Stormy Weather

STORMY WEATHER

Position 15D.57.529 S 145D.04.664 W

Kaeuhi Atoll - Tuomotus

Saturday, July 30 - We woke up to the sound of torrential rain beating down on the canopy and strong winds whipped Faraway from side to side on the anchor chain. The peaceful tranquility of the anchorage was transformed into hostility overnight. The lagoon water was dotted with white caps produced from the 25 knot winds which screamed along the motus. Ian and I had no choice but to stay onboard today and catch up on chores as the weather was too rough for us to paddle to shore on the kayaks. Our priority was to make water so we spent a few hours making sure we had enough water for our passage to Bora Bora. With the watermaker pump still broken we had to collect the excess sea water into buckets and cart it out overboard. I was also busy in the kitchen making cakes with the last few over ripe bananas that we had and a dessert for dinner that night on Saba. By the afternoon we were pretty exhausted and needed to cool off. The heavy rain had started again but we dived into the sea for a refreshing swim before heading across the water to Saba. Luckily Daniel from Saba collected us in his dinghy for the 2 minute ride to their yacht. He showed us an amazing photo that he took of Faraway during the early morning storm. He captured a photo of Faraway in the centre of a rainbow and me out on the bow checking the anchor whilst trying to hang on to my hat!

So Relaxing

SO RELAXING

Position 15D.57.529 S 145D.04.664 W

Kaeuhi Atoll - Tuomotus

Friday, July 29 - We snorkelled first thing this morning then returned to Faraway for hot pancakes. There is just a gentle breeze allowing us to remain cool. The water is like glass. We can see all the coral heads around Faraway as we drift on the anchor chain. There are many small coloured fish and some larger predators that appear causing the tranquility to be occasionally broken as hundreds of defenceless creatures hurl themselves skywards in the vain hope that they are not todays meal. There is an occasional whistle of a tropic bird but apart from that it is just the gentle sound of the palm trees swaying in the breeze and a distant sound of surf pounding the outer wall of this beautiful atoll. It has become a little busy. There is now another yacht about 1 mille away and a local boat appeared at our moto dropping 2 passengers. It is amazing how quickly we adapt to solitude and become disappointed when it is broken. We kayaked ashore and went for a walk around a moto before lunch paddling in shallow lagoons as the tide came in. Every rock pool seemed to have a small Moray Eel defending its territory. We found many more Cowry shells but have become fussy now and only keep the perfect ones. I stayed out on a sand bar created from smashed shells and swam in the clear water while Ian walked back along the beach to get the kayaks. The tide had risen and he had to swim out to a small island to retrieve them. He let the incoming tide gently push him through the estuary before collecting me from my paradise. I made pizza for lunch before we lay in the cockpit listening to the sounds of the sea and drifting into a light sleep.

Even in paradise things eventually come to an end and we will have to start looking at our departure soon. The winds will increase and the lagoon will not be as calm. We also need to leave with enough good wind to ensure an easy 3 day passage to Bora Bora. This will be our last port of call in French Polynesia. Hopefully there will be a new watermaker cylinder waiting for us at the Air Tahiti terminal.

We will be extremely sad to leave this beautiful part of the South Pacific- but the cyclone season waits for no man(or woman).

What day is it?

WHAT DAY IS IT?

Position 15D.57.529 S 145D.04.664 W

Kaeuhi Atoll - Tuomotus

Thursday, July 28 - Today the lagoon is as calm and clear as a swimming pool. Ian and I went snorkelling at 7:30am and the colours of the coral on the bommies were amazing. The sky is almost cloud free and the sun is reflecting on the motus making the white sand glow against the green coconut palms surrounded by the bright blue lagoon water. It's so beautiful here that Ian and I keep forgetting what day it is and have to keep reminding each other. If we stay here any longer we are going to forget what month it is! We had a nice day yesterday fossicking for shells and watching moray eels and black tip reef sharks swimming in rock pools with the family from Saba. In the afternoon we sat on the beach to watch the sunset and had a delicious BBQ cooked in an open fire. The kids from Saba discovered a new game racing hermit crabs and the adults joined in! At around 9pm Ian and I kayaked back to Faraway in the dark with all our BBQ supplies stacked on Ian's lap. We paddled across the water under a blanket of stars using a torch for navigation so we didn't crash into any bommies.

As good as it gets!

AS GOOD AS IT GETS!

