July 2 – July 22, 2025

We departed Hanalei Bay, Kauai in the afternoon of July 2nd and arrived on July 22nd. As I write this, we have now been in Alaska for 10 days and it has been amazing. As with our previous passage from Mexico to Hawaii, I have posted all of Shelly’s daily posts from the passage. These give a good feel for the day to day routine on our ocean crossing.

Departure Day/First 24 Hours

Thu Jul 03 2025 15:17:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

After an amazing 6 weeks of island hopping in Hawaii, Tasi and her crew of two departed Hanalei Bay, Kauai on July 2nd at 12:45 pm. We had beautiful sailing for the first 11 hours, but then we once again entered Squallapalooza. The rainy and windy squalls started around midnight and continued throughout the night. Needless to say, we didn’t get much sleep. We had a brief break from the Squallor for most of the morning however, the squalls picked back up early in the afternoon of July 3rd. The squalls are tricky because we have to sail with a conservative (slow) sail plan to proactively react to the increase in wind during the squall. But once the squall passes it often takes all of the wind with it, leaving us bobbing and rolling in the waves and light wind. We have been constantly adjusting sails to keep forward momentum.

It’s been a bit of a rough start to our passage but we are hoping that the squalls start to dissipate and we can hopefully get some sleep tonight.

Total miles: 109.6
24 hour total: 109.6

The squalls have certainly impacted our daily miles. Let’s hope for more miles tomorrow!

Fri Jul 04 2025 15:24:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

Happy 4th of July!
I hope that you are having a fun and safe 4th of July weekend. The Tasi crew is doing well on day two. The squalls dissipated last night and we were both able to get some sleep. Tasi sailed effortlessly in the consistent trade winds averaging about 5.5 knots with fairly comfortable seas despite sailing close on the wind. We are adjusting to our underway routines and getting our sea legs back. I’m thankful that I prepped some freezer meals before departing so we have had some nice warm meals that were simple to warm up. A delicious meal is always a great moral boost! There are about 5 other buddy boats out here with us within 200-300 miles of each other. We often text throughout the day with position, weather and other daily updates.. safety and comfort in community.

Total miles: 233.3
24 hour total: 123.7

Day 3 – Getting in the groove

Sat Jul 05 2025 15:27:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

Most cruisers say that by day three of a long passage the boat and crew will find their groove. That certainly holds true for us.

We have had beautiful sailing conditions for the past 24 hours. The consistent easterly trade winds have been blowing a steady 10-15 knots with occasional gusts to 20. We are cruising along at around 6 knots in surprisingly comfortable seas. The sun is warm and shining with some scattered white puffy clouds and small squalls on the distant horizon. “Happy” our self-steering wind vane has diligently done his job and has kept us on a course slightly east of north. Tasi’s crew is well fed and well rested after uninterrupted off watches.

I try not to be too superstitious but hopefully I didn’t jinx us by writing all of this down and putting it out to the world. However, we know that these beautiful conditions won’t last as the wind, weather, sail plans are ever changing. But for now we will enjoy these beautiful conditions for as long as they last.

Total miles: 371
24 hour total miles: 137.7

Day 4 – Dolphins!

Sun Jul 06 2025 15:27:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

Day 4
We have had another absolutely beautiful day of sailing onboard Tasi. The steady trade winds continue to push us along at about 6 knots on a course due north. The seas remain calm and the sailing is comfortable. Skies are mostly sunny with some scattered clouds. It still feels very warm, tropical, and humid out here. However it is getting cooler at night. We currently have a waxing moon that shines incredibly bright on my watch from 10:00 pm to 2:00 am. Rodd had a couple of squalls last night on his watch which took the wind for 30-40 minutes each time. But the winds did return.

We had a large pod of dolphins visit for about 30 minutes yesterday. No matter how many times dolphins swim in our wake, it NEVER gets old and they bring smiles, laughter, and pure joy to our day.

Total miles: 511.2
24 hour total miles: 140.2

Day 5 – Variable Winds

Mon Jul 07 2025 15:06:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

The steady trades lightened a bit as expected overnight but we were still able to sail albeit, slowly. Fortunately, for the crew that meant calm seas, a comfortable ride, and good sleep overnight. However, as the sun rose more squalls developed on the horizon disrupting the wind pattern. The winds have been quite variable in speed and direction for most of the morning. It’s been active sailing with frequent sail changes and sometimes even running the engine to maintain forward momentum in right direction. We expect to the winds to remain somewhat variable throughout the day. Then they are predicted slowly start to dissipate over the next two days followed by 2-3 days of motoring to get us through a calm wind zone in the pacific high.

