouring rain.
- Anchor dragged @ 4am
Logbook – August 1, 2014 (Pago Pago)
Daily Notes
- Reanchored
Email to family and friends dated August 1, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Anchor dragging
I’m up early this morning, which is nothing new. I’m often up early. But this morning I’m up because our anchor alarm went off at about 4am. Seconds after Tim got up to check I heard the engines fire up, so I new it wasn’t good, and I jumped up myself. Yes, we were, in fact, dragging. Pago Pago harbor is notorious for this, but after being set pretty well for a few days we had relaxed a bit, and this just reminds us that we can never fully let our guard down. Tim and I even left the boys for several hours today to rent a car and hit a couple grocery stores, including a large warehouse costco type store. I shudder to think about the boys having to deal with that alone. Although, our instructions to them were if you start dragging, turn the engines on, hold position, and call Lady Carolina. Of course, after those instructions the boys proceeded to leave the boat and go play on another boat (we met another kid boat here called Wildlife). So, if Exodus had dragged yesterday afternoon instead of in the middle of the night she would have been totally unattended. Yikes!
It’s still very rainy and gloomy here, and the forecast indicates it will continue for at least a couple days. We’ve got a few more things to accomplish here including laundry, sail repair (we tore both genoa and genniker on the last passage), and searching for decent rum. We have the rental car until 4pm today, so it will be a busy day. Weather doesn’t look good for heading to Tonga yet anyway, so we will likely not leave until at least Monday, possibly Tuesday or Wednesday.
We have internet here, so feel free to shoot an email back, no character limit or anything. 🙂
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Logbook – August 2, 2014 (Pago Pago)
Daily Notes
- D – 10 loads of laundry $30
- 4pm – huge winds – more dragging. LC & Exodus.
- Calls for help on VHF. Port Captain no response.
Logbook – August 3, 2014 (Pago Pago)
Daily Notes
- Alex bday party w/ LC, Wildlife, and Cameron from Moonjoos
Logbook – August 4, 2014 (Pago Pago)
Daily Notes
- Alex Bday! Lunch at McD’s, bus ride to Costco
Email to family and friends dated August 4, 2014
Subject: Exodus – More anchor dragging + Alex’s 13th
Night before last, there was a lot of drama in this anchorage. I guess that’s what the combination of 40+ knot winds and terrible holding will provide. In the afternoon, I was at the laundromat happily doing 10 loads of laundry for $3 each (a nice change from French Polynesia where laundry was between $20-$30 per load). Steve and Carolina joined me, and this was the first time they’d been off the boat together in 9 days. Their anchor had held firm during the recent blow, so they felt confident leaving Kyle and Joel to manage the shop. They weren’t on shore 10 min when they got the radio call from Kyle that they were dragging, so of course, Steve was off in a flash. I had my handheld VHF so I passively monitored what was going on… they couldn’t reanchor where they were because the boat in front of them had dragged back, so there wasn’t room to either pull forward again or let out more chain. So, they tried to find another spot to anchor, and in the end, they tied up to this huge mooring drum, and Tim and Alex were over helping them get everything secured. Then, I can hear a one sided conversation
Steve: “Brenden, can you start the engines and idle forward?”
Steve: “OK, Brenden, Alex is on his way over to help.”
OF COURSE! Exodus started dragging while Tim and Alex were helping Lady Carolina and Brenden was home alone. About 10 min later I hear Steve say, “Tim, how are things going over there?” So, I knew Tim was back at the boat.
By the time I was back on the boat it was regularly blowing over 35 kts, and Exodus and Lady Carolina were not the only boats dragging. Another Lagoon called for help on the radio because they were dragging and they couldn’t get their anchor up. Tim went over and helped them and they ended up tieing up to a tug boat at the dock. In the back of the anchorage an unattended boat dragged passed another boat and started dragging them along by their rudder. They got that untangled but the unattended boat kept going towards the rocks. There were calls to the harbor master to get help with the unattended boat, but they never answered. It blew hard all night along with torrential rain, so no one got much sleep.
Last evening couldn’t have been more different. The wind stopped, the rain stopped, and the sun even came out a bit. We had a BBQ on Exodus to celebrate Alex’s 13th birthday with Lady Carolina, Wildlife, and Novae.
Today is Alex’s birthday, so we now have a teenager on board.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Email to family and friends dated August 4, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Happy Birthday Alex
So, Alex is 13 today. Help us all! Pago Pago has been fun for the kids, even if it’s been a little stressful for the adults due to the weather and the anchor dragging and all. In addition to Lady Carolina there are 3 other kid boats here with kids in the same age range, so they’ve been having a lot of fun together. Tomorrow morning we will be leaving for Tonga, and we are really looking forward to it.
-D.
Gresham Family Exodus 