Position 15D.57.529 S 145D.04.664 W

Kaeuhi Atoll - Tuomotus

Wednesday, July 26 -

We all have a dream about a beautiful place although we know that this place probably does not exist but we dream about it anyway. Well I can confirm sometimes the dream does exist. To say that this is paradise for nature lovers, beach lovers, shell collectors and snorkellers would really understate the beauty of this tranquil paradise. We went beach combing yesterday. We kayaked over to the beach and weaved our way through small white tip reef sharks feeding in the channels. I try to collect a few Cowry shells from each place I visit. Well this is Cowrie Shell heaven. There were all shapes ,sizes, and colours of cowries washed up on the shore in pristine condition. We could hear Coconut Crabs in the bushes and Peter from Saba went over later in the day to try and locate them for a BBQ dinner. Unfortunately the crabs were too clever on this occasion. When we went snorkelling we saw thousands of needle fish stretching as far as you could see. Huge coral groupers settled motionlessly over coral bommies as they were cleaned by smaller fish. They didn't seem to mind how close you swam to them. The snorkelling was like diving into a tropical fish tank that had just had the water changed. The colours are amazing here. When the sky goes grey the water reflects on the underwings of the small white sea birds making them look green. The water is so aquamarine blue that you could not match the colour with a paint palette. Our friend on Saba took a HDR photo of Faraway anchored in the lagoon. It is an amazing photo but it will never show the real beauty of this paradise found. Today we will go fossicking again on shore with the kids from Saba then finish the day with a beach BBQ hopefully with coconut crabs not included on the menu.

Paradise Found

PARADISE FOUND

Position 15D.57.529 S 145D.04.664 W

Kaeuhi Atoll - Tuomotus

Tuesday, July 26 - we managed to just make the slack tide to enter the Kaeuhi Lagoon. That being said it was a pretty hairy ride through the pass with current pushing against us. The outflow made eddies and whirlpools on the surface of the water and it was like motoring through a washing machine. Ian did a good job and kept a level head to get us into the lagoon safely. The lagoon was massive and like another sea inside the protection of a fringing reef. Palm trees swayed in the breeze on top of white sandy motus (small islands in the sea). The water was colbalt blue and you could see the coral heads through the crystal clear water. We called our friends from Saba on the radio and they gave us waypoints to guide us into the area where they were anchored in the southeast corner of the lagoon. It was another mile or so of motoring away from where we had entered the lagoon pass. Daniel came out in his tender to meet us and guide us between the exposed coral heads. I was on the bow checking what was ahead and below us. We anchored next to Saba in the most remote but beautiful place we had seen. Outside of the fringing reef you could hear the ocean roar as the big swells crashed onto the reef but we were safely protected inside the calm lagoon. Ian and I both had a refreshing dip in the salty water of the lagoon. Later we went over to Saba for sundowner drinks and to swap stories about the short crossing we had made from the Marquesas. As the sun set across the motus next to where we were anchored we both realized that this was truly paradise found. It's just a short snorkel to the motus so today we plan to swim over and explore what's on the shoreline and under the sea. In a few days time we may motor another mile or so to the village to see how the locals manage to survive on these remote atolls.

Driver Stop

DRIVER STOP  

 

Position 15D29.184s 144D41.299w

Approximately 40 nautical miles left to sail

 

Monday, July 25 - at 9am this morning we are slowly making progress towards the atoll of Kaeuhi.   We are under time pressure to arrive there before 3pm or it may be too late to enter the atoll safely due to the tides.  If we don't arrive in time we will need to spend another night at sea which neither of us are looking forward to. We were doing 8.5 knots during the night but had to slow down when our auto pilot failed twice.  Ian and I were both settling in for the night watch when all of a sudden I heard the sails flapping violently.  I knew we had gone off course then the auto pilot beeped in protest and a message appeared on the screen flashing 'Driver Stop'.  Oh great we had all our sails out and no automatic steering. Ian sprang up and took the helm steering manually to keep the wind on our beam.  I wound the genoa in on the winch to slow the boat down while we figured out what the problem was.  We managed to reset the autopilot but as soon as we gained speed it failed again.  We looked up the auto pilot manual and deduced that the steering system was unable to cope with the load we were putting on it. We made the decision to run all night at a steady 6 knots to prevent another failure but this decision may result in us missing our entry to the lagoon later today.  Ian and I are both pretty exhausted and are looking forward to some relaxation time. It has only been a short crossing but the cummulative effect of lack of sleep and nausea seems to take its toll on the body eventually.  Yesterday Ian spent the whole day working on the watermaker which now has many serious issues.  This morning we woke up to low batteries so he is also trying to fix that problem with limited resources.  It's also very difficult to work and concentrate down below when the boat is moving unpredictably with the wind and swell.  With a bit of luck we will arrive at Kaeuhi today as planned and take a well deserved swim.

