Who is "Cosme" anyway?

Lest anyone become alarmed due to irresponsible network news coverage, we are well aware of a storm passing some 500 nautical miles due south of us, on a WNW track taking it just South of Hawaii. It's a compact storm with a well defined eye, according to Wally Barnes of the National Weather Service. We expect that it will have little effect on our projected course to the islands. We'll keep an eye on it, though. (or at least on eye on the NWS, who are keeping an eye on it!) More NWS details are at the end of this post.

What kind of name is Cosme for a hurricane, anyway?

We've had a really great day of sailing. Our 2A running kite continues to get a workout. We've gybed 4 times or so on sustained shifts with an eye towards a little more southing to stay in good pressure. We've seen 16+ knots of wind much of the day, allowing us to sail fairly deep angles. With puffs to 20, we've had a few good wave rides, too!

We're pleased with where we are, and think we're probably 3rd or so in our division at this point, on corrected time. (this is our estimate based on what we think will happen to the guys positioned farther north of us) The guys we think are "ahead" are only ahead by a half hour or so on corrected time... There is still a lot of race course - and weather - to jumble the mix. It looks like it'll be a boat race though!

I know Kevin and John have mentioned "settling into" a routine... At about this time, you get used to the minor unpleasantries of nine guys in 56 feet of space, shared with 8 sails below, personal gear, safety equipment and food stores. Baby wipe "showers" and cans of deodorant keep things civil! Food was again plentiful today, and downwind conditions made eating it quite pleasant. Rob's proscuito, salame and cream cheese wraps were a lunchtime hit. There were no complaints about the freeze-dried Beef Stroganoff and corn, either.

It's a great group - and mix - of guys aboard Cipango, starting with the Bartons. You wouldn't know they "owned" the boat - they never act as if they do - they're just part of the team. Both Bob and Rob go out of their way to do whatever they can to make life on board as enjoyable as possible. Rob takes on more than his fair share of cleaning and meal prep. Bob steps in whenever, wherever to do dishes, make hot water, spell someone on deck so that they can eat. He grinds at the pedestal as hard and fast as anyone on the boat.

We're heading just 10 degrees south of the islands on our present course... Enjoying 15-17 knot winds from 55-60 deg M.
Our position at 2115 on July 17 is:
23 25.29N 131 47.46W

(just cut and paste that lat/lon in Google Maps, if you don't want to bother with the race tracker.)

Before I forget, I want to thank my brother Steve and his wife Annie, who came down to Long Beach the night before our start and took me to dinner. It was nice to see them, and my nephew Samuel. It was great to have a chance to show him Cipango and all the other boats!

Hello and best wishes to my family, friends, and all those following Cipango across the Pacific.

Aloha!

Barry

.SPECIAL FEATURE...
HURRICANE COSME AT 14.5N 131.4W AT 16/2100 UTC MOVING WNW AT 10
KT. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRES 987 MB. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED
WIND 65 GUSTS TO 80 KT. NUMEROUS MODERATE CONVECTION WITH
EMBEDDED ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION WITHIN 120 NM OF CENTER.
COSME REACHED HURRICANE STRENGTH THIS AFTERNOON WITH A WELL
DEFINED EYE AND GOOD WRAP-AROUND DEEP CONVECTION SPIRALS...
NEVERTHELESS SST HAS DECREASED AND SYSTEM IS MOVING INTO A MORE
STABLE AND DRIER AIRMASS WHICH WOULD EFFECTIVELY WEAKEN IT
WITHIN NEXT 24-36 HRS.

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