Saturday, 2013-11-23, 17:30, Opua Marina

 

We arrived at 16:01 after 6 days 23 hours and 31 minutes at the customs dock of Opua Marina after a lovely sail through the Bay of islands approach, accompanied by the tall ship Essex (Rob thinks). The customs, immigration and biosecurity people were very friendly and cleared us in in half an hour. Liz and Rachel where also already waiting for us.

 

We’re now moored at Opua Marina where we’ll stay until Monday before sailing down to Auckland where I’ve reserved a berth at Westhaven Marina pier P (#71 I think). Looking forward to a shower and dinner with our wives.

 

 

Saturday, 2013-11-23, 11:30, 34:54.925S 174:19.349E, COG 208, SOG 6.5kn, Wind 20kn SE

 

27nm to go to Opua. The sun’s out, the waves are down, and we’re almost there. We spent the morning in the cockpit taking photos and watching out for land. 29nm out from shore Rob spotted the first mountain top through the haze while I was downstairs making sure I’ve filled out all forms. It’s quite a package, fortunately neatly presented in a plastic folder “New Zealand Border Agency Information”. Of all the countries I’ve visited on this trip NZ provided the most complete and helpful information up front, awesome. And the longest forms to fill out.

 

In about an hour we’ll enter the 12nm zone and will then call ahead to customs. Then it’ll be another three to four hours before we arrive in Opua. Liz and Rachel are coming up from Auckland to greet us, can’t wait to see them. We’re a little damp and tired but very happy.

 

Just downloaded the weather files through the sat phone and had a look. There goes my hope of some nice weather for the last day. The low has passed us and it’s centre is now to the east of us. I had expected that it would stay west and move further south. But now we’re firmly caught on the “bad” side. Here’s a nice website with wind maps for the area:

 

If we’re lucky the low keeps on moving east, in which case the wind should drop and move back east-ish. And if we’re unlucky it moves further south, in which case the wind will come more from the south as we get into the low’s last quadrant. Then we might not be able to maintain course, depending on the strength of the wind. That would add a few hours to our trip. But considering we’re only a day a way it shouldn’t have a huge effect. The question is whether we’ll arrive Saturday afternoon or in the night.

 

I wonder what hours Customs and immigration are working in Opua on a Saturday. We cannot leave the boat until we’re cleared in, and If we arrive too late we’ll have to stay at the quarantine dock over night. Better then at sea, but I’d much rather be with Liz.

 

 

Friday, 2013-11-22, 11:30, 32:42.589S 175:02.000E, COG 196, SOG 6kn, Wind 25kn SE, gusting 35kn.

 

It feels like we’ve reached the rinse and spinning cycles of the South Pacific Ocean washing machine, 1400rpm. I asked Rob for his commentary on today’s blog entry: “Thanks weather for giving us one last lovely day. I’m clinging on with my fingertips.”

 

The wind is still coming from the south east with 255 to 35kn and we have to sail close-hauled at 40 degrees apparent wind to stay on course to Opua. For this to work at all I had to put the 3rd reef into the mainsail and change the genoa for the little staysail. A good morning exercise. The waves are properly developed now and pound the boat constantly. I begin to wonder about fatigue on the 32 year old welding seams. Just kidding, I have absolute confidence in the strength of the boat, but the volume and frequency of the bangs are very impressive and make the whole hull vibrate and shake.

 

The water coming through the companion way slider is a real nuisance, and trying to get rid of it is an uphill battle. Salt water sloshes underneath the floor boards and I’m not looking forward to repairing the damage it’s doing to the furniture. Cooking is out of the question. For breakfast we had the last of yesterday’s the Dal-Kumara-Curry, and I suspect for the rest of the trip it will be muesli bars. Good that it’s only 153nm to go to Opua. If the wind doesn’t change further South we should get in tomorrow afternoon after pretty much exactly 168 hours = 7 days. That’s 164 hours on the same port tack, we haven’t tacked or gybed since we went through the pass in Fiji.

 

I’m pretty happy with our sailing and tactics so far. It would be nice if the wind would ease off a bit for the last day or at least turn North-East so we can get the water out of the boat and make ourselves presentable. But if not, well, then it has to wait until we get into port. We positioned ourselves as best as we could and now we have to deal with what we get :-). The best part of every passage is always when you reach land, especially when your loved ones are waiting for you.

 

Friday, 2013-11-22 00:00, 31:35.473S 175:29.570E, COG 200, SOG 7.5kn, Wind 20kn SE

 

Another twelve hours in the tumbling program of the South Pacific washing machine. The cockpit-fillers that are coming over today have a special quality. The first ones ever to defeat the concerted efforts of the spray-hood and closed companionway-slider. They overwhelmed the drainage system and dumped a bucket of water downstairs. Two hours after I mopped it up another bucket full of saltwater came to say hello. And just now another one. I have to sit on the floor and wedge myself with my legs between the furniture to avoid being thrown around while cleaning it up. And just to remind us who's boss one wave lifted the whole boat out of the water and it slammed down with a fearsome bang. That was just after another wave accelerated us to 12kn for a few seconds. Funny thing is, the waves aren't even big, mostly 2m with the odd one at 3m. But they are steep and fast and maybe a little angry about something.