Total miles: 635.5
24 hour total miles: 124.3

Day 6 – Idyllic Sailing ➡️ Motoring

Tue Jul 08 2025 15:31:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

Despite the variable winds yesterday morning, we had another absolutely gorgeous day of sailing. The winds were very light at 7-9 knots and they shifted more to the northeast causing us to sail slightly off course. The sea state remained incredibly calm and flat and Tasi almost silently sailed on a NNW direction. Although we only averaged about 4.2 knots, the sailing was truly idyllic.

These amazing conditions lasted throughout the day and most of the night. At around 1:30 AM, the winds dropped to around 4-5 knots and we had to turn on the motor as expected. Leaving the trade winds behind, we have entered an area of calm wind and will likely motor for the next 2-3 days. The winds from the top of the pacific high should then fill in from behind us pushing us in a more northeasterly direction towards our destination. Hoping for more miles over the next 24 hours.

Total miles: 745.8
24 hour total miles: 110.3

Day 7 – Continued Calms

Wed Jul 09 2025 13:58:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

Tasi and her crew continue at a slow but very comfortable pace. After a gorgeous mostly sunny day yesterday, the skies remain partly cloudy today with squalls scattered across the horizon. Tasi got a nice fresh water rinse this morning during a brief but soaking rain. The light and variable winds continue. We were able to slowly sail for about 7 hours yesterday afternoon but we had to turn on the motor at 11 pm when the winds completely died. This morning the winds picked up slightly and moved behind us and we are currently sailing wing-on-wing at about 4 knots with continued calm seas.

Ever conscious of our limited diesel, we have tried almost every sail configuration we have to keep Tasi moving forward under wind alone. Whenever we feel a light puff of wind, the sails go up. We have even tried the asymmetrical spinnaker without success as there was too little wind at the wrong angle. We motor at 1500 rpms to maximize fuel efficiency but our average speed over ground at this rate is only about 4 knots. We are really hoping that the winds pick up soon for faster and more consistent sailing as our progress northward has been slow over the past few days. Maybe I should be careful what I wish for ….

This slow comfortable sailing/motoring however means nice relaxed days for the crew. With minimal rolling, pitching and leaning, movement onboard is a breeze. We sleep better and have more energy throughout the day. Today I made homemade berry scones for breakfast. Spirits are high and all is well!

Total miles: 851
24 hour total miles: 105.2

Day 8 – Eating, Napping, Reading

Thu Jul 10 2025 15:44:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

Another calm wind day moving slow but steady. We had periods where we could sail (8 hours yesterday afternoon and 6.5 hours early this morning). But otherwise we have been motoring. The winds are expected to fill in today. We truly hope that holds true. The seas are not as flat calm as they have been and a mixed swell has set in so increasingly difficult to keep sails full in light winds. Hoping that means the wind is on its way.

Tasi and crew are doing well.. cooking, eating, reading, napping, washing dishes, scrolling, watching weather, staring at waves, followed by more eating and napping. Repeat.

Total miles: 951.8
24 hour total miles: 100.1 – at least we are still over 100!!

Day 9 – Return of the Winds

Fri Jul 11 2025 15:29:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

And we have wind! After another night of motoring, the wind finally filled in and we set the sails at 6:00 this morning. We currently have 15-18 knots of wind behind us and we are sailing at about 6.5 knots wing-on-wing with a 1-2 meter mixed swell.

The weather is starting to change as we head farther north. We had mostly cloudy gray skies with fog this morning but the sun is shining warm and bright now with more clouds on the horizon moving in. We do have some potential for rain showers tonight and tomorrow. The sea temperatures have also dropped significantly. When we left Hawaii the sea temperature was 79 degrees. This morning it was 68, dropping two degrees from 70 yesterday. There is also a lot more moisture in the air and boat, especially at night. It was a perfect time to bake some bread early this morning to provide a little warmth to the cabin. We are still quite comfortable.

We passed the 1000 mile mark just before midnight last night. We are over one third of the way!

Total miles: 1066
24 hour total miles: 115

Day 10 – Wind, Miles, and Fog

Sat Jul 12 2025 15:58:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

It’s been a great day of sailing on Tasi! The winds have been steady at 15-20 knots pushing us now on a better course of ENE instead of due north. We are averaging 6-7 knots of speed with comfortable following seas. A thick blanket of wet, chilly fog rolled in around 1:00 am and lasted overnight. Thankfully it dissipated with the sunrise. We now have clear skies and warm sun. The daytime temperatures, however, are noticeably cooler and sea temperature also continues to drop. Our buddy boats ahead of us report that more wet fog is headed our way so we will enjoy this beautiful sunshine while it lasts.

