Once again, I’m posting on behalf of Tracy, David and Erik, using David’s final updates.
Quid Sea Pacific Crossing 2025 – Day #15 ~ Noon, April 11-12
Captain’s Log, after day#15
VESSEL: Quid Sea
DATE: 12-Apr-2025
TIME: 1200 (GMT-8)
LATITUDE: 00° 06′ S
LONGITUDE: 130° 48′ W
COURSE: 207 T
SPEED: 2.5 kts
Also known as ludicrous speed.
WIND DIRECTION: 90 T
WIND SPEED: 5 Kts
SWELL: 4 ft
COMMENTS: Noon to Noon distance (24hr) 74 nm. Total Distance: 2104 nm. Wind was 5-6 kts until evening and eventually dropped to less than 2 kts after midnight. Motored for about 5 hours at 4 kts to keep some wind in the sails. Turned off the engine at 0730 and sailed across the equator at 0804. Wind gradually picked up and is now back at 5-6 kts.
Sunset
It never gets old
The Southern Cross
We are close enough to the southern hemisphere to see the southern cross. This was my first time to see it, and I saw it at sea. Did you see what I did there? Sí?
It wasn’t possible to take a photo. You’ll have to come see it for yourself.
Chasing the storm
My 8PM-12 midnight watch had some excitement. It started off slow, with a 5kt wind and perhaps 2 kt speed over ground (SOG). Then, there was a squall coming in I could see on the horizon, interrupting, the book I was reading. It is a book by Attika Locke, called Cutting Season. My wife, Krista recommended it. It was starting off slow, but there seems to be a murder tied into the storyline, which is always intriguing. But more about that later.
So, I woke Tracy up to turn on the radar and see how severe it was. The first one was a small one and missed us, so Tracy went back to sleep and left the radar on for me to monitor. The navigation station has WiFi, so I was able to connect to it with my phone and monitor the display. I was using an older version of the Raymarine app, called Rayview, but that app is no longer available, so don’t try to look for it in the app store. Unless you have Android. Then… still don’t bother. But, I digress.
Then I woke him up to another in-coming squall. We battened down the hatches, literally. No metaphor required. It passed in front of us, and we saw a max wind speed of only 20 kts, but Quid Sea got a needed heavy shower, clearing the decks of the flying fish scales and squid goo. Our speed over ground picked up to over 5 kts. Our new navigation plan is to seek out the squalls and sling shot around them for a turbo boost.
Queue: Riding the Storm Out, by REO Speedwagon. Because yes, we are seasoned. Or perhaps we should say vintage, like the midcentury modern furniture that is all the rage but costs three times more.
The crossing!
TIME: 0804 (GMT-8). Pacific Time: 9AM, Sat. April 12th!
The wind had dropped to 2 kts overnight, so we approached the equator by motoring. Then we turned off the engine and ever so slowly crossed the finish line. We didn’t see a line, likely due to budget cuts, and it isn’t the finish. This time, the “finish line” is a “metaphor”. (Krista is going to cringe at the quotes around metaphor. 😊 )
Promotion!
Big day for us polliwogs: Captain Tracy officially promoted Erik and me to Shellbacks in honor of our first equator crossing. He donned his ceremonial Norseman garb and christened us with the sacred West Marine HD 6-14 boat hook—bestowed upon him by a mermaid one dark and stormy night, probably after happy hour. We toasted with the finest champagne from the Kirkland vineyards.
Shellback Pirate Oath
By the barnacles on Blackbeard’s beard and Quid Sea’s hull,
By the soggy socks of Davy Jones,
I solemnly swear, upon West Marine’s sacred boat hook, that I:
· Shall honor the mighty crossing of the equator, with one foot in the north, and the other in the south,
· Shall respect the sea, her moods, her creatures, and the Sirens I hear while on watch
· Shall forever renounce my polliwog status, and embrace my true nature as a Shellback, A child of Neptune, Poseidon, and possibly Aquaman.
After which, we each took turns plunging into the ocean and swimming behind the boat. Erik tracked his swim on his Garmin watch, so I did something similar.