 

Meanwhile Rob's gone catatonic in his bunk and leaves it only to pee. He now wishes for the wind not to calm down so that it's all over sooner. He wears a sweater and hat even inside because it got noticeably cooler - 15C water temperature = room temperature. Quite a shock from the balmy 30C in Fiji only a few days ago. No more jumping around on deck in undies and a light rain jacket, now we're wearing proper foul weather gear and thermals underneath.

 

At ten tonight the clouds suddenly disappeared and all the stars came out. All of them, even the ones that are on day-light duty on the other side of the world. Or so it appears, it's so many of them. I can't get enough of that sight. But now most are gone again because the (recently full) moon came around the horizon and scared them away. It's super bright in that eerie light and we're bumping and bucking towards New Zealand.

 

220nm to go

Thursday, 2013-11-21, 11:45, 30:13.385S 176:03.840E, COG 200, SOG 7.5, Wind 25kn ESE

 

Yesterday afternoon was as expected overcast and rainy but relatively calm. Rob cut up a pumpkin and I made pumpkin soup in the pressure cooker - 1/2 pumpkin, 2 little onions, 2 grated carrots, chicken stock, pepper, nutmeg. Cook for 20 minutes then stick the hand blender in. Delicious boat food, especially on a rainy day.

 

After 3pm the wind dropped to 10kn and came from NE, and with us going SSW it came almost from behind. I took this as a sign that we were entering the NE quadrant of the low and that it’s time for the Parasailor to shine (the Parasailor is a symmetrical spinnaker with a horizontal gap through the middle and a dynamic pressure wing like a kite attached to the front. Doesn’t need a pole and I’ve used it from 5kn to 40kn of wind). Together Rob and I prepared the lines and dropped the main, and while Rob furled in the Genoa in I hauled up the Parasailor up and out of it’s sock. Great team. Then we sat in the cockpit for a while, watched a giant flock of seabirds take off from the sea, and discussed the weather and our further tactics. Suddenly the wind shifted back to E and increased to 20kn. Same grey overcast sky, no idea where that came from. And while we adjusted the trim of the Parasailor the whole thing basically exploded in mid-air. End of life after 3yrs and about 7000nm.

 

It took a while to drag all the trailing pieces bag on board and stuff everything into the bag. By then the wind had increased to 30kn and the sea was getting rougher. I was just sitting at the tiller and wanted to turn the boat closer to the wind to set the mainsail again when a massive wave hit the bow, reached up to the spreaders, and then came crashing down on me. After we stopped laughing we decided to leave the mainsail down and just go with the genoa for the night. We don’t really need a main to go fast downwind in 30kn, it just rolls a bit more without it.

 

And it rolled a lot. The wind came up to 38kn and turned further South. We were glad that we had made some way to the east over the last days and could sail SW for a while, but it was still the most uncomfortable night so far. Every 20min a massive wave crashed into the boat and filled the cockpit with foamy water, but we stayed below and only poked our heads out to have a look around. Nothing to see though.

 

Today the wind’s down to about 20kn again and we pulled up the main sail. Despite the mugging about with the Parasailor we made another 160nm in the last 24hrs and it actually looks like we can ride this low all the way into Opua, which means we would arrive Saturday. But then I totally expect everything to change overnight and that we’re going to be flopping about in little wind Friday, in which case we might arrive on Sunday.

 

312nm to go to Opua

 

Wednesday, 2013-11-20, 11:30, 27:35.155S 177:07.342E, COG 187, SOG 7.0, Wind 15kn NE

 

All through yesterday afternoon the sea was nice and we were gently gliding along at 7kn in 15kn of Wind – wonderful. For six hours we felt that all the trouble was worthwhile. We even cooked a proper dinner in the pressure cooker – potatoes, carrots, onions, kumara, eggplant, garlic, chicken stock, nutmeg, pepper, a little salt and two cups of water. My favourite. It was a little tricky with the broken oven gimbal but I wedged the oven into it’s nook and tied it down with a rope. The boat smelled delicious of steaming vegetables and then we ate and traded stories.

 

Of course during the night the wind increased to 25kn and it got bumpy again, but fortunately no thunderstorms anymore. I put the 2nd reef into the main but we were still going at 8-9kn, and so this morning we passed the half-way point after 3 1/2 days. Nice going, another 172nm in the last 24hrs. It got colder too, only 24C. Time to break out the merino underwear ;-).

 

Now that Rob’s got a taste of how nice it can actually be he says he doesn’t mind if it takes a little longer when it means that he’s not thrown around so much or gets a wave in his face every time he steps into the cockpit. Well, looks like he’s in luck: Judging from the way the wind turns north it seems that low coming form the west is slightly ahead and south of us, where I wanted it to be. Which means we should soon get some light northerlies for a while. Perfect Parasailor weather.