It feels so good to be logging more daily miles under the keel as we approach the halfway mark of this passage.

Total miles: 1213
24 hour total miles: 147

Day 11 – Sail On Tasi

Sun Jul 13 2025 15:26:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

Another great 24 hours of sailing for Tasi and her crew! The winds have remained steady at 15-20 knots with relatively calm seas. We encountered some random patches of fog overnight but the sun is once again shining through some slightly overcast high clouds. We are spending more time down in the cabin as the temperatures continue to get colder. The weather forecasts look to be in our favor for the next week.  Hoping it stays as predicted as we close in on the last estimated 9-10 days of our passage.

Crew is doing well as we carry on with our routine of eating, sleeping, reading…

Total miles: 1359
24 hour total miles: 146

Day 12 – Groundhog’s Day!

Mon Jul 14 2025 15:16:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

Day 12
Groundhog’s Day in the best way! Today seems almost identical to yesterday. We have continued steady winds of 15-20 knots, comfortable seas with a following swell, and partly sunny skies with high occasional overcast clouds. Currently sailing on a broad reach on a NNE course.

We are seeing an increase in ship traffic on our AIS – Automated Identification System. Through AIS we are able to track and receive information from other ships such as speed, course, distance and other relevant data. They can also see us on their AIS receivers. It is incredibly helpful in avoiding getting too close for comfort to these massive cargo ships-especially at night.

All is well on board. I made another batch of scones today to keep up morale and warm up the boat. 

Hoping these winds continue for the next couple of days .

Total miles: 1503
24 hour total miles: 144

Day 13 – Albatross and Ships

Tue Jul 15 2025 15:13:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

Day 13
I am so happy and grateful to report that we have had another spectacular 24 hours of sailing. The steady winds from the North Pacific high continue to push us NNE and we are averaging over 6 knots of speed over ground on a broad reach. The seas remain calm and comfortable and the sun is shining today with a few high scattered clouds. The temperature, however, has dropped significantly. Pants, sweatshirts and jackets are now required when outside in the cockpit. At night, the inside of the cabin definitely gets cold and damp. We do have a forced air diesel heater that we can use if it gets really cold but for now we are saving our diesel until we get closer to land.

A beautiful albatross graced us with its presence this morning, effortlessly gliding over the waves and circling the boat. The albatross can spend hours in the air without flapping their wings. They can spend months or even years at sea only go to land to breed on remote islands.

We had couple of ships pass by overnight. One large cargo ship passed within a mile but we had contacted them about 10 miles out to ensure that they could track us. They provided reassurance that they could indeed see us on their AIS and would avoid us. It was still a little too close for comfort for me. Even a mile away these ships look massive.

We are roughly 2/3 of the way through our passage and spirits are high. Two of our buddy boats that left about a week before us made landfall this morning. We finally feel like we are making more daily progress and are getting excited to reach our destination.

Total miles: 1647
24 hour total miles: 144

Day 14 – Fortnight Fog

Wed Jul 16 2025 15:03:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

Day 14
Shortly after I posted our update yesterday, the fog that our buddy boats had been warning us about slowly crept in and surrounded Tasi. Throughout the day the fog remained fairly light and we were still able have enough solar to charge the batteries ever so slightly. A beautiful fog-bow developed as the sun tried to shine through the fog. By sunset, however, the fog became thick and very wet. The boat was damp and quite cold requiring extra layers through the night. But by 7:00 am this morning, the fog burned off and the sun periodically shines through high clouds.

The winds remained steady all night with calm following seas that gently rocked the boat just enough to remind us that we are indeed out to sea. The sailing so far on this passage has been quite pleasant, such a nice change from our rolly passage from Mexico to Hawaii.

We left Hanalei Bay exactly 2 weeks ago today and this morning we turned slightly more eastward on a direct rhumb line to Sitka. We are estimating we have roughly 6-7 days left before we make landfall.