Quid Sea Pacific Crossing 2025 – Day #16 ~ Noon, April 12-13
Captain’s Log, after day#16
VESSEL: Quid Sea
DATE: 13-Apr-2025
TIME: 1200 (GMT-8)
LATITUDE: 00° 55′ S
LONGITUDE: 131° 13′ W
COURSE: 207 T
SPEED: 3 kts
WIND DIRECTION: 110 T
WIND SPEED: 5 Kts
SWELL: 6 ft
COMMENTS: Noon to Noon distance (24hr) 56 nm. Total Distance: 2160 nm. Wind was ❤ kts until late this morning. Picked up to about 6kts. The crew (new Shellbacks ) did not want to motor feeling it might be an insult to Neptune, so we sailed at 1-2kts through the night. Relaxing although slow.
Sunset
The moon over glassy water in the morning
The sunrise
The doldrums
We are in the doldrums of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. As you can see from the photos above, it is very peaceful where we are. As we get closer to 2 degrees South on Monday late morning, we expect to encounter squalls again, or at least rain. So, we need to rest while we can.
Barnacles, Speed over water and articles of constitution (it is a bit of a stream or prevailing current)
When we went swimming yesterday, we saw all the barnacles growing under the boat. It looks like Quid Sea is growing a beard at the same time as the crew. Last night the paddle wheel under the boat stopped reporting the speed through the water. Tracy and Erik tried running a rope under the boat, but it didn’t free it up. Tracy had to pull the thru hull out from inside the boat to clean it and restore the function.
We talked about how to clean the hull while at sea, including holding onto a line and cleaning the side. Low and behold this is a form of punishment.
Keelhauling is a form of punishment and potential execution once meted out to sailors at sea. The sailor was tied to a line looped beneath the vessel, thrown overboard on one side of the ship, and dragged under the ship’s keel, either from one side of the ship to the other, or the length of the ship
Later we mentioned we started exploring the form of government aboard the ship. Tracy laughed when we said it was a democracy, then it evolved (perhaps a poor word choice) to this:
Letter of Constitution
The Benevolent Dictatorship of Captain Tracy
Aboard the SV Quid Sea
Let it be known throughout the known waters and distant horizons, that on this day, aboard the good ship Quid Sea, the Benevolent Dictatorship of Captain Tracy is hereby founded, in the spirit of safe passage, high adventure, and occasional rum.
Article I – The Captaincy
Captain Tracy, rightful and wise, shall hold ultimate authority over all matters nautical, navigational, culinary, and moral aboard Quid Sea. His word is law, unless contradicted by common sense or weather reports, in which case it is still law, but with discussion allowed—briefly.
Article II – The Crew
The loyal and seaworthy crew, comprised of Erik the Resourceful and David the Steady, shall execute the captain’s directives with good humor and salty competence. They may offer counsel, jokes, and the occasional mutinous glare, but must always defer to the Captain’s final say.
Article III – The Code of Conduct
1. No one shall go hungry, unhydrated, or uninspired.
2. All watches shall be stood, all sails trimmed, and all beers shared.
3. Disputes shall be settled with logic, laughter, or rock-paper-scissors.
4. Land shall not be spoken of unless within sight.
5. All crew shall contribute to merriment, morale, and maintenance.
Article IV – Amendments
This Constitution may be amended at any time, provided Captain Tracy is in a good mood and the sun is over the yardarm.
Let this document serve as both compass and creed, as Quid Sea sails forth under stars and sovereignty.
Signed this day by
Captain Tracy – Supreme Leader of the Quid Sea
Erik – First Mate & Purveyor of Solutions
David – Chief Officer of Sanity & Snacks
As you can tell, it is a slow news day in the doldrums.
The equator crossing!
I forgot to mention yesterday that our equator crossing music selection was Space Oddity (Major Tom), by David Bowie. It seemed poetic for the crossing and the peaceful scene.
