July 25, 2026
Wind: 17 ± knots
Swell: 2+ meters, steep
Boat Speed: 6 ± knots
Weather: Overcast with squalls and sunny patches
Sails: Two reefs in the jib, two reefs in the mainsail, mizzen dropped
As One Ocean continues north, the trade winds are steadily pushing us west. We've been working hard to hold our compass course of 000°, sailing on a very close reach.
I woke up at 2200 last night to find us absolutely screaming along at 9 knots, but we were clearly overpowered. We dropped the mizzen, rolled in the jib, and battled a wind that continued to veer counterclockwise. We'd fall off course, then regain our heading during the next squall. In the end, we gave up some ground to the west, making approximately 145 nautical miles over the past 24 hours.
It's been much the same for the last 12 hours. We're nearing the edge of the high-pressure system, where we'll tack east and then begin playing a game of pinball with the weather fronts sweeping southeast from the Aleutian Islands. Have a look at our tracker - you can toggle off the photos and toggle on the wind. It’s so dang cool to look at.
We're well clear of Hurricane Fausto, but Hurricane Genevieve is one we'll need to keep a close eye on.
Late yesterday afternoon, Tess and I had a little dance party in the cockpit. I always get a laugh watching Mark's expression whenever we break into a dance. Do you think the 2009–2010 Around the Americas crew ever had dance-offs?
At 2:00 a.m. we had a little excitement that jolted me awake. We crossed paths with the only vessel we've seen so far on this passage. It wasn't transmitting on AIS, made no attempt to contact us, and was brilliantly lit. Our hunch is that it was engaged in illegal fishing. The spotlight it was using was powerful enough to blind us from more than a mile away.
We've also had another galley dousing... and it wasn't me this time. No one has fessed up only claiming memory failure ...well... well... well...
Today's brunch was avocado toast, dragon fruit, and—yes—Spam.
It's been a rough crossing, making it difficult to walk, move, or sleep at times, but the crew remains in great spirits.
The water is still that beautiful azure blue, and I find myself wondering when it will begin to change to the deep green waters of the Pacific Northwest.
All is well aboard One Ocean. I have some work to do on our press releases announcing our arrival home. Computer time is limited between Starlink availability and trying to keep the seasickness at bay, plus I’m getting tired…a lot of excitement last night!