 

Other than a few birds that circle the mast now and then we haven’t seen anything since we passed a rusty Chinese fishing boat on Sunday. Not even a squeak from the radar detector or the AIS signal of another vessel. I kind of like that, the less there is out here the less likely we’re going to run into something.

 

I’m expecting a quiet afternoon, although overcast and a little rainy. When the wind shifts another 20 degrees north I’m going to take the sails down and fly the parasailor. Rob always wants to know how much longer until we get to Opua, but it’s really hard to tell at the moment. With dropping winds it’s unlikely that it’s only another 3 1/2 days. More likely 4-5 days.

 

477nm to go to Opua.

 

Tuesday, 2013-11-19, 11:30, 24:41.041S 177:17.244E, COG 182, SOG 7.5kn Wind 15kn E

 

Today’s my Mum’s birthday. Happy birthday Mum! I love you. Thanks for giving me the confidence to do stuff like this.

 

It’s also a beautiful day today. Yesterday and last night were quite rough, with 25kn of wind on the nose and lots of water washing over the deck. Every few minutes a wave would slam into the front of the boat with a mighty bang, and we stayed horizontal as much as possible to avoid being thrown around. But we made 175nm in the last 24 hours and upwind that is quite an achievement for a 39ft boat of 32 years. Double reefed main and genoa.

 

Today the wind is down to 15kn coming more from the east and that makes for a much gentler ride. We’re still doing 7-8kn but the occasional big wave slows us down to 6kn, and with less wind it takes a while to gather speed again. Sometimes too long and then next wave slows us down again.

 

Food wise we’re still relying on an oat bar and some fruit. Today it’s water melon. We don’t have much appetite, but also the boat rolls still too much to think about cooking. And it’s hot without a gas burner. But I expect it to get calmer over the next two days (and colder) as a low moves in from the west and I’m very much looking forward to a decent meal. I’m only worried that my stomach’s shrunk already and I can’t eat anything, now wouldn’t that be a shame.

 

650nm to go, which means that tomorrow we should reach the half-way point, after four days. If we manage to sneak in front of that low from the west then we can make it in another four, but if not we’ll be caught with less wind and it’ll take longer. But will also be more comfy. We’ll see, out here you get what you get and make the best out of it.

 

 

Monday, 2013-11-18, 11:30, 21:47.804S 177:29.830E, COG 185, SOG 7.5kn, Wind 17kn SE

 

Not much happening on the boat except for hiding from the sun and spray, feeling more or less sick, and thinking a lot. We both miss our wives and Rob vowed never again to be further than 3ft away from Rach. Very cute. There are a lot of thoughts going through my head about the blog entry when I’m lying in my bunk, when when I sit down to write the blog my mind’s all blank. Which is partly because the boat is moving so much that it already takes some effort just to sit. Good news is that we finally managed to keep some food down – a muesli bar and a bit of pineapple. Yay! But we’re making good speed and course, which is definitely a plus.

 

Our general tactic is to keep a little east of our target so we have some room to manoeuvre in squalls, or can take a gentler westerly course when the wind turns South. Which will happen eventually, the question is only when and where we’ll be at the time, hopefully past Cape Reinga. So we’re sailing close-hauled at 30-60 degrees apparent wind and that means a lot of heel, a lot of water coming over, and a lot of movement.

 

Last night the usual thunderstorms popped up and with no apparent gap to run through and the whole system stretching far across the horizon we hadn’t much of a choice but to go for it. The first was quite tame, 30kn and only a little lightning, but it forced us on a SW heading for an hour before we could turn back S. But the second thunderstorm was already waiting for us with 40kn of wind and heavy rain and we took down the mainsail and hid inside for two hours. Not very pleasant, we hope that there’ll be less as the water cooles, it’s only 24C already.

 

822nm to go

Sunday, 2013-11-17, 11:33, 19:20.430S 177:28.925E, COG 170, SOG 6km, Wind 10kn E

 

We left Vuda Point Marina at half past four yesterday and in the 0hrs since then travelled 100nm south. The start was very slow with 6kn of wind from the North, but once we had left Fiji behind and approached a big wall of thunderstorms the wind moved to East and freshened to 15kn. Ideal conditions - if it wasn't for the head swell and lightning. One after the other first I then Rob puked our half digested sausage rolls over board.

 

We got through the thunderstorms all right without being hit, but it didn't feel good. Now the weather is quite nice, the swells are longer and less steep, and we're making good speed. The boat moves still a bit and there's occasional throwing up but it feels like we're settling in slowly.

 

Interestingly the water temperature dropped already from 30C in Fiji to 27.2C, and we can slowly see it dropping. I think it's about 16C now in New Zealand, so a drop of 1-2C every day is expected.

 

Damages: The gimbal of the oven is broken, and the oven is hanging limply in it's box. So not sure if we can actually cook something. But at the moment we both don't feel like eating anything for the rest of our lives ;-). Rest of the boat seems to be ok.