Quid Sea Pacific Crossing 2025 – Day #17 ~ Noon, April 13-14
Captain’s Log, after day#17
VESSEL: Quid Sea
DATE: 14-Apr-2025
TIME: 1200 (GMT-8)
LATITUDE: 02° 05′ S
LONGITUDE: 131° 37′ W
COURSE: 250 T
SPEED: 3 kts
WIND DIRECTION: 035 T
WIND SPEED: 7 Kts
SWELL: 4 ft
COMMENTS: Noon to Noon distance (24hr) 74 nm. Total Distance: 2234 nm. Still relatively light winds, 5-8kts, but no squalls and mostly sunny.
Dinner
Tracy cooked pork and bean burritos. I was able to score a seat with a view!
Sunset
The sunsets are an over an hour long and 180 degree multicolored light show. No two are ever the same.
Panoramic image
Rainbow at sea
Quid Sea Pacific Crossing 2025 – Day #18 ~ Noon, April 14-15
Captain’s Log, after day#18
VESSEL: Quid Sea
DATE: 15-Apr-2025
TIME: 1200 (GMT-8)
LATITUDE: 03° 41′ S
LONGITUDE: 132° 42′ W
COURSE: 206 T
SPEED: 7 kts
WIND DIRECTION: 060 T
WIND SPEED: 20 Kts
SWELL: 6-9 ft
COMMENTS: Noon to Noon distance (24hr) 116 nm. Total Distance: 2350 nm. In the active ITCZ now. Winds 17kts to 25kts in squalls with gusts to 30+ kts. Rolly ride but starting to make some time after a couple slow days. Current DTG 519 nm.
Dinner
Sunset
The two birds circled the boat three times, so I had to reward the effort with a photo.
A perfect night to sail
From 8PM to Midnight, I had a perfect night to sail. A nearly full moon, clear skies, calm waters, winds in the right direction and making great time. From midnight to 4AM, Tracy had some weather from a passing squall, but it was not bad. When Erik came on watch at 4AM, he ran into heavy squalls, 30 kt winds and rough seas. Tracy helped him with the entire watch, while napping in the cockpit. We made good time, but the hard way.
Today has been a mix of rain and rainbows.
We expect to see land on Saturday, the 22nd day, if all goes well.
Quid Sea Pacific Crossing 2025 – Day #19 ~ Noon, April 15-16
Captain’s Log, after day#19
VESSEL: Quid Sea
DATE: 16-Apr-2025
TIME: 1200 (GMT-8)
LATITUDE: 05° 41′ S
LONGITUDE: 134′ 01′ W
COURSE: 217 T
SPEED: 7 kts
WIND DIRECTION: 100 T
WIND SPEED: 15 Kts
SWELL: 6ft
COMMENTS: Noon to Noon distance (24hr) 142 nm. Total Distance: 2492 nm. Lots of squall activity with some lightning during the night. This morning, steady winds at about 15kts with some squall activity but much less frequent. DTG ~381nm.
Dinner
Mac-n-cheese with a window seat. Reservations are not required, but you do have to fight the swell for your table.
Sunset
Not as dramatic as the others, but still a good way to end the day.
Lightning
As Tracy reported, we started seeing lightning around 8PM on Tuesday. As you can imagine, sailing around with a 58-foot lightning rod “a.k.a., the mast”, can attack some undesirable attention from Thor. Flashes lit up the sky for about an hour, and we navigated our way around the squalls. Thanks to radar and some unplanned course changes, we avoided a lengthy insurance claim.
Faraday Cage
Since a single strike can fry critical electronics, including navigation and Spotify, we needed to mitigate the risk. Science to the resuce. The solution is to shield the electonics in a Faraday cage.
What is a Faraday and how does it work you may ask? Good question. A Faraday cage is a conductive enclosure that shields your electronics from electric fields. Since the outer surface is conductive, it will be an equipotential surface. Even if the potential changes, ohh I don’t know, by 300 million Volts when the lightning strikes, there won’t be an electric field (V/m in standard Si units) inside of the cage since the outer surface is at the same potential (yes, assuming that there aren’t any sources or sinks inside of the cage).
But, where does one find a Faraday cage? Another good question. Easy. Gimballed stainless steel oven, meet iPhone. Insert your iPhone, iPad, etc. add cinnamon sugar and butter, 375°F for 45min and you have an Apple pie, or well shielded electronics.