Bobbing Along.....

BOBBING ALONG  

 

Position 13D31.720s 142D33.620w

Approximately 210 nautical miles left to sail

 

Sunday, July 24 - we have just completed the second day of our 3 day journey to the Tuamotus Islands in French Polynesia.  We are headed to an atoll called Kauehi.  It was recomended by our friends on Saba who are also headed there.  Unfortunately the winds dropped during the night and instead of zipping along at 7.5 knots we are now bobbing along at 5 knots.  Our short journey may be extended another night because we have to time our arrival at Kauehi wih the correct tide.  The difficulty with this part of French Polynesia is the hidden coral heads and dangerous enties/exits into the lagoons of the atolls.  Each atoll has a tide.  All the water needs to squeeze out through a narrow pass when the tide falls and in through a narrow pass when the tide rises.  Sometimes if waves have been breaking over the coral reef there can be more water to exit than usual.  The secret is to judge your entry and exit to coincide with the calmer time as the tide changes or just after.  If you time it wrong you may have a head current faster than you can drive against or a tail current that sweeps you along preventing you from controlling the direction of your yacht.  An additional hazard is waterfalls being formed when the tide height is extreme.  Once in the lagoon you must also watch for the hidden coral heads.  We only plan to visit 2 atolls during our stay.  We are now running under full sail to try and increase our speed.  This is the first time we have pushed Faraway under full sail in the Pacific.  The drop in winds has also brought less swell and we are now able to move around the boat much more comfortably.  It feels unusual to be sailing along without being surrounded by towering waves and I definitely prefer these calmer conditions.  I even made bread yesterday but it still didn't pass the Blandy taste test.  Ian said it was more like a scone then bread so most of his went overboard.

Zipping along.....

We pulled up anchor in Hane Moe Noa Bay around 9:30am on the morning of Friday, July 22.   Our destination was the Tuamotu Islands which were approximately 500 nautical miles away.  I was on the bow sprit tying the anchor down as we left the bay when I saw 4 Manta Rays on the surface of the water just under the bow coming to say goodbye. They were so close I was afraid that Ian would run one over!  A few minutes later Ian spotted some dolphins and they escorted us out of the bay then disappeared.  We motored down towards the village then Ian went out on deck to set the whisker pole up for downwind sailing.  Unfortunately the winds were very light in the lee of the island so we motored out to sea on a heading towards the Tuamotus.  After half an hour we had winds up to 20 knots so we put the genoa out and got good speeds between 7.5 and 8 knots for the rest of the day and most of the night.  We chatted on the radio with Saba who were heading to an island in the Tuamotus called Kauehi.  Daniel gave us the lat long of the anchorage in Kauehi so we decided to follow Saba and meet up with them again as they were good company and we had become friends since the Galapagos Islands.  Saba was a 50 foot catamaran so a lot faster than us and we calculated that they would arrive at least one day ahead of us.  We saw a pod of dolphins in the afternoon and a lot of sea birds.  The Pacific Ocean was quite rough and the swells were around 2.8 to 3 metres high.  Ian and I both started to feel a bit nauesous but managed to eat lasagne and peas for dinner as the sun went down.  We settled into our night watch routine and as the weather was so nice we both decided to sleep up on deck.