Total miles: 1787
24 hour total miles: 140

Day 15 – Diesel Heater and Honda Generator

Thu Jul 17 2025 15:28:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

We officially crossed 49*N latitude which means we have crossed the Canadian border – except that we are still 600 miles offshore. And just like that, it is a completely different day out here in the North Pacific! The winds picked up to 17-22 knots overnight and shifted to the SW. The swell also increased to 1-2 meters with a short period between the waves which makes for a sporty ride on Tasi as the waves roll under our keel every 6 seconds. The fog remains thick and the skies are a moody gray. It is cold! We actually turned on our diesel heater to warm and dry out the inside of the cabin. With all of the clouds and fog, our solar panels are not able to keep up with our electrical demands so we also had to run the portable gas Honda generator to top off the batteries. We expect these conditions for at least another 24 hours if not longer and then the winds will ease a bit. Despite the gloomy conditions outside, Tasi and crew are doing well. Same routines, different day as we add more miles under the keel.

Total miles: 1915
24 hour total miles: 128

Day 16 – 2000 Miles!

Fri Jul 18 2025 15:22:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

It’s another cold wet morning with very thick fog and occasional rain in the North Pacific today. But the cabin remains nice and warm with our diesel heater running almost constantly to keep the boat dry and cozy. Tasi has been sailing like she is built to do in strong steady winds pushing us north bound for now to get a better wind angle when getting closer to Sitka in a few days. It was a little sporty last night with winds consistently 18-22 knots with gusts to 25 and 1-2 meter short period swell. The winds have eased some this morning are expected to decrease through out today and tomorrow. Hopefully the sun will break through the blanket of dense wet fog and drizzle.

Fresh bread is in the oven to have with homemade chili for dinner later. A perfect comfort meal for a chilly gray day.

We have crossed the 2000 mile mark with roughly 550-650 miles to go! Counting down the days!

Total miles: 2055
24 hour total miles: 140

Day 17 – 134 miles closer

Sat Jul 19 2025 17:30:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

Tasi continues to sail steadily NNE. We are currently aiming for slightly north of Sitka to have a better wind angle and avoid a south flowing current as we get closer to making landfall. We are pleased that we are maintaining over 130 miles per day with an average speed of 5.5 knots. Winds are consistent at 12-15 knots but we expect them to die down overnight to almost nothing. We will likely have to motor for a few hours which is actually good. We need to top off the batteries as it has been cloudy and overcast for the last 3 days. It also provides us with hot water for much needed showers. The days seem to take longer the closer we get to Sitka but all is well onboard. Counting down to hopefully the last 4 days!

Total Miles: 2188
24 hour total miles: 134

Day 18 – Motoring

Sun Jul 20 2025 15:09:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

After another day of excellent sailing in calm seas, we finally had to turn on the motor at 4:30 this morning. As expected, the consistent southwesterly winds that we have been experiencing for the past several days eased to almost nothing. Rodd turned on the motor early this morning and we have been enjoying a calm, but noisy, ride today under overcast skies. The batteries are charging and the water is warm. Shower day! Taking advantage of the flat ride, I vacuumed the floors and straightened the inside of the cabin. It’s amazing how dirty a boat can get even through we aren’t really doing much of anything. I also made another loaf of fresh bread for pasta dinner tonight.

The winds should pick back up this afternoon and build throughout the night, eventually shifting to the northwest and increasing to almost 20 knots. We may have a bouncy ride and a fun sail for the last two days. No complaints here! We are both getting really excited to spot the beautiful vistas of Southeast Alaska in a couple of days. I can almost taste the fish and chips made with fresh halibut and a cold mug of Alaskan Amber on draft ! Counting down the last couple of days for hopefully a Tuesday arrival into Sitka! 

Total Miles: 2318
24 Hour Total Miles: 129

Day 19 – Oh So Close!

Mon Jul 21 2025 15:16:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

After motoring until about 4:30 pm yesterday, we were able to raise the sails and sail over night until about 10:30 this morning. Surprisingly, the predicted moderate winds have yet to show up and have, in fact, lessened. So we had to fire up the engine once again to make any progress. We are hoping the winds pick back up this afternoon. Regardless, we have less than 100 miles to go!! We can sail or we can motor, we just want to get there!

The days are getting so long out here. It stays light until about 11:00 pm Sitka time and the sun rises around 4:00 am. So much daylight!! Although, we have not seen the sun in 2-3 days due to fog and overcast skies.

We are both getting anxious and excited to make landfall. The minutes seem like hours and the hours seem like days each mile closer. Crew is happy and a little delirious after 19 days at sea .

Total miles: 2453
24 Hour Total Miles: 135

Day 19 – Land Ho!

Tue Jul 22 2025 11:23:00 GMT-0700 (Mexican Pacific Standard Time)

We have arrived in Sitka Alaska! 2543 miles in just over 19 days. We had such an amazing passage. Steady winds and calm comfortable seas. We are so happy to be here and can’t wait to explore more!