Captain Christian’s Newsletter; Season 1, Episode 1

🌺 SV Malama Kai — Holona Passage PNW-San Diego Newsletter "Sailing with Purpose Around the Pacific"

📬Aloha Crew, Friends, and Followers!

The purpose of this Newsletter is to open up an information pathway to keep everyone informed. Through this information portal we wish to answer any questions regarding the vessel, the passage and what can be expected in an offshore passage. •

We’re thrilled to share the plans for our next offshore adventure aboard SV Malama Kai. We are firming up crew for this passage that will contribute their personal time and experience to the success of this passage.

We currently have a crew of 4 and are considering a fifth. Overnight passage can be taxing so it is important to have a Watch Schedule where everyone is getting adequate rest.

The main priority is for everyone to have fun and be safe. This vessel will adhere to a Crew Resource Management style with the Captain having the final say always defaulting to the side of Safety. Whether you're part of the crew preparing to set sail, or a shore-based supporter following our course—this voyage is for all of us. Here’s what’s ahead:

⛵ About SV Mālama Kai SV Malama Kai is a bluewater cruising vessel dedicated to ocean exploration, education, and environmental stewardship. Operated by a passionate crew, she serves as both a floating classroom and a research platform—fostering connections between people and the sea.

The vessel is a Westsail 42 designed by William Crealock and constructed in Newport Beach, California. The vessel completed an extensive refit in Port Townsend WA, ending in 2025. This refit included and is not limited to: • New suite of sails (main, headsails, Code Zero) and two slightly used spinnakers with socks • Extensive Electrical update with Victron Components including 1200 amp/hour house bank, 800 watts of Solar and hydro-generator. • Hydrovane self steering system and Garmin reactor 40 Autopilot • Communications include Starlink, Iridium Go, VHF, SSB and Sirius • On board weather include Predict Wind Pro, Windhub Pro and the Human Brain

• Routing weather advice from the Coho HoHo organizers as well as Commanders Weather for departure date and time recommendations.

• Safety - Full suite of safety devices with current six person Viking Life Raft and Global Fix AIS EPIRB as well as individual crew Personal Locater Beacons.

• Complete Running and Standing Rigging refit with Dyneema Dux installed by Brion Toss Rigging of Port Townsend.

• New topside paint and Sea-deck and new bottom paint, painted mast, zincs and PYI Maxiprop 4/25 • A Suite of Garmin displays, including the 1243xsv and forward looking Proptix sonar.

🌊 The Passage The passage plan is from Liberty Bay to San Diego which is approximately 1400 nm. This passage without stops will take from between 10-11 days depending on lots of variables.

We are registered with the Coho HoHo who currently has an official start date of August 24th. Our passage window will begin August 15th and will be refined as we get closer to the departure date. Since we are a Coho Registered vessel, please take advantage of all the presentations available.

At this point all of the live presentations have been completed, but you can go online and visit any topic you desire, several are very informative.

- Departure Port: Liberty Bay

- Arrival Port: San Diego, Southwestern Yacht Club

- Estimated Departure: Initial window is August 15th

- Estimated Duration: 10-12 days - Distance: 1400 NM

Our routing will be weather-dependent, tracked via PredictWind and real-time communication with Weather Routers and Coho HoHo organizers. The plan is to do the passage non-stop with alternate stops based on circumstance.

THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME NOTES FROM SV KAIQUEST: The owners Will and Sarah who are sailors in their own right are the couple you usually see at Boat Shows representing Hydrovane of Vancouver Canada.

G E T T I N G O U T T H E S T R A I G H T O F J U A N D E F U C A

This is the first challenge. Unless you get extremely lucky with an outflow wind, it’s recommended to wait for little wind and an ebb tide. You really want to avoid wind on current in these waters. We left Port Angeles at 5am and motored at up to 10 knots on a strong ebb. We were rounding Cape Flattery as the tide turned, just after noon.

We were lucky to have a good weather window to continue south, otherwise we certainly would have pulled into Neah Bay.

H O W F A R O F F S H O R E ?

There are two schools of thought. Some choose to sail out 120 or even 150 nm and then head south, possibly to find a more consistent swell pattern away from the continental shelf? Or possibly this tactic pre-dates today’s more reliable weather forecasting? We struggle to understand this ‘go way offshore’ tactic for a number of reasons: a) Why add so many more miles? b) There may be less fog way offshore, but you’ll likely still experience fog on the way out and way in. c) It is difficult to find a consistently good 5-6-7 day weather window on this coast, so you run the risk of seeing nasty conditions on the way back inshore. d) As a first offshore passage for many, why not make it as short and least traumatizing as possible? e) You are now cruising – don’t you want to see some of the sites of this rugged coast along the way? I did! We see no reason to sail further than 35-40 nm offshore. Round Cape Flattery, and head the direction you want to go – south, not west. You will be inshore of major shipping lanes, and offshore of crab pots.