Hane Moe Noa Bay

We relaxed in this beautiful bay on Tahuata Island for one week and enjoyed snorkelling with the Manta Rays when they came into the bay in the morning to feed on plankton. Ian took a great photo of me diving down with a Manta so I finally got to be on the other side of the camera. We only planned on staying a few days in the bay but this uninhabited part of the island and crystal clear waters captivated us. We also had a lot of cruiser friends drop anchor in the same bay and almost every night we had a social call to make in our dinghy. One night we had sundowners on Faraway and 10 people managed to squeeze into our cockpit. We drank delicious sangria made by Lilliane off Meikyo and lots of beers. Ian and I kayaked over to the island a few times and collected lemons and poplamose fruit from the trees in the abandoned grove behind the swaying coconut palms that fringed the shoreline. We also collected a few coconuts which proved to be delicious once we had worked out how to open them. After a few days we longed for fresh bread and more fruit so we took a 2 mile dinghy ride with the family from Saba to the village called Vaitah. It was a rough dinghy ride in open ocean but the mountain scenery along the way was spectacular. Strong winds funnelled from the mountains into the bay as we approached the village and we had a tough time securing our dinghies to the jetty wall. The village was small but very neat and tidy and most of the houses had million dollar views of the bay. There was a stone church in the village with beautiful blue stained glass windows and a polished tree trunk that served as a bible stand. We went to 2 small grocery stores and managed to get fresh bread sticks and some canned food. Silka from Saba came across a local guy in the street and she negotiated with him in French to bring us some bananas, oranges and mangoes. He came along to the jetty an hour later with a back pack full of produce and we agreed on a price for them. On July 21, the last day in the bay, Ian and I organized a beach BBQ for all the cruisers. At 1:30pm we took the dinghy over to the beach and built a fire pit and raked an area around a wooden table that had been used by many cruisers before us. A few hours before sunset cruisers from the yachts Meikyo, Saba, Spirit, Alchemist, Lullaby,Terrwyn, and Luna arrived and we sat around the fire and cooked our meat, ate and drank. We all watched the sun set behind our yachts in the bay and it was the perfect finish to our stay. A few of us stayed on around the fire until 9pm for more drinks and to watch the stars come out.

Manta Magic - Saturday, July 16

POSITION 09D54.447s 139D06.270w

We left the anchorage of Hiva Oa with clean laundry and good supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables on Friday afternoon. Our destination called Hana Moe Noa bay was only a 1 hour and 40 minute sail away on Tahuata Island. Unfortunately for us the weather had really picked up and the winds were very strong with huge swells breaking in the open water as we left the anchorage. I had to steer Faraway head on into the waves as they crashed over the bow and canopy. It was the first time that I had actually felt nauseaous on Faraway but I still managed to go below and make tuna sandwiches for lunch. We made some fresh water along the way to top up our tanks and recharged our house batteries with the engine running. As we sailed around the lee of the island it suddenly became very calm and the swells dropped as the anchorage came into view. It was by far the most beautiful anchorage that we had been to with calm azure blue water (this is the South Pacific we have dreamed of), a white sandy beach and lush green coconut palms on shore. We could see our yacht friends Saba and Meikyo in the bay and we anchored nearby them. Due to the strong winds we had to reset our anchor twice and then I snorkelled down to check that the anchor was holding. We settled in for sundowners and an early night as there were frequent rain showers that chased us indoors. In the morning we were up early for breakfast. Ian made yummy pancakes and I had just started on a nice cup of tea when we spotted Lilliana from Meikyo snorkelling with dark triangular shapes around her. They were manta rays! I quickly got my snorkelling gear on and finned over to her. There were two manta rays feeding on the abundant plankton that clouded the water. I screamed at Ian to fetch my camera and he kayaked over with it loyally. As we watched the mantas I noticed one was trailing about 10 metres of thick fishing line behind it and swimming with difficulty. I asked Mike from Meikyo for some scissors and Lilliana volunteered to try and cut the line from the ray. Well it didn't like that idea and dived and swam at great speed away from us. I told Lilliana not to worry and that it would come back. Luckily it did come back and bit by bit we cut pieces of fishing line from it until there was only about 50 cm left. After a while it was actually swimming back to us so we could relieve it of it's annoying burden. The fishing hook was still wedged in deeply near its gill but we hoped that it would eventually rust away. The manta ray was so grateful that it brought 6 of it's manta ray friends back to say hello and we played with them for over 2 hours watching them feeding on the plankton. At one stage the manta rays were even bumping up against us and coming so close that we had to move out of their way. Other cruisers jumped into the water as well and the manta rays didn't mind us humans being around them at all. It was truly a memorable experience for everyone. When I decided to snorkel back to Faraway and give them a break 1 manta ray even followed me to the boat which was pretty incredible. In the afternoon Ian and I got the kayaks out and paddled to shore against strong wind and current. We beached the kayaks easily at high tide and went for a walk along the pristine white sandy beach. It was the scenery that postcards and dreams are made of and we enjoyed every moment of it. We had sundowners back on Faraway and were joined by Daniel and his young girls Leena and Anna off the yacht Saba. I have prepared my best underwater camera ready for our next encounter with the Manta Rays-hopefully at sunrise tomorrow. We are really really enjoying our journey through the South Pacific.

