Day 100 Monday, December 31, 2007 37.50 S 114.55 E
HAPPY NEW YEAR ... and what a year it's been. Glenn has successfully crossed the Australian Bight covering 1500 miles in 15 days; sailing an actual course of 2000 miles. Number of miles to go to the estimated halfway point ( 40.00S, 38.00 E) is 3476 miles. After that, estimated miles to go to Cape Horn, 5000 miles; then 7500 miles to Victoria, BC. Glenn estimates he has covered 12,000 miles in 99 days. Sightings today have been Great Winged Petrels and Yellow beaked Albatross. Currently sailing at 3.7 knots. Wind is 5 - 10 knots, waves are .5 metres. Barometer is 1017. Temperature is 17 C with 40% cloud cover.
Day 99 Sunday, December 30, 2007 39.05 S 116.24 E
Covered 85 miles in the last 24 hours, travelling at 5.6 knots. Wind is from teh NW @ 15 -20 knots, waves are from the NW @1.5 metres. Barometer is 1006, temperature is 19 C with 100% cloud cover. Glenn reports lots of wind shifts and adjusting of sails. He is 85 miles away from entering the Indian Ocean. Changes clocks back two hours so is now 5 hours behind Victoria, BC.
Day 98 Satuday, December 29, 2007 38.20 S 118.40 E
Glenn has covered 37 miles in the last 24 hours. Wind is from the West @ 5 knots; waves are 0.5 metres. The barometer is 1015, temperature is 17 C with 85% cloud cover. Glenn would like to give special thanks and recognition to all the amateur ham radio operators who are providing valuable assistance and support along the way. They provide daily and forecasted weather reports which help him plot his course for maximum boat speed. Each evening, he looks forward to chatting with them about what's going on in the world. The other evening he spoke for more than 2 hours to over 40 ham radio operators from NZ and Australia who are following him via this website. Thank you all for your wonderful support and for keeping him company along the way.
Day 97 Friday, December 28, 2007 39.34 S 120.03 E
Covered 60 miles in the last 24 hours travelling at 5.1 knots. Wind is 10 - 15 knots, waves are 2 metres from the W. Barometer is steady at 1012. Temperature is 15 C with 50% cloud cover. Miles to go to Cape Leeuwin 234. Glenn anticipates beginning his passage across the Indian Ocean by New Year's Day.
Day 96 Thursday, December 27, 2007 40.27 S 121.23 E
Glenn reports no wind and becalmed. Waves are from the N 0.5 metres. Barometer is 1004 and falling. Temperature is 20 C with 80% cloud cover. Miles covered in the past 24 hours 105.
Day 95 Wednesday, December 26, 2007 40.35 S 123.48 E
Covered 130 miles in the last 24 hours sailing 2.5 knots through pea soup fog. Wind is from the NW 5 -10 knots, waves are NW 1 metre. Barometer is 1016 and falling. Temperature is 18 C with 100% cloud cover. Glenn reports easy sailing conditions even though he's in thick fog for most of the day and making good progress to the mark.
Day 94 Tuesday, December 25, 2007 Christmas Day 40.35 S 123.48 E
Our best wishes to all for a very Merry Christmas. Christmas day on Kim Chow began at 1 am. Glenn was up on deck watching a staggering starry sky with a glorious full moon. Eat some Christmas chocolate and went back to bed. Covered 130 miles in the last 24 hours travelling at 2.5 knots. Wind is NW 5 knots, waves are 0.5 metres from the NW. Barometer is steady at 1016. Temperature is 18 C with 100% cloud cover.
Day 93 Monday, December 24, 2007 40.19 S 126.42 E
Covered 57 miles in the last 24 hours travelling at 5 knots. Wind is from the NE 10 - 15 knots, waves are 0.5 metres from the NE. Barometer is 1024. Temperature is 17 C with 100% cloud cover. Glenn reports a pleasant moonlit sail this Christmas eve. Spent the day writing in his journal, speaking to family back home and opening a few Christmas presents - chocolate and mom's homemade Christmas cake.