Who is Faraday?
Michael Faraday: experimental genius, father of electromagnetism and perhaps Tracy’s long lost relative.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Faraday
The favorite member of the crew
Erik and I have long known that Tracy’s favorite crew member isn’t human. It’s the Hydrovane. The dependable mechanical windvane and rudder, which is quiet, always points us in the right direction, and never complains. Now, Tracy has started calling it “Heidi.”
Only three days to go. Morale is high. Still plenty of food. Heidi remains the silent crew member.
Quid Sea Pacific Crossing 2025 – Day #20 & 21, but who’s counting?
~ Noon, April 16-18
Captain’s Log, after day#20
VESSEL: Quid Sea
DATE: 17-Apr-2025
TIME: 1200 (GMT-8)
LATITUDE: 07°33′ S
LONGITUDE: 135′ 57′ W
COURSE: 213 T
SPEED: 6 kts
WIND DIRECTION: 90 T
WIND SPEED: 14 Kts
SWELL: 6ft
COMMENTS: Noon to Noon distance (24hr) 161 nm. Total Distance: 2653 nm. Good 24 hours of sailing. Squalls and lightning all north of us. 15-18 kt winds through the night. Sailed with 2nd reef in Main and Genoa. Heading to Fatu-Hiva first. DTG 244 nm.
Captain’s Log, after day#21
VESSEL: Quid Sea
DATE: 18-Apr-2025
TIME: 1200 (GMT-8)
LATITUDE: 08° 55′ S
LONGITUDE: 137° 45′ W
COURSE: 220 T
SPEED: 6.5 kts
WIND DIRECTION: 110 T
WIND SPEED: 15 Kts
SWELL: 6ft
COMMENTS: Noon to Noon distance (24hr) 135 nm. Total Distance: 2788 nm. Mostly 15-20kt ESE winds excet when we hit a squally region where wind shifted to SSE with sustained speeds of 22-25 kts gusting to 30 kts for about 2 hours. Been sailing with 2nd reef in Main and reefing and unreefing Genoa as appropriate for the last 24 hours. All working well. Heading to Fatu-Hiva first. DTG 115 nm.
Dinner – April 16
Tracy cooked a fine meal for the crew, consisting of
– Chicken and cheese quesadilla (Quid-sea-adilla?) on corn tortillas
– Peas and onions (Tracy REALLY likes onions. They tasted great, but my eyes were watering while he was cooking)
Another dinner with a view. Reservations are not required, but a good sense of balance is needed to navigate the fork to your mouth.
Dinner – April 17
Warning – this dinner is not yet rated and may contain language inappropriate for landlubbers. Reader’s discretion is advised.
Krista is a great cook. One of my favorite dishes that she makes is roasted cauliflower, which seems deceptively simple yet elegant. Whenever she has made it, I have provided glowing praise, like “Tastes good. Thanks.” I know, I can be over the top gushing sometimes. I had never made it myself, but she makes it look easy, so into the breach I go.
On the menu:
– 3- or 4-day old tuna, freshly thawed and pan seared, or cooked to death while waiting for the cauliflower
– A package of something from Mexico. Katie, help me out with the translation: “Arroz Estilo Risotto con Chapinones”. There is a “~” above the n, what is that all about?
– Roasted cauliflower, since how hard can it be…
The cauliflower prep was fine. Rip off the stem, cut up the “florets” (no need for the air quotes, it is just part of the drama), toss them with some olive oil. A little more olive oil. You can never have too much olive oil. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and add some salt. You can never have too much salt.
Loading into the oven while it was swaying +/- 20 degrees from the swells went okay. Not a single “floret” dropped into the oven. I tried baking at 375F, because the oven doesn’t have a scale for Celsius. Then 400F. Then 425F…. Fine, I’ll switch to the broiler that Tracy has never used before. What could go wrong. The oven finally started roasting them, not a minute too soon since the “Arroz… ” something or other was getting cold. Finally, cooked to perfection, like I remember Krista making a long-long-time-ago back in America, then I placed it on top of the stove because I didn’t want to burn the counters. A wave tilts the oven and the cookie sheet slips off the back of the gimballed stove and behind the oven. Gosh darn it! (I apologize for the sailor’s language. You were warned).