Party on Faraway

Last night (July 11) we had an impromptu party onboard Faraway. Bill and Cathy from SV Terrwyn, Aaron and Akosh from SV Lullaby and Lilliana and Mike from SV Meikyo joined us for lots of drinks and a BBQ cooked by Ian. We really enjoyed catching up with the other cruisers and hearing the stories about their crossing experiences. Luckily nobody had any major problems while under sail. That's Bill and Cathy rowing back to their yacht in the dark. Unfortunately they didn't make their 5am planned departure!

HIva Oa

We are finally back in civilisation and have limited access to the internet. Time for some photo updates! This is our anchorage in Hiva Oa (French Polynesia). Ian and I enjoyed setting foot on land again and walking around the village. The mountains are amazingly steep here and shrouded in misty white clouds. There are fruit trees everywhere and people actually come up and give you fruit. This is great for us as it wasn't too long ago that we were counting down our last bananas. The Polynesians are all very friendly and welcoming. We are having a relaxing time here which is nice after our long journey. Tomorrow I plan to go horse riding in the mountains and Ian will do some work on the boat. It does seem like I always get the best deals but he is the Captain!

LAND LEGS

LAND LEGS 0 nautical miles to go

POSITION Hiva Oa-Marquesa's

Well we finally made it. We have anchored in Tahauku Bay anchorage of Hiva Oa. The most gruelling part of the journey was dropping anchor. Although there are only 3 catamarans and 4 yachts here the anchor area is small. At one end is a beach with waves, at 1 side is a cliff area with pounding surf and at the other side is the cargo ship dock. The authorities have only left a small area near the beach for yachts. Since we arrived 2 people have lost their kedge anchor-line cut by rocks on the sandy bottom. We anchored in an area near the entrance. We saw old friends on Yellow Dog. Ian kayak'd over and said hello. They were leaving and were able to point to a better location for Faraway. We moved there although it was tight. Shortly after that another yachtie motored over and pointed out that we were outside the yellow crosses and would block the cargo ship. We moved but the area we allocated had someones kedge anchor there-we did not wish to cross lines. We went back to the 2nd location. Dropped anchor twice before it held. We endured 2 extreme rainstorms during all the chaos-(I was on the bow completely drenched). Then Faraway decided to lie at 90 degrees to all the other yachts. We layed a kedge from the starboard stern. Once layed we then pulled Faraways bum around so we were lying like the other yachts. This all took 3 hours. We were already exhausted-by the end of this we were really really really exhausted.

As a special treat we went ashore. We had to beach Puffin on the rocks and risked damaging Pushin (the engine). We will inflate Puffin 1 and row ashore in future-as it can be easily lifted out and placed on the beach(very light)

Hiva Oa is really beautiful. This was the first time we had been to a country inhabited by Polynesians. They are all really friendly. I saw 2 of my favourite creatures as soon as we were ashore. Horses and cats. TO WALK ON A SURFACE THAT DID NOT ROLL-AMAZING.

We returned to Faraway after half an hour and opened the champagne. It tasted great-Thankyou Adrian and Lisa on Two Ticks we owe you. Ian BBQ'd 2 steaks in a light rain shower. Once we were in the cockpit eating the rain came thundering down. We had to close all the sides on the Bimini. This morning all buckets on deck and Puffin were full of water.

We had the best nights sleep.

We are in an illegal anchor area so will have to move today-we are watching hoping that 1 of the catamarans will go and leave us a spot. Later we will go ashore and eat as much fresh fruit as possible!!!

The statistics:

3030 nautical miles travelled.

Exactly 19 days 11 hours.

2 hours on the engine

No visible wear and tear to any sheets or sails. Only used 2 of the 3 sails.

The Lewmar autopilot worked continuously all the way-rock solid.

Only 2 other yachts seen

Lost count of books read and DVD's watched.

8 bars of chocolate

Faraway is filthy on the outside-green growth all around. The entire rear underneath is coated in small mussel like creatures.

.

We could have saved at least another day if we had pushed Faraway. We never used full sails-with only 2 of us on board we did not want to risk breaking equipment as doing repairs on deck is a real challenge. We normally ran with less (sometimes a lot less) than 3/4 main and 3/4 genoa. We never even un-rolled the stay sail.