Day 92 Sunday, December 23, 2007 40.16 S 128.25 E
Covered 69 miles in the last 24 hours. Wind is 10 - 15 knots from the SW. Barometer is 1021. Temperature is 17 C with 40% cloud cover. Miles to go to Cape Leeuwin 670. Glenn reports making better mileage now that the wind has shifted to the SW but the forecast is for a high pressure area so calmer conditions are ahead.
Day 91 Saturday, December 22, 2007 40.31S 129.20 E
Covered 120 miles travellling at 5.2 knots. Wind is from the W @ 10 -15 knots waves are 1.5 metres from the SW. Barometer is 1020. Temperture is 18 C. Miles to go to Cape Leeuwin 656. Glenn reports an enjoyable evening speaking to a number of ham radio operators in Australia and New Zealand.
Day 90 Friday, December 21, 2007 42.10 S 130.47 E
Covered 120 miles in the last 24 hours travelling at 5.3 knots. Wind is from the West 15 - 20 knots. Waves are 2 metres from the West. Temperature is 13 C with 90% cloud cover. Distance to go to Cape Leeuwin 725. Glenn reports a robust sail with a triple reefed main and a double reefed yankee on a sea of liquid steel. He was up twice during the night changing sails under fairly harsh conditions but is very pleased with his mileage. He has spent the day sending a few Christmas messages, reading, listening to Radio Australia and drinking tea.
Day 89 Thursday, December 20, 2007 42.55 S 133.09 E
Covered 110 miles in the last 24 hours travelling at 5.7 knots. Wind is from the SW 10 - 15 knots. Waves are 1.5 metres from the SW. Barometer is 1003 and steady. Temperature is 14 C with 100% cloud cover. Miles to go to Cape Leeuwin 833. Glenn reports a tough slog into the south west waves but KimChow is doing a fabulous job of ploughing through it all.
Day 88 Wednesday, December 19, 2007 43.24 S, 134.39 E
Covered 125 miles in the last 24 hours travelling at 4.5 knots. Wind is NW 20 - 25 knots, waves are 1.5 metres with a 3 metre swell @ 7 seconds. Barometer is 1010, temperature is 17C with 100% cloud cover. Distance to Cape Leeuwin - 901 miles. Saw a Lysan Albatross and a Great Storm Petrel today. Conditions are rough, beating into a northwest swell. Glenn reports very rough seas today and very challenging to work on the deck changing sails. Lots of noise and motion but coping well under the circumstances.
Day 87 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 43.13 S, 139.35 E
Covered 95 miles in the last 24 hours travelling 5.5 - 6 knots with the wind. Wind is from the East at 20 knots. Baromter is steady at 1008. Chores, reading and writing today. All in all a pleasant day. Glenn was joined on the radio this evening by Walter from Ipswich, MA in the Eastern US!
Day 86 Monday, December 17, 2007 43.17S, 140.28 E
Covered 95 miles in the last 24 hours. Travelling with the wind doing 5.5 knots. Wind is from the East at 10 knots. Waves are East 1 metre, swell is SE 4 metres @ 13 seconds. Barometer is steady at 1022. Temperature is 18 C with 50% cloud cover. Miles to Cape Leeuwin - 1154. Checked my water supply and I still have 15 units out of 19 . Batteries are good and fully charged reading 12.69. Listened to Vivaldi's 4 Seasons over dinner of my soon-to-be-famous Kim Chow stew. Had fun taking some great video footage today.
Day 85 Sunday, December 16, 2007 43.12 S143.12 E
Travelling at 5.8 knots. Wind is 15 knots from the South with a 3 metre swell. Lots of sail changes. Still feeling some tenderness in the ribcage. He has set a waypoint 300 miles south of Cape Leeuwin at 40 S, 115 E. Glenn has lots of company on the ham radio tonight from Alexandra, Masterton, Melbourne and Woolongong in Australia as well as Gore, New Zealand.
