d was the book that made Herold’s career. In it this morning I learned that in the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, a total of seven prisoners were freed: “four counterfeiters, one sex offender, and two madmen, whom the crowd had carried in triumph from the prison to the insane asylum.” Thus the National Holiday of France, celebrated by pirogue races on the other side of the planet in Tahiti. ---------- Wind circulates clockwise around a low in this hemisphere, which means west wind on the north side. I hope we are too far from the low off East Cape for this to happen to us. There is some clearing, with the sun sometimes breaking through the thin layer of high cloud. Wind continues at 22 knots from the north, and we continue making 6 knots on course for the Bay of Islands. 1015 Partial clearing was only temporary, and conditions have become rough enough to slow us down. With the wind still around 25 knots but just aft of the beam, with the amount of jib I had set waves were starting to come aboard; so I just went out, wearing foul weather gear, and reduced jib to storm jib size. This has smoothed out the ride and enabled the Monitor to maintain better control. It has also reduced our speed below six knots. Barometer steady at 1012. I keep hoping we are just on the fringe of this, and that with us and the low moving in opposite directions, it won’t get worse. 1205 The wind keeps catching up with me by increasing in strength and increasing our boat speed. Just before lunch in foul weather gear on deck reducing jib again. Now a mere scrap. Wind 25-30 knots. In past two hours barometer has dropped to 1010. Sky completely overcast. Clouds thicker, lower, grayer. Noon position: 32º 11’ South; 179º 42‘ West. About 18 miles to International Dateline. Our first six knot day in more than two weeks. Day’s run: 146 miles. Opua: 361 miles, bearing 239º. 1500 A rough, raw afternoon. Rain began at 1230, continued for an hour. Then during a lull, I pumped three buckets of water from the bilge, and went on deck to increase the jib slightly, which a subsequent increase in wind has just caused me to rectify. Moderate rain began again a half hour ago. The seas are not big--4’ to 5’--but some come aboard impressively. An albatross with a 6’ wingspan is gliding through the rain. At least, so far, this is not coming from ahead of us. Although I’ve kept my clothes mostly dry, everything in the cabin is damp. Just made a cup of tea to warm up. 1630 Heading northeast under deeply furled jib and double-reefed main. We have had the whole fiasco and no luck at all on this interminable passage. Wind died. Boat flopping around horrendously on left-over waves. Got in foul weather gear and on deck just in time for torrential rain and boat laid over by 30 to 40 knot wind from west. In rain and boat leaping around, I got main raised with second reef in. This took a long time with my often having to stop and hang on to something. By the time I finished, wind had died. Moderate rain continues. Not enough wind to move boat through the leaping waves and sail in any direction. Simply being pushed back east no matter what I try to do. Won’t set more sail until some wind returns. Certainly don’t want too much sail up if another 40 knots appears from somewhere. We are at 179º 59’ West. One mile from Dateline. Or were. 1800 Sailing close-hauled starboard with double reefed main and about 40% of the jib at 3 to 4 knots south. Sometimes up to 195º. With waves from previous wind coming up from on the beam, heeling us more than normal. Which is better than being thrown violently up and down by waves and no wind. Still in Western Hemisphere. Now five miles from Dateline. October 6 South Pacific Ocean: Tuesday 0745 This is not much fun, but on the other hand it isn’t getting the job done either. We are close-hauled on port tack making 4 knots to the northwest. I got tired again of heading south on starboard. I went to bed last night wearing my clothes in expectation of getting up when the wind shifted. Unfortunately it didn’t. The sky did clear, until the full moon was shining through the companionway like a searchlight, and we sailed well until about midnight. We finally crossed the International Dateline around 2200, after being within a mile of it six hour earlier. Even now we’ve only made twenty more miles to the west. At 0400 the wind picked up and we began bashing into and leaping off of waves. I had finally undressed about 0200. So got in my clothes, foul weather gear, and went on deck, where I found the wind to be 28 knots. Furled the jib down to storm jib size. Eased the main traveler. Improved our motion, if not direction. Back in the cabin, I pumped several buckets of water from the bilge. Then had orange juice and coffee. Can only do one thing at a time. Making coffee, even instant, difficult. I spilled some onto my hand when the boat heeled. Fortunately not quite boiling. Heard the weather on New Zealand radio. “Fresh southwesterlies” as far as Auckland and beyond. After coffee, I went back on deck--you can assume foul weather gear until further notice--and managed to tack. Sometimes we get to 300º--this is COG, which includes considerable leeway in these seas--but mostly around 315º. All this has only brought us 60 miles closer to Opua since yesterday noon. Now 301 miles and on this heading not being reduced much. Cabin very wet. Many leaks around new hatches. Disappointing. I installed them carefully with double beads of sealant. Had to put plastic tents over head and foot of berth last night to keep water from small hatch and mast falling on feet and companionway on head. Temperature in the 50sF. 53º when at 0400. 58º in cabin now. Barometer rising. Up to 1011. Sunny with scattered low clouds. 1200 Continued strong SW wind. A half hour ago we leapt off four waves in quick succession. I went on deck and reduced jib to a few square feet. Waves 8‘ to 10’. Wind 25 to 28 knots. We weren’t getting anywhere anyway, so no reason to get beat up. SOG: 4.3. COG: 314º. Noon position: 33º 02‘ South; 179º 26‘ East. Day’s run: 67 miles. Opua: 297 miles, bearing 243º. 1630 Wind has moderated slightly and backed so that we are able to point almost west. I just went on deck and let out a little more jib. Perhaps too much. We’ve leapt off a couple of waves in the past few minutes. I’ll give it a little longer before going on deck and furling again. Barometer 1013. A cloud with rain to the south. Cold on deck. October 7 South Pacific Ocean: Wednesday 0800 The wind dropped from the 20s to the teens last night. I got up at 0200 and went on deck, without foul weather gear, to let out a little more jib. Unfortunately the wind has remained southwest. New Zealand National Radio used to give detailed marine weather forecasts at 0300 and 0500 (0200 and 0400 ship’s time). I listened to the 0500 broadcast, which did not include the marine forecast. What it did say is that the North Island will have showers, clearing this afternoon, and continued southwest wind. There was also mention of a possible gale Friday, but I am not sure where. Today is partially sunny, partially cloudy. Two showers visible. One off our port bow. We are sailing at about 4 knots at 290º. Mostly this morning we have been around 285º. The seas dropped quickly and dramatically last night, going from 6‘ to 8‘ at 1800 to 2‘ to 3‘ at 2000, but have since increased again a foot. I’m keeping our speed down to avoid crashing off them. Last time I checked, Opua was still 260 miles away. If this wind had been from any other direction, we would have been there tonight. We need only 48 hours of fair wind to be in. I don’t know when we will ever get it. Less cold. 60º F. Barometer continues to rise. Up to 1014. I heard on the radio of the tsunami a week or so ago that killed people in Samoa and Tonga. The Australian boat on which I had a drink in Bora-Bora were headed for American Samoa. I wonder if they were there or still safely at sea when it hit. Rain cloud over us. COG 270º. Momentarily. Opua is now bearing 240º. 1210 By far the two slowest weeks of the circumnavigation back to back. The sky has largely cleared. Wind 18 knots. Seas 4‘ to 5’. Wind still southwest. The bearing to Opua has changed by 13º this morning. I’ll tack after lunch and see what we can do going south. Managed to get two chores done this morning, in addition to pumping the bilge twice. Shaved and took cat bath an