Overall- It has been quite a journey. We have had very mixed emotions each day. The sea state has been worse than expected so no smooth sailing. It has been far more exhausting than expected. It has been a challenge that we set for ourselves to break from the routine of life and work. We are really glad we completed the challenge.

Would we do it again-who knows, time will tell. As Ian says '" Those people who sail long distance-especially on the northern and southern oceans-Respect man Respect!! "

We will continue to update the blog as the journey progresses. We will try and put more photos on in future.

WE ARE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO ISLAND HOPPING TO AUSTRALIA OVER THE NEXT 4 MONTHS.

DAY 20 - LAND AHOY!!!!

DAY 20 - LAND AHOY!! only 20 nautical miles to go

POSITION 08D54.480s 138D37.308w

At 6:40am I saw land. The outline of Hiva Oa came into view albiet a foggy one. Ian felt too tired to be excited as he had been awake most of the night adjusting our heading and watching for other vessels. The winds are not as predicted at present and we are finding it difficult to point directly at the anchorage. This is quite normal at sunrise as the winds usually are a little bit variable. In about another hour or so things we will settle down. The sea state has also reduced which makes sailing more comfortable.

We are hoping that by the time we drop anchor that we have only motored for 1.5 hours for the entire 20 day passage. So far all our motoring has been done when we left the Galapagos Islands. We hope to sail directly into the Tahauku Bay anchorage of Hiva Oa at mid morning today.

This afternoon I think we are going ashore for a long walk and to find a tree to lie under. A nice couple on a South African catarmaran called 'Two Ticks' gave us a bottle of champagne in Panama. It is now on ice so we will celebrate the crossing tonight with some bubbly.

0 Fish

DAY 19 HALF WAY

DAY 19 HALF WAY only 140 nautical miles to go

 

POSITION     08D57.000s 136D157.000w

 

Once again we had really good winds allowing us to make excellent progress.  We are pointing a little north of our destination but as the winds come around more onto the east we should be able to achieve our goal or reaching landfall tomorrow morning.  The swell continued to increase in size throughout the day.  By late afternoon it was really quite uncomfortable.  Ian was stood on the back deck and at stages it was towering above him.  It usually crashed onto the transom before disappearing underneath in a wall of white foam.  Faraway would wobble from side to side as if being sucked into the foam that completely surrounded her, before gaining momentum and freeing herself in preperation for the next one.  The swell has reduced slightly overnight but is still large enough to throw us off course occasionally. 

 

We have had days of squalls and overcast conditions.  The swell has been more from the south than expected. It has been very different to our expectations.  We are lucky to be in a heavy boat as we easily ride out the extreme gusts etc..it will be interesting to talk to our friends this week-some are doing this trip for 2nd/3rd time.  They will confirm if the conditions are unusual this year,

 

The big event today-we have passed the half way point between our departure point in St Martin and our destination in Brisbane Australia.  We have sailed nearly 5000 nautical miles-not bad for 2 day skipper ratings.  Our biggest hurdles were getting used to night crossings, getting through the Panama Canal and the long journey between Galapagos/Marquesa's.  If all goes according to plan the final half of our journey will be Island (country hopping).  Some crossings will still taker up to 1 week.  We plan to sail to the Marquesa's (Other areas in French Polynesia-Bora Bora etc...)-Cook Islands-Tonga-Fiji-New Caledonia-Brisbane.

 

We are now on the final leg of this journey.  At our current rate of progress we will arrive 20 nautical miles from Hiva Oa at sunrise.  That will give us 4-5 hours to sit back relax and watch as our destination appears in sight.  If we make these times then we will have completed the passage in 20 days.  So far we have had no damage, wear and tear or other issues with equipment on the exterior of Faraway-lets hope it continues.

 

The cylinder end cap on the watermaker pump continues to leak.  When we get to a calm anchorage Ian will try to repair it otherwise we will have to go to Tahiti and get it repaired under warranty.  This will be a set back as Tahiti is expensive, has crime and will delay our plans for ???days.

 

We do not feel sad about approaching landfall as some cruisers do.  Perhaps we will feel different in the morning when we can see Hiva Oa.

 

0 Fish

 

DAY 18 STRANGE CREATURES

DAY 18 STRANGE CREATURES only 290 nautical miles to go

POSITION 08D45.633s 133D38.206w

Overall we have made very good progress today. Apart from 1 hour when the wind dropped off we have seen 15-25 knots. During the night Faraway achieved a top speed of 9.8 knots. The sea is very rough and we are finding it hard going. Simple tasks are a struggle. We are starting to notice bruises in strange places. Some are from being knocked others are from resting against the same point for too long. At night when we lie in the cockpit we have to wedge ourselves against the edge. This has become difficult as the points of contact are generally the areas of bruising.