P A S S A G E P L A N N I N G & S T O P S

In our experience, forecasting up to three days out is generally pretty accurate, but is less reliable after that. It’s quite easy find a three day weather window (favorable wind AND sea state) to sail south to Newport (Yaquina Bay), OR, Coos Bay, OR, or Crescent City, CA. Our mentality was to keep going if conditions looked okay to round Cape Mendicino as we approached it. But, we soon saw a forecast of up to 40 knots and disturbing seas, so we were glad to pull in to Crescent City and wait for a more favorable window for Leg 2. Although we could have stopped anywhere (again, we left when the swell forecast was not huge so bar crossings would not have been a problem), we were aiming for Crescent City as it is NOT a bar crossing, and navigable in any conditions. It’s also further south and close to the famous Redwood forests! A piece of advice for those new to offshore: Make things easy on yourself – choose a forecast with lighter winds. We know newbies who say “I can’t wait to be sailing out there, and I’d prefer 30 knots of wind to motoring”. Good luck to you! I’m sure you wife agrees?! Also remember that grib files show an average, so if 30 knots is forecast, you’re probably going to see gusts in the high 30’s and very uncomfortable seas. FOG The fog is what makes this passage unpleasant at times… zero visibility, damp and wet, and cold! There’s nothing you can do except grin and bear it. Maybe embrace it…?… since you know your night watches will soon be spent in shorts and a t-shirt! We found ourselves for many hours (on both legs) in conditions of dense fog combined with moderate winds (20+ knots apparent). It’s an odd feeling as you plow along into the unknown. It is easy to stay perfectly safe and confident with the proper gear and instrumentation. If you have a full or partial enclosure, be prepared for even less visibility as condensation forms on the window panels – we couldn’t see the bow of the boat! But at least you stay warmer.

MARINE TR AFFIC All freighters/tankers/large towing vessels transmit an AIS signal. However, most fishing boats do not. This was a big shock to us! Plan to keep the radar on through the night. We made the initial mistake of having our radar on a 12 nm range – which is just too high to see the small, close blips. We soon found that a 6 nm range was ideal. Often the fishing boats do not show up on radar until you are within 2-3nm of them. We’re pretty sure they toy with sailboats… coming straight at you and then diverting course. Don’t expect an answer on the VHF. It seemed to us that at 35 nm offshore, we were still well inboard of the major shipping lanes. We saw very few freighters. To give you an idea of the traffic out there:

L EG 1 ( PORT A NGEL ES, WA, TO CRESCENT CI TY, CA): •Day/Night 1 – About 10 boats on the first night out (fishing boats and one research vessel). •Day/Night 2 – 25nm offshore of the Columbia River, we saw one incoming freighter that was nowhere near us, but he still diverted course for us to be sure. The second night (a clear one), we tracked fishing boats in the inshore distance on radar and visually.

•Day/Night 3 – few boats L EG 2 (CR ESCEN T CITY , CA, T O SAN FRANCISCO , CA ): •Night 1 – We were only 18 nm offshore at the most on this leg. We saw a couple of fishing boats. •Night 2/Morning – Early morning as we approached San Francisco, there were A LOT of AIS targets – all freighters or tugs. The big guys stick to the shipping lanes so it is easy to stay out of their way. CRAB POTS There are crab traps inshore. A reliable ex-US Coast Guard Ship Captain told us that so long as you are in more than 500 feet of water, you won’t see any traps. Spot on! If you sail outboard of the continental shelf (where depths drop off into oblivion at 5-15nm offshore, depending where you are), there are no traps to worry about. You just want to make sure you are heading out and coming back in during light hours. WILDLIFE I’m not the only one who saw a shark! Seems to be fairly common. There were many whale sightings reported as well. We saw the highest concentration of whales as we rounded Cape Flattery and then again on the approach to San Francisco. San Francisco Marine Traffic Control makes a regular broadcast of whale activity in the area. It was announced to be highest near the Farallon Islands and Cordell Bank. And lo and behold, as we sailed closer to the bank early morning, we found ourselves surrounded by a pod of 25 – 30 humpbacks! Quite the wake up!