Day 84 Saturday, December 15, 2007 44.33 S 145.12 E
Covered 85 miles in the last 24 hours. Travelling at 6.6 knots Wind is 15 - 20 knots from the South, waves are from the South 1.5 - 2 metres. Barometer is 1015 and rising. Temperature is 16 C with 75 % cloud cover. Distance to next waypoint - Cape Leeuwin is 1360 miles. Has seen Great Petrels, Buller's Albatross and Wandering Albatross. Glenn reports Kim Chow is plowing through stormy seas with good speed.
Day 83 Friday, December 14, 2007 44.18 S 146.20 E
Covered 120 miles in the past 24 hours. Wind is from the W 25 - 30 knots, waves are 3 - 4 metres. Barometer is 1007 and rising. Temperature is 18C wth 50% cloud cover. Sailing close hauled with a double reefed main and storm staysail. Glenn describes the ride as wet and wild. Recently he has been joined by a group of amateur ham radio operators from New Zealand and Australia who have been very helpful providing weather reports and have been interested and supportive of his endeavour. They are (from New Zealand) Meri from Bluff Fisherman's Radio, Ron ZL4RMF, Richard ZL4QU, John VK4TJF and his wife Katherine VK4VCH, and Cliff ZL4AS and his wife Isobel. Also joining in (from Australia) is Mike from Canberra VK1XYZ, John from Brisbane VK4 TJH and Paul from Victoria VK3SS. Glenn and I would like to thank all of them for their tremendous support and for relaying information home so we can keep the website up to date. I know they make a big difference to Glenn to have contact with the outside world and keep him company as he beats into the Tasman Sea. Thanks everyone!
Day 82 Thursday, December 13, 2007 44.23 S 148.27E
Covered 150 miles in the last 24 hours travelling at 6.4 knots. Wind is from the NE at 25 knots, waves are 2.5 metres. Barometer is 1020 and falling. Temperature is 17.5 C with 80% cloud cover. Distance to Tasmania is 87 miles. Glenn is sailing on a broad reach with 3 reefs in the main and 2 reefs in the yankee. He sits wedged in the forward berth and describes the motion on board "about an 8 on the Richter scale." The barometer is falling rapidly which is reflected in the rough sea conditions. Glenn had some problems with the roller furling gear which got jammed in the drum at the base of the forestay. It was tricky to fix with winds building and a following sea. He dropped the main and working with one hand, spent a half hour uncoiling the drum to sort things out. Saw Buller's Albatross, Wandering Albatross, Great Winged Petrel and a Black Petrel today.
Read about Glenn's passage across the Tasman Sea in The Examiner.
Day 81 Wednesday, December 12 44.44S 151.46 E
Covered 55 miles in the last 24 hours travelling at 5.5 knots. Wind is 10 knots from the NE, waves are NE 1 metre with a swell from the NE 2 metres @ 10 seconds. Barometer is at a high of 1031. Temperature is 22 C with 15% cloud cover. Kim Chow is closing in on Tasmania, now about 230 miles away. Glenn changed the ship's clock to Australian time today (UTC minus 13 hours) Sightings today include Great Winged Petrel, Grey Backed Petrel and a Buller's Albatross. Glenn reports great weather today, warm and sunny and clear starry nights with the Southern Cross, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor visible along with a stunning crescent moon at sunset.
Day 80 Tuesday, December 11, 2007 44.42S 153.36 E
Glenn has been becalmed for the past 36 hours and has covered 24 miles in the last 24 hours ( yes, that's 1 mile per hour) and is travelling at 0.4 knots. There's no wind and the swell is 1.5 metres. Barometer is 1022 and falling. Temperature is 21 C with no cloud cover. Glenn reports a very calm, relaxing day. Today he saw Buller's Albatross, Wandering Albatross, Cape Petrels, Great Winged Petrels, Wilson's Storm Petrel, a 6 " jelly fish with 2' long blue tentacles and a pod of 20 dolphin about 300 metres from the boat and one very curious 8 foot shark that swam around and under the boat. All in a day's sail. Read "The Examiner.