We were entertained at sunrise by a very large school of creatures. We have now identified them as Pygmy Orca's-something we have never seen before. They entertained us for an hour riding the bow wave and racing up the swell that was crashing onto our port side.

We are starting to see many birds now which generally means that land is near. We are still hoping to arrive in Hiva Oa on day 20. We will be arriving on a weekend so customs and immigration will be closed. Luckily we have been told that as long as we raise our Q flag then we are free to go ashore. Then we will check in on Monday. As soon as we have set a good anchor we are going for a looooooooong walk.

1 big fish

DAY 17 DAY STORMY WEATHER

 

DAY 17  STORMY WEATHER only 440 nautical miles to go

 

POSITION     08D55.756s 131D09.500w

 

This day has been one of changeable weather.  Initially the wind was light but as the day progressed the winds increased.  The weather started nice but by sunset the sky was going dark.  The radar had been clear for sometime but now many stormy patches were appearing.  The wind would increase, the swell increased towering over the stern before disappearing under the keel and the tops of the swell would turn white( At 1 point Fraway was surfing down the waves).  We also had some small waves breaking around us-not something we are used to.  We would sit in the cockpit waiting for the storm patches to beat down on us.  Luckily all the winds and weather in these patches was relatively light compared to some of our Caribbean experiences.  These conditions have continued through the night and into today.  We anticipate them remaining with us until Marquesa's. 

 

At our current rate of progress we should arrive on day 20. 

 

All else is going well-all equipment is working and there hasn't been any major wear and tear issues.

 

I had a glass of wine to celebrate my brother David's birthday-HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID x.  I will have another tomorrow to celebrate Ian's sisters birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOANNE x.

 

0 fish

 

DAY 16 DAY 16 DAY 16.....

DAY 16 DAY 16 DAY 16 only 600 nautical miles to go

POSITION 08D58.142s 128D33.140w

Today I have titled the blog DAY 16 and I will try and write a full story out of nothing. The title summarises what has happened over the last 24 hours (not a lot). The swell is still increasing as there is a depression way to the south of us. Unfortunately the winds are not increasing yet in relation to the swell and life on board is quite uncomfortable. It looks like we won't make landfall until late on Saturday. We are certainly counting the miles and the days ahead now.

We sat on the back deck again for the last few hours in the sunshine and I decided to have another glass of red wine while Ian sipped a gatorade. Luckily the wine seems to settle my stomach but it makes me a little too drowsy for the night watch so it won't be an option in the rough weather days ahead.

The last of our bananas are going in a cake today. That leaves us with 2 apples, some oranges and half a watermelon. Not bad going really considering the time we have been at sea. Our potato and onion supply is surviving well so we have no complaints really on the food front. I wanted to fish yesterday for a tuna so we could have a change in diet but after some discussion Ian and I have decided that we really don't want to kill any sea creatures besides the mess that it would make on the back deck. I guess if we were really hungry our attitude would change pretty fast but for now we will stick to the tinned tuna variety.

I've added a photo of Ian doing some laundry on the deck so you can see how difficult everyday tasks can be.

1 fish

DAY 15 PAINFUL

 

DAY 15 PAINFUL only 740 nautical miles to go

 

POSITION     08D13.102s 126D17.095w

 

Today I have titled the blog PAINFUL.  It summarises our progress at present.  The wind stayed light during yesterday and then during the evening dropped right off.  At 1 point we were doing 3.8 knots.  The swell is increasing as there is a depression way to the south of us.  Unfortunately the winds are not increasing yet.  Big swell and light winds=very uncomfortable and rolly conditions.  The pressure will drop soon and the winds will increase we hope!  At present our hopes of making the journey in 20 days are fading.

 

This morning I spotted a sailing yacht ahead of us by 8 miles.  We called on the radio but they did not respond.  We have watched them move away from us-they must have passed us during the night.

 

Yesterday the sea was relatively calm.  We sat on the back deck for the last few hours in the sunshine.  A freak wave covered the deck but we were quick enough to jump up and avoid getting wet.  As it was such a beautiful moment I decided to have a nice glass of red wine.  We don't normally drink on transits (Ian is really good-he never ever drinks-really he doesn't).  It was a wonderful few hours a real treat after hiding in the cockpit for 2 weeks.