TOP 5 MOST IMPORTANT GEA R FOR THIS PASSAGE 1. Radar – because most fishing vessels don’t have AIS 2. AIS Transceiver (ability to receive AND transmit) – A Class B Transceiver should be mandatory for all cruising boats 3. Windvane – a more comfortable ride, and the power draw of running radar and an autopilot would be way too much. 4. Engine – counting on it to get in and out of port, and make time when there is no wind. Another point – Make time! – don’t bob around out there as bad weather is usually coming. 5. Easy pole set-up – goes for downwind sailing anywhere, and it is key. You will always need a pole on the genoa, with foreguy and aft guy to keep it rigidly in place. Because you may have to jibe the pole a few times, you need a flawless set up for doing so. If unsure about this procedure, practice it a lot before you go. Requires one person on deck, the other manning lines. M O RE TIPS •Get a super absorbent shammy (we recommend ‘the Absorber’) – part of your nighttime watch duties will be to mop up the condensation on the inside and outside of the window panels. This is a must have!! •Bring a sleeping bag – we had to buy one in Crescent City. It can be very cold and damp in the cockpit. •Make sure you have headlamps with ‘red’ light – best for not blinding others or yourself at night •Pre make hearty meals (soups, stews) for first couple nights over. We liked served over blanched brocolli or kale – so easy! •Keep plain salted crackers handy at all times • Stay hydrated. Have multiple water bottles in the fridge. Sometimes filling up the water bottle feels like a lot of work, especially in the middle of the night. L OWLIGH TS Will: “The first night out. The darkness and fog socked us in…” Sarah: Definitely the first night. It started off well and then we were suddenly sailing in rough conditions with absolutely zero visibility. I felt green (unlike me).

HIGHLIGHTS Will: “Sailing under the Golden Gate after a stressful morning weaving between humpbacks and ships.” Sarah: The beautiful sunsets at sea! Also the stop in Crescent City – dinner on shore at the Chart Room, watching the sea-lions play and visiting the Redwood forests. Oh, and sailing under the GGB of course!

SUMMARY While we did have really special times out there, sailing this coast is very different from offshore sailing in the tropics (which we both much prefer, ha!) If you’re not having a ton of fun, just remember that it only gets better from here… These are just our musings and experiences (yours may be very different). I enjoyed our tactic, called ‘minimizing the discomfort’, and all in all, we couldn’t have planned a better passage south. RELATED. Sailing at its finestOctober 17, 2013In "At Sea - Daily Passage Reports" First overnight / offshore passageFebruary 22, 2012In "At Sea - Daily Passage Reports"

THANK YOU WILL AND SARAH OF HYDROVANE

🧭Mālama Kai Voyage Highlights • Citizen science: Plankton samples, water testing • Ocean monitoring: sensors & satellite data • Wildlife logs: whales, seabirds, dolphins, turtles, seals and jellyfish. • Outreach: Youth education updates • Crew building and seamanship 📡 How to Follow Us - Live Tracking: Predict Wind - Instagram & Facebook: @MalamaKaiSailing - Daily Blog Updates: Daily logs on Predict Wind Stay up to date with photos, logs, and video updates.

💙Support Our Mission Your encouragement, and messages fuel our voyage. To any of the crew please notify us, and subscribe to our newsletter if anyone desires to be updated with the process.

My plan is to add pictures and any anecdotes and milestones from our crew.

📸Galley: As ocean advocates, we prefer eating a plant-based diet. We think of every creature in the sea as part of our family that we choose to protect and not eat. Mālama Kai’s galley plans to joyfully serve a variety of tantalizing, nutritious, hearty meals to please all palates, and our crew will be delightfully surprised and challenged that the menus do NOT contain meat.

Lynn has decades of experience as a Chef in the Charter environment and will not leave you wanting for more. Sample Menus will be in future Newsletters. Anyone with allergies or special requests

CONTACT Lynn directly. Ohua, The Malama Kai Crew Christian Holm: Passionate sailor and Project Instigator Lynn Ringseis: Passionate ocean lover, Chef and Safety Officer Robert Frost: “If it has Sails, Robert would like to be on it” Baja Ha Ha Veteran and support crew for Transpacific rowing race. Mark Wallace: Alumni of John Neal Ocean Passages Scotland. Future owner of a Halberg Rassy or similar ocean going sailing vessel. Mike Abrain: A master electrician and famed Westsail Sailor. Mike has done this Passage segment before.

Summary, Lynn has completed the new Code Zero sail bag that will be attached to the port stanchions. The six person life raft will be recertified July 1. The Garmin Autopilot, rudder limiter sensor has been installed. I will be on work assignment and off the boat from June 8th – June 30th.

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