As we prepared to leave Japan, I purchased new rain pants for the trip to Alaska. Size 4XL was the largest we could find. These pants would handily accommodate a Sumo wrestler in girth, but they’re still problematic in the vertical dimension. Even with the shoulder straps at maximum extension there is no avoiding a subtle, yet constant, wedgie.

I imagine a traditional Sumo Battle Diaper provides a similar sensation. Only 4000 miles to Salt Spring!

At the north tip of Hokkaido Island, in early June, the sailboats planning to head to North America start to accumulate, waiting for the first weather window to make the jump. In the port city of Wakkanai Mandolyn was joined by 7 other foreign yachts.

The passage from Wakkanai to the Aleutians is intimidating. It’s 1300 nautical miles to the nearest landfall. You set off into the Okhotsk Sea, then thread your way through the Kurill islands of Russia and into the tempestuous North Pacific. All the sailors were anxious. We waited 10 days in Wakkanai for a favorable forecast to appear.

On the day of departure all the boats were pinned to the seawall by strong onshore winds. We were eager to finally get underway, but there was no going anywhere in those conditions. Around 3pm the wind eased a little and 7 boats in a line departed Japan.

I always find it a relief once we get started on these big passages. We stop worrying and just get on with it. The routine takes over and the days blend together. One snack time rolls into the next.

The convoy of boats quickly spread out based on size and speed, but we kept tabs on each other with daily check-ins. One boat got a little too close to Russia and was scolded over the VHF. Three different boats fouled their propellers on garbage in the water, which is a shocking percentage. This must be a migratory route for garbage.

Our own passage was uneventful. It was mostly foggy, damp, and cold, but not rainy. This weather gave us the opportunity to discover four new shades of grey, and when you discover a new colour, you get to name it! Introducing: Elephant Tears, Soviet Parkade, Ginch of Gandalf, and Bunsmoke.

The temperature inside the boat got as low as 10 Celcius when the breeze was blowing off Siberia. When not contemplating the greyness or having a snack, we spent our time buried under multiple layers of blankets to stay warm. We’re now working on a patent for a “snuggly snorkel”, a device that allows you to get fresh air when 100% buried in blankets. Nyah claims this is no different from a normal snorkel, but it’s all in the marketing. Imagine snore cancellation technology, a spider counter, and a breath freshener alarm clock. Our premium subscribers will have access to all-you-can-breathe air flow without the need to watch ads. Preorder today!

After 12 days of passage we arrived at Attu Island, the westernmost of the Aleutian Islands. Mandolyn is back in geopolitical North America!

In case you are starting to worry that we’re almost home, fear not. Here is a list of things that are closer to Salt Spring than we currently are.

1. The International Space Station (multiple times daily)
2. The molten core of the planet
3. Mexico
4. Hawaii
6. Greenland!?

So we have a ways to go yet.

Attu Island isn’t all that far north in lattitude, but due to gerrymandering of the timezones, the sun does not set here until almost 2am. Sarah and I were working in the cockpit one evening, trying to convince our outboard engine to start for the first time in four months, when we realised it was midnight, and still full daylight.

How surreal. The land of sunny midnight. We made it.

Still 2700 miles to go though. That’s pretty ambitious in just two months. Wedgie of the Sumo, grant us fortitude.

Next stop: Continental North America!