 

Todays problem-the watermaker.  We are disappointed with the watermaker.  We now have our 3rd problem with it.  Ian noticed water on the saloon floor.  He traced it back to the cupboard where the watermaker is located.  It has started to leak through the seal at the end of the high pressure pump.  The watermaker still makes water but the problem will get worse.  We did not want to go to Papeete, looks like we may have to now-nearest Spectra Watermaker agent.  Watermakers are  expensive so it is really frustrating

 

We started the watermelon-it was delicious-it will last for a few days.

 

0 fish

 

 

DAY 14 GALE TO CALM

DAY 14 GALE TO CALM only 870 nautical miles to go

 

POSITION     07D24.207s 124D13.196w

 

We reached a big milestone yesterday-1000 nautical miles to go-our next high point will be 500 nautical miles to go in 2 1/2 days.  The winds were strong throughout the day and into the night.  It allowed us to make excellent progress.  As the night went on the pressure dropped at such a rate that the barometer alarm went off-implying strong winds headed our way.  The winds started howling through the sails and Faraway hovered around 9 knots for an hour.  Just after midnight the winds slowed and now we are lucky to get 10 knots. It has also brought much calmer seas-we only have a gentle roll.  We have set the sails wing on wing and are pointing straight at the Marquesa's.  The pressure is still building so we expect these calm conditions to remain for sometime.

 

We need to average 6 knots to arrive in Marquesa's after 20 days.

 

We are also running the watermaker-hopefully we will make about 400 litres of fresh water this morning,

 

The fresh produce is virtually gone.  We still have the watermelon which we are delaying eating as long as possible.  Today I will make pizzas.

 

0 fish. 

DAY 14 GALE TO CALM

DAY 14 GALE TO CALM only 870 nautical miles to go

 

POSITION     07D24.207s 124D13.196w

 

We reached a big milestone yesterday-1000 nautical miles to go-our next high point will be 500 nautical miles to go in 2 1/2 days.  The winds were strong throughout the day and into the night.  It allowed us to make excellent progress.  As the night went on the pressure dropped at such a rate that the barometer alarm went off-implying strong winds headed our way.  The winds started howling through the sails and Faraway hovered around 9 knots for an hour.  Just after midnight the winds slowed and now we are lucky to get 10 knots. It has also brought much calmer seas-we only have a gentle roll.  We have set the sails wing on wing and are pointing straight at the Marquesa's.  The pressure is still building so we expect these calm conditions to remain for sometime.

 

We need to average 6 knots to arrive in Marquesa's after 20 days.

 

We are also running the watermaker-hopefully we will make about 400 litres of fresh water this morning,

 

The fresh produce is virtually gone.  We still have the watermelon which we are delaying eating as long as possible.  Today I will make pizzas.

 

0 fish. 

DAY 12 BLUSTERY CONDITIONS

DAY 12 BLUSTERY CONDITIONS only 1180 nautical miles to go

POSITION 06D31.714s 119D 06.615w

Overall it has been a blustery 24 hours. The wind whistled through the rigging all night and the water rushed past the hull. During the day it is quite pretty with bright blue sea (when it is not dull and overcast) coated in hundreds of white caps. This morning the swell was very large-probably the biggest we have seen. The best thing about this weather-we have regularly been cruising along at around 8 knots and at 1 point last night reached 9 knots.

Sadly the generator has finally quit. We ran the engine for 1 hour last night and 2 this morning to charge the batteries. It is a method used on many boats-not everyone has the advantage of a generator. Ian is now convinced that it is the oil pressure trip switch. We are just above mid point on the oil dip stick and have been heelig over to starboard for many weeks. It is possible that he is correct. The problem-We need to get into the Lazarette to get new oil. We need to remove old oil and then replace with new oil. Try doing this in a large swell. We may put it off until tomorrow.

Generally we are surprised by the sea state. We anticipated smoother sailng in this part of the world. We have been looking at the weather post Marquesas-the wave height is half of what we are experincing. We look forward to sailing upright.

We are becoming so in tune with Fraway that we can guess within 1/3rd of a knot the speed and also relative wind angle. This is particularly useful at night as it avoids us using torches therefore maintaining our night vision.

We have not seen another yacht for more than a week now. Initially we ended further south of the Galapagos /Marquesa run than planned. We are back on that track line so maybe we will have company soon.

0 fish