Tracy rescued the cauliflower by pushing back the stove and scooping the bounty, with some added flavor drippings, onto our plates. I think I will leave the cooking to the professionals.
Meanwhile,
Tracy has commented about how the food has taken center stage, while some other contributions of the voyage have gone unrecognized, such as
1. Adding 350W of solar power over the bimini, routing the wires, installing a controller, and adding it to the ViktronController network, while in 6-9 foot swells, 20kt winds and adding enough power to cover the Skynet internet service that enables these e-mails
2. Adding freon to the refrigerator to keep the Pacifico beer cold, if anyone would remember to put a warm one in when they take out a cold one.
3. Reefing the main any hour of the day and night.
4. Downloading the weather report vectors from PredictWind (only available with a subscription. No point in trying this at home), then transferring them to a phone, then the finicky Raymarine chartplotter, every morning.
5. Single Side band and VHF communications at the ready
6. Fuel filter monitoring, preventing water from getting to the engine while we are recharging the engines on cloudy days
7. Hatch leak patrol
8. I am sure there is much more, but you get the point…
Duly noted. 😊
Lightning
On the night of the 16th, there was more lightning on the horizon. At least 20 flashes around us, but we could see the moon and stars above us and nothing on the 24-mile radar, so we felt safe. No need to break out the Faraday cage to protect the iPads and little Kindles. They are still recovering from the April 15th lightning storm when we put them in the oven and the rest of us were roasted by Uncle Sam.
The moon
It is hard to capture an image of illusive lightning.
Sunrise
From the chartplotter
A couple of things to note in this image
1. There is a sailboat following us. The key word is “following”. We spotted it on the morning of the 18th. It is called the “Aegin-Ran” and has a following on Tumblr. All we know is that it is following us. Literally. None of that “hit the like button below” stuff for us. As he got within 6 nm of us, we may have let out the head sail which increased our speed to 7 kts. We just have places to be. Knot racing.
2. There is a land mass in the photo. We haven’t seen that for, I don’t know, 3 weeks!. Tomorrow we arrive in French Polynesia!
Quid Sea Pacific Crossing 2025 – 22 days and 22 hours!
~ Noon, April 18-19
Captain’s Log, after day#23-ish
VESSEL: Quid Sea
DATE: 19-Apr-2025
TIME: 1200 (GMT-9.5)
LATITUDE: 10° 28′ S
LONGITUDE: 138° 40′ W
COURSE: Anchored
SPEED: Anchored
WIND DIRECTION: 90 T
WIND SPEED: 10 Kts
SWELL: calm
COMMENTS: Noon to Fatu-Hiva distance (22hr) 110 nm. Total Distance 2798 nm. Anchored Baie Hanavavae Fatu-Hiva at 0730 Local Time.
Total Passage time: 22d 22h. My noon report is a little late as we relaxed and celebrated a bit completing the passage!🥳
Dinner – April 18
Granola bars and dried fruit.
Land-Ho
The sun rising over Fata Hiva
Anchor
This seems like a good place to anchor for a few days.
Walking on land after 3 weeks
It seems that this is one of the floating islands that you hear so much about. We looked like drunken sailors after sunrise.
We went looking for a waterfall that we heard about but never found it. The directions were left at the blue house and right at the red rock and you can’t miss it. We missed it. Perhaps tomorrow.
Our plans so far are –
Tonight, Saturday the 19th, there is an Easter service that we have been invited to. The entire island has ~600 people and this bay may be home to 100 people. It sounds like fun.
Sunday morning there is a 250 passenger tourist vessel arriving to see the waterfalls. Perhaps we should follow the crowd so that we don’t get lost.
Sunday, we have been invited to have dinner at Poi’s house. It would be rude not to go.
Thanks to Tracy for having Erik and I along. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
SV Quid Sea - Sailing with Tracy and Cindy 
This is incredible. I couldn’t stop reading it and laughing a lot.
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