Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the atahualpa domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home3/aboarddi/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114
South Pacific « Aboard Dignity (Lagoon 420) Blog

Categories

Archives

A sample text widget

Etiam pulvinar consectetur dolor sed malesuada. Ut convallis euismod dolor nec pretium. Nunc ut tristique massa.

Nam sodales mi vitae dolor ullamcorper et vulputate enim accumsan. Morbi orci magna, tincidunt vitae molestie nec, molestie at mi. Nulla nulla lorem, suscipit in posuere in, interdum non magna.

There are two

by KC2RIY, on April 6th, 2012 (New Zealand)

While breezy it was a nice day yesterday. We did a wash in the morning and the laundry went out on the lines. We went ashore late morning with the idea we’d walk to the bay to the north of us and visit the shop. Within minutes of being ashore we met a woman, Mary, walking her dog in the opposite direction. I asked her if she knew a little about the currents in the area. She did and soon we were chatting and walking together. She owns a small property on the island. She was due to take the Tuesday ferry which has yet to get here due to the same weather conditions pinning us here. She had tenants flying in and so she’s homeless and staying with a friend. Mary was walking her dog to the bay to the north too so we ended up walking this leg together. Along the way she gave us the idea to walk further to the better shop in the next bay round.

In the end it was two bays round and we were ready for lunch and the healthy cafe there. After feeding we picked up a few supplies then headed back. It seemed a lot further going back, probably not having someone else to chat to did that.

Close to the wharf we ended up chatting to another sailor about channel conditions. The long and the short of it is we really should leave a bit after low tide. The currents reach 3 knots and if they opposed the prevailing winds it can be nasty. If they oppose our desired direction they would be a pain.

The forecast for Friday is still strong. For Saturday it’s lessening and on Sunday the winds will have shifted to the south making travel in that direction awkward to say the least. If we leave after low tide on Saturday we’ll arrive in Waiheke after dark which we should never do coming into an unknown anchorage. It looked impossible. Until we remembered there are two tides each day. And that gives us a great opportunity.

Our current plan is to leave about 3am on Saturday morning, catch the favourable currents through the channel and round the tip of the Coromandel and get to Waiheke Island in time for breakfast. We haven’t entirely decided where to anchor but we can make our minds up today. We’ll also prep the boat today so we’re ready to go as soon as we wake up. Early night tonight.

We’re getting over being off the internet. It’s a bit of a trauma at first but soon we feel quite liberated. There is nothing we can do. Nothing to respond to urgently. No news of the outside world. Nothing. It’s kind of nice for a bit. And that’s what we like when we’re up in the islands. Wasn’t expecting it here but we have it. We did consider moving the boat today but that smacks of desperation. One more day won’t hurt. I’m sure we’ll connect once at Waiheke.

Category: New Zealand | One reader has left a comment, here is mine

On the move

by KC2RIY, on April 5th, 2012 (New Zealand)

The big event of the day (relatively speaking) was moving the boat. We’d begun to get a little fed up of the chop that had built up within the bay where we were as well as the sudden slams from chunks of wind that would find us around the hill.

With the winds now forecast to be coming from the south east for sometime we headed for nearby Shoal Bay where we’d last visited in the dinghy to find shops. On the way over we left our shelter of Mulberry hill encountering 40 knot winds just south of the hill where the land allowed the wind through. It gave us an idea from what we were sheltering ourselves from.

Shoal Bay was less protected from the wind than where we were but it was sheltered from the incoming swell. What is more, the wind was more even which promised some return on the wind generator which hadn’t been helping much in the strong occasional gusts we’d been experiencing. We first attempted to anchor in a big gap in the mooring field but our anchor slipped. That may be why there were no moorings in that spot as the holding may not have been good. Our second attempt was just outside the mooring field where the anchor set solid. We put out a lot of chain and settled down.

INSERT_MAP

The first thing we realized is we have no internet access here. Oh well. We’re cut off. It’s not a bad thing from time to time. We expect it and plan for it up in the islands but it’s not expected here less than 50 miles from New Zealand’s biggest city. Just goes to show how remote NZ can quickly get. So all our email chats will just have to wait until we reconnect with the world.

NZ coastguard and their maritime service communicate regular weather forecasts on VHF and we can still download weather data via the SSB so we can still make our departure decisions from here.

Category: New Zealand | Comments are closed

Waiting out the weather

by KC2RIY, on April 4th, 2012 (New Zealand)

We remain stuck here. Tuesday was the worst forecast day with winds potentially up over 50 knots. We were well protected behind the hill here but were slammed every now and then by 40+ knot wind blasts. The bay has become quite choppy and uncomfortable.

Looking at today’s forecasts we may move south on Friday. Each day we consider moving somewhere less swelly here in Traphena Bay. With the wind easing today this may be easier to do.

Category: New Zealand | Here is my comment

Tired

by steve, on April 3rd, 2012 (New Zealand)

The weather forecast is grim. Here’s what we’re currently looking at with our area highlighted :

Southeast 30 knots gusting 40 knots, but 35 knots gusting 45 knots north of Whangaparaoa Peninsula, rising to 40 knots gusting 50 knots but 45 knots gusting 55 knots in the north this morning. Becoming southeast 40 knots gusting 50 knots everywhere this evening. Sea rough but very rough in the north. Sea becoming very rough but high in the north this morning, then very rough everywhere this evening. Fair visibility in showers developing this morning, becoming poor in rain from afternoon, heavy at times.

Fortunately we’re somewhat protected where we’re anchored. The wind is often under 10 knots but every now and then we hear the express train coming in as a lump of air makes it through the hills and smashes into us.

The weather kept us on the boat all of yesterday. Helen read and I played on the X-Box. Nothing really productive but that’s not a bad thing. We have to try and enjoy ourselves.

By the evening the winds had picked up and the express trains started to run in. The water in the bay developed a bit of a chop. We went to bed for a very restless night. I had the anchor alarm on beside me which went off several times always due to the boat swinging on the anchor rather than the anchor slipping. The wind couldn’t seem to make up it’s mind which way through the hills to come so we would swing this way and that.

I had to go on deck a few times to check things out. The kayak got flipped onto it’s side during one intense gust so I had to tie that down more effectively. The fishing rod was nearly blown off so I rescued that. Neither of us got a lot of sleep and feel pretty tired this morning. It feels like first night out on passage.

The medium term forecast is also giving us some grief. Whereas we’d been expecting this mess to be followed by north easterlies we are now forecast to have southerlies by the end of the week. Today low tide is at 9:43am and advances nearly an hour a day. If we left here to go south we’d want to leave around low tide so that we cross the Colville Channel on an incoming tide (because the swell is incoming too). That puts some pressure on us to leave sooner rather than later this week. But that would mean sailing in rougher overall conditions. It’s a toss up as to which is better. The earliest possible departure is now Thursday so a decision will only be made then. We’ll know a bit more tomorrow as the forecasting environment right now is highly variable.

With the southerlies being forecast soon one other thing we may need to consider is moving the boat as we have less protection from a southerly swell than we might like. That may mean sacrificing our current patchy internet connection. Safety obviously comes first but it’s a lot to weigh up. On this last point we look ok for today.

Category: New Zealand | Here is my comment

Tryphena Bay

by steve, on April 2nd, 2012 (New Zealand)

Are we turning into weather wusses? I don’t know but here we are settling into our second long term hunkering down in as many weeks.

The wind was gradually picking up yesterday so we decided to head ashore for lunch. We took the dinghy over to the dock/landing ramp at Shoal Bay south of us and explored around there. On the way over the wind whipped up the cold water from the bay making me quite wet. Helen, at the bow of the dinghy and on the upwind side, was spared this. Our guidebook said this spot was a good place to load up with shopping so we figured there must be a large shop of some sort here and perhaps, nearby, somewhere to eat. We found neither.

So we took to the dinghy again and headed to the beach we’d walked over the hill to the previous day. We hauled the dinghy up the ramp and off to the side and headed to the shop/restaurant where we both had Fish and Chips for lunch. We met an English couple who we talked to for a while before doing our shopping and heading back to the boat.

Nothing much more to report. Checked the oil/coolant levels on the new engines and that was all fine. As the rest of the day progressed the weather deteriorated. The boat is getting a good wash.

The forecast for the rest of the week is also deteriorating. We want to get to the Coromandel next and that means getting over the Colville Channel which is often quite rough. We’ll be heading south west which means we’ll have the prevailing conditions behind us which is good. The channel can have 2-3 knot currents in each direction so we’ll have to plan well whatever day we go.

For now we’re down to weather watching each day. No idea at the moment when we’ll get out of here.

Category: New Zealand | Here is my comment
← Retrace Wake «  
  » Voyage Onwards →