Day 79 Monday, December 10, 2007 45.02S 153.59 E
Covered 80 miles in the last 24 hours. Wind is 15 knots from the W, swell is NW 2 metres. Barometer is 1012. Temperature is 16 C. Weather is clear and sunny with 30% cloud cover. Glenn reports a glorious tropical day today and a great day for a bath and a load of laundry. Clothes and bedding are strewn about the cockpit and when we spoke he was relaxing in the cockpit after a bath (in the middle of the Tasman Sea)! He notes a fair amount of weight loss but still feels strong and healthy. He's eating well and sleeping better now that his rib injury is healing.
Saw a Buller's Albatross (pictured above) today, possibly from Solander Island where there is a large breeding colony.
Day 78 Sunday, December 9, 2007 44.23 S 156.06 E
Covered 85 miles in the last 24 hours. Wind is NW 25 knots with NW swells of 3 metres. Barometer is 1007. Temperature is 16 C with 100% cloud cover.Spoke to Glenn by satellite phone this evening. Reports light winds and 3 metre following seas. He described how well Kim Chow does in the heavy seas and that her motion is very good, much better in fact than modern boats would be. He described in detail how she handles the big waves: even when they hit her hard, she may get knocked around, but she comes right back up. He reported an unusual sighting of hundreds of grey petrels landing near the boat that stayed with him for quite a long time. Also reported the appearance of hundreds of fist sized jellyfish in the shape of a pig. He decided to have a closer look so scooped one up in a bucket and brought it up on deck. He reports sailing through a virtual carpet of these jellyfish. Also reported seeing a Buller Albatross. He made a delicious stew today accompanied by basmati rice and steamed cabbage which he had for dinner tonight and enjoyed it thorougly. Reports all's well on Kim Chow tonight.
Day 77 Saturday, December 8, 2007 44.58 S 157.27 E
Covered 124 nautical miles in the last 24 hours. Seas are calm. Wind is 5 knots from the SW with a 1 metre swell. Barometer is 1017. We have made contact with a ham radio operator in New Zealand who will relay Glenn's position and weather conditions for as long as possible. The forecast is for a settled weather pattern in the Tasman Sea for the next few days. Update on the ribs - not broken after all; just badly torn ligaments under his rib cage which are now on the mend.
Day 76 Friday, December 7, 2007 45.02 S 158.04 E
Day 75 Thursday, December 6, 2007 46.11 S 161.13E
Reported very light winds
Day 74 Wednesday, December 5, 2007 46.09 S 163.42 E
Covered 100 nautical miles in the last 24 hours. He has 15 - 20 knots of wind from the SW with 2 metre SW swell. Temperature is 14 C. Glenn reports a mechanical breakdown with his laptop so email communication is temporarily suspended.
Day 73 Tuesday, December 4, 2007 46.20 S 165.28 E
Covered 80 miles in the last 24 hours. Wind is NW 20 knots with 2 meter swells from the NW. Glenn made his first satellite telephone connection home yesterday which was wonderful for both parties. He reports he's feeling better; although he has not slept well in the past 4 days due to sore ribs. He's on the mend and anxious to get on with his passage across the Tasman Sea and looks forward to making good time.
Day 72 Monday, December 3, 2007 No position reported.
Day 71 Sunday, December 2, 2007 No position reported.
Day 70 Saturday, December 1, 2007 46.72 S 169.34 E
Glenn reports that he is approximately 50 nautical miles from Bluff. Wind is 15 knots from the SW with 2 metre swells. Glenn reports a painful injury to his ribs that is making his progress slow and difficult to work on deck and speak on the marine radio. His marine radio contact with Meri at Bluff Fisherman's Radio will continue as he rounds New Zealand and crosses the Tasman Sea for as long as possible. We're working with a local ham radio operator here to connect him to the ham network in Tasmania and beyond to relay his daily reports.
