Day 80 [Dec. 21, 0700 JST]

Around one-quarter of the world in 80 days. Injured Vendee Globe sailor rescued. Cyclone Billy slows its southerly progress.

Position:
036 42 S, 119 05 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 25.0%

Heading: 295
Boat speed: 3.9 kt (7-day average: 4.5 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 93 nm
Distance made good: 6,225 nm (11,529 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 18,905 nm

Yokohama ETA: 175 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 161

Cape Leeuwin (WP #4 / 163 nm) ETA: 1.5 days

Weather: Thunderstorm & squall last night gusting to 36 kt; now SW 28 kt; seas moderating to 2.5 - 3.0 m after reaching 5.0 m. Overcast skies beginning to clear.
Barometer: 1004 hPa (steady)
Waves: 2.5 - 3.0 m
Wind (from): 28 - 36 kt SW, maintaining at 23 kt SW in 2 hrs, then to 10 kt SW in 14 hrs
Current (from): 0.0 kt
Engine: 1 hr / 1800 rpm, 0 hr / 2000 rpm (7.5 L)
Generator: 9.0 hr (9.0 L)
Sails
Main: 3pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: 30%

Today's Report

Everything fine although Saito-san sounded tired after a night and early morning that saw heavy winds and rough seas. A squall passed during the night bringing thunder & lightning and gusts up to 36 kt.

He expressed relief that the French sailor injured in the Vendee Globe Race had been rescued by the Australian navy. CNN reported he had broken several ribs in addition to his femur.

***
We could confirm that an error was made in the stated position yesterday, and that the locator beacon was in fact correct. As a result, the 24-hr distance has been corrected to 127 nm instead of 81 nm.

Saito thus passes the 25% mark on Day 80, having made 6,255 nm as of this morning. Not as fast as in Jules Verne's book, maybe, but Phileas Fogg used trains, steamers, and other conveyances of the 1870s.

Added Comment

See here for continuing commentary on the injury and dramatic rescue of the Vendee Globe sailor.

One skipper describes the constant problems he's had with his autopilot; elsewhere another bemoans the difficulty in stopping leaks and keeping the boat dry. Hmmm, sounds familiar, doesn't it?

***
Cyclone Watch
The southerly progress of Cyclone Billy has slowed, reported CNN this morning. It's still about 900 nm NE of Saito's position, edging down the coast of northwest Australia.

Day 81 [Dec. 22, 0700 JST]

Winds drop to a light breeze. We reset the trip log at 6,500 nm. Billy reported to be heading west, intensifying.

Position:
035 40 S, 117 23 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 25.8%

Heading: 300
Boat speed: 4.3 kt (7-day average: 4.5 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 103 nm
Distance made good: 6,450 nm (11,945 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 18,680 nm

Yokohama ETA: 173 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 160

Cape Leeuwin (WP #4 / 50 nm) ETA: 0.5 days

Weather: Overcast, winds fall to slight breeze, seas at 1 m
Barometer: 1013 hPa (rising)
Waves: 1.0 m
Wind (from): 6 - 8 kt NNE, changing to 4 kt NW in 4 hrs, then to 8 kt SW in 8 hrs
Current (from): 0.0 kt
Engine: 0 hr / 1800 rpm, 0 hr / 2000 rpm (0 L)
Generator: 10.0 hr (10.0 L)
Sails
Main: 3pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: 90%

Today's Report

Saito reported the winds had fallen to about 5 kt out of the N and NE. He was motoring at the time of the call at 6.5 kt. Seas had reduced to 1 m.

Added Comment

We made a DMG correction today, adding 125 nm to the cumulative daily totals. Consequently, the "trip log" has been reset to 6,500 nm as of Cape Leeuwin. This is the distance, as actually measured on Google Earth, from his starting point in Japan. (The difference is less than 2% but we are reporting the actual "distance made good" rather than the day-to-day cumulative totals we have so far calculated over ground.)

***
Cyclone Watch
The southerly progress of Cyclone Billy has slowed and was still about 900 nm N of Saito's position as of this morning. CNN showed its course to be more westerly and heading out to sea as it intensifies.

Day 82 [Dec. 23, 0700 JST]

Winds stay mild. Saito-san nears a brief Fremantle stopover. Billy heads for sea.

Position:
034 52 S, 115 05 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 26.3%

Heading: 290
Boat speed: 5.1 kt (7-day average: 4.7 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 123 nm
Distance made good: 6,542 nm (12,115 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 18,588 nm

Yokohama ETA: 164 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 159

Fremantle stopover (WP / 208 nm) ETA: 1.5 days

Weather: Cloudy to party cloudy, slightly warmer (16 C)
Barometer: 1013 hPa
Waves: 2.0 m
Wind (from): 6 - 8 kt SW rising to 17 kt SSW in 7 hrs, then to 20 kt SSE in 19 hrs
Current (from): 0.0 kt
Engine: ? hr / 1800 rpm, 0 hr / 2000 rpm (0 L)
Generator: ?.0 hr (0.0 L)
Sails
Main: ? pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: ?%

Today's Report

No report today from Saito-san due to a comms disruption.

All information is derived from Clearpoint weather and the 0400 locator beacon report.

Added Comment

Saito-san is in a "convergence zone" for Inmarsat comms which today is causing a temporary inability to receive or send voice. An automatic feature on the phone switches it between the two zones. Where he is right now it switches back and forth erratically between the zones so no call lasts more than a few seconds. This is expected to resolve itself as he moves into the next zone and the phone achieves a steady transmission lock in that zone.

***
Saito-san will make a brief stopover tomorrow in Fremantle to have the Iridium phone repaired. An engineer for Inmarsat's Fremantle VAR will make a quick fix, expected to take just an hour or two, then send Saito on his way. His Fremantle ETA is presently between 1 and 3 pm, Dec. 24.

***
Cyclone Watch
The southerly progress of Cyclone Billy has halted. As of 7 am it was slightly over 1,000 nm N of Saito's position, moving west and out to sea.

Day 83 [Dec. 24, 0700 JST]

A steady ride up to Fremantle. Return of the steering rod Grinch. Bye-bye Billy.

Position:
1609 pm update (Fremantle & JST time -- same time zone)

Beacon position: -32.73664, 115.12686

Saito-san is presently 70 nm from Fremantle and is expected to make port tomorrow before noon.

His earlier 0700 position -- 033 00 S, 114 42 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 26.7%

Heading: 350
Boat speed: 4.7 kt (7-day average: 4.8 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 112 nm
Distance made good: 6,685 nm (12,380 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 18,445 nm

Yokohama ETA: 160 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 158

Fremantle stopover (WP / 80 nm) ETA: 8-9 hrs

Weather: Cloudy to party cloudy, clearing, (18 C)
Barometer: 1009 hPa
Waves: 2.5 m
Wind (from): 16 - 18 kt SE, 15 kt SE in 2 hrs, then to 22 kt S in 14 hrs
Current (from): 0.5 kt S
Engine: ? hr / 1800 rpm, 0 hr / 2000 rpm (0 L)
Generator: ?.0 hr (0.0 L)
Sails
Main: ? pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: ?%

Today's Report

No voice report today from Saito-san due to continued comms disruption. He sent a fax (0643 JST) that indicated he was ok but that he had to perform a "temporary fix" on the starboard side steering rod, which had come off. He said it was very difficult to carry out and does not know how long the repair will hold.

This is the illustration he drew on this morning's fax:

Added Comment

Saito-san is in a "convergence zone" for Inmarsat comms which is still causing us a headache with automatic switching between the adjacent zones. This is expected to resolve itself as he moves into the next zone and the phone achieves a steady transmission lock in that zone.

In the meantime after this afternoon we anticipate being able to switch back to the Iridium phone for regular communications.

***
Saito-san was to make a brief stopover today in Fremantle. But instead of repairing his Iridium sat phone, we decided to provide him a slightly used but thoroughly tested phone from Applied Satellite Technologies, the Iridium VAR in Perth that has been a huge help in figuring out the best solution under the rushed conditions. With Christmas holiday looming, the shutdown of marina services was a further consideration. The office, with the "new" sat phone, was closing up for Christmas Eve at 4 pm today.

Fremantle customs has been alerted and a form has been submitted to permit the delivery of the substitute phone, which we could acquire at about half the price of a new phone. On top of having a working phone this will give him several useful parts for redundancy, including 2 batteries. Our thanks to engineer Jock Vaughan-Davies for his close attention to our various requests.

The new steering problem can be expected to cause a longer delay in Fremantle, especially with tomorrow being Christmas Day when all Fremantle shuts down. This is a "Grinch" we dealt with just hours before the boat left Misaki, Japan-- and this time may be just a sheared-off cotter pin. Or it may be a broken part that could be difficult to source in Fremantle. We'll know more tomorrow when Saito-san's cell phone can be used. Mike Seymour of the Saito 8 Safety Committee will take over at that point.

***
All positional and weather information today is derived from Clearpoint and the 0400 locator beacon report.

Clearpoint showed steady wind out of the SE at 16 - 20 kt.

***
Cyclone Watch
Billy is no longer considered a threat and was 500 km out to sea as of this morning and moving northward as well.

Day 84 [Dec. 25, 0700 JST]

He arrives in Fremantle nursing an ailing steering linkage. A Vendee Globe Race yacht precedes him by 3 hours after losing its mast.

Position:
Fremantle Sailing Club 32 3'53"S, 115 44'26"E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 27.1%

Heading: 100
Boat speed: 4.7 kt (7-day average: 4.6 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 112 nm
Distance made good: 6,775 nm (12,547 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 18,355 nm

Yokohama ETA: 166 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 157

Fremantle stopover (WP / 0 nm)

Weather: Clear and windy, (18 C)
Barometer: 1009 hPa
Waves: 3.0 m
Wind (from): 20 - 25 kt SE
Current (from): 0.5 kt S
Engine: ? hr / 1800 rpm, 0 hr / 2000 rpm (0 L)
Generator: ?.0 hr (0.0 L)
Sails
Main: ? pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: ?%

Today's Report

Saito arrived at the Fremantle Sailing Club at 1430 after easing up in heavy winds. Last few hours gale conditions built as he nursed his steering system that has seen a return of a problem with the steering rod linkage that was repaired just before leaving Japan.

Saito will receive a replacement phone and have the steering coupler fixed. He is expected to leave tomorrow depending on parts availability.

Added Comment

Just 3 hours before he arrived, support crew brought in the dismasted vessel skippered by Mike Golding in the Vendee Globe Race that was struck by severe gale 700 nm south of Fremantle. Several others of the solo competitors have also retired within recent days and are converging on Freemantle. The nonstop solo race from England began 45 days ago with 30 competitors and is now down to under 20. Mike's vessel, Ecover 3, first suffered keel problems and became dismasted in a storm several days ago.

Day 85 [Dec. 26, 0700 JST]

The new Iridium works. The steering is 'good to go.' Saito-san is ready to leave tomorrow.

Position:
Fremantle Sailing Club 32 3' 53" S, 115 44' 26" E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 27.1%

Heading: 00
Boat speed: 00 kt (7-day average: 4.6 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 00 nm
Distance made good: 6,775 nm (12,547 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 18,355 nm

Yokohama ETA: 166 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 156

Fremantle stopover (WP / 0 nm)

Weather: Clear and windy, warming up (26 C)
Barometer: hPa
Waves: 3.0 m
Wind (from): 15 - 20 kt SE
Current (from): 0.0 kt S
Engine: hr / 1800 rpm, 0 hr / 2000 rpm (0 L)
Generator: .0 hr (0.0 L)
Sails
Main: pt
Staysail: 0%
Genoa: 0%

Today's Report

Saito placed today's report using the replacement Iridium phone which worked fine.

The steering coupler was replaced with a stainless steel one that was acquired in Sydney. Andrew Raven, the Fremantle Yacht Club's Harbour Master, volunteered his help to remove the failed assembly and has pronounced Saito-san "good to go."

Saito-san said he plans to leave tomorrow about mid-day after adding fuel. He spent this afternoon at the laundromat and at a grocery store buying replacements to prepare him for the expansive crossing over to South Africa.

Added Comment

Andrew's help to repair the steering rod coupler and seeing Saito-san into port yesterday (on Christmas Day AND amidst the orchestrated arrival of several damaged Vendee Globe Race boats) is much appreciated by the Saito 8 organizing committee. We were on the phone to Andrew and the fantastically helpful Fremantle customs office a number of times over the past week to arrange Saito's landfall and delivery of the Iridium phone.

Our thanks as well to Andrew's assistants who generously went out in a motorboat to meet Saito-san to guide him into the marina yesterday.

***
Now that there is a second (previously a rental) Iridium phone on board, it effectively means he has TWO working Iridium units, since the trouble with the earlier phone was the phone's charging port. Now, if necessary, he can still use the old phone by inserting a fully charged battery and swapping the Clearpoint-supplied SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card over. The replacement phone can then be used for charging batteries, now 4 in number (plus a new antenna and charger).

***
Mike Golding, skipper of one of the damaged boats from the Vendee Globe Race, is a friend of Saito's from previous solo races. Mike's boat Ecover 3 came in yesterday just a few hours before Nicole BMW Shuten-dohji III. Saito-san was expecting to see Mike later today. No doubt there will be some awesome stories to share.

Saito-san said that so far 4 boats from the Vendee Globe are now in Fremantle. Another was due in this evening in the now 47-day non-stop solo race marked by punishing storms and at least one damaging encounter with a rudder-crippling ice "growler."

***
We feel obliged to give Skype recognition for providing an amazingly lost-cost and convenient way for us to call. We pay like everyone else, of course, but from Japan to Australia it's barely a few pennies per minute. Our phone bill would have been well into the thousands of dollars over the past 2 years were it not for this wonderful child of the Digital Age, with countless calls to Honolulu, Auckland, Sydney, Hobart, and now, Fremantle.

Thanks, Skype!

Day 86 [Dec. 27, 0700 JST]

A day of preparation.

Position:
Fremantle Sailing Club 32 3' 53" S, 115 44' 26" E

Today's Report

Saito-san spent the day readying Nicole BMW Shuten-dohji III for departure tomorrow.

Day 87 [Dec. 28, 0700 JST]

With steering fixed, fuel added, customs cleared, Indian Ocean waypoints decided ... it's sayonara, Fremantle!

Position:
31 56 S, 115 15 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 27.2%

Heading: 270
Boat speed: 6.0 kt (7-day average: 4.7 kt)
Distance in last 4.5 hours: 27 nm
Distance made good: 6,802 nm (12,597 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 18,328 nm

Yokohama ETA: 162 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 154

To WP 5, Indian Ocean midpoint: 2,325 nm / 20 days

Weather: Clear and windy, warm (26 C)
Barometer: 1013 hPa (high)
Waves: 2.5 m
Wind (from): 18 - 24 kt SSW
Current (from): 0.1 kt NNW
Engine: 1.5 hr / 1800 rpm, 0 hr / 2000 rpm (11 L)
Generator: 0.0 hr (0.0 L)
Sails
Main: 2 pt
Staysail: 80%
Genoa: 0%

Today's Report

He called in high spirits at 1415 to say he had departed Fremantle at 0930 this morning after clearing customs and was doing well in 20 kt winds from the SSW on a comfortable port tack. Seas were 2.5 m.

Saito made today's report using the replacement Iridium phone which continues to work nicely.

Added Comment

He had decided to stay over an extra day in Fremantle rather than rush final preparations, as well as to finish buying replacement stores and tidy up the boat prior to the 4,750 nm / roughly 45-day crossing of the Indian Ocean.

***
Saito has worked out his general sailing plan for the Indian Ocean, which is intended to be as direct as possible to the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, but north of the severe weather latitudes that lie below 45 degrees (roughly 750 nm) south.

"The latitude I follow will depend on the wind conditions," he explained, "but I will try to stay between 32 and 35 degrees south." Earlier he said that as long as the winds are steady he can maintain that tack for days, since he has plenty of sea room. There will be no islands or atolls to dodge.

So he will sail along a band of latitude no "higher" than 32 degrees S and no "lower" than 35 degrees S, and thereby will hopefully not see major storms like those that played havoc this past week with the Vendee Globe Race. (Three boats retired from the non-stop race and are now in Fremantle, and a fourth was due in this morning.)

***
Icebergs are still a concern at the higher latitudes, if a bit less so. They have been seen by Vendee Globe sailors as high as 10 degrees S, and one of the Open 60 boats had its twin rudders damaged by a "growler," a small submerged iceberg that is almost impossible to see and avoid at racing speeds. Saito-san is not racing but he will be going against their general direction of movement.

***
Here are the Indian Ocean waypoints (IO/WP) and their very approximate ETAs as provided by Saito-san. Out of curiosity, we used Clearpoint Weather to determine the day's (Dec. 28) wind and sea conditions along the latitude band he will follow.

Day 88 [Dec. 29, 0700 JST]

Making good time on rolling seas.

Position:
31 49 S, 113 30 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 27.7%

Heading: 280
Boat speed: 6.0 kt (7-day average: 4.8 kt)
Distance in last 22.5 hours: 138 nm
Distance made good: 6,913 nm (12,902 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 18,217 nm

Yokohama ETA: 158 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 153

To WP 5, Indian Ocean midpoint: 19 days

Weather: Clear and windy, slightly cooler (20 C)
Barometer: 1013 hPa (high)
Waves: 3.0 - 3.5 m from SSW
Wind (from): 22 - 26 kt S
Current (from): 0.1 kt NNE
Engine: 1.5 hr / 1800 rpm, 0 hr / 2000 rpm (11 L)
Generator: 5.5 hr (6.0 L)
Sails
Main: 2 pt / 3 pt
Staysail: 100%
Genoa: 0%

Today's Report

The skipper reports clear skies and strong steady and favorable winds from the south, but large swells at 13 sec intervals (Clearpoint) are causing heavy boat rolling on the beam reach he is on. He made 138 nm in the 22.5 hours since leaving Fremantle. It appears these winds will hold for the next 48 hours, then abate as he gets deeper into a large high pressure system to the west.

Added Comment

Saito-san is at the NE edge of a broad high pressure area that is giving him clear skies over the next several days, and maybe even into next week. We will start posting a barometric chart from Clearpoint. Rather than add another image to the daily email report, after today this image will appear (larger) only on the daily log in the Saito8.com web site.

Day 89 [Dec. 30, 0700 JST]

Near-ideal sailing if not for those swells, a rolling deck, and an aching back. 7,000 miles under the keel.

Position:
31 32 S, 111 16 E

Distance completed to Yokohama finish: 28.1%

Heading: 285
Boat speed: 5.0 kt (7-day average: 5.0 kt)
Distance in last 24 hours: 116 nm
Distance made good: 7,013 nm (12,988 km)
Distance remaining to Yokohama: 18,117 nm

Yokohama ETA: 151 days (based on 7-day ave. boat speed)
Days until Yokohama 150th Anniversary Port Celebration: 152

To WP 5, Indian Ocean midpoint: 17 days

Weather: Clear, patches of clouds, windy (20 C)
Barometer: 1012 hPa (high)
Waves: 3.0 m from S, at 8-sec intervals
Wind (from): 22 - 33 kt S
Current (from): 0.3 kt SW
Engine: 0.0 hr / 1800 rpm, 0 hr / 2000 rpm (0 L)
Generator: 10.0 hr (10.0 L)
Sails
Main: 3 pt
Staysail: 100%
Genoa: 0%

Today's Report

Winds stay good out of the S and SE, on large seas and a heading that are rolling the boat and has the skipper good-naturedly complaining of a 2-day backache.

Added Comment

Saito-san is running along the top edge of a broad high pressure area that continues to present him with beautiful, clear skies and winds from the south and southeast.

***
We reminded him of a bottle of Aleve pain killer on board, acquired for just this complaint. He says the padded pedestal pilot's seat we installed in Yokohama has helped but said "I have to stand a lot right now to watch and steer," and that has been fatiguing. On his way up to Yokohama from Auckland he had no back support and so was in pain